Pastor’s Pen
Lean on the Everlasting Arm
“Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
John 20:21
Dear Friends,
Jesus sends us into the world as His ambassadors to carry on His ministry of loving, healing and forgiving! This might seem an overwhelming responsibility for us all, but we should remember that His Holy Spirit, which He breathed upon the Disciples when He appeared in the room and sent upon all the believers at Pentecost provides us with the necessary power and strength to carry out our ministries.
It is also important to remember that we belong to God’s universal family, the Church, with whom we are in fellowship and communion. Together with the Holy Spirit and the company of all believers we belong to the Communion of Saints. This is where we find the strength to keep on keeping on. We rely not on our own strength but of that which God has given us, so that even when we are weak, when we are on the Lord’s side, we are always stronger than what awaits us in our life and work.
“God, the eternal God, is our support at all times, especially when we are sinking into deep trouble. There are seasons when we sink low . . . Dear Child of God, even when you are at your lowest, underneath are the everlasting arms.”
The Baptist preacher Charles H Spurgeon wrote these words which might have been inspired by or the inspiration for Anthony J. Showalter’s hymn, Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.
What a fellowship, what a joy divine, Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine, Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!
Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms,
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.
Pastor Cliff
Jesus Can Transform Your Life
Dear Friends,
The recent thaw has revealed many details from under the snow that have been missing from view for many weeks. The pristine uniformity of snow and ice crystals have been replaced by blades of grass from yellow to green. And despite the drab appearance of some colors, there is the opportunity to appreciate the numerous details which have re-emerged.
From under a snowy blanket, mouse trails are revealed, and though the ground is still frozen, there is the hope of spring as the thaw continues and the brooks swells. A flock of American Robins has found a patch of exposed grass as they watch and listen for a tasty meal below the surface.
The explosion of birdsong heralds a warmer temperature as birds emerge from hiding in the deep forests and woods. And once boring plumage seems sharper and more vibrant as pairings are formed and potential nest sites are explored.
The appreciation of all these details of creation can help us to praise God, the Creator and then to take this heightened awareness into our prayers and bible readings.
This week, I invite you to prepare for worship by reading John chapter 4.
It’s a wonderful account of how Jesus restores a woman He meets at Jacob’s Well. He begins by waiting for her, asking for a drink and from their encounter, she leaves behind her burden and transformed tells the whole town about Jesus. Through the woman at the well, Jesus brings salvation to a whole town. Come and hear how Jesus can transform your life and use you to change your world.
Pastor Cliff
Journey to Easter
Dear Friends,
Each year we begin the season of Lent on Ash Wednesday with a service of Holy Communion and the receiving of ashes applied to our foreheads in the sign of the cross. The words of invitation in our Book of Common Worship invite us by saying:
“We begin this holy season by acknowledging our need for forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We begin the journey to Easter with a sign of ashes. This ancient sign speaks of the frailty and uncertainty of human life and marks the penitence of this community.”
As the ashes are applied, the following or similar words from Genesis 3:19 are said:
“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Amen.”
Some of us from UPC Flanders and the other Mount Olive churches gathered for this purpose yesterday evening. But if you could not be there, you can still take part in this season of penitence and preparation for Easter.
“I invite you, therefore, in the name of Christ,
to observe a holy Lent by self-examination and penitence,
by prayer and fasting,
by works of love,
and by meditating on God’s word.”
Each person’s Lenten journey can be different but all lead to the Cross and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
If you are looking for guidance on how or what to read in your bible start each morning with a prayerful reading of Psalm 51:1-17 or another Psalm. Then read from one of the gospels. My favorite is the gospel of Mark, but John is also recommended. May God bless you in your journey.
Pastor Cliff
Immersed in Culture, Immersed in Grace
Long before I came to the USA, I enjoyed watching American Football on a British TV channel. Just the highlights and some analysis were enough to satisfy my appetite. Then, in the fall of 2018, I was baptized into the local culture of football mania with various shows to feast upon and endless hours of football interspersed by just as many food, beverage and truck commercials. Such gluttony was unsustainable, and when we acquired three small children, there was no longer the time or opportunity for the football watching habit to continue except for the play-offs and the Superbowl itself.
This year, I might just get permission to see more of the play-offs and the big event with the family because at least one of our children is keen to play flag football. Therefore, this weekend, I’m hoping that we can catch up with the season we have missed by total immersion in the grid-iron culture once more as those first play-off games get under way.
Who will you be rooting for, or will you remain neutral? It’s always good to support the local team, but then, you may have other loyalties such as your favorite players, your hometown or even just your preference of uniform colors. I like to begin neutral but usually opt to support either the underdog or the team which plays clean and fair. If the two are the same, then all well and good.
Even though I grew up playing a two other kinds of football, there is a need for resident aliens like myself to identify and connect with the local citizens and inhabitants of this land. By doing so, I can begin to understand their passion and enthusiasm for the sport and enter into the experience of being American in some small way.
When Jesus came from Heaven to earth, He was both God and fully human and in order for Him to understand our human condition, He needed to embrace His humanity. This is why, though He was perfect and holy and without sin, He still needed to baptized in order to identify with us. This week, we encounter Jesus as we revisit His baptism in the River Jordan. It marks the beginning of His earthly ministry and Matthew’s account introduces us to the Holy Trinity, when God spoke, saying “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” And in that moment, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like dove.
As we reflect on how Jesus identifies with us in our humanity, let us not forget to make time for Him in prayer so that we might be immersed in His presence and seek to connect with Him as His disciples.