Peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.  We certainly need His peace in this troubled world of ours.  I know I had planned on sharing a few more thoughts on MISSIONS, but it seems there’s always something that comes up to postpone it for another week.  The tragedy in Florida deserves comment.
The death of anyone is a loss to all, but when it comes to children, especially to so many, that loss is compounded.  In the aftermath, and by aftermath I mean that they were still taking the injured to the hospital, the gallery of talking heads began shouting out their respective messages.  Demands for gun control, gun registration, gun confiscation, gun legislation and more came from every quarter.  Cries for cooperation between governmental agencies national, state and local on the need for stricter background checks with stronger enhancements and severe improvements accompanied by shared reporting of criminal data were also heard.  There were even calls that when people see questionable activities and actions, they should report it to authorities in schools, at work places, and to responsible law enforcement personal.  An interesting and useful thought, if it were not for a culture of political correctness and personal rights where the lawbreaker seems to possess more rights than the law-abiding.  Concerns about the condition of mental illness and health in this nation and the connection to over medicated anti-depression drugs were voiced.  Others made their points of appeal too and likely share in the over all guilt of blame to varying degrees: violence on TV, in the movies, music and video games. the breakdown of the nuclear family all made honorable mention in a desire to prevent such an act from occurring again.
What I am about to say will likely be taken wrong.  It may sound simplistic.  First, while we might, should and can do things that could, possibly slow the number of such terrible events down, it will never eliminate them.  We live in a sinful world.  We ourselves are sinners.  We are by nature sinful and unclean.  This is not God’s fault.  It is ours.  We prefer doing things our way instead of God’s and the result is the world we have created.
Second, we seem desperate to eliminate, eradicate, annihilate, and wipe clean the presence of God from every aspect of our lives and culture.  I believe that in the absence of God to guide morality, wisdom and attitudes, a vacuum is created.  Into that void flows Satan and the power of evil.  Yes, he does exist and is living in a  community near you and me and all of us.  When, as Christians, we turn aside from doing what we know is right because of fear we give evil free rein.  We need more God in our lives, not less.
I suppose all I done is add my voice of what’s wrong to an already loud cacophony of noise declaring the    problem without any solutions.  However, I think more time with God is also a solution.  It sure has to be a better place to begin than some of the suggestions I’ve heard in the past week.  In the meantime I continue to pray for the families who have suffered loss, for those who need healing of all kinds, and for the willingness for us to surrender to God’s will for our lives and stop demanding He do things our way.  Our record isn’t anything to brag about.
May God bless and keep you safe.
Pastor Lee
 
ere to edit.

Every time I think I’ve seen it all, I am constantly surprised.  I was getting my hair cut this past week and since without my glasses I can’t see a thing, I was listening to conversations.  Apparently, there are young women and their youthful counterparts who are dying their hair grey.  Grey?  Really?
I was under the obvious misconception that women colored their hair to get rid of the grey, not put it in.  (Naturally, this does not apply to those women, young and not so young, who have a pension for bright colored hair of an unnatural shade or just can’t make up their minds as to what color they want to be.)  How silly of me.
It’s funny how we go to such extremes to make ourselves into something we are not.  Young people trying to appear older, more experienced, more knowledgeable.  Older folks trying just as hard to recapture the youth that time has ravaged in various ways.  I wonder which is to be more sorry for: the young with illusions of maturity that eventually does come (in most cases) in its own time or the old seeking after the deception of   restored youth.  I really can’t speak to both sides of the equation because it has been a long time since I was that young.  However, I suspect I did indeed fall prey to the popular devices that made one look older back in ancient times with rotary phones and television where I was the remote control.  I do recall when I was dating my wife that I tried to act like my father at OUR favorite restaurant.  It might have contributed some basis for his referring to us as “the gold dust twins.”
As to trying to reclaim youth now that I am more seasoned (a nice way of saying older)?  I wouldn’t mind a fewer number of aches and pains and a few less pounds, but it is what it is.  Yet, many are willing to go to any length, at any expense, to relive their youth.

1.  Take this pill or that one and you can be young again, lose belly fat, exercise like a George Atlas (old guy stuff), be a sexual dynamo and have joints that don’t creek.
2.  For the follilcly challenged, there’s no end to the means by which one can get their hair back.
3. I won’t even begin to discuss the medical/surgical means by which one can restore a youthful (kinda) body.  You can freeze it, cut it, sculpt it, suck it or eat it away.  There’s beet stuff, super stuff, and one fantastic system or another to shed the weight.

While it would be nice to be lighter, healthier and more energetic, I recognize I have abused myself over the years, especially in my youth when I didn’t know better, and must now pay the price.  Over all, though, I am content.  I’d be willing, if there were no price to pay; but, I still like my martinis dry, very dry, stirred not shaken (shaking clouds the gin, Mr. Bond), my steaks medium rare, chicken in moderation (in actual recognizable pieces), my coffee strong, and my bacon (it is the food of the gods) crisp.
I look at it this way.  God has a plan.  As we get older, we tend to get smarter (at least in a desire to know our Creator and be with Him when the time comes).  Getting older isn’t so bad when one can share it with a person you love, with friends who care, with kids you brought up to be loving and caring, and a mark that says you were here.  It’s a wonderful journey filled with surprises galore and at the end of the ride for the believer in the salvation of Jesus Christ, an eternity in heaven.
Until that moment, I’ll keep chugging along.  As I see it, my body is getting older, but I have the mind of an Olympian decathlon champion.  I’m still learning new ideas and ways of doing things.  I AM still young.
Pastor Lee

 





Last week I introduced the topic of MISSIONS for us to consider.  Actually, it will be my emphasis through much of February.  In this week’s blog I would like to share some thoughts as to why we need to give   thoughtful consideration to the whole topic of MISSIONS in our lives.  Believe it or not, it’s connected to Baptism.
When we are baptized, we receive some awesome gifts from God.  Let me list a few.

• #1  We enter into the Body of Christ, the Church, as the Lord makes us His heirs.  I realize not all Christians understand Baptism in this light.  However, Scripture makes it quite clear that Baptism unites us into the One body.  Since it is Christ who unites us  —  WE ARE ONE Church with many parts.
  
• #2  We receive the forgiveness of sins as we are washed clean and raised up free from sin, a new creation in Christ.  However, since we sin every day, the benefits of forgiveness in Baptism is not a one shot deal.  Every time we come to the Lord truly repentant, asking for forgiveness, we are forgiven as if we were just raised up from the waters of Baptism.
  
• #3  We receive the presence of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.  We may reject His presence and guidance, but He’s not going anywhere.  He is with us, always seeking to draw us closer to God.
  

There are more benefits to Baptism, but understanding and appreciating these is a great start.  Closely connected to these glorious benefits are the implications that come with being baptized into the body of Christ.  These implications are four in number and require serious understanding and implementation.

• #1  ETHICAL IMPLICATION  Baptism must make a difference in our lives.  Because we have been  “born in Christ” our desire should be to try to be more obedient to God’s will, serving Him with greater devotion.  We strive to be like Christ.
  
• #2  CORPORATE IMPLICATION  Baptism joins us to the family of believers from every time and every place — THE CHURCH.  While the act of baptism is truly a personal experience, God personally coming to us, it is also a much broader relationship.  All Christians, no matter from what denomination, are united in the understanding of “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.”  We may not all agree and even fight like cats and dogs about our differences, God has still united us in His Son whether we like it or not, whether we believe it or not.
  
• #3  ESCHATOLOGICAL IMPLICATION  This refers to the end of the world when Scripture tells us Christ will return as the King of glory to judge the living and the dead.  It says something about  where my life should be going.  I was a sinner, doomed to die, but through baptism, I have been  reborn a child of God and heir to His kingdom.  I must act accordingly.
  
• #4  MISSION IMPLICATION  Christ commands us to “Go and make disciples of all nations,  baptizing them . . .”  This means ALL Christians are called to witness to the good news of Jesus Christ.  We don’t all have to be preachers in pulpits giving sermons on Sunday mornings. However, we ALL have to share our witness to Christ with those around us.  This is not only what we say, but how we act, what we do, etc.  We express our faith in Christ. This is our mission work for the Lord God. It is our baptism that “ordains” us into that ministry because we are part of the “priesthood of believers”.
  

It is this fourth implication that we need to address.  Because we are all called to share Christ in whatever capacity we can according to the gifts, talents and abilities that God has given us, we are ALL missionaries.  NO EXCEPTIONS!  NO EXCUSES!

Consider that this week.  I hope you won’t be scared off and will join me next week.  Have a glorious week and remember, Lent and Ash Wednesday is coming. 

God bless!
Pastor Lee