January 20, 2024 — “Egg-Shell Christians”

“When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:34-40

If we are looking for slights by other people we shall see plenty of them—even where none were intended. If we are expecting to be wounded by someone’s words, we shall receive them even when no one intends to wound us. Self-love, or better said “self-sensitivity” has a great imagination. It can see a great many evils, it can hear a great many slights, and it can be offended by many a comment where none existed and none was intended.

Paul famously wrote: “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I understood as a child….When I became a man, I put away childish things.” It is high time that we, as Christians, start doing the same thing. Suppose Christ had been as sensitive as so many people are today, would he have saved the world? If Paul had been easily offended would he have endured the persecution and dangers and tribulations and misrepresentations that he bore to carry the gospel to the world?

Look, we should first learn to love ourselves if we are to love others. However, loving ourselves is not supposed to lead us to being so sensitive. We should look for opportunities to serve others, not to spend our lives looking for slights. We are called to love G-d and others with the intensity that we love ourselves – but not allow self-love to mire us in negative emotions.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, loving you with all my heart, mind and strength and loving the others in my life can be so difficult. Teach me how to love others so my love can change the lives of the others around me. Amen

Pastor Dave

January 19, 2024 — “The Practical Side Of Religion”

“I have concluded that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to enjoy themselves as long as they live, and also that everyone should eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all his toil, for these things are a gift from God.” Ecclesiastes 3:12-13

There is a practical side to all things – and all things practical do not bring to us glamour or recognition. In the church, there is plenty that happens that few people notice, few people think about, and few people even care that someone is doing it. They just expect that it will be done, and there will be hell to pay if someone forgets. These things do not bring anyone glory – but they do bring satisfaction that it is done for the Lord.

For example, someone needs to vacuum the Nave and make sure the heat or air conditioning is scheduled to come on before the services. Not everyone is called to preach – not everyone is called to play the organ, the guitar or the piano for worship. But for the church to function, there is a weekly grind that happens so the bulletin is done, the altar is prepared, and the coffee hour is staffed.

Just because the work does not bring recognition does not mean that G-d does not see the joy that people feel for doing the little things, the uninteresting things, and the drudgery of church-life. The same is true in our daily, secular lives. G-d blesses those practical Christians, people who are willing to do the work even if it means weariness, or a lack of emotion, and especially if it requires sacrifice. Just because our faithfulness seems to fall upon blind eyes, our Lord sees all that we do, for the glory of G-d, and for the practical side of life.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, help me to remember the words of the writer of Ecclesiastes: “…everyone should find enjoyment in all his toil, for these things are a gift from God.” Amen.

Pastor Dave