Go to Where the Water Is

Today, I took the afternoon (as I often do on Thursdays) to finish up the sermon for Sunday morning.  A good bit of my time in sermon writing is spent in thought, prayer, and meditation, and so I often find myself looking out the windows of my church office while I organize my thoughts.  Today, I saw something I haven’t noticed before, something that interrupted my train of thought, something I’d like to share with you:

The snow on the roof is melting in the sunlight, and water drops are falling off the edge of the roof onto the ground below.  Suddenly, a few birds – cardinals, from the looks of one of them – land on the edge of the roof, bend over, and drink from the water droplets as they trickle off the edge of the building.

photo by ccho

I think what struck me about this scene is just how odd of a drinking position that must be for the birds.  Can you imagine jumping into a stream of running water, facing downstream, bending over, and drinking until your thirst is quenched?  I suppose the birds found this water much more palatable than the running water in nearby Bullock Creek – a stream from which neither birds nor humans would drink willingly!

These birds went to where the water is, and they found satisfaction for their thirst.  Water is fuel for life:  nearly all species of plants and animals depend on water for survival.  So we too, in our daily lives, need spiritual refreshment and nourishment.  Where do we find water for the soul?

“On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.” (John 7:37-39 NIV)

Friends, in your everyday walk of faith, go to where the water is:  even Jesus Christ, the one whose birth we celebrate this season, whose glory was revealed on the cross and in the empty tomb, whose Spirit dwells in those who believe, whose return we await with great hope and anticipation.  Drink deeply from this source of life, no matter if it seems like a strange thing to do from the world’s perspective.  There is no better way to live!

–Pastor David

December Youth Update

Snow, 24/7 Christmas songs on the radio, Hanging of the Greens @ church, shopping, bowl game selections, Christmas lights lining the streets, the season has arrived and it’s still November as I am writing this.  What does it all mean?  Despite all of these signs–there is still our “Christ” in Christmas.  May we always remember that!  Jesus Christ is born this day!

Winter Retreat – December 28-30 –pre-registration MUST take place by December 6th. The cost for the retreat is $105 and to register we must account for $50 by the above date.  Many students have the money in their youth accounts; however, a few do not have enough.  We have been having fundraisers, but some will be short, so students will be responsible for the balances.   If you would like to help a student financially to attend Winter Retreat, please see me and we will discuss how you could help.  This year the speaker will be Mark Shaner from the East Side CHOG in Anderson and the worship leader will be John Tibbs and his band from the Madison Park CHOG in Anderson.  It promises to be a GREAT weekend and we already have students from North Euclid CHOG and the St. Johns CHOG attending with us.  Along with going to Winter Retreat, we MUST have the 2012-2013 Medical Release and Permission forms.  Please complete and return these ASAP.  Don’t wait—sign up for WINTER RETREAT this week!

The Michigan Student Leadership Institute (MSLI) was a great success this year and we are proud to announce that Shane Mudd and Isabella Krolikowski successfully completed their 2nd year of a three-year program.  Congrats to them!

Fundraisers have been going well.  Thank you for supporting them.  The Apparel Sale, the Gift Card sale and the Bake Potato Buffet brought in money for the kids. We have a great blessing, we have been having almost 20 students in attendance each week at youth. However, when we divide the profits, they become smaller in spreading it around. Fortunately, we know that God will provide and bless!  Praise God for our growth!

Thank you students for the great participation in the Thanksgiving Basket assembly.  Lots of work, but many blessings for families that needed the food. Seeing God at work is always so exciting!

We will be having a Christmas Party for the Youth on Sunday afternoon, December 9th.  We are planning on going SWIMMING at Four Seasons (cost will be $3) plus a “WHITE ELEPHANT” gift exchange along with fellowship and refreshments at the church afterwards. The Winter Retreat is December 28-30 and there are no concrete plans yet for New Year’s Eve.  We will be finishing up our study of the 10 Commandments with #9 on December 2 and #10 on December 16.  There will be NO Youth meetings on December 23 through January 1.

Your prayers, support and encouragement are greatly appreciated and we look forward every week to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with our students through interaction, study, fellowship and relationship.  Thank you for sharing your son or daughter.

Love God, Love People!

Pastor Jerry

Already and Not Yet

As people of faith in Christ Jesus, we celebrate this current season with special fervor and religious anticipation.  The Christmas season, while maddeningly materialistic and terribly self-centered in our American culture, still holds special meaning for Christians.  We want to encourage people in our community to “keep Christ in Christmas” – yet at the same time, we should remember why we celebrate this season and what it means for the faith.

photo by Per Ola Wiberg

We are people who believe in an “already and not yet” kingdom of God.  God’s reign over the universe broke into this world in personal, tangible form through the person of Jesus Christ.  This was the content of Jesus’s preaching (see Mark 1:14-15), and this was the reason that Jesus was born into the world (see John 18:33-38).  He reigns in our hearts in the present tense.  He conquers sin in our lives in the present tense.  His rule is already secure because of his nature, his work on the cross, and his empty tomb.

And yet the kingdom of God is not yet completely fulfilled.  We await Jesus’s return at the end of the age, at which point his kingdom will come in its completeness and perfection (see Revelation 22:6-21).  There will be no more suffering in the future tense.  The presence of God will fill us with heavenly light in the future tense.  We yearn for Christ to return even within our lifetimes so that we might witness his reign being made complete.

We are “already and not yet” Christians.  We believe in an “already and not yet” Lord, one who has already atoned for our sins but has not yet brought about the ultimate fullness of his kingdom.

This ties into our observance of the season of Advent, the season in which we celebrate the “coming” (“advent”) of Jesus Christ:  both his birth into the world and his second coming at the end of the age.  We are “already and not yet” Christians who celebrate an “already and not yet” Lord!

We tend to focus on the past tense story of Christmas, the birth of Jesus as a baby in Bethlehem, during this season.  Let us always remember, though, that our faith points us toward a future tense story of Advent, which is the return of Christ in final victory and triumph.  Even as Jesus came to earth in the form of a tiny, humble baby, so he will return again as ultimate, undisputed, unmistakable King.

Who needs Black Friday sales, Cyber Monday advertisements, nonstop secular Christmas songs, and stereotypical American indebtedness to celebrate this season?  Let’s celebrate Advent, in word and in deed, as people of true faith.

–Pastor David

Was Jesus Ever Bullied?

This fall, I have the pleasure of working with a handful of fifth- and sixth-grade boys on a Boy Scout course entitled “God and Church.”  The course focuses on who Jesus is, what the church is about, and how we can plug in to the life and ministry of the church through worship and service.  So far, I have really enjoyed the time I’ve been able to spend with these boys and their parents on a weekly basis!

At our last meeting, we were talking about how much like us Jesus is – that is, how he is fully human and experienced things just like we do.  (The next session is about how Jesus is fully divine:  we believe both!)  During the course of our conversation, one of the boys asked me a very insightful question:

“Was Jesus ever bullied?”

photo by Eddie~S

That question made me stop and think for a while.  We often talk about how Jesus was tempted in every way, like we are, but never sinned (Hebrews 4:15).  We remember how Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11).  We remember how Jesus had real human emotions like anger (John 2:12-22), sorrow (John 11:32-37), love (Mark 10:17-21), and many others.  But was Jesus ever bullied?

We don’t know much about his childhood; just a couple of stories survive about those years, and none of them apply to this particular issue.  So we can’t say for sure that Jesus was bullied as a child.  But certainly there were occasions when Jesus as an adult was ignored, made fun of, or treated unfairly by other people:

  • During his ministry, Jesus’s own family – his very own mother and brothers – thought he was crazy and out of his mind.  (Can you imagine?  At least his mother Mary should have known better!)  They tried to make him keep quiet, stop teaching, and stop performing miracles.  He responded by reminding everyone that obeying God’s will is his highest priority.  (See Mark 3:20-35.)
  • Jesus instructed his followers to expect to be hated by others because of their belief in him.  Being a Christ-follower makes a person subject to the ridicule of other people, just as it did for Jesus himself and all the prophets of God before him.  Jesus responded to the world’s hatred of him by speaking the truth, trusting in God, and remaining faithful to his calling.  (See Luke 6:22-23, Matthew 24:9-10, and John 15:18-27.)
  • When Jesus had been sentenced to die by crucifixion, he was flogged mercilessly and was handed over to the Roman guards.  They stripped his clothes away and began to mock him:  they put a royal robe over his bleeding shoulders, and they made a royal crown – made of thorns, not gold – and forced it on his head.  They made fun of him, spat on him, and hit him on the head over and over again.  He responded by not saying a word through the whole affair.  (See Matthew 27:24-31.)
  • Even while he was hanging on the cross, in his final moments, Jesus was mocked by the soldiers, bystanders, and other criminals.  All were saying that if he really was the King of the Jews, why didn’t he save himself?  Jesus responded by asking God to forgive those who were hurting him and by speaking kindly to a dying man who asked Jesus to remember him.  (See Luke 23:33-43.)

“Was Jesus ever bullied?”  I think the answer is “absolutely, yes” – even if bullying looks slightly different today.  Many young people today are bullied in school and in other places, for many kinds of reasons.  This is an awful truth, and we as people of faith must stand up against bullies on behalf of the children in our community.

Jesus understands that terrible experience, too, on a personal level.  What’s more, he shows us all how we should respond:  by trusting in God, by remembering the truth about who we are as God’s children, and by relying on his strength for every day’s challenges.

–Pastor David

Election Time

You may have noticed that it’s almost election time here in the United States.  Incredible amounts of attention, time, and money have been poured into this election season, and all of this will come to a climax on Tuesday, November 6.  How should we, as followers of Jesus Christ, approach the elections – and their results, whatever those should be?

photo by Mortimer62

I’d like you to look up and read a few different Bible passages today.  First, consider Romans 13:1-7.  Paul is writing to Christians in Rome – the seat of the Roman Empire which persecuted early Christians.  And yet he encourages them to understand the governing authorities as rulers who have been put in place by God; therefore, Christians are to pay taxes, give honor and respect, and submit to those who are in authority – even those who might persecute them for their faith.  How blessed we are to live in a country in which power transfers peacefully and without threat of imprisonment or bloodshed for those who disapprove of those in power!  How much more important it is for us to fulfill the call of Romans 13 as citizens of this country!

Next, look up 1 Peter 2:13-25.  Here, Peter is writing to Christians in various places in southwest Asia, who again were being persecuted for the sake of Jesus Christ.  Like Paul wrote in Romans, Peter encourages his audience to respect, honor, and be subject to all types of human authority – even those that would cause them harm.  Peter’s rationale for this type of behavior is that those who suffer for the sake of Christ are imitating Christ and are becoming more like Christ.  After all, Jesus Christ suffered terribly at the hands of the government; he even died by capital punishment, and yet he never sinned but committed himself to God.  How blessed we are to be free from the threat of bodily harm because of our belief in Jesus!  Pray for those in our world today who do experience such harm!  And put 1 Peter 2 into action in your relationship to those in authority over you!

1 Timothy 2:1-8 calls us to pray consistently – and to be thankful – for our local, regional, and national leaders.  Jeremiah 29:1-7 calls us to work diligently for the good of our society, even if that society is foreign to us and is not our true home, as Babylon was for the Israelites in exile.

Friends, let me encourage you to do three things.  First, make sure you are informed about all of the issues and individuals, local and national, that will be on Tuesday’s ballot (even if you are reading this after Election Day).  Second, make sure you find time to vote, because voting is the legal, peaceful, authorized, and best way for us to make our voices heard.  Third, and most importantly, once the elections have passed, pray for those who are or will be in authority over us.  Respect those who are in authority over us.  And give thanks to God that these decisions and transitions can be made in our society without threat of violence.

And pray for those places in the world where that last sentence is not true.

–Pastor David

November Youth Update

We are BLESSED!  Today, as I watch the devastating destruction on the East Coast of our country, I feel very fortunate that we didn’t receive Super Storms off the ocean. We can deal with some rain, snow and wind.  The GOOD news, we were able to complete the raking of Olive’s yard before the weather arrived.  Took us three different days after school but the student turn-out to help was fantastic.  Thank You kids- you were great and a job well done.

Our Prayer Partner recruitment is coming.  With the addition of seven students (or maybe 5) this year, we are seeing the difference that prayer makes.  We have had our largest groups this year (20 kids) and the 6th grade youth meeting is working out well.  The 7-12 grades meet on Sunday nights and the 6th graders meet on Tuesdays @ 2:30.  We are working our way through the 10 Commandments this Fall with both groups. Plugging along with Romans on Sunday mornings.

On November 1 & 2, Shane Mudd and Isabella Krolikowski are participating in their 2nd Year of the Michigan Student Leadership Institute in Clarkston, Michigan.  I am the State Chairman of MSLI and we are anticipating almost one hundred selected students from churches across the state participating.  A great event for our student leaders in Michigan.

Our 2012-2013 Medical Release and Permission Forms have been mailed this month.  Students should have these forms completed to ride in the van plus attend all youth ministry activities.  The forms run from September 1, 2012 to August 31, 2013.  Once they are completed they are good for the year.  I am again enclosing permission slips for students who have not turned in a form when you receive your monthly parent letter.  PLEASE help us by completing these forms ASAP.

The Hayride at the Hyatt’s was fantastic.  There were three wagons of people, campfire, good food, good conversation and a beautiful evening.  Thank you Hyatt’s for another great Fall evening. We had a wonderful time at Grandma’s Pumpkin Patch as we bounced on the blow-up games, wandered the corn maze, fed the animals, rode on a hayride, sat by the campfire and watched the pigs race each other.   Connie then treated us to a supper of sloppy joes, chips, and donuts.   It was a great night as we finished it up with our weekly youth meeting.

We will be having a Bake Potato Bar on Sunday, November 11th to help raise funds for the Michigan CHOG Winter Retreat in December.  It begins at 4:45 PM in the Fellowship Hall, and then the youth will have their weekly youth meeting.  On November 18, our youth meeting that day will be a service project, packing Thanksgiving Baskets for families at the Aldersgate Methodist Church in town.  There is an area Thanksgiving service that evening at the Midland Christian Church on M-20, so we will not have an evening meeting.  On Sunday, December 9, we will be having a Christmas Party.  Watch for details.

Our next BIG event will be Winter Retreat on December 28-30, 2012. This event is for all students grades 6-12 and costs $105.  Registration is begins November 12 and has a $50 pre-registration due by December 8.  The final $55 balance will be due by Sunday, December 23.  Our guest speaker will be Pastor Mark Shaner and our worship leader will be John Tibbs.  Both are from Anderson, Indiana.  We will be continuing to do fundraisers in preparation for this great Church of God Winter event.

Also, you will be receiving in your church mailboxes (and, parents, through the mail) order blanks for our Gift Card Sale to benefit the Youth Ministry.  Gift cards make wonderful Christmas presents, but they can also be used for your weekly family needs, such as gas, groceries, dining out or just purchasing Christmas gifts. Please consider purchasing gift cards through the Mt. Haley Youth Ministry to help you and us.  The youth receive a percentage listed from each card sold.  All orders are due with the money (cash, or a check made out to Mt. Haley Church of God Youth) by November 25.  Cards should arrive back at the church by December 2.

Your prayers, support and encouragement are greatly appreciated and we look forward every week to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with your student through interaction, study, fellowship and relationship.  Thank you for sharing your son or daughter.

Love God, Love People

Pastor Jerry

Justice and Mercy

I recently had the opportunity to see the inside of a Midland County courtroom – my first such experience as a pastor.  This particular courtroom features a mural on the wall behind the judge’s bench; the mural depicts Native Americans coming together for a tribal council, a fitting scene to honor the history of the justice system in this part of the country.

photo by SeeMidTN.com

What struck me the most about the courtroom, however, were the words that were emblazoned across the bottom of the mural:

Justice and Mercy – the Alpha and Omega of Human Attainment

As you may know, on Sunday evenings we are studying the Book of Revelation together while our high school youth group meets with Pastor Jerry.  This study has been fascinating and challenging for us.  (Remember, it’s never too late to try it out!)  When I saw the courtroom’s motto displayed across the wall, I couldn’t help but think of Revelation 1:8 (NIV):

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet; they are like our English letters A and Z.  To say that something is the alpha and omega means that it is before and after everything else in terms of its importance.  Anything else must be understood in relation to the “bookends” of the alphabet.  Nothing is more important than the alpha; nothing comes after the omega.

In Revelation, we read that Jesus Christ is the Alpha and Omega:  he is before all things, and he is after all things.  Nothing is more important than he; nothing will last longer than he.  Everything that we do as Christians must point to the supremacy of Christ in the universe.  Every one of our decisions, actions, reactions, and relationships should be influenced by the one who was, who is, and who is to come.

So back to the courtroom motto:  can justice and mercy serve as the alpha and omega of human attainment?  I like this as a slogan for our public justice system for a few reasons.  First, we uphold justice as the “alpha” of our court system:  those who have broken the law are to be held accountable for their actions.  Second, we also uphold mercy at the end of the day:  even though the verdict is “guilty,” the judge reserves the right to assign penalties (within the law) as he or she sees fit.  This may very well include true acts of mercy from the judge.  And third, holding justice and mercy together in dramatic tension with each other requires skill, patience, humility, and integrity.

I would suggest, however, that the tension between justice and mercy is not a human invention after all.  We find the perfect and original example of this tension in the biblical God, who demands justice against sinful humanity yet provides mercy through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)

–Pastor David

On Being Ordained

Yesterday, I met with the credentials committee of the Church of God in Michigan.  This second interview was intended to determine whether or not the committee will recommend me for ordination at this November’s state General Assembly meeting in Lansing.  I received word last night that they, in fact, are recommending me for ordination, so this will indeed take place on Saturday morning, November 10.

This is a great honor for me, to be brought into the larger fold of pastors and ministers in the Church of God and in the Christian movement in general.  This comes as the culmination of a long process that began, for me, while I was in seminary in Indiana.  The process involved reading several books, taking a Bible content exam, writing theological statements on fourteen different topics, defending those statements in front of the credentials committee, and meeting with a mentoring pastor.  Also, in the next several months I will complete a LAMP (“Life and Ministry Plan”) with the help of my SHAPE (“Sustaining Health and Pastoral Excellence”) group – a group of five local Church of God pastors that meets monthly for support, encouragement, and growth.

These tasks only have meaning, however, because of the ministry that I am privileged to do with you at Mt. Haley Church of God.  It is because of this relationship between pastor and church that I do all these things – that I even pursue ordination.  The ordination of a pastor is not a rite of passage that simply makes the pastor look or feel good; it is a process that strengthens the pastor’s call, encourages him or her in the work of ministry, and validates the ministry of the local church in which he or she serves.  I will be honored to serve Mt. Haley Church of God as an ordained minister starting on Sunday, November 11.

We will host a special ordination service at Mt. Haley sometime after this November’s General Assembly meeting.  There is no rush for this; we may wait until our snowbirds return in the spring.  Just as we celebrated my installation as pastor at Mt. Haley two years ago, I will be grateful to celebrate with you my ordination as a minister in the Church of God sometime in the near future.

in Christ’s service,

–Pastor David

October Youth Update

We are off to a GREAT start for the new school year! We have added 5 new Sixth Graders plus a couple of others in higher grades. Our newly remodeled youth room looks FANTASTIC! We need to run a few weeks so that it feels ‘lived in,’ however that will come soon enough. We can’t express enough how much we appreciate what the church has done. Special thanks go to Kevin Mudd and Ron Hyde, as we know that they directed and completed most of the remodeling. We hope to give a special ‘Thank You’ to the church in the near future.

Youth still takes place every Sunday @ 6:00 PM. Van-Pick-Up usually begins around 5:00 PM. This month we will also begin holding an after school youth meeting for 6th Graders every week with Pastor Jerry & Pastor David facilitating the class. As our group as grown, we have discovered that with the group consisting of 6th graders through seniors in high school, there is a wide discrepancy for instruction and discussion. 6th graders will be involved in all youth ministry activities, but will be separated for instruction & discussion. We believe this will help in our spiritual growth and maturation for all the students. After we finish the series, ”Spread the Word,” our youth meeting topic will be “The Ten Commandments.”

We are working through Romans in our High School Bible Study on Sunday mornings @ 10:00 AM. Ron Hyde is working with the Middle School boys and Maggie Hyde is working with the Middle School girls. We hope to have Van-Pick Up on Sunday mornings so more can attend and the van would run between 9:00 AM and 10:00 AM. If anyone would be interested in riding with Pastor Jerry, please contact him.

Our 2012-2013 Medical Release and Permission Forms have been mailed this month. Students should have these forms completed to ride in the van plus attend all youth ministry activities. The forms run from September 1, 2012 to August 31, 2013. Once they are completed they are good for the year. PLEASE help us by completing these forms ASAP.

This month we plan on participating in the October 20 Potluck and Hay Ride @ Peg & Chuck Hyatt’s home. On October 28, @ 2:30 PM we will go to Grandma’s Pumpkin Patch then return to church for supper & our youth meeting. We will be having a Bake Potato Bar on Sunday, November 11th to help raise funds for the Michigan CHOG Winter Retreat in December. On November 18, our youth meeting that day will be a service project, packing Thanksgiving Baskets for families at the Aldersgate Methodist Church in town. Our next BIG event will be Winter Retreat on December 28-30, 2012. This event is for all students’ grades 6-12 and costs $105. Registration is in early December. We will be doing fundraisers in preparation.

photo by Timothy K. Hamilton

The MUM sale was very successful. We will be working at Olive’s this month to help our accounts. We are also having a ‘Mt. Haley’ apparel sale (hats, T’s, sweatshirts, windbreakers) this month and will be having a Scripts Sale (gift cards) also. We hope to do well with our Potato Bar and we will need students to work that to help their youth accounts. Every student has a “Youth Account” where we do fundraising to help them pay their way to events. Our two main events of the year are Winter Retreat @ Spring Hill in December and State Youth Convention in May. We will also working with high school students to earn funds to go to the International Youth Convention in Nashville, TN in the summer of 2014.

We THANK everyone who has participated in our Youth Prayer Partner ministry. The good news is that we need to recruit more prayer partners because we have more kids to pray for. If you are interested in praying for our youth and would like to become a ‘Prayer Partner,’ please contact Pastor Jerry.

Your prayers, support and encouragement are greatly appreciated and we look forward to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with your student this year through study, fellowship and relationship. Thank you for sharing your son or daughter.

Love God, Love People!

Pastor Jerry

Revelation: Why It’s Important

This fall, our Sunday evening adult Bible study is focusing on the book of Revelation.  We are three weeks into the study, and let me tell you this:  I am really excited about this book and about your interest in it!  We have had strong attendance and good conversations in these first few sessions.  Just a reminder – it’s not too late to jump into this study!  We will gather in the Fellowship Hall every Sunday evening at 6pm, usually for 90 minutes or two hours, to study this complicated book together.

image © Kristina Gehrmann, www.mondhase.de

So why am I so excited about this?  Why is this book so important?  As someone said to me recently, “We have enough trouble understanding and following the other 65 books of the Bible… why all the interest in the last book?”  I see at least three reasons for us to invest in a study of this book during this season.

  1. Revelation is part of Scripture.  It forms part of the Christian canon, those books that we understand to be inspired by God and useful for instruction, training, discipline, and guidance.  This book tells us something particular about the salvation work of Jesus Christ, and as a result we should learn from our Lord through it.  This book was important to the first few generations of Christians, so by studying it (and them) we increase our connection with the work of God throughout the centuries.
  2. Revelation informed our movement’s history.  The Church of God reformation movement, of which we are a part, developed a unique self-understanding early in its existence (in the early 20th century).  This self-understanding was very closely tied to a particular interpretation of the book of Revelation.  We don’t hold to that understanding any more, but by studying Revelation we can learn more about who we were – and we can ask who we should be instead.
  3. Revelation gets us talking about the future.  Many believers today, including some of us, have deep-seated fears and questions about what lies ahead in the future.  Are we in the “end times”?  Is the return of Christ near?  What about the “signs and wonders” that we see?  By studying Revelation – and what it meant to its original audience, who asked similar questions – we will discover the word of hope that God has for his people in this book.  This will directly impact how we approach our own situation in the world.

The book of Revelation is a confusing, controversial, divisive book of scripture.  But we should not be afraid of it; instead, with a mixture of boldness and humility, we will learn from it together in the weeks that lie ahead.  I hope you are as excited about this as I am!  And if you have not yet come on a Sunday evening, I hope you feel welcome to try it out!

–Pastor David