Monthly Archives: July 2015

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on July 31, 2015
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I Believe The Children Are Our Future — Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

imageJuly 31, 2015

“Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my little boy dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, “Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.” The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” John 4:46-53

“The biggest place in the world is that which is being filled by the people who are closely in touch with youth. Being a king, an emperor or a president is mighty small potatoes compared to being a mother or the teacher of children, whether in a public school or in a Sunday School, and they fill places so great that there isn’t an angel in heaven that wouldn’t be glad to give a bushel of diamonds to boot to come down here and take their places.” Billy Sunday (1862 – 1935) A Sermon, “Motherhood” “For All The Saints”, volume IV (p. 462)

So often we hear that the “children are the future of the church”. I can’t disagree. We are in the best possible position to teach the faith to someone when they are just a child. Once they have reached adulthood, they begin to believe more in their ability to “intellectualize” things in their lives than to find faith. They are more willing to follow the teachings of politicians, of sport’s figures, or of the ramblings of an “on-line” prophet than to believe and follow the teachings of Jesus and the words of the prophets. But, to me, the most important thing today is to teach our children to carve out time in their busy schedules for the church — either in the activities of a youth group — or attending regular youth activities. If we can get them involved with other children in learning about faith, in having fun at church, and being leaders in the church, they have a better chance to stay connected to the church when they reach adulthood. This will give them a chance as adults and help them to be better able to compare the “on-line” ramblings of a modern-day prophet to the words of grace, mercy and love of Jesus.

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on July 30, 2015
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I Am a Fool For Jesus — Rev. David J. Schreffler

July 30, 2015

“Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.”” John 4:10-16

“You see, the issue in Christianity, in spite of what some people say, is not usually an intellectual one…..it is moral. Human nature does not change much from age to age. Jesus Christ understands human nature–all its foibles and dodges. He knows our difficulty. See how he dealt with this problem in a woman of the first century. Christ….came back to the first point–the real point, the wrong in her personal life which was cutting her off from a relationship with G*d…”  Peter Marshall (1902 – 1949) John Doe, Disciple – “For All The Saints”, volume IV (p. 450-451)

There is so much that can cut us off from a relationship with G*d….but so much of what does cut us off from G*d comes down to human nature — the desire to live our lives the way we want to — and not the way that G*d wants. We can’t fool Jesus — Jesus knows the human mind and the intellectual gymnastics we go through thinking we have fooled G*d. We have not fooled G*d. We have only fooled ourselves. We can go on playing the fool “with” G*d — or we can play the fool “for” G*d. I would rather play the second fool — for what is of the world is foolish compared to the glory of the kingdom of G*d. Come join me in being a fool for Jesus….

Pastor Dave