Serving Together 02.24.2023

Whewww…we made it through.  In spite of various obstacles we “Got-er-done.”  It’s always great to be able to look in the rear-view-mirror of life and see some long-anticipated event behind us and accomplished.  It’s even better when all those participating seem to be having fun.  The event that I am speaking of is our Shrove Tuesday Pancake Feed!  

People in our church have been working on it, planning for it, seeking donations and volunteers, and arranging all the details for months.  To say that a lot of energy was expended in preparation for this event would be an understatement.  There was even a point within the last week in which we wondered if it was even going to be possible to hold the event, because of incoming inclement weather.  However, the weather cooperated, for the most part, and the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Feed happened as scheduled.  

It was great to see the various people here at the church the day before Shrove Tuesday making preparations for the feed; tables set up, placemats set out, signs put up, serving tables set in their place, etc.  There is so much more that goes into hosting a pancake feed than just having Chris’s Cakes set up their grills.  

Speaking of Chris’s Cakes, it was great to see those fun-loving pancake flippers here again.  To hear some of their old jokes…and a few new ones, as well as to see the pancakes flying through the air again toward their unsuspecting recipients.  And of course, the pancake feed just wouldn’t be the same without the people of the community who turned out to eat pancakes.  There was lots of laughter, lots of conversation, lots of reconnecting (after all, it has been three years since we last had the Shrove Tuesday Feed) and of course a lot of eating going on.  It was a good day!!

I want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone involved.  There are so many to thank I’m not even going to attempt to start naming them all.  In fact, that’s what makes the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Feed such a great event, in my books, the way that it involves so many people from our church family. Yes, the pancake feed is a fundraiser for the church.  But even if it wasn’t, I believe it is still a great event simply because of the way it brings people together to accomplish a purpose and to connect with the community.  

The Shrove Tuesday Pancake Feed, in my opinion, is such a great event because it becomes a miniature version of what the greater church is really supposed to be about…people giving of their time, using their ability, working with others to serve others and make the world just a bit better.  Who would have thought that pancakes could make the world a bit better.  But it did…for just a moment or two…or most of the day this past Tuesday.  

Yes, I’m guessing everyone is already looking forward to next year, which by the way, Shrove Tuesday is February 13, 2024.  But the main lesson for me about our pancake feed is that it takes so many people giving of themselves and serving to make it happen.  That is also when the church, the Body of Christ, is at its best.  Our Pancake feed is effective and successful only because of the great number of people involved.  This is also when the Church is at its best…when we’re all involved living and serving for something bigger than ourselves, God’s Kingdom.  Thank you all for Shrove Tuesday!!  Let’s keep on serving together for God’s Kingdom to be fulfilled through this body we call…the Church!!

Learning Lovingkindness…

Pastor Keith

God Is At Work! 02.17.2023

We need revival over here!! Those are words forever etched into my mind.  I believe I have previously written about the “revival” plant that we had in our farmhouse when I was in high school.  It was some sort of fern that was really bushy when it was healthy and doing well.  But when the soil was dried out, the branches of the plant just hung limply over the side of the bowl it was planted in.  When mom or I saw it in that state, we’d holler out, “We need revival over here!” and then the other would come running with some water.  We’d give the plant a drink, and within minutes it would be bushy once again.  Thus, that phrase, “We need revival over here!” has a humorous place in my memory banks. 

However, there is a real sense of profound truth in those words too.  We do need revival over here!!  As things are going in this world, and even in the greater universal Church…we do need revival. Revival is defined in the Merriam Webster Dictionary as “a period of renewed religious interest.”  Keep in mind the true meaning of religion isn’t just about rituals and institutions, it’s about reconnecting with God or the spiritual part of life.  Remember the Latin breakdown of the word – Re=again and ligion=connecting.  If you look at Jesus’ time here on earth, I’d say that in many ways Jesus was teaching, preaching, living, and acting to bring about revival.  Jesus was all about getting people to refocus or reconnect with the things of God.  

I mention this because there is a revival taking place on the campus of Asbury College and Seminary.  For about 10 days now there has been a continuous, as in 24 hours a day, time of worship, singing, prayer, repentance, preaching, praising, and witnessing to the power of God touching lives taking place on the campus.  You would think the Christian faith community in general would be celebrating what is taking place in Wilmore, Kentucky.  There are many who are celebrating.  But the truth is there are also many who are critical and being negative about what is taking place.  

I have read articles by both those celebrating God at work in what is happening, and I’ve also read articles by those who are skeptical and even negative towards what is happening. I thought it was interesting that one of the nay-sayers arguments against this being a “true” revival is the fact that it isn’t taking place in an actual church…but an auditorium on a college and seminary campus.  Others have said its too early to say if it’s really a revival.  Considering the way there’s been such divisiveness in our nation over almost everything in recent years, you can imagine the arguments being used for and against this specific occurrence.  

For myself, I’m just celebrating the fact that God’s spirit is at work.  To me it’s a reminder there is much that we can’t control and even fully understand in this world.  I’m also reminded of God’s words spoken through Isaiah, painting a picture to the Hebrew people of future hopefulness.  People are being invited to turn to God.  In Isaiah 55 the people are being told that God is doing something new…something unexpected.  In the midst of this word of hope the people are reminded, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9.  

I personally feel that revival takes place where hearts are open and receptive or where the way has been prepared.  But how revival happens, that’s God’s doing.  That’s the Spirit’s touch.  And just because revival is happening in one place but isn’t here…that doesn’t invalidate what God is doing there.  Let’s rejoice that God’s Spirit is flowing and being felt in a powerful way.

One writer expressed so well an important point.  He said not to look to the extremes of a movement like this.  Someone will always take things to the extremes.  But instead look to the middle of what is being experienced and what is occurring.  God is calling people to turn back to God and to refocus on the things of God.  I’m guessing that is really something most of us could use a touch of in our lives and in our own following of Jesus.  

May we pray that revival continues in this world…and even comes to us.  Yes, I believe God is at work!  I also believe the best days of the church are yet to come.  May we proclaim, along with the rest of the world, “We need revival over here!”  Amen…and Amen!!

Learning Lovingkindness

Pastor Keith

Instructions 02.10.2023

Several weeks ago, I had a tooth come apart, which meant a trip to the dentist.  Fortunately, the tooth didn’t hurt and they were able to fit me into their schedule fairly quickly!!  YAY!!  So, off to the dentist I went.  Now I could bore you with all the details of what had to be done…and what is still left to do.  Let me just say one word, “implant” and some of you will understand.  

Anyway, some fairly significant dental work had to be done during that office visit.  My dentist did a good job with the procedure, explaining what had to be done and what he was doing.  He also explained what I needed to do over the course of the next week or so.  He sent me home with a sheet of instructions, some gauze, and a prescription, all contained nicely in a plastic bag so none of it would get lost.  

About a week later I had a couple of questions about some things, wondering if I could / should do this or that to aid in the healing and recovery process.  I called the dentist office and they scheduled me to come back in.  Everything checked out OK and then I asked my questions.  The dentist listened to me, answered my questions, and then sent me on my way.

Another week passed by and everything seemed to be going well in the mouth department.  Then one evening I was dealing with some of my stuff that was laying around the house and I came across a little plastic bag with some gauze and a sheet of instructions in it.  “Oh yeah.” I thought to myself.  I pulled out the instructions and there written on that sheet of paper were the answers to some of the questions that I had had from a week earlier.  Hmmmm….  I wonder if my dentist was thinking as I asked my questions the week earlier, “You didn’t read the instructions.  Read the Instructions.”  He would have had every right to say that to me, but of course, he didn’t.  He was too kind to do that.  I realized though, that I could have saved myself a couple days of wandering, before calling and making the second appointment if I had only read the instructions.  

At times I have to wonder if God ever feels that way too.  You see, God has given us the Bible, God’s written word, to help us navigate the life of faith.  Now I don’t necessarily believe the Bible is an instruction manual like one might think of, telling you how to effectively work an appliance, or such.  Yet the Bible is God’s word for us, telling us the story of God and the story of people seeking to live faithfully.  A big part of why, as followers of Jesus, we are encouraged to read the Bible daily, is so that as we read God’s story, we learn more and more about who God is and how God seeks for us to live.  

I understand that at times the Bible doesn’t speak directly into the situation we may find ourselves in here on earth.  So, we may find ourselves turning to God in prayer.  “God, what should I do?”  “God, how do I deal with this situation?” “God, how do I follow you more closely?”  Certainly, God always wants to hear from us and talk with us in prayer.  But I wonder if God ever thinks… “If you’d read the instructions…if you’d read my word, you’d find the insight and direction you are looking for.”

Of course, the life of faith is more complex than my dental work, and certainly the instruction sheet from my dentist is much briefer than the Bible.  However, how often have I complained to God about something, when I haven’t even opened…or thought of, looking in God’s word for insight.  May that be our practice each and every day, to open God’s word and receive God’s guidance and love for our lives.

Pastor Keith

Talking...Listening 02.03.2023

We’ve all heard jokes or stories about the wordy preacher that drones on and on not seeming to realize the time.  On occasion I’ll admit that in my speaking or in my writing I’ve been known to be a little bit wordy.  But sometimes there’s just so much I want to share!! ☺  Or the fantasy is, if I just share one more point then everyone will find this topic as interesting or meaningful as I do.  Rarely is that true.

Just recently I’ve been reading an article in a national news magazine that deals with this very real problem in our nation.  The problem is oversharing.  Or the technical term is “Talkaholism” which is defined as the addiction to talking.  The article states that some people just cannot not talk, or so it would seem.  Social media has only made this issue worse because everybody can have a platform and it seems that oversharing about one’s life has become the norm.  

The cover story title for the article is “Zip It!!  The Power of Saying Less!”  The other headline for the article was “Talking Less Will Get You More.”  The article talks about several big name CEOs and a Supreme Court Justice that uses few words when responding to questions or they pause often in their responses to make sure they are using the proper words.  These individuals are seen as very effective at what they do by talking less.

This article reminds me of something that Jesus said that is included in what we refer to as the Sermon on the Mount contained in Matthew 5-7.  Jesus says, “Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No.’  Matthew 5:37.  This verse is contained in a short section in which Jesus is talking about oaths, which were a common thing in Jesus’ day.  Oaths were a way for a person to emphasize the importance of something being said.  Occasionally you’ll hear someone say, “It’s the truth, I swear.”  Or “I swear on my mothers grave!”  That’s the kind of thing Jesus is talking about.

However, in Jesus’ day people would get pretty elaborate with their oaths, making them more and more wordy, more and more complicated.  People were also using wordy, complex oaths because it made it easier for individuals to find wiggle room for getting out of their oaths.  But Jesus steps in with a clear word – speak plainly and simply – “Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No.’  This is such an important and necessary word that James, Jesus' brother, used these same words in his letter, “Let your Yes be Yes and your No be No.”  James 5:12

I always find it amusing when some big modern day study basically says the same thing that Jesus said so many years ago.  The study done about talking too much basically recommends that we listen more and even try to allow for more silence in our lives.  Yes, for some people that is hard.  I’ve had some people say that is why they can’t or won’t pray more, because they can’t/won’t be silent.  

So, as we seek to follow Jesus more closely each and every day, may we also strive to live out his words and his example.  Yes, there are times when talking is important, but there are also times when it is important to listen and to be silent.  May God give us the wisdom to know when those different moments are.  

Serving Together

Pastor Keith

P.S.  If you’re interested, there is a Talkaholic quiz.  Just google it and you’ll find it. 

Let the Light Shine 01.27.2023

What we allow our eyes to view will certainly affect us.  Yes, the images that we “see” can and will have an impact on the direction of our lives.  This is the message that Jesus is sharing in Matthew 6 when he says, “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness.”  Matthew 6:22-23.  I learned the truth and the power of this verse just the other day.

Just recently I have been participating in several Conference events in which I’ve been away from home and staying in a hotel in other communities.  I tend to be an early riser, and one of my habits is that once I’m awake early in the morning, I go find the fitness room and I get on a treadmill and run a couple miles.  So, the other morning I found the fitness room and they had some pretty new and pretty nice treadmills.  These were the kind that have a large screen right in front of the belt on which the person runs, and on that screen are images of places where a person might run.  

The video started out showing running in a forest along a nice running path.  Yes, I could get into this.  Then I was running along a stream with a mountain view up ahead.  I could definitely get into this.  Very enjoyable scenery.  But then suddenly I was running in a narrow canyon and the view I was seeing was making me feel like I needed to duck so I wouldn’t hit my head.  I needed to lean a certain direction because there was an outcropping of rock.  

Then once again, the scenery changed.  Now I was running through the narrow streets of an European city. The view was nice, but there were lots of obstacles.  I was running right beside cars that I was way too close to for my comfort level.  At one point on the video a person intentionally jumped out in front of me and faced the camera like they were going to grab me.  I literally leaned to the side on the treadmill to avoid the person on the screen.  Thank goodness that this treadmill had handrails, because that’s the only thing that kept me from falling off the treadmill.  

What I was seeing on the screen wasn’t real.  It wasn’t a real threat to me.  Yet what my eyes saw and how my brain responded to what I was seeing seemed very real and my body reacted to the “imputs” it was receiving.  The next day when I made my way to the fitness room again, and stepped onto the same treadmill.  This time I made a conscious choice – I wasn’t going to watch the screen in front of me.  Fortunately, by looking straight ahead I could look right over the top of the screen and change the view that my brain was receiving, and my run went just fine.

Sometimes I feel in this journey of life we forget the power of the images that we see.  This is part of the power and influence of social media and the video or “image” world in which we live.  We see things, like other people’s seemingly perfect lives…and we want that too.  We see images of something that stirs up a hunger or desire within (yes, food, sexuality, material items, etc) and suddenly we have a strong appetite within ourselves that is giving us a message to indulge.  These are images and messages that can throw us off the path of following Jesus the way we want and intend to.

But the opposite is also true.  The images that we take in with our eyes can be helpful, encouraging, and even positive influences that help us on our journey.  This is why spending time with God each day is so important.  This is why it is encouraged that followers of Jesus read the Bible regularly.  This is why we build connections with other people and why we have a church family, to be a supportive community that can give positive, helpful, supportive, and even loving “imputs” for our journey.  This is in part why we have worship and why we are encouraged to serve others.  All of this influences the views…or the light that is brought into our lives, as Jesus tells us.  And what we allow into our lives through our eyes, and senses, will indeed influence the direction and the destiny of our lives.

Today, may we seek to allow the light to fill our lives, the light of the world.  Because as John tells us “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.”  John 1:5.  Fill you day with positive and God-worthy images.  It will truly bring light into your life…and the lives of those around you.

Serving Together,

Pastor Keith

Connection 01.20.2023

We’ve been having some internet issues at home for several months now.  Most days our internet connection would work just fine.  But then every now and then we’d get the dreaded words, on our computer or other devices, “No Internet Connection.”  

To remedy the situation, what had to be done was the tried-and-true trick my technologically astute son told me to always try first.  Unplug the device, wait 30 seconds, and then plug it back in.  That’s like an automatic reset.  So, that’s what I would usually do.  I’d unplug our modem and router, and then plug them back in again.  That would usually take care of things and our internet would work fine.  However lately, it seems when a bad day hits, we’d lose the internet connection several times a day.  It was getting to the point that unplugging the devices and plugging them back in again, didn’t seem to be having the desired effect.

So, yesterday I went to our internet providers office.  I told them the problem I was having.  The friendly staff person looked me up on her computer.  Sure enough…I was in the system.  Then she almost chuckled and gasped at the same time.  She said something like, “Well, your modem is rather old. There have been several upgrades since you purchased your current modem.”  I wanted to say… “It’s only 6 ½ years old…that’s how long we’ve been in that house.  6 ½ years isn’t old.”  I didn’t say anything because I could see my son rolling his eyes and whispering to me, “Dad, 6 ½ years is ancient in technology time.”  

What really got me thinking was when the woman helping me indicated, that because of my old equipment, I wasn’t receiving the full benefit of the connection possibilities available to me.  In other words, I was missing out on connection capabilities because of old equipment that I hung on to.  Now, I’m not going to be a person to start rushing out after the latest technology, but this truth did get me thinking about my prayer and spiritual life and how it has changed over the years.

When I was little, I prayed a bedtime prayer, “Now I lay me down to sleep…” But then at some point my prayer life changed.  A new prayer took center stage, The Lord’s Prayer.  Then later on in life my prayer life again shifted as I learned to pray, not memorized prayers, but prayers that centered out of my being, my thoughts and relationship with God.  Then later on my prayer life once again shifted as I learned breath prayers and praying the Psalms or other scriptures.  And it still continues to evolve.  

Prayer represents one of the main ways I, and many of us, stay connected with God.  In my spiritual life, I didn’t stay with the simple bedtime prayer I remember from so long ago.  Not that memorized prayers are bad.  Not at all.  I still use memorized or written prayers.  But I also find that as I discover and use new types of prayer, it only enhances or deepens my connection with God.  Oh, I could still pray “Now I lay me down to sleep…” but if that was the extent of my prayer or spiritual life, it would limit my connection with God. 

Anyway, yesterday I installed a new modem at home, and we are now experiencing some newer capabilities in our internet connection.  Maybe in somewhat of the same way, in our spiritual life or prayer life, sometimes we do need to set aside what is old, because really it is limiting our connection with God.  Let’s keep on learning and growing, and even trying new things to see how doing so increases and deepens our capacity to connect with God.  And certainly, that is something Jesus continually modeled for us, a deepening and growing connection with God.  A good question to ask in this first month of the new year is this, “How will I upgrade or grow deeper in my connection with God this year?”  Give it some thought…and get ready to encounter God in new ways in the coming year.                                                                   Pastor Keith

Pause 01.13.2023

Earlier this week I made a trip to Sioux Falls in the late afternoon.  I needed to make some visits and run some errands, so off I went.  For the most part the roads (I 90) seemed fine, except there were a few places where snow was blowing across the road.  I was taught that whenever snow is blowing across the road, a driver needs to pay more attention to road conditions and slow down.  It’s in those places where snow is blowing across the road that snow can start collecting, be compacted, and turn into ice, thus making slick roadways.

On the drive to Sioux Falls, somewhere around the Emery or Montrose exits, I noticed a truck sitting at an odd angle.  It obviously wasn’t on the road, but in the north ditch.  I just figured it was a leftover vehicle from earlier days when the interstate was icy and lots of vehicles were going in the ditch.  

Anyway, I made it to my destinations without any problem.  I connected with the people I wanted to see.  I had success with all the errands I needed to care for on my list.  I even managed to stop at a restaurant that I’ve wanted to try, Fazoli’s.  (It was good!)  All in all, it was a pretty successful trip. 

By now it was dark and pretty late in the evening, so I pulled out my smartphone to look at the road report and see what Mitchell 911 or the SD Highway Patrol might be reporting about road conditions for my return home.  What I noticed is that over the past several hours there were reports of several vehicles in the ditch or the drivers having lost control on icy roads and the vehicle having rolled.  By the mile markers being reported for these various accidents, that and comments about the Emery Responders being called out again, it made me realize where this was all happening was in the section where I encountered blowing snow.

So, on my trip home, I kept my speed down and when I came to questionable looking road conditions I slowed way down.  Of course, not all the other drivers were doing this.  Most were whizzing on by me.  Fortunately, when I got to the impacted area, there weren’t any flashing lights or vehicles that I could see, in the ditch.  I made it home just fine.  However, the next morning there were lots of entries in Mitchell 911 on Facebook detailing numerous vehicle accidents on I 90 in that very stretch of the road I had traveled.  There were continual please for motorists to “Please Slow Down” and especially to not use cruise control. 

As I reflected on my experience on that stretch of the road the evening before, I was thankful that I didn’t end up in the ditch and in a mess.  I’m guessing in big part it is because I slowed down.  At times slowing down in life is important…even necessary.  If you look at the rhythm of a week, there is supposed to be a rest day, a sabbath.  Check out the 10 commandments.  The point of the sabbath is for humanity to slow down. Simply pressing on at the break-neck pace of our society is not good or healthy for us.  

Years ago, it was estimated that by 2020 we would only be working 20-30 hours a week because of the benefits of technology.  Well, we have the benefits of technology now…but most people are working more hours now than ever.  The point I want to make is that slowing down is essential in life.  If we fail to slow down, to rest and rejuvenate, there will likely come a point that being on cruise control and pressing on will land us in the ditch of life…maybe even on our side or on or top, so to speak.  When God came to the end of the six days of creation, it says that God rested.  If it is good for God to rest, my guess is, it is good for us too.  

As we make our way into the first few weeks of this new year, a good habit for all of us to develop, strengthen, or maintain, is to slow down, take a breath, and take a sabbath.  We all need to rest!  If you’re still not convinced, read Psalm 46 – pay special attention to verse 10.  Yes, let’s each push pause before a pause is pushed upon us. 

Pastor Keith

Puzzled 01.06.2023

During the time I’ve been home due to the New Year’s break and then the storm days, I’ve done something I didn’t think I’d ever do again.  I worked on a puzzle.  Understand, I’ve got nothing against puzzles. It’s just that I haven’t done one in many years.  In fact, the last time I worked on a puzzle was likely when I was in high school and we were all stuck at home because of a blizzard.  Out of that experience I decided I just don’t have the patience for puzzles.  

Then last year I was looking for a gift for Nancy, something she and I could do together some evening, and I found a murder mystery puzzle.  There’s a story you read and then you assemble the puzzle.  The catch is it’s a 1,000-piece puzzle and you don’t know what the picture will look like when assembled.  And did I mention, it’s a 1,000-piece puzzle.  For those of you who know puzzles, this isn’t a “do together some evening” project.  This is a multiple evening/day event.  Which, that in itself, is good.  Togetherness, you know!!

However, working on this puzzle has reminded me of the patience one needs to do puzzles.   It seems puzzles don’t put themselves together and it takes time…lots of time! The other thing I’ve learned is that you’d think with all the pieces to the puzzle right there on the table, it would be easy to put puzzles together.  Yet, each piece is a bit different and unique.  Yet sometimes they all seem to blend together.  You just have to keep trying to fit things together.  

In fact, what I’ve noticed is that the harder I look for a specific piece, the more difficult it becomes to find.  What Nancy and I have both noticed is that after not working on the puzzle for a while, when coming back to it, it seems that a puzzle piece stands out and we are able to fit it into place.  Of course, then we get focused on that section, looking for more pieces…but once again, the desired piece doesn’t seem to be present.

As I think about this puzzle project…that is still ongoing, it reminds me of some truths I need to remember as I approach the year that is before me…before all of us.  Sometimes I try to force all the pieces of the new year into the pattern I want them to be.  I think things should fit together just so…but then get frustrated when they don’t.  Rather, I need to accept the pieces as they are, see each piece for what it is, and then figure out the way that they fit together the best to form the picture that is being created.  

As I think about the year that is before me, I do have some hopes, dreams, and goals that I’m working on and aiming for.  But I’m also trying to be aware that I can’t force the pieces to fit into the place I think they should be or want them to be.  Sometimes the fit isn’t right.  Working on this puzzle has reminded me that sometimes I need to step back, view the bigger picture that is being created, and then see what pieces pop out to me.  Those “pieces” that seem to pop out at me are the places it is likely that God is at work in my life, one way or another.  My hope is that 11 1/2 months from now I’ll be able to look back on the picture of 2023 and see the masterpiece that God and I have created together.  And I’m sure it will look different than I had thought it would. Even then, at the end of 2023, the masterpiece of my life will not be complete (meaning I’ll still be living) because God will still be working on me…and God will still be working on you too!!

May we all see the various puzzle pieces of our lives for the year to come as possibilities and potential for who we are becoming, as God works with us.  Happy New Year, everyone!!!  Keep on working the puzzle of life.

Pastor Keith

Happy New Year! 12.30.2022

How is your “Year in Review” process going?  This is the time of year that it seems everyone is telling of their top 10 to 20 books they’ve read in 2022.  Or they are posting their…

• Favorite 12 pictures they’ve taken in the past year

• Their favorite fun memories of the year

• Their top five travel destinations of the year

• The top five things they’ve learned in 2022

• Their top three life changing moments of 2022

• Their favorite songs or movies of the year

This list could go on and on.  Actually, making these lists is kind of a fun activity.  It is a way of summarizing the year and seeing what all one has done with the 12 months, the 52, weeks, the 365 days, the 8,760 hours, the 525,600 minutes, and the 31,536,000 seconds that we have been given and used in the year 2022.  (Hmmm, I wonder how many minutes/hours I’ve spent writing articles like this or writing sermons?)

So, as you’re making your lists and recalling, hopefully many good memories, I want to ask you another question to consider and respond to.  What are the top three things you had hoped to accomplish in 2022, but didn’t?  Wait…don’t stop reading!!!  Don’t think I’m trying to be a “downer” or a negative person making you focus on the things you didn’t accomplish in the past year.  Please read on…there is a reason I’m asking this question of myself…as well as asking it of you.

The truth is there are several things that I had intended to accomplish but didn’t.  They were even on my list of goals for 2022.  But the truth is several of my goals I didn’t accomplish.  So, the question I’m asking myself is, are these still goals that are worthy of pursuing and goals that I want to accomplish.  If my answer to either of those questions is “No.”  Then it’s probably OK to simply allow those goals to remain in the past and move on.  However, if those goals are still something that are worthy of seeking after and things that I want to accomplish to make myself a better person, then I have another course of action to take…that of resuming the journey of reaching for those goals and achieving them in my life.

You see, there is nothing magical about 12:00 am on January 1.  It’s just a marking point in time.  It is not a boundary marker saying no unaccomplished goals from the past year can move beyond this point.  We would all be in huge trouble if that were the case.  So, I don’t need to feel like a failure for not having achieved them. I simply need to refocus my energy, learn what the obstacles to success were, and set a new course for what I want to learn and accomplish in the days to come.  

A great question I want us all to answer today is this, “What are the 2-3 goals that I/we didn’t achieve in 2022 that I am going to continue reaching for in 2023?  Make that list, set the goals, and then start taking steps to intentionally move in the direction of reaching those goals.  It’s great to have goals, it’s even better to be continually moving toward them, step by step.  May we each keep on learning and growing as human beings, and as followers of Jesus in the year that is before us.  Remember, God is with us on this journey!!!

Pastor Keith

Immanuel 12.23.2022

It’s amazing the interesting thoughts and new insights one can gain when reading the Bible.  It’s a matter of having an open mind, a willingness to look deeper at what one is reading, and an openness to the Spirit to speak into what is being read.  I believe there are so many wonderful truths and insights just waiting to be discovered.  Let me tell you about one of my recent discoveries.

A couple months ago I started reading through the Old Testament during my personal quiet time.  I had been reading strictly in the New Testament for over a year and decided it was time to jump back into the Old Testament once again.  So, I started with Genesis 1 and just kept reading forward. In this reading stretch I’ve been through Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and just a week or so ago I started into Numbers. 

Now, I’ll be honest, the book of numbers doesn’t sound particularly interesting.  It gets its name from the fact that it starts out with a census of the Hebrew people as they prepare to make their way into the wilderness.  In fact, the Hebrew title for this particular book means “In the Desert,” which is actually a more accurate descriptor of the book than “Numbers.”  

The book of Numbers actually tells of the Hebrew people’s journey from Mount Sinai to the plains of Moab after having left the bondage of Egypt behind.  Moses is their leader and much of the first part of the book describes the guidelines of the “Covenant” that the Hebrews are going to be abiding by in this new relationship with God.  A key word in this relationship is the word “Holy” meaning “set apart.”

This idea of being holy is key in the relationship God has with the people because they are still living with the influence of the Egyptian gods from the past 400 years.  Part of what I read just a couple days ago is that it was very clear that only certain people could carry, touch, or even look upon the Ark of the Covenant, the gold covered chest that held certain holy items and was considered the dwelling place of God in their midst.  

Later that same day I read the Christmas Story in Luke 2, as I was preparing for our Advent Study and Christmas Eve services.  Another word jumped out that defines the new covenant and relationship between God and God’s people, us.  That word, Immanuel.  God with us.    

Think about that!  When the Christ child, Immanuel, God With Us, arrived here on earth, his mother and earthly father were common ordinary people.  He was born in a lowly place where animals were kept. And…And…shepherds (very common folk and possibly even unclean, physically and religiously) were INVITED to come look upon (and maybe even touch) the very presence of God.  The arrival of Jesus, the Christ Child, marks a new understanding of who God is and how humanity can relate to God.  We should be awed by God, but we don’t have to be terrified of any little misstep, or terrified of God, period!  God is approachable, God is reachable, God is personal, and God is inviting.  

What an incredible gift the babe of Bethlehem is for us today.  The entire Christmas Story reminds us that not just “special” people can be in or serve in the presence of God.  God has come among us!!  The Christ child truly represents a new understanding of who is welcome in God’s presence…we all are!  That is what Immanuel, God with us, is all about – God’s presence…here…now!!  Hallelujah!!!!

Serving Together,

Pastor Keith