Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and his sheep know his voice. Do you consider yourself one of his sheep? Do you make a practice of listening for the Lord’s voice? Take a few moments to read John 10:22-30, and then listen to Pastor David’s message on this passage. God is still speaking to his people; let us be diligent in listening!
Restoration for Those Who Fail
Peter failed miserably by betraying Jesus three times. Yet after the resurrection, a miraculous catch of fish, and a lakeside breakfast, Jesus restored Peter three times – and gave him work to do. How does this story (John 21:1-19) relate to our struggle to deal with failure in our lives? Click below to hear Pastor David’s sermon on the gifts Jesus gave his disciples in this passage:
Grace to Those Who Doubt
This week we begin a series on “What Jesus Gave” – that is, what Jesus gave to his disciples, and what he gives to us. This Sunday, Pastor David helps us look inside the story of “Doubting Thomas” (John 20:19-31) to discover four life-transforming gifts that Jesus provides for his followers. Click the link below to listen to this message!
April Youth Update
Spring Break – a great time of the year as we gear up for the last couple of months of school. For the Mt. Haley Youth, it means fundraising season begins to earn our way to State Youth Convention. We are meeting this actual day to go Pop Can collecting to begin the quest to pay the $80 balances needed for SYC. The real “PRAISE” was the blessing of the recent Mexican Supper we had where enough money was raised to pay everyone’s registration fee to SYC. God always provides!
Other fundraising opportunities will include: our “Garage Sale” on the weekend of May 3-4. If you wish to contribute we will be collecting items in the Mt. Haley garage up until April 20, then we will transfer and be collecting things at the Grahams until the sale. The Mother’s Day Flower Sale will begin next week with plants being delivered after 4:00 PM on Thursday, May 9th. We will also have a gift card sale where we receive a percentage of the costs beginning in a couple of weeks. These make great gifts for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Graduations, and for general use – especially for gas & food. Every card sold profits the youth group. As soon as the weather clears, we plan on doing yard work for our favorite person, “Olive,” plus any other people who would like to hire us after school for spring clean-up. Of course we will continue to have “Pop Can Sundays” and collect ink cartridges. We know God will provide.
We are excited for State Youth Convention on the weekend of May 17-19. This year’s theme is “RENEW” and will feature the concert & worship band, The Afters, with Chicago Bear Chaplain, Ray McElroy as the speaker and a special drama presentation in concert by onetimeblind. It’s one of our greatest weekends of the year.
The Sixth Graders had a marvelous time at the Midland Center For the Arts “Grossology” exhibit. We enjoyed the presentation and the museum for a couple of hours, then went to Happy’s Pizza with the added treat of a McDonald’s Sundae. A great day of fun for the 6th graders.
The “Fruits of the Spirit” are being studied & discussed in our youth meetings using our brand new Quickview NIV Bibles furnished by the congregation and church council. We want to express our appreciation and thankfulness for the new Bibles; they are working out great and really add to our meetings. We have done patience, self-control, faithfulness and goodness so far –do you know what’s left? Anyway, that should take us through May.
We are gearing up for the summer. Although we will not have meetings every Sunday night, we will be having lots of events. Last summer, we had some great outings such as the canoe weekend, the lake trip, Loons game, banana splits and more. There will be no mission trip this summer because we will begin the planning, fundraising and preparation for next summer’s trip to Nashville to attend the International Youth Convention & Mission. This event is opened to any student entering high school in the fall of 2014 and any student one year after their high school graduation. We hope to take a group to this significant celebration of Church of God youth.
Parents, 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 also encourage everyone to come and be a part of our weekly Mt. Haley Worship every week at 11:00 AM. Love God, Love People
Blessings,
Pastor Jerry
Is This Just Crazy Talk?
On Easter Sunday, we remember and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. It’s a truth that forms us as people of faith, but have you ever stopped to wonder: is this just crazy talk? Are we expected to believe something that’s just simply ridiculous and unbelievable? Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s message on Isaiah 65:17-25, an Old Testament passage with similar “crazy talk” characteristics.
Beneath a Veil
On this Good Friday, I’d like to share a hymn with you that has helped me center myself on the spiritual meaning and depth of Jesus’s sacrifice. The hymn is entitled “Thee We Adore,” and the English text below is translated from Thomas Aquinas, an important 13th century priest. Tara and I found this hymn through one of the area choirs in which we sing; the tune we sang (by a composer named Candlyn) is hauntingly beautiful.
Thee we adore, O hidden Savior, thee,
Who in thy sacrament art pleased to be;
Both flesh and spirit in thy presence fail.
Yet here thy presence we devoutly hail.
Thomas Aquinas was instrumental in the philosophical arguments behind the Catholic doctrine called “transsubstantiation” – that is, that the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper literally become the body and blood of Jesus when we share at his table. We in the Church of God do not believe this happens, but we can certainly agree that “both flesh and spirit in thy presence fail.” Being in the Lord’s presence is truly awesome.
O blest memorial of our dying Lord,
Who living bread to men doth here afford!
O may our souls forever feed on thee,
And thou, O Christ, forever precious be.
Jesus taught us that he is the Bread of Life (John 6:22-59). When we share at the Lord’s table, we are reminded that he is true food and true drink. And when we gather at the foot of the cross, we are reminded of the truth behind the meal that we share: the bread and wine remind us of the great price Jesus paid so that we might have forgiveness and relationship with him.
Fountain of goodness, Jesu, Lord and God,
Cleanse us, unclean, in thy most cleansing flood.
Increase our faith and love, that we may know
The hope and peace which from thy presence flow.
Jesu, short for Jesus, is the source of all hope and peace. His blood is a “most cleansing flood” that can wash us clean from sin through faith and love. This season is a powerful time to remember, to wash, and to remain quietly in his presence.
O Christ, whom now beneath a veil we see,
May what we thirst for soon our portion be,
To gaze on thee unveiled, and see thy face,
The vision of thy glory and thy grace.
Our hope is always for a future with Jesus Christ. When we stand at the foot of the cross, at the tomb containing Jesus’s body, we wait for a yet-to-be-revealed future. When we see the bread of the Lord’s Supper hidden beneath a cloth, we yearn for the time when we can see Christ face to face. Until then, we thirst, we hunger, we meditate, we draw close to Christ, we hold vigil at the tomb.
I’ll see you on the other side.
–Pastor David
Neighbor and Self
On this Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, we shared the Lord’s Supper together just before Pastor David preached on Luke 22:52-62, the story of Peter’s denials of Jesus. What assumptions do you make about this passage, about Peter’s intentions, and about how Jesus turned and looked at Peter when the rooster crowed? Click below to hear Pastor David’s message on this passage.
At the Name of Jesus
The italicized hymn lyrics found below were written by Caroline M. Noel (1817-1877). I invite you to meditate on them with me.
At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow,
Every tongue confess him King of glory now;
‘Tis the Father’s pleasure we should call him Lord,
Who from the beginning was the mighty Word.
Philippians 2:1-11 teaches us that one day every knee will indeed bow at the name of Jesus. The one whom we remember in the current seasons of Lent and Resurrection is the very Word of God (John 1:1), who has existed with the Father and the Spirit from the beginning.
At his voice creation sprang at once to sight,
All the angel faces, all the hosts of light,
Thrones and dominations, stars upon their way,
All the heavenly orders in their great array.
We frequently remember Jesus as the creator of all things that we can see: the sun, moon, and stars; the trees, flowers, and oceans; the horses, dogs, and cats. Yet scripture teaches (Colossians 1:15-16) that Jesus is the creator of all things, both visible and invisible. This Jesus is the one who holds all power and authority in his hand. Nothing in this universe has power to do anything outside the scope and wisdom of the authority of Christ.
Humbled for a season, to receive a name
From the lips of sinners unto whom he came,
Faithfully he bore it spotless to the last,
Brought it back victorious when from death he passed.
This season is crucial for us as believers. We take special care to tell the story of Jesus: from Palm Sunday, through Maundy Thursday, to Good Friday, to Resurrection Sunday and beyond. Yet what a mystery it is that this is the same Jesus who created the universe! “Humbled for a season,” he took a human name through his life, death, and resurrection.
Bore it up triumphant with its human light,
Through all ranks of creatures, to the central height,
To the throne of Godhead, to the Father’s breast;
Filled it with the glory of that perfect rest.
Soon after his resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven, where he now sits at the right hand of God the Father. Can you imagine what that ascension might have looked like? We often think of heaven as a “perfect rest”; read Hebrews 4 for a beautiful passage on that topic.
Name him, brothers, name him, with love as strong as death,
But with awe and wonder, and with bated breath;
He is God the Savior, he is Christ the Lord,
Ever to be worshipped, trusted, and adored.
“Love as strong as death” (Song of Solomon 8:6) is exactly the type of love that Jesus showed for us (John 15:12-13). Let us always remember to approach our Lord with humility, respect, and sacrificial love. The above verse is, I believe, my favorite of this hymn’s seven verses!
In your hearts enthrone him; there let him subdue
All that is not holy, all that is not true.
Crown him as your captain in temptation’s hour;
Let his will enfold you in its light and power.
In the Church of God, we call this “holiness” or “sanctification.” Those who come to believe in Jesus as Savior still have something left to experience: the complete removal of “all that is not holy/true” by the power of Christ. Our complete hearts and minds are to be turned over to the Lord, so that his will becomes the course of our lives.
Brothers, this Lord Jesus shall return again,
With his Father’s glory, with his angel train;
For all wreaths of empire meet upon his brow,
And our hearts confess him King of glory now.
Until that day, when Jesus will return in his glory, we remain faithful. Be encouraged, brothers and sisters: the story of Jesus is true, and it is Truth. Confess Christ as “King of glory” (Psalm 24) every day, and allow him to continue to transform your lives!
(Here’s a video of a choral arrangement of this hymn.)
–Pastor David
All Your Strength
The smell of bacon…the smell of flowers…the smell of skubala?! When Mary anointed Jesus’s feet in John 12:1-8, the smell of the extravagantly-wasted perfume filled the whole house. How do this passage and our sense of smell help us to reflect on loving God with all our strength? Here is Pastor David’s message on this passage:
Swimming Upstream
I love to watch Bullock Creek this time of year. Earlier this week, we had a brief thaw; a good deal of our snow melted away, and we even had a decent rainfall at the same time. When those weather patterns combine, that means one thing for sure: Bullock Creek will be very high and will run very quickly. At this time of year, I get to watch the creek from my office window, since the church property sits right on its edge.
While I was working on this week’s sermon, I gazed out at the water. To my surprise I saw two ducks, a male and a female, swimming upstream in search of food. Near the bank, the female was rustling through the brush. Just a couple of feet away, the male was holding his position in the water; apparently, he was watching for predators or other threats. As the female worked her way up the edge of the river, the male kept pace with her, always staying even with her as she progressed upstream.
Then I realized: this was no easy task for these two ducks. The high water of Bullock Creek was moving very quickly – from my human perspective, let alone from a duck’s perspective! All the melted snow and collected rainfall was rushing downstream, past a few large chunks of ice that had not yet melted away, and toward the creek’s passage under Homer Road. To hold their position in such a cold, fast-moving stream must have required a great deal of effort. Even though his upper body showed no stress, I was sure that the mallard was kicking hard with his legs to keep up with his mate.
One of the passages of scripture that we will read in church this coming Sunday is Philippians 3:4b-14. This is one of this week’s lectionary readings, meaning many Christians around the world are scheduled to read it this week. And this passage happens to be one of my favorite texts; it has meant a great deal to me for many years. The final verse of this passage reads, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (NIV).
Often, people argue that the Christian faith is just spiritual self-help without much influence on everyday life. But just like our neighborhood ducks had to work hard to overcome the power of the creek’s current, so we must press on in our walks with Christ to overcome the current of sin, which so easily entangles us (Hebrews 12:1-3). We may wish that our lives were as calm and serene as the mallard’s upper body, but in truth the walk of faith requires what the mallard was doing underwater: action, motion, movement, energy, work, and even missteps. (He did stumble once or twice – on occasion he’d ruffle a wing to keep his balance.)
Friends, let us press on to become more like Jesus Christ. Curious about what that means? Let’s talk.
–Pastor David