Saturday, November 7th
4:30 - 6:30 P.M.
Menu includes:
Turkey or Ham
Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
Cranberry Salad
Roll
Pie or Cake
Mac and Cheese for Kids
Drink Included
$14 for Adults
$7 for Children 12 and Under
Children Under 5 Free
Reservations are preferred -
Please RSVP to Tom Izor at (937) 696-2226
We are in need of volunteers to help pass out school supplies at National Night Out at Veterans Park in Germantown on Tuesday, August 4th, from about 5:00 P.M. on. Setup will be at 4:00. Please let Pastor Jon know if you would be willing to help; we need as many volunteers as possible to help keep things moving along.
At the July 20th Church Council meeting, Council approved a congregational vote on August 9th for $20,000 from the Endowment Fund.
There are three items on which we will be voting. The first vote is for $15,000 to replace the church’s failing audio and video equipment. The second vote is for $5,000 to be added to the general fund to cover the church’s operating expenses. A third vote has been requested to approve a Benevolence Disbursement for $1,500 to a neighboring church for an unforeseen emergency expense.
All confirmed voting members of our church family are invited to stay after worship for our special congregational meeting on August 9th to vote on these proposed expenditures.
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
During the rainstorms a couple of weeks ago, there was one major problem which many people had to suffer: basement flooding. And the main reason was not just because there was too much water: it was mostly because there were cracks in the foundation that allowed water to seep through; in some cases, the foundation was gone completely, because of age or erosion over time. So when that happened, a lot of basements around our area got flooded, either because of a weak foundation, or no foundation at all.
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus tells us exactly what happens when flooding happens to houses. One man, He says, was wise, and built his house on rock a solid foundation, and one which wouldn’t allow any leaking or seepage to get into the house. The foolish man built his house on sand, which wasn’t any kind of a foundation at all. When floodwaters came, the waters leaked into the house because the sand was allowing the water to rise in the first place, and the sand wasn’t a sturdy foundation for the house to stand on. Anyone who has been to the beach and built a sandcastle knows how quickly sand crumbles when only a little bit of water gets on it. Same thing with this building: when the floodwaters came, the house crumbled easily.
Now this story isn’t just good building advice, but it’s a reminder: again, the reason we had so many basements flood around here was because the foundations were allowed to erode and probably weren’t even watched. In all fairness, nobody probably even noticed the foundations had cracked or eroded until there was a problem. And how often has that happened in our lives? We can be going along, thinking everything’s just fine, confident that we have it all together and everything’s under control, until suddenly, we get hit with a disaster which shakes us to our very foundation. It can even also be something like, we’re driving along, everything’s fine, and then all of a sudden, a deer leaps out in front of us, causing us to swerve and crash, or hit the deer. Or someone suddenly rear ends or sideswipes us unexpectedly. In another case, we can be going along confident in good health, but then all of a sudden, we get a pain in our chests, or other parts of our bodies, or start coughing uncontrollably, or start feeling tired and fatigued unexpectedly. So then we go to the doctor and get a surprise diagnosis of a condition or illness we didn’t expect, or think we had in any way. Which, again, shakes us to our foundation. Also, we can be confident in stability in our families or friendships, but then suddenly a family member or friend springs a crisis on us, or tells us they no longer want to be part of our family or friendship. Or, we suddenly lose a family member or friend to death. We can get hit with an unexpected bill or expense, which sets us back financially; or, see that the price of gas or something we get at the grocery store has unexpectedly gone up, when our funds are tight as it is. What do you do when everything you’ve had confidence in suddenly disappoints you; what you thought was true turns out not to be true any more; and you get a nasty surprise in some other way? What do you do when what you have built the foundation of your life on suddenly gets cracked? What do you do when you get attacked by the floodwaters of the problems and struggles of life? Where do you go for help, and what do you rely on to help get you through what you’re suddenly having to go through?
A famous pastor named Augustus Toplady was traveling in England in the 1760s, near a place called Burrington Combe, when he was suddenly attacked by literal floodwaters: he got caught in a major rainstorm, and had to rush to seek shelter or he would be in danger from the waters. The story, which may or may not be entirely true, is that he ran for protection under a large solid rock, and was protected by the rock from the storm. Again, so the story goes, while he was cowering under the cover of the rock, the words, “Rock of ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee” came to him, and reminded him that, even as he protected by the rock from the storm, he was also constantly protected by God’s power through all the storms of his life. Toplady was also a firm believer in the idea that, when trouble happens, we cannot, nor should we, try to do anything to save or rescue ourselves. We are to rely on God and His help alone. That’s where the hymn we just sang a moment ago came from: a reminder that, when we are attacked by anything bad or unfavorable, we have only one refuge, one place to go, one help to rely on: God Himself. We also cannot fix our problems ourselves: only God can rescue us and bring us through what we’re going through.
But we also have to look at ourselves honestly, and ask an honest question: are we maintaining our foundations? Again, the reason flooding happens is when the foundation is cracked, weak, or eroded. What foundation are we really building on? Are we building a foundation on our own confidence, or confidence in God? Are we only believing in God when things are going well, or does our faith and trust in God crumble when things go badly? Do we rely on God and His help only when things are going well, or when we are attacked by the problems, the floods, of life? And, if we can’t solve our own problems, do we give up and despair, or do we ask God for help? It’s certainly easy to give up and give in - but God doesn’t want us to. In fact, if any of you are facing a situation right now where you just want to give up, you are encouraged to talk to someone, someone here in your church family, tell them what’s going on, and ask them to pray with you. We are to be here for each other to help build each other up, and build up the solid foundation of both our own individual faith, and of our church family, as we are in relationship with God and with each other.
There is only one true foundation that we can build our lives on, and that is God. As we were reminded last week, He, and He alone, is immortal, all-powerful, and almighty. He alone can take control of whatever we’re facing, and deal with it in the way He knows is best. We also have the promise that because Jesus died on the cross and rose again, we have free and open access to God’s power at all times. He is with us, is on our side, is fighting for us, and is carrying us through every moment of life. And, because He is immortal and all-powerful, He alone can defeat any powers which are against us right now. Again, if any of you are being attacked, you are encouraged to find someone to talk to and pray with you. There is power in prayer, and there is power in praying together: whenever we pray together, we encourage each other, and we both are reminded that God is always with us and is doing something right now.
Also, there’s another crucial honest question we have to ask ourselves: what kinds of things are we allowing to cause cracks in our foundations? Just as little cracks turn into bigger cracks over time, there are little things in our lives, which, if left unrecognized and uncontrolled, will cause bigger problems for us. For example, if we allow anger, bitterness, or resentment over something that has happened, or something that is ongoing, to occupy our thoughts and feelings, that’s going to cause us to become angry, bitter, and resentful, and erode the foundation of peace and confidence God wants us to build our lives on. It will also cause us to focus on the bad that is happening in our lives, instead of the good and blessings that God is giving us. So, to “patch up” that crack, we are to ask God to resolve whatever is causing our anger or bitterness, and for Him to give us the ability to forgive, make amends or apologies where necessary, and move on. Jesus has taught us to trust God, and love other people as He loves us, and if we continue to put this into practice, we will continue to have our foundation be strengthened and whole.
Since there is so much we struggle with every day, we are to continue building on the foundation we already have been established on, by daily Bible reading and praying, asking for God’s guidance, and the ability to keep putting what Jesus has taught us into practice in our everyday lives. Especially, we are to ask Jesus to help us live with confidence in God’s power, and be of help and support to others who need reminders of His power. On Christ the solid rock we stand - let’s continue to stand on our solid foundation, and let God guard us against all dangers and floods.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Almost everyone loves a good mystery! Whether it’s Sherlock Holmes, Edgar Allen Poe, Agatha Christie, or even Nancy Drew or Encyclopedia Brown from a long time ago, we enjoy reading about how a situation happens, usually a murder or robbery of some kind, and the detective has to figure out who did it. In other words, the mystery, or secret, is what happened, how it happened, why it happened, and ultimately who did it. And it’s the detective’s job to try to figure out the secret, and tell it to everyone else. In other words, the detective has to reveal the solution and explain it to everyone.
Today we have another kind of mystery, but a different kind of mystery to figure out: the mystery of God. On this Trinity Sunday, we celebrate that God is a mystery - not a crime to be figured out, but still something out of the ordinary to be explained. The first, and most important, mystery of God is that He is a Trinity: three persons in one, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are each distinct, and are not necessarily each a separate part of God, but each of them are called God together. Each person of the Trinity is equally divine, almighty, and all-powerful, and each person works together. No person of the Trinity exists without the other, and all three of them need each other to be able to operate as God. This is something that cannot be explained by natural reason or logic, but only is because it is the way it is. The only reason we know this is not because we’ve been given clues to be able to solve the mystery, but because the whole solution has been explained and laid out in front of us by God Himself. Our word “mystery” comes from the Greek word “mysterion,” which means a sacred secret - a special kind of secret that can only be known if it is revealed. In other words, the mystery of God is one that we only can know because God Himself has revealed it to us. We only know the solution to the mystery of God - who God is because He has told us flat out what it is. He has revealed everything about who He is, and has told us who He is so that we can worship Him for who He is.
Usually, when we talk about God, we tend to focus a lot on what He does, or what He can do for us. But it’s more important for us to talk about who God is, because we don’t just relate to God because of what He does for us. If we do, then God is nothing more than someone providing a service for us, giving us things, and only all about us getting things. But that’s not who God is, and that’s not all we are in relation to God: we live in a relationship with God, a deep, personal one, where He not only gives us things, but is the most important thing for us. He is the reason we are who we are, because He is who He is. So we don’t just want to know what God can do: we also want to know who He is. We want to know everything about Him, and how we can be in a solid relationship with Him as He is. Who is He? Well, He is several things.
1. God is mysterious. We knew that already, but what this specifically means is He cannot be explained fully or in a way that makes sense to worldly logic. The fact that He is three persons who are equally divine, but still one God, is illogical, even by the standards of certain other religions, who insist that there must be either one being called God alone, or many different beings called gods, but not three persons in one God who all share the same divinity. It is also just as illogical, perhaps even ridiculous to some, that the Son, Jesus, should be both fully divine and fully human, and still worshipped as the almighty God. Yet as Christians, this is what we believe, and what we confess in either the Apostles’ or Nicene Creed each week. We do this because, again, this is what God has revealed Himself to us as being, so we simply accept Him for who He is. What He does is also frequently outside the realm of understanding: sending His own Son to be a sacrifice for our sins is not something anyone would expect, but which benefits all people, because all people’s sins are forgiven, all people are accepted and loved by God because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and all people are saved through faith and belief in what Jesus has done. God has also operated outside the laws of His own nature time and time again to work His almighty power, whether it has been a great visible miracle to rescue His people, or a smaller miracle to turn someone’s individual life around. Yet although He is incomprehensible, He is still accessible. We can still approach Him in prayer any time, anywhere. He is personal and personable, easy for us to relate to, and easy for us to ask for for anything He wants for us. He is also someone who understands us, is not aloof or far away, but is still close to us at all times. We are also to expect God, in His mysteriousness, to do mysterious things for us whenever we are in any kind of trouble or danger, because He cares for us and wants us personally.
2. God is almighty. Because He is mysterious, He is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing, and all-controlling. He is the most all-powerful being in all the world, and all the universe. He is immortal, having existed since the beginning of time, without any beginning, and without any end. He alone is divine and the only true God: all other beings which are claimed to be god are nothing but false idols. His power and ability is limitless, and cannot even be limited by the power of evil. Even though evil still exists in this world, and even though people make evil decisions which affect everyone else, it ultimately does not triumph, because God’s power alone is victorious over everything. Jesus’ death and resurrection confirmed and solidified God’s almighty power over all things, both in the present and future. Because He knows the future, He has us well in hand, and we are safe and secure in His all-powerful hands.
3. God is truth. Again, He alone is the one true God, and His Word alone is truth. He is who He is simply because He is who He is, and, even though it cannot be scientifically explained, He is who He has truly shown us to be. Because He is almighty, He alone has the authority to determine what is true. He tells us how things are, and how they ought to be, in the Bible. He has laid out His pattern for how He wants things to be in this world, and how He wants us to live in relationship with Him and with each other, especially in the Ten Commandments. He wants us to put Him first above all things, to love Him more than anything else in this world, and to love and want the best for our neighbors, and all people. Also, His truth is in opposition to any falsehood, especially anything which claims that there is no hope, no reason for having faith, and no reason for believing that God does what He promises: He has demonstrated, every time, that He always does what He says He will do, and that we can always have hope and trust Him because He does what He promises all the time.
4. God is love. He exists in limitless power and ability for one reason: He is love. The reason He exists is not to throw His power around or be some sort of control freak, but to give Himself in selfless love to everyone and everything. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit each share love with each other, and they share that same love with us. Jesus Himself says in John 5:20 that the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all he does. Jesus does everything the Father does to show His love for everyone: His very nature is that He is concerned about the well-being of everyone, and especially taking what is broken in people’s lives and restoring it. This means healing the sick, making the lame walk, raising the dead, and, most of all, dying on the cross to save people from the power of sin, death, and the devil. Then, it means rising again to live forever, so that everyone who is joined to Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit is raised by the Father to live with God forever, just as Jesus lives forever. This is the ultimate way God shows His love: by promising to save everyone who trusts and believes in Him. Even though, as was said earlier, we don’t just want to know what God can do, we also see that almost all the ways He expresses His love are through what He does. And for this, we give Him all thanks and praise.
5. God is life. He is the source of all life, being the creator of everything. All good things that happen are because of His decree, and all defeat of evil is also because of His decree. He does not cause evil to happen, and He certainly does not want people to die, but when evil does happen, He battles against it for us; and when people die, He provides a gateway to eternal life, a path from this life to the better life. In His eternal life, all people who have died are free from suffering, sickness, sadness, and any kind of struggle. As Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, He creates, saves, and sustains all life. The reason we are still here, and continuing on, is because He keeps us going. Even if there are times we want to give up, He gives us a reason not to give in, but to still keep on going, because He always has something promised for us. And, again, He does all this out of love, wanting the best for us, and wanting us to want the best for others.
But most importantly since God is all these things, who He is requires a response. And what is your response? Now that you’ve been reminded about the solution to the mystery of who God is, how will you respond? Just as people in a mystery story respond different ways, usually with shock and surprise, when the detective reveals the solution to the mystery, you also are to respond to this mystery. God doesn’t just want people to know facts about who He is, but He wants a relationship with you - as your almighty, true, loving God, who is the reason you are alive, you are keeping going, and who wants to bless you with Himself. Your response is to be one of love and gratitude to God for who He is, and believe that what He promises He promises for you. You are to trust Him at all moments, both good and bad, and have hope even when there seems to be reason for having none. You are to keep going, even when you want to give up, because God wants you to keep going. Also, you are to go and tell other people who God is, who God is to you, and bring people to Him, just as Jesus commands in our Gospel reading. You are also to show the same love He has shown to you, being concerned about your neighbor’s well-being, just as God is concerned about yours. You are to encourage others who are in need of hope or to be reassured of God’s promise, just as you have been by God Himself. You are to give of yourself selflessly, just as God has given Himself to you selflessly. And, most of all, you are to believe that the God who has shown Himself to you the way He is loves you for who you are, and will never leave or abandon you. Trust Him, and He will always be there for you: He has already saved you, and He is for you. Now, live for Him.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
As promised, here are the two slides Pastor Jon said in today's Sermon he would post on our Facebook page and website. The first is the Church of the Beatitudes in Israel, and the second is "The Beatitude Life," originally located at https://www.tasteprogram.com/living-the-beatitudes/
Due to the predicted snowstorm and extreme temperatures this weekend, worship is cancelled tomorrow morning. A short devotional service will be posted on YouTube tomorrow, and the bulletin will be emailed. Stay safe and warm, everyone!
