Pastor's pen

2009-03-18T06:44:00.000-07:00

He is Risen - as He said
Every year we mark many events on our calendars. Most are anniversaries of an event which celebrate a particular person or happening from the past. Many remind us of people whose actions and sacrifices allow us to be what we are today. We celebrate past presidents and preachers on either their birthday or other days set-aside for them. We celebrate anniversaries of our own birth, or marriage. We look back on explorers who reached out the New World and started things on this side of the globe. We celebrate moms and dads, grandparents and children. We decorate with hearts, shamrocks, Christmas trees and pumpkins. We set off fire works and blow the flame out of candles on a cake. And then we set that particular holiday aside until the same time some 365 days later when it shows up on the calendar. We know before the year starts when Christmas and Birthdays and Presidents Day will happen. July 4th, November 11 and April 1 will always be Independence Day, Veterans Day and April fools. Even Thanksgiving, which seems to move a bit each year always ends up on the 4th Thursday of November. Only one holiday and those directly impacted by it happen at different times on the Calendar. What makes that day so different from the rest?

Perhaps it is the one time we really see God at work in something wonderful in His own way and in His own particular time. Just as no one was going to pin Jesus down, arrest him or kill him until the time was right, No one is going to set the time of His death, resurrection or coming again. It is in His time not ours. The fact of the matter is even the time of His death is tied to a calendar we no longer use.

This year the most important date in the Christian calendar, Resurrection Sunday falls on April 12. It is the time we as the body of Christ celebrate the Risen Savior who is in the world today. The action rising of Christ, while a basic tenet of our faith was not unique in a physical sense. The Bible reminds us that Jesus was not the first or even the last one to be resurrected from the dead. Prophets and disciples were instruments of God's healing before and after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So one might wonder, what would make this particular event so momentous, and so wonderful? What would make it so different from say, the widow’s son (Luke 7:15), Jarius’ daughter (Luke 8:54-55) or even Lazarus (John 11:43-44) whom Jesus raised from the dead just before his own resurrection? They were raised to remind us that we can be raised from the bondage of sin and death. They were examples of the awesome liberating power of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

What makes His Resurrection so wonderful is that He chose to die for us, He chose to be obedient to the Heavenly Father’s will even to the point of a cruel death on the cross. What makes this so marvelous is that Jesus is the ‘first fruit’ the one to lead the way, to show us the way, for He is the Way, the truth and the life. God does things in ways we can not fully understand. Our language, our thoughts, even our calendars can not grasp hold of the things He has done and is doing even now. It may be beyond our understanding, but it is real. The Resurrection Reality is that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whomsoever believes in Him will not perish, but have ever lasting life. While we may not have a full grasp on the time or day, by faith we can be reminded this month the mystery of our faith, that Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

New Years Eve Celebration

2008-12-30T17:27:00.000-08:00

NEW YEARS EVE CELEBRATION –
JOIN WITH US FROM 7 TO 10 AT NEW HOPE UMC THIS
NEW YEARS EVE -
WE WILL MEET HERE AT LEE CHURCH AND TAKE THE
BUS TO NEW HOPE AT 6 PM
FOR DINNER – MOVIE – DEVOTION – FELLOWSHIP
BRING A SIDE DISH TO SHARE -

DIRECTIONS:
GO EAST ON I-10 TO HWY 41 EXIT (SECOND LAKE CITY EXIT)
HEAD NORTH UNDER THE INTERSTATE TO 1ST RIGHT OVER TRACK –
GO EAST ON 131 C ABOUT 4 MILES TO 4140 FALLING CREEK ROAD –
CHURCH IS ON THE LEFT
GOD BLESS

Operation Christmas Child

2008-11-20T11:23:00.000-08:00

103 boxes were wrapped and sent

What if...?

2008-11-20T11:21:00.000-08:00

What if Jesus Never Came?

Advent is here – a season of some fancy eating and a lot of shopping, a time when we start singing Christmas Carols, and sending Christmas cards. A time of presents and trees, of lights and family gatherings. A time as well for traditions, everywhere, even on the old 19-inch in the family room. This is the time when every one who has been a singer has their own special. The Christmas season brings Burl Ives as a singing snowman, grinches who try to steal Christmas once again from the unsuspecting villagers, and George Bailey who jumps off the bridge in the Black and white town of Bedford Falls… It’s a Wonderful life.

In the movie George Bailey has the opportunity to see what life would be like in his little town had he not been born. Could you image what would have happen to this whole world if Jesus Christ had not been born in that little town of Bethlehem, or anywhere else for that matter?

What would this world be like without Jesus, without His influence in our lives, without His fulfilling the promises made well before His birth? What would your life be like without Him and His influence? Would you know peace? Where would you find light and comfort and healing and strength? Would these things even exist in a world without Emmanuel, God with us, without Jesus (which literally means – Jehovah Saves)? What would our life be like without the influence of the Holy one, the Son of God, Christ the Lord? Over the years the people watched and waited for His coming. What would it be like if we had not experienced the fulfillment to the advent of the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace?

Far too often the world tries to forget that Christ has come. Far too often we neglect to remind ourselves and our families and friends that “For unto us a Child was born, unto us a Son is given”
and His name shall be Emmanuel, which means God with us.

How much as the whole world changed that silent night so long ago, and how much can we be changed by His presence? What would we be like without Him?

This Christmas season, let us all remember that Jesus is the answer to all the Prophesy. He is the one promised. We need to prepare a place in each and every heart for Him, for He is our promise. We need to proclaim His presence and praise God for all that we have seen and heard and experience because God is with us, Emmanuel.

What if Jesus Never came - how would our life change? Rather - how often do we live as if Jesus never came at all?

In His Name,

Rich

Veterans day

2008-10-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

Veterans of foreign wars

In just a few days we will take time to thank those who served in the service of this country during various wars and battles. We have set aside a special day to honor our vets. Over time the memories of what these folks have done fades, yet their efforts or no less important to us and the future of this nation. As a result, we should never forget the efforts these men and women made on our behalf. We should never forget the sacrifices they made for freedom. But they are not the only ones who need to be in the fight for our country, our freedom. During WWII the folks back home helped as they could to back those who were "over there". Rationing, victory gardens, and patriot movies were just some of the ways that men, women and children all rolled up their sleeves and took on the effort to do the enemy in.
In many ways Rosy the Riveter had just as much importance in the effort to win the war as the men driving the tanks that people like her helped put together. People were on their knees for the sake of the young men who faced death each and everyday around each corner, and these men were welcomed as heroes when the work was over - over there.

Today it would seem that much of that combined effort to fight the war is over and doen with. Today we tend to put all the battles in the hands of the professionals who go through the training, put on the uniforms and get sent "over there." An occasional card or care package may go hand in hand with a few prayers from back home, but they are more often then not on their own. And history tells us that battles are lost when those back home are not supporting the troops.

We are going through some wars today here in our own native land. There are real wars going on for the homes and hearts of people of America. The enemy, much like those overseas today is hard to distinguish from the friendlies, they seem to come out of nowhere, with an often fatal blow. They were once one of us, they serve in Congress, in courtrooms, in school houses, on college campuses. They shop at the same stores we do, eat at the same resturants. But they don't have the same guiding light or direction we are to have. The wars we are fighting here is for the morals and values we once held dear. The Judeo-Christian ethic is a target today for those who wish to replace it with a new Age World view. We as Christians are the ones who are called to fight the battle, to insure that these values will continue beyond us and this generation. We find ourselves losing one battle after another because we so often leave the fighting up to someone else. We fall for the lie to let only those who are "Christian professionals" can do the battle, we feel like we have to leave it up to those who are trained. Let me tell you, we probably don't want to hold our breath for the leaders of today's church to fight for what is right. Far too often, they have fallen for the lie that they and we as the Church need to be politically correct to insure that we don't upset anyone. If we were face to face with a uniformed enemy who had us in their gun sights, would we really be concerned if we were saying or doing something that just might upset them?

Even though we may not be a professional or that we do not put on a uniform, we are all veterans of a war with things that are foreign to
God and His purpose for us as His Children. Each and everyday we face all kinds of threats to our life as a Christian, and threats to this nation to remain a Christian nation, yet we tend to sit back and hope someone else will fight the battle for us. God has gifted each of us. We all have a special task and purpose in the Body of Christ, and we all need to be at work extending the Kingdom, not sitting back watching it get smaller and smaller. The war we are waging is with the army of the World View. It is a war that can be won, but only if we all are willing to roll up our sleeves, get down on our knees and do what it takes. When Jesus left this world he gave us a Great Commission, a purpose, a plan for His Church. He didn't say sit back, soak up all you can. Rather what He tasked us with was all about action. He has tasked us with 4 verbs: Go, Make Disciples, Teach and Baptize. It is a war cry to all who are willing to fight for what is right, so that others may come to know Jesus, so that others may be saved, so that we can once again stand up for Jesus, so that it is truly in God we trust as a nation.

May God bless America, more importantly may we as America bless God.

Rich

2008-10-06T08:07:00.000-07:00

HOMECOMING PREPARATION

October 19th is coming soon and we are getting prepared for the 180th gathering of the church called Lee UMC. We look back to the Florida Settlers who started the church when this part of the country was still not a tame place to be. We look forward to the times when the dangers are just as prevalent as they were back in the early 19th century, and we look to the pitfalls and problems of our current day. In it all there is two things that remained consistant: (1)there were problems to deal with, (2) God was with us always. Looking forward, looking back, looking within we need to always be constantly be looking up to Him.

God bless

rich