November 6, 2022 Sunday morning worship. Thank you for watching.
Posted by Mt. Haley Church of God on Sunday, November 6, 2022
We Are Witnesses
On Easter Sunday, four people were baptized as believers in Jesus Christ. What a wonderful experience to witness! Now the challenge falls to us to share what we have witnessed with other people. Listen to Pastor David’s sermon on Acts 10:34-43, in which Peter shares his experiences with a stranger named Cornelius.
Poured Out: Empty to the End
Kenosis: Jesus emptied himself, poured himself out for our sake. On this Palm Sunday, as we anticipate Jesus’s final steps toward the cross, we consider the beautiful description of Jesus’s work found in Philippians 2:5-11. Listen to Pastor David’s sermon on this text here:
Observing a Baptism Service
Yesterday afternoon, a neighboring church celebrated the baptisms of eight people, each of whom has experienced salvation in Jesus and is dedicating his or her life to following him. Together with seven other people who were baptized in September, the Midland Missionary Church has now seen fifteen people go through the waters of baptism in the past few months. Praise the Lord for how he is moving in that congregation! Continue reading
Eating What Needs to be Eaten
Why do you do the things you do? What is your motivation? And how does God enter into this discussion? Listen in to Pastor David’s sermon on Matthew 6:16-18, a reflection on two spiritual yet physical practices: fasting and baptism.
Are We To Spend That Much?
A huge crowd had full hearts but empty stomachs. Jesus asked his disciples to feed the thousands of guests. But they complained: “Are we to spend that much?” Maybe, just maybe, that was the wrong question to ask. Pastor David helps us explore the issue of stewardship in this sermon on Mark 6:30-44.
Increasing God’s Investment
What would you do if you were entrusted with a million dollars? Would you try to make it grow? In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus compares the kingdom of God to this type of situation. Listen in as Pastor David preaches on this passage and challenges us to consider how we live as Christians:
Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness
What does it take to be “good”? Are we good because of the things we do? Listen in as Pastor David tells the story behind “good” King Asa from 1 Kings 15:9-15.
Graduation and Rites of Passage
Last week, three young people from our youth group graduated from Bullock Creek High School. The ceremony was a wonderful time of celebration; around 140 teenagers, their families, and friends looked back on the past and forward to the future. A few select students commented on the wide-open nature of the graduates’ adult lives. A video presentation depicted the graduates’ early years and favorite high school memories. The Bullock Creek Superintendent, Mr. Charles Schwedler, commented in his remarks that this was his twentieth Bullock Creek graduation ceremony. I reflected on these things while I watched each graduate cross the stage, receive his or her diploma, and greet Mr. Schwedler with a handshake (or a hug).
My own high school graduation was nearly half my life ago, but I still remember it very clearly. Almost three hundred students formed my senior class, and the graduates’ names were called rather quickly, with just a few seconds between names. I noticed a striking difference at the Bullock Creek ceremony, thanks to the smaller class size: each graduate was allowed to walk all the way across the stage before the next graduate’s name was called. This prompted me to think about this ceremony as a rite of passage.
Life has a number of rites of passage such as graduating from high school. We participate in these events as many have before us, and once we go through them, there is no turning back. A high school graduate cannot “un-graduate” from high school. A Boy Scout cannot undo his “crossing over” and become a Cub Scout again. A baseball player cannot have another chance at his first professional ball game. A young person only gets one “first paycheck” from her first job. Two “single” people will never truly be single again after they are married, even if the marriage ends in divorce or widowhood.
At each of these moments, we acknowledge that something meaningful is taking place. A hurdle is being crossed; a transition is happening. Things will never be the same. Life will change and will have new meaning as the future becomes the present. It is crucial that there be some kind of group celebration at moments like these: a graduation ceremony, a “crossing over” ceremony, a cheering crowd of baseball fans, and so forth.
Our spiritual lives should include celebratory rites of passage, as well. We tend to make Christian faith a personal, private experience; we accept Jesus into our own hearts, we pray silently, we hide our tithes and offerings in envelopes. But certain moments in our spiritual development deserve public attention.
The most obvious example is baptism. We practice “believer’s baptism,” in which adults and youth (but not infants) are baptized by being immersed completely underwater. This is an act of obedience to Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20) and an outward symbol of the inward transformation that takes place when a person receives God’s forgiveness and commits to follow the Lord. Baptism is incredibly public; most sanctuaries include a baptismal pool in the worship space. And this is how it should be. When a person is baptized, the rest of the congregation celebrates this rite of passage. Those who have been baptized in the past have an opportunity to remember their own baptisms, just as the Bullock Creek ceremony helped me to remember my own high school graduation.
Are there other spiritual rites of passage? Other Christian traditions will celebrate a person’s first Communion. A marriage ceremony, done properly, is a spiritual rite of passage as well. Dedicating a newborn child is a spiritual rite of passage for the child’s parents. Other examples include the first time someone prays in public, gives a personal testimony, or even preaches in church.
I believe Christians do not always celebrate these rites of passage with enough vigor and excitement. When a person is baptized, this is a huge deal! A life has been transformed, and we should praise God! When a couple is married, it’s not just a warm, sentimental moment; it is the spiritual uniting of two souls that God has called to become one. We should celebrate and stand in awe of God’s work! When someone takes the courageous step of leading in worship for the first time, we should rally around that person and affirm the spiritual growth that God is accomplishing in him or her.
I also believe that our rites of passage, spiritual and otherwise, are rather slanted toward our younger years. You could potentially experience all of the above events by age 25 (or even earlier). What, then, do you do for the next fifty or sixty years of your life? Are there no more hurdles to cross, no more transitions to experience? Once you “graduate” into fully adult life, what is there left to achieve?
The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and direction to the young – let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance – for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. (Proverbs 1:1-7 NIV)
Let the wise add to their learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. A high school graduation ceremony is called “commencement” because something is starting, not because something is ending. Rites of passage propel us into the future, and it is crucial for us to celebrate these moments to encourage others and ourselves to move forward in our spiritual development in the Lord.
Celebrate our graduates! And take the next step in your own life!
Pastor David
August Youth Update
August already!! By the time you are reading this, we will have had a GREAT day at Michigan Adventure. As I am writing, we have 37 people going and I am just getting ready to order tickets. The month will go fast and kids will be back at school and our Sunday nights will be in full gear. We are planning on celebrating “Rally Day” at the church on Sunday, September 8, then the youth year will begin on Sunday night, September 15th @ 6:00 PM. It will be GOOD to see the kids every week.
Also, on the weekend of Saturday, September 7 through Monday, September 9, the youth will have a room full (about 75 plants) of mums for sale to kick-off the fundraisers for the International Youth Convention in Nashville next summer. We haven’t received the costs yet, but Kutchey’s promises the best selection of mums in the area. Hope you can support the youth and make your yards more beautiful. More details coming.
July was a busy month for Connie and I. We enjoyed the Mt. Haley Loons game night and were joined by several of the kids. Connie and I had an extraordinary opportunity in Oklahoma City for a week. We served as youth leaders & counselors at the Church of God Leadership Summit for a gathering of over 160 outstanding young people from more than 20 states. We had outstanding speakers, worked an afternoon of Tornado Disaster Relief in Moore, Oklahoma, and visited the Oklahoma City Bombing Museum & Memorial, plus many group sessions and interaction with some great young leaders in the Church of God. It was an awesome experience and was thrilled to be involved.
The St. Louis Camp Meeting is this week and we encourage everyone to attend. There will be great services every night and an opportunity to gather with Church of God people from all over the state. The Midland County Fair comes quickly after that and involves many of our youth. We invite you to get to the fair and see their pigs, goats, and other animals. On the weekend of August 23-25 we will be having our adventure in Mio at the Adam’s cabin & campsite. Our plans are to go tubing on the AuSable (costs will be coming soon), attending church at the Mio Church of God, eating out traveling there & back, and just generally having a good time together. Sign up will begin after Michigan Adventure. Every Sunday morning and with events we will continue to either have devotions or lessons on the “The Parables of Jesus.”
A major event we would like you to consider and pray about is Baptism on Sunday, August 18th. Baptism is an important step of obedience in a believer’s life, as an acknowledgment of the salvation experience already accomplished and a personal public testimony of your acceptance of Jesus Christ as your Savior. Pastor David or I would love to have the privilege and honor of baptizing you in the morning worship service on that Sunday. If you are thinking of being baptized or have definitely decided, please contact me about our service. We will help to answer all questions, concerns and thoughts.
There will be two introductory meetings we will be having soon. The first one is a Guatemala Mission Meeting on Thursday, August 22, 2013 to introduce the 2014 Mission Trip. We will discuss costs, purpose, what we do, etc for those who are interested in possibly attending in February. There is a $100 registration DUE by September 8th for this mission. In September (date to be determined) there will be a parent & student meeting about attending the International Youth Convention in July of next summer in Nashville, TN. A $115 Early Bonus Bird Registration is due by December 12, 2013. We will need to discuss purpose, missions, fundraising and other important details. We hope you will come and hear about this wonderful opportunity for your kids.
Parents and Church, 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.
We encourage everyone to come and be a part of our weekly Mt. Haley Worship every week at 11:00 AM and hope to see your kids the Sunday morning meetings and the summer activities.
Love God, Love People
Blessings,
Pastor Jerry