Now, Get It Right!

The church must not preach to promote love for reasons of being prideful with our ability to love.

Hence the enticement through headlines like "We are a friendly church", or "We are not the churchy type", "or "Come and make your momma proud", or "No shoes - no problem", and on and on. Is that love?

Hence the division among parishioners because 'love' is being idolized - i.e. measured on sincerity, sufficiency, even sacrificiality.

Hence the distortion in our focus. The "me-ism" continues to prosper and the Gospel is just a fill to supplement our motives which we rather call our mission. Nonsense!

The church must preach the love of Christ and Christ alone. God the Father is the SOURCE, Christ is the SACRIFICE, and the Holy Spirit is the SUPPLIER.

LOVE is:

1. Our Purpose (Who, me?)

2. For other People (Who, them?)

3. God's Project (Who, us?)

A thought fomularized in the face of recent trials

True faith if harnessed in the TRUTH is not easily repudiated at the absence of _________ (fill in the blank). The keyword is TRUTH. Replace "faith" with "joy", "peace", etc...

'Tis the season ...

A few thoughts ... I have to admit a slight feeling of annoyance at the arrival of the "holidays". You too, I'd suppose. It's almost always the same around this time of the year. The calendar on the wall is thinned to one page. The sights and sounds attempt to steer us off-course from the real reason for the season. Turkey and trees, toys and traffic - what's so great about the "holidays"?

While some retailers advertise "Christmas" over "Holidays", the banner choice is more of stunt than sincerity; tease than truth; promotion than proclamation.

A question was raised at the Feast of the Tabernacles when Jesus took the courts and started teaching. Amazed and astonished, the people asked, "Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Christ?" (John 7:26b) Jesus later replied (v34), "You will look for me, but you will not find me." 


Today as we partake in the festivities, our celebration should be of KNOWING and FINDING Him. Only then will the stress of a distorted celebration be lifted. Happy Thanksgiving!