December 23, 2023 — Our Concern For The Poor Speaks To Our Faith

“This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by; the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.” Amos 7:7 – 9

“What were Amos’ reasons for speaking as he did…? What convictions lay behind his words? There are three outstanding elements in his preaching…The first is that Israel’s faith must manifest itself in concern for the poor, for the underdog, for the suffering, for those at the bottom of the social ladder. Amos insisted…that the quality of social justice is the gauge of righteousness in people.” Hagen Staack

Amos was very vocal about social justice – he complained about the treatment the poor received at the hands of the rich. I like the comment by Staack that the gauge of our righteousness is found in how each one of us handles the issue of social justice. Social justice is not just for the advocates, for those who like to attend rallies, or for the leftist “wackos”. We all need to be involved in social justice, for social justice is at the heart of the gospel-inspired life. What do I mean by social justice? Briefly, it means “justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society.” Yes, Jesus said we will always have the poor with us. That does not mean we should accept their plight without somehow hoping to ease their burdens.

There are lots of ways for us to be engaged in social justice. We collect items throughout the year to give to those in need. The food bank is now serving over 100 families per week who come for food assistance. Find ways either in the church or in your community to be involved in advocating and serving the last, lost and least of our communities.

Pastor Dave

December 22, 2023 — A River of Evil Separates Us

“This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, and is intended to make you worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering. For it is indeed just of God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to the afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at on that day among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

2 Thessalonians 1:5 – 12

How much greater suffering could you or I suffer than to be separated from the presence of the Lord? In my way of thinking, this is what Hell is – having a chasm between me and Christ. I am reminded of the gospel story of the man Lazarus who lies at the gate of a rich man. The rich man never sees the poor man, never reaches out to even give him a morsel of his food, and both die at about the same time. The rich man finds himself in torment, separated from Abraham (and we must assume here, separated from Christ) and a great chasm is fixed between them. This, in my mind, is the greatest source of the rich man’s torment –his separation from G-d.

The world looks for ways to separate us from the presence of the Lord in our lives. A river of evil runs through all the world, and the presence of this foul water washes over people, and places alike. Whether you agree with me or not, what else can I suppose is the origin of the separation between people, between people and G-d, between G-d’s people and people. This river of evil works every day, keeping people apart, spilling its banks to increase its ruin, drowning people in hate and discord. What bridges this river of evil is love – G-d’s love for us, and our love for each other which is built and modeled upon G-d’s love. But this bridge has a troll – the devil himself. He will try desperately to keep us off the bridge of G-d’s love, mercy and grace. But, as we know, love conquers all things. There is nothing more that Evil hates than G-dly love — and our love for each other.

Pastor Dave