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March is here. Can you believe it?  Yet again I find myself noticing how quickly time is flying by.  As I study my calendar for March, it is packed – Lent and Easter, family visiting from out of town, a friend getting married – non-stop action from start to finish.  So, once again another month will fly by.

During a conversation with someone over lunch the other day, we both noticed how quickly time does go by, especially as we get older.  As children the days seemed to drag on, didn’t they? We couldn’t wait for school to be over so that we could get home to play with friends and/or toys.  When I was in high school, although I liked school, I couldn’t wait for the educational hours to wrap up so that I could get to sports practice.  But then we grow up…and have children…and we beg time to slow down.  We want to spend every moment we can basking in the magnificence that they are.  We don’t want to miss a single thing and have this Peter Pan-like hope that they won’t grow up.  But they do, and they move on with life – off to college and/or career.  Off to engagements and marriages.  Off to have children of their own, making us grandparents – and now time just seems to go into double-time, doesn’t it?  Next thing we know they’re grown, too…and we’ve gotten even older.

I’m sure all of us at some time or another have hoped we could experience what Joshua did one day on the battlefield – “The sun stopped in midheaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day” (Joshua 10:13, NRSV).  Joshua got a little extra time. The sun did not set, the next day did not hurry to come.  He got a little more time to do what he needed to do for himself, his family, his army, his people.  The Lord headed his voice and for the one and only time in recorded history, time stood still.

You hear that – the only and only time.  It never happened before and will never happen again.  For everyone else, well, we just have to keep moving on, watching the seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years tick right on by.  So, shouldn’t we make the most of every one of them?  Shouldn’t we not waste a single second, let alone minute, hour, day, week, month, or year?  They are going to keep right on passing by. We won’t get a single one of them back.  So, what can you do today to ensure that each one is precious – for you, for your loved ones, for your church, and for God?

                                                                        Always pondering,

                                                                        Pastor Steve

Last week I found myself pondering about how quickly time goes by. This week I once again found myself pondering some of the same. This is probably because of the bi-annual changing of the clocks that we will undergo this weekend – the springing ahead of time, as we enter Daylight Savings Time. Think about that for a minute. As much as we already think time flies by, this weekend, we are going to lose an entire hour of time! As we spring ahead at 2am on Sunday morning, it will suddenly be 3am in the flash of an eye. Most people won’t notice because they will be sound asleep, but some will. Those working overnight shifts long for this particular day – one less hour that has to be worked! Hurray!

Yet isn’t that one less hour we have to make a difference in the world? Isn’t that one less hour we have to do the tasks that have been given to us to do – whether it is in our lives, family, workplaces, etc, etc? Ephesians 5:15-16 reminds us that we are to, in all wisdom, make the most of the time that we have. This is because we’ll never get it back once it’s gone, will we?

I look back on life and see a myriad of opportunities that I missed because I didn’t use the time that I was given properly. Due to a multitude of unwise decisions in past years, I missed out on special events with family and friends. What a lesson to learn. What an obstacle to overcome. If only it was the season of “falling back,” turning the clocks backwards to recapture those sacred moments and do something differently…

But this is no movie. Doc Brown is not going to put us into a DeLorean and whisk us away in a flash of light. No, we have to do something here and now. We have to make choices that make a difference here, now, and for the future that still lies ahead. We have to, in all divine wisdom, make the most of what time we have been given. So, how is God calling you to do so today?

Always pondering,

Pastor Steve

I am blessed that the two churches which I serve are only a few miles apart and accessible via a primary road.  Unfortunately, however, in the past few months, the commute between them has become a little more difficult, as a bridge along that primary route is being removed and replaced.  As such, all traffic is being detoured around the project for a period of about a year, while the construction takes place. 

Now, when I’ve had to take detours traveling along the interstate or in a major city, it’s not usually too bad.  It may take an extra minute or two and go a block or two out of my way.  However, when the detour, like my current one, takes you off the primary road and out onto some back country roads – watch out!  You never know what you might encounter!

I traveled the established detour for several weeks once the construction began.  It added about 10 minutes to my travels (nearly doubling my commute!), but the roadways were concerning.  They were narrow and windy with little to no shoulders.  So, you can only pray that you never encounter some traffic coming from the other direction, especially a big rig loaded down from its latest logging pick up.

In recent weeks, however, I have found myself being a bit more exploratory.  Where else can I travel that might still get me to the same destination, but, perhaps, in an easier and safer manner?  People would tell me about this road or that road, and I’ve tried many of them, settling on this one or that one dependent on where I need to go and how much of a hurry I am in to get from place to place.

We all encounter this in life, don’t we?  Detours that take us off the main path, sometimes onto less-traveled places.  Some aren’t too bad, but others, well, let’s just say, in some cases we would rather have stayed home than have to go down that road, right? 

This made me think about the Exodus of the Israelites as they left Egypt and were following God’s direction to the promised land.  In Exodus 3:18 it says “God led the people by the roundabout way of the wilderness…”  God took them not on the direct route, but a roundabout one through the less-than-usually traveled wilderness pathways, and the reality was they didn’t enjoy it any more than we do.  Those roads were more difficult and put them in some precarious positions sometimes.  But you know what?  God was still with them. In fact, Scripture says that God led them every step of that forty-year wilderness journey.  God was always present and guiding the way.  They only had to pay attention.

I think that’s the blessing that I’ve discovered about these detours as of late.  Regardless of which way I go, I know the path will eventually get me back on the primary path.  I know that, whether I travel the long or short way, the fast or slow way, God will always guide me to where I need to be.  The same for all of us.  So, I suppose what we really need to ponder today is – what detour are you on?  And are you allowing God to guide you, or are you out aimlessly traveling some scary wilderness paths?

                                                                        Always pondering,

                                                                        Pastor Steve

Well, here we are.  The season of Lent is underway.  How are you celebrating it?  How, over the next forty days or so, will you grow closer to God?  After all, that is what it is all about.  Lent is not just about giving up some chocolate or eating fish on Fridays, its about drawing nearer to God in all that we say and do.

Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness and during those days, sure he fasted, but he also found himself encountering obstacles, decisions he had to make about why he was doing what God called him to do.  Was it for personal privilege, social power, and increased authority?  Or was it to fully digest the word of God, understand his place in God’s plan, and be 100% convinced of his participation in it?  (Take a look at Matthew 4:1-11 to really understand what Jesus went through.)

As Jesus faced the temptations of the devil there in the desert wilderness, he was determined to do whatever was necessary to see him through it.  He meditated on the word of God.  He prayed, communicating with God about all that lay on his heart.  And, he fasted, setting aside the things of the world that were distracting him from the task.  Will you do the same during this season of spiritual wandering in the wilderness?  Will you be obedient to the call to practice spiritual disciplines during this time of self-reflection?

                                                                        Always pondering,

                                                                        Pastor Steve

Next Wednesday is Valentine’s Day, that annual celebration of the love we have for those closest to us.  Flowers, jewelry, chocolates, and many other tokens of our love will be exchanged, all as a sign of our endearing affection for another.  Yet, this really got me to pondering – why is love only celebrated once a year?  And shouldn’t this love go beyond our closest connections?

When Jesus was challenged by the religious authorities as to what the Greatest Commandment was, his response was simple – “you shall love the Lord our God with all your heart, and all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.  There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31, NRSV).

Jesus’s statement sounds simple enough, but, in reality, I think we can all agree that it is quite difficult at the same time.  Love God with all that you are.  All your emotions, thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors should be directed solely at the love of God.  Every bit of your being in connection with the divine source, for after all, “God is love” (1 John 4:16).  But then add in the idea of loving neighbor, loving those around us, and loving them “as yourself.”  Loving them the way you would love your own being.

I think this is the big catch, for I have come to the conclusion that we can only love others as much as we love our own selves.  Think about it – how often do you put yourself down?  How often do you find something wrong about who you are and what you do?  Perhaps there is some physical feature you desperately want to change.  Perhaps there is some mannerism you want to alter.  We all have something, something that makes us tell ourselves that we just aren’t good enough.  And if that is how we feel about ourselves, how could we ever feel better than that about someone else?  How can we love another when we can’t even love ourselves?

Yet, here’s the thing.  As he often does, Jesus changed how we are to view this.  When Jesus had finished washing the disciples’ feet prior to the final Passover meal that they would share together before his betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion, he also told them, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.  Just as I have loved you, you should also love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).  Don’t love as you love, Jesus said.  Love one another as I love you.  Love as Jesus loves.  Love as the Son of God loves.  Love as The Word who has existed from the very start of creation loves. Love as The One who would willingly sacrifice himself for the world loves. 

You see, Jesus loves you.  He loves everyone.  “There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).  In fact, “I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).  So, this Valentine’s Day, how can you share that love which you have received and who will you share it with?  I pray it goes beyond what the world tells us to and extends to the entire Kingdom here on earth, just as it is in heaven.

                                                            Always pondering,

                                                            Pastor Steve

I love to drive.  Often, I will just get in my car and drive around for a few minutes, especially when I have been working on something difficult and need to clear my head or try to get a fresh perspective.  I think it is mostly soothing because my radio is always on when I’m driving.  Usually, it is tuned to a Christian station.  So, as I drive, I hear praise and worship songs played or short inspirational devotionals conveyed which speak to me and the situation I was finding difficult to process.  In those moments, it becomes obvious that God is speaking directly to me, giving me the guidance I am seeking.

This past week, however, this routine was abruptly altered.  I got in my car and all I heard coming from the radio was static.  The station was not airing for some reason.  So, I turned the radio off and just drove in silence.  It was a strange sensation.  My heart yearned to hear some message from God, but all I could find was static or silence.

The people of God have felt that way on more than one occasion.  Perhaps the most obvious is the 500-year period between the Old and New Testaments, a period in which everyone felt there was total silence, in which God did not speak to them and left them all on their own.  Have you ever felt that way?  In the midst of what you may be going through, you may be wanting to hear something from the Lord, but all you get is the static of the world or utter and complete silence.  What are we to do in these circumstances?  How can we overcome it?

Well, it took me several hours and several trips in my car that day before the answer came to me.  Change the channel!  Push the scan button and see where else the Lord might be speaking.  So, I did, and do you know what happened?  I found my usual radio program on another station!  God was still speaking; I only needed to seek and find where God was at work that day.

I think we regularly expect that God will just come to us, that we can just go about our typical business and God will just appear.  Yet, the reality is, sometimes we have to put in some effort, too.  We have to want to find God. We have to desire to seek God out. We have to go beyond our usual routine and find the “stations” where God is at work today.  Sometimes it may be our usual places, but other times it may be somewhere else.  Where will you scan and find God today?

                                                                        Always pondering,

                                                                        Pastor Steve

            Last year, the Christian radio station, K-Love, was having a trivia contest.  During this particular contest they asked this question – “How does the Bible end?”  For many days and weeks, I heard a lot of different answers.  Of course, everyone opened their Bibles and turned to the last verse found there – “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints.  Amen.” (Rev 22:21, NRSV).  From this people talked about grace, the saints, and even just that final word “Amen.”  Unfortunately, all of these were wrong.  I asked a friend of mine what he thought the answer should be, to which he said, “That’s easy.  Jesus wins!”  Well, while that may be true, it still wasn’t the answer to the trivia question.

            Eventually the answer was revealed by what must have been an English teacher or a member of the grammar police – “With a period.”  Yes, folks, the Bible ends with a period!  Now, I’ve spent the past several weeks and months really pondering this.  Some might say that I’m overthinking it, but please hear me out.

            How do sentences usually end?  With a question mark, exclamation point, or a period, right?  Obviously, the Bible can’t end in a question mark, for there’s no question to what The Word has conveyed if we’ve really been paying attention.  And an exclamation mark is only used to express urgency or yelling of what is being said.  Sure, I’ve wanted to shout the good news from the rooftops, all in order to get people’s attention to the urgency of the situation before us.  Yet, it is a period that this there.

            For those that are not aware, the word “Amen” is used in the same sense as the phrase “so be it.”  It is a single word statement of conviction and assurance of everything stated beforehand.  And remember, this word is conveyed not with a question or exclamation, but a period – the punctuation used at the end of a declarative statement or imperative command.

            In the United Kingdom this punctuation is called a “full stop,” an expression of completion.  Nothing more to come after.  Just pay attention to what was before it.  Now what a more fitting conclusion to the Bible could there be?  The Word conveyed over thousands of years by multiple authors with different perspectives.  Yet, in the end – so be it.  Nothing more needs to be said.  Just pay attention to what has already been declared and you’ll have the full message without the need for any yelling or asking of questions.

            Is this how you feel about the Bible?  Or do you still find yourself full of questions and the desire to scream and shout out of confusion?  Perhaps this year we should all take the time to really pay attention for in the end, even amidst God’s grace for all the saints through Jesus Christ, all that will remain is that period.  Amen.

                                                                        Always pondering,

                                                                        Pastor Steve

            We currently find ourselves in the midst of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. From January 18-25, people all around the world are recalling the necessity for loving our neighbors, regardless of who they are, where they come from, or what they may have done.  It is an ecumenical recognition that this is our call as Christians – to love God and love our neighbor.

            One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Jesus’ prayer found in the Gospel of John, chapter 17.  There, he prays for exactly this – unity amongst the believers.  At one point, the Gospel conveys that after having prayed for the disciples he was with, Jesus continues to say, “I ask not only on behalf of these but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their word, ²¹ that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, ²³ I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:20-23, NRSV).  Jesus’ prayer was that all his followers, all Christians would be one.  One with each other.  One in and through him.

            I think in today’s world we concentrate far too much on what separates us.  We make our differences such large obstacles that we fail to see all the things where we are the same.  Certainly, many of our differences are to be celebrated.  God made us uniquely who we are.  Yet, this does not mean that our uniqueness makes us special or better than someone else.  God made our differences to be able to complement one another.  It is the coming together as one that we can truly see the miracle of God’s creation at work in the world.  Brothers and sisters of the Kingdom of God working together to make things better – that is the gift we have been given to give to one another.

            So, perhaps, for these next few days we can all seriously ponder – where are we being called to be united with one another?  Where are we being called to set aside our differences and focus on The One who has called us to live life together?  I think that is when we will see Jesus’ prayer for us become a reality.

                                                            Always pondering,

                                                            Pastor Steve

            Did you make a resolution for the New Year?  Perhaps it was for a healthier lifestyle, to get more exercise, to eat better, or to better manage your finances.  Big plans to bring about change.  Wonderful ideas to be more than you were before.

            Now the big question – have you stuck to that resolution?  It might seem like a silly question, but according to some research I was recently reading, “Researchers suggest that only 9% of Americans that make resolutions complete them. In fact, research goes on to show that 23% of people quit their resolution by the end of the first week, and 43% quit by the end of January” (https://fisher.osu.edu/blogs/leadreadtoday/why-most-new-years-resolutions-fail#:~:text=Researchers%20suggest%20that%20only%209,fail%20at%20New%20Year’s%20resolutions.).  Why is it that we cannot seem to stick to our resolutions?

            One thought might say that we set our goals too high; we attempt things that we never could have pulled off, so we just give up on them.  Another idea might be that we’re not very good at keeping promises, and if a resolution is a promise to ourselves, then we can certainly break that promise, too, can’t we?  We make promises, swear oaths, enter into contracts, and exchange vows seemingly every single day – all of which seem to end up broken in the end.

            This week I found myself pondering – but what about a covenant?  How is it different than all these other things?  In biblical times, a covenant was an agreement made between two parties, one in which a stronger side made an unconditional promise with a weaker one, an unbreakable bond of never-ending commitment.  While the weaker side may not live up to their side of the agreement, the stronger side would always do so without fail. 

This is the type of agreement that God has always made with us.  Whether it be with Abraham, the Israelites, David, or modern Christians, God has always promised to live up to the commitment that has been made.  Consider these Scriptures:

^“No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Cor 10:13, NRSV).

^“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” (Deut. 31:8, NRSV).

“Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Gen 28:15, NRSV).

 “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt 28:20b), NRSV).

God’s covenant with us is eternal and perfect.  Regardless of our failures, God promises to be with us and work things for our good.  God is 100% committed to this relationship.  Can we say the same?

                                                            Always pondering,

                                                            Pastor Steve

Do you remember your baptism?  For some, the answer is absolutely, yes.  How could I ever forget?  It was the most amazing moment of my life!  Yet, for others, the answer is, nope.  No way I could ever remember it.  I was too young, an infant or small child.

This coming Sunday we will celebrate a service of remembering our baptism.  Now, realize, we are not baptizing anyone again.  Baptism should only be performed once in someone’s lifetime (I’m sure God got it right on the first go around, don’t you?).  Yet, what baptism means to us needs to be constantly reinforced in our lives, because it is a big commitment.  In fact, it is what the Bible calls a covenant, an unbreakable bond that is created between two parties.  In this case, between us and God.

Now, you might think, I don’t have to be reminded of that.  Yet yes we do.  I think, especially in today’s world of information and activities coming at us from all directions, we need a periodic reminder of where our focus is supposed to be, what it is that we are supposed to be doing and why.  Sure, you may say, baptism is about cleansing of sin or being washed clean of my past, and that is part of it.  Yet, baptism is also a recognition that we are part of something bigger, in a relationship with someone bigger than anything else in this world.  It is a symbol of God’s grace at work within each of us, and even more importantly, within the Body of Christ, the church.  It is an outward and visible sign of something spiritual occurring within us.

And, even more importantly it is a lifetime commitment, not a one and done sort of thing. God is consistently at work in our lives, growing us into what we are to become – perfect. And Christian perfection only comes through reflection and renewal, moving forward instead of falling back.  As such, we practice spiritual disciplines to remind us of this call to keep marching on.

I really think there is nothing more powerful than the Spirit at work in the Body of Christ.  So, ponder how you were baptized into that Body and what it means for your call as a disciple.  Then, come join us on Sunday morning to be fully “immersed” (yes, pun intended) in the Spirit as we touch the water and remember.

                                                            Always pondering,

                                                            Pastor Steve