CREDIT: Des Colhoun

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

When we think of “passion” we think we think of something we have an intense feeling or longing for. Maybe it’s a hobby or activity. Perhaps it’s a favorite team. Often, it’s a person. 

As Jesus enters Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, He enters His week of Passion … for mankind. We’ve often heard the “Gospel in a Nutshell” – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Jesus’ passion – His intense feeling for us – is evident by the lengths He went to show His Father’s love for us. He spent three years preaching, teaching, and doing miracles as He walked the countryside of Galilee, Judea, and the wilderness … that’s a lot of distance traveled on foot!

But that only scratches the surface of His passion for us. The donkey ride was simply the end of His journey. A journey that began on His heavenly throne. A throne He gave up to “make Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men … becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:7-8) It’s a journey, not measured in miles, that shows the length and depth of His passion for us. He gave up all the glory of heaven to live as a lowly carpenter and itinerant preacher. And then die the most excruciatingly painful death, death on a cross … for us.

This week we remember Jesus’ passion for us. And as we do, I urge you to make some time to recall how far He went to express His Father’s love for you and all mankind. Spend Monday – Thursday reading each of the Gospel accounts of His Passion. Then join us for worship at 7:00PM on Thursday, April 17th and Good Friday, April 18th. Finally, celebrate His resurrection on Easter, April 20th at 6:30AM, 8AM, or 10:45AM. God so loved the world, including you … see how much.

                                                                                        In Our King’s Love,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

CREDIT: PxHere.com

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Some old things are worth trying to restore – houses, cars, artworks, old family photos come to mind. With careful planning and expertise, something that looks ready for the junk pile can be restored to what it was intended to be. But doing so takes vision to see what it could become … along with the pathway to get there. Once you set your mind to it, after a period, the restoration is complete.

God is in the restoration business – the restoration of His creation which became broken by the work of others. Things didn’t start out broken though. In the beginning, He created everything exactly as He intended. There were no deserts – water existed to nourish plants in just the right amount. The beasts and animals, as well as mankind, honored Him. And there was no need for warriors and chariots because true peace abounded. And He said, “It is good.” But then, after a time, things fell apart when Adam and Eve thought they knew better than God how to take care of His creation. Sin entered and with it decay and death. 

But God remembered how He created all things in the beginning. He longed to restore creation to its original condition. He reminds us of this through Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I am doing a new thing …” Like any restoration, this “new thing” takes time to complete. But God promises, “… I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert …” (Isaiah 43:19)

This restoration includes you and me too. God sent His Son, Jesus into the broken creation to restore it. God is patient. He is just. And so, it takes time to get it all the way He wants it to be. But He is “doing” it – even if we don’t necessarily perceive it. Let us trust Him and His plans. Let us trust Him to work through us too as He restores His creation – including us – to the way He intended. When He’ll say again, “It is good.”

                                                                                        In His Love,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

CREDIT: Laura Friedman on FLICKR

Dear First Family and Friends,

You’ve likely heard, “Well, I’ve got some bad news for you and some good news.” I’m a “bad news first, good news” sort so I can leave feeling at least okay. Bad news, your baseball team just lost its best pitcher. But, you’ve still got your best hitters – so maybe they can slug their way to victory. Unfortunately, “bad news-good news” is usually more serious.

God’s Word is filled with “bad news-good news” situations. Through His prophet Ezekiel, chapter 33, God says, “I’ve got some bad news and some good news.” Bad news for the wicked, if you don’t turn away from your wickedness you shall die in your sin. (Ezekiel 33:9) But here’s the good news, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” (Ezekiel 33:11)

But it’s not just the wicked to whom God has “bad news and good news” for. He says to those who believe in their own righteousness, “Though I say to the righteous … if he trusts in his righteousness and does injustice, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered, but in his injustice that he has done he shall die.” (Ezekiel 33:13) That’s some bad news as there’s only one who is truly righteous (Hebrews 4:14-15). So even those who think they’re righteous are also sinners and thus in the same “bad news boat” as the wicked. No amount of your righteousness will save you. We are all wicked in some way.

The good news though … all is not lost. Whether you’re truly wicked or think you’re righteous – even though you aren’t – while in the “bad news boat” you’re also in the same “good news boat” – “If the wicked … walks in the statutes of life, not doing injustice, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him.” (Ezekiel 33:15-16) Let’s thank God for warning us of the bad news so we can receive His good news.

                                                                                        In His Love,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

Dear Citizens of Heaven,

Citizenship is a unifying concept in society. As citizens we’re subjects to the country we live in – its laws and leaders. Citizenship helps create and keep order in God’s creation. However, when citizenship gets divided, problems arise – which laws, which leaders do we follow? When that happens, I hope the laws and leaders of the country we’re from would take precedence. The saying “home is where the heart is” applies; so, if your heart’s from one place, you should live by that place’s laws and leaders. If not, move to the other place.

As disciples of Christ, baptized children of God, we have dual-citizenship – we’re citizens in one of the earth’s many nations with hearts from the Kingdom of Heaven. However, dual-citizenship can cause problems – which laws, which leaders do we follow? Are we, as Paul writes to the citizens in Philippi, focused with “eyes on those who walk according the example” of the faithful disciples of Christ, hearts obedient to “our citizenship in heaven” (Philippians 3:17, 20)? Or are we walking “as enemies of the cross of Christ … with minds set on earthly things,” (Philippians 3:18-19) hearts set on the world’s rulers, continually calling on us to say and do things that clearly run counter to God’s Word? As citizens of Heaven, subjects of the King of kings, the Word of God – His law, His gospel, and His rule over us should take precedence … even if it brings earthly persecution and suffering.

Jeremiah is a good example of how to live out our dual-citizenship. A citizen in Israel, God gave him a difficult message to preach to Israel and its leaders. For his efforts, he was threatened with death. Yet he said, “Do with me as seems good and right to you … (but know) the Lord sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.” (Jeremiah 26:14-15) Let us live first as citizens of Heaven serving in the world – loving God first by loving our neighbors in the world in accord with His Word.

                                                                                                Your Fellow Citizen,

                                                                                                Pastor Jim

CREDIT: garystockbridge617.getarchive.net

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I pray you have one close friend … a close relationship. I’m not talking of one physically close to you, but one of those friends who understands you – whom you understand. A person you can go to when you have a challenge in your life or who comes to you with their struggles. 

Such friends are rare because they take time to develop. You need to dig deep into each other’s lives. This requires communicating – using actual words – to share feelings, fears, ideas, and even a good joke. Words are critical to developing close friendships. 

If you think about it, you can get no closer to a person than to be in their heart – the core of their being. Paul says, “‘The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim).” (Romans 10:8) It’s helpful to remember God is always with us. He’s not in some far-off land … waiting for us to find Him. He’s always right here … inside us … in our mouths … in our hearts. How? In His Word!

Though we may drift away, ignoring His Word; God never leaves us. And so, when we need Him, all we need to do is call on Him in faith, and He’ll be there. God will remember His Word of promise, “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Joel 2:32)

This Lent, as we journey towards Good Friday and Easter, God helps us remember – He’s never far away. Lent is a good time to pack God’s Word into our hearts through devotions and prayer.  He helps us remember His Word, to help us when we or those we love are struggling. He helps us remember His promise, to hear and answer our prayers. God is close to us. He understands us. He knows our needs. He shows His love for us. Get to know Him even better. Let His Word soak into you this Lent.

                                                                                        In His Love,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

Dear Body of Christ,

Spring training brings me back to baseball, the game that taught me about struggle, disappointment, and overcoming. I learned from my teammates and coaches alike. That’s the great thing about good teams – they pull together to help each other through the challenges. An example is the “Idiots” known as the 2004 Boston Red Sox who “cowboy’d up” to overcome adversity and win Boston’s first championship in 86 years. Many think it happened in October, but the tipping point came in late July 2004 when the Red Sox overcame a large deficit to win a game against their biggest rivals. 

It's called the Transfiguration; an event that’s the tipping point in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus had just told His disciples, for the first time, He would be killed and on the third day raised (Luke 9:22). Though Jesus knew what was coming, I can imagine – in His humanity – it was not an easy thing to say … let alone prepare to do.

In His moment of adversity, Jesus climbs a mountain to pray. There His Father showers His glory upon Him, transfiguring Him before Peter, James, and John. Then Moses and Elijah, the two greatest figures in Jewish scripture speak with Jesus about “His departure”. Then Jesus, energized by this team of His Father, Moses, and Elijah sets His face toward Jerusalem and His destiny with death on a cross to pay for the mankind’s sins.  (Luke 9:28-36)

Transfiguration Sunday is also a tipping point in the church year – leading us into Lent and our remembrance of Jesus’ journey to the cross on Good Friday. There He overcome the adversity of our sin by His death … and overcame the adversity of death by His resurrection three days later. Lent, like Spring Training in a way, is a time to focus on Jesus and His work for us … immersing ourselves in prayer and His Word more intently. Then, letting Him come alongside us to help us through the adversity we face as we journey toward our eternal destiny, life in His kingdom. 

                                                                                                        In Christ’s Love,

                                                                                                        Pastor Jim

Dear Friends in Christ,

Has anyone said to you, “You remind of …” Maybe it’s your looks, your character, something you did. But something about you reminds them of someone else. You aren’t that person, but you’re a reminder. As a result, you might even bring comfort to them.

Scripture is filled with reminders that God has always been living and active in His creation. Throughout the Old Testament we see many faithful people God uses to remind us of His grace and mercy in the midst of their worldly challenges. But these reminders point us to the ultimate display of God’s grace and mercy. These “reminders” are known as “types” – people whose actions and words point us to the “ultimate one” – Jesus Christ. As “types of Christ” they aren’t Jesus, but they show some of what Christ came to do for God’s creation.

An example of a “type of Christ” is Joseph, one of Jacob’s many sons we hear of in Genesis. Joseph was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers (who became the fathers of Israel’s Twelve Tribes). In slavery Joseph suffered false accusations and imprisonment. Despite suffering and abuse, Joseph remained faithful to God. Eventually he was freed from prison and became a ruler in Egypt where God blessed him with visions and wisdom to help Egypt, and in time, his brothers survive a worldwide famine and death. When His brothers came to him, Joseph – recognizing God’s hand in all that happened – forgave them their heinous betrayal. Joseph became Israel’s savior giving them food and welcoming them to live out their lives in Egypt. (Genesis 45:3-15) Sound familiar? 

Joseph, a “type of Christ”, pointed Israel to, and should remind us of, the Savior – Jesus Christ. It is Jesus who assumed our slavery to sin. Who was faithful to His Father. Who suffered false accusations and died that we might be forgiven our sins. All to lead Joseph and all who believe in Him to dwell in the true Promised Land, the kingdom of heaven, and the eternal banquet never to hunger again.

                                                                                                In Christ’s Love,

                                                                                                Pastor Jim