Tuesday, February 27, 2018

A Higher Way - A Pastoral Letter from Rev. Dr. Lee Spitzer

I sometimes like to share things of interest from other pastors, and that's what I'm doing today.  The Rev. Dr. Lee Spitzer is the General Secretary for American Baptist Churches - USA, and he recently wrote a pastoral letter addressing what he sees in society today.  Here is an excerpt:

In brief, our culture suffers from a form of spiritual amnesia.  Having forgotten or ignored the Baptist and biblical core conviction of the infinite worth of every human being because we are all made in God's image, many movements and individuals no longer act as if longing one's neighbor is a fundamental and necessary manifestation of a just and healthy society.  We are so quick to judge, denigrate, criticize, attack, and assume to be superior to those with whom we differ.  There is precious little grace, courtesy and mutual respect remaining in American discourse and life.  We must recapture these virtues which can resupply society with much needed social capital.  

This is a very well written document that, I hope, will get you thinking about your position on some issues.  Some of the issues he brings up are considered political issues, and he calls out the need for discourse and biblical thinking wherever you are in the political arena, and whatever your political affiliation. 


He talks about loving our neighbor, and the need to have that love which motivates us to serve all people in need.   He goes on to talk about what that love would look like in the context of racism, immigration, and those who suffer from violence, especially violence in the form of sexual harassment and human trafficking.  And he talks about showing our love to our 114 churches in Puerto Rico who have lost so much from recent hurricanes.

The letter is bit long, but it's well worth a read.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear your comments...

Monday, February 26, 2018

Sermons from FBC - Jesus is the Better Adam


This is the second in our new sermon series that looks at Christ in the Old Testament.  This week we'll be looking at Adam, and how Jesus is the better Adam.  There will be a lot to unfold, I think you'll learn something, so grab a cup of coffee and enjoy...   

To read (or listen to message) click here:

    Jesus is the Better Adam

Hope you enjoy - love to hear your comments!

Friday, February 23, 2018

When God Seems Distant

In the book, Sacred Reading, The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina, by Michael Casey, he brings out something that I think deserves some reflection.

He talks about times when God seems absent. There are times, I suppose when you start any new discipline, that spiritual growth comes quickly, and you feel it. But then there are times, often after doing the same discipline for some time, that spiritual growth doesn’t seem to come at all. It almost seems that God has moved on and has left you alone.

Aldous Huxley calls this phenomenon “induction” – the principal that “every positive begets its corresponding negative.” Casey writes, “Any striving after specific virtues is followed by an almost irresistible tendency to backslide.”

I don’t know if I agree with that exactly, but I know that in my own life my spiritual growth has been very cyclical. I experience highs of incredible growth and special closeness with God, followed by times of dryness and distance from God. I suppose all of you have experienced something similar to this.

Perhaps the positive in this is that this happens to everyone. Maybe it goes back to our sinful nature. Maybe any commitment toward God brings up an unconscious pulling away. Maybe it is a spiritual battle being fought, the enemy not willing to give up on us. Whatever it is, the key to moving on is persistence on our Bible Study, in our devotions, in our prayers, and in our disciplines.

God is there, even when you don’t feel him. Persist in moving toward him, and I bet you will feel him again…

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Favorite Chapter...

Yesterday I talked about being asked what my favorite verse was.  I answered with Galatians 2:20, which we talked about yesterday.  But I also shared a favorite chapter.  That comes from Psalm 121.  If you've ever had me visit, I've probably shared that passage...

I lift up my eyes from the hills - where does my help come from? 
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.  


He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber;
Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 


The Lord watches over you - the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.  


The Lord will keep you fro all harm - he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going both not and forevermore.  


That's my favorite - I'd love to hear yours.  Please leave a comment...

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Favorite verses...

At a small group a few days ago, we talked about our favorite Bible verses.  I actually had a favorite verse, and a favorite chapter.  I thought I would share them with you.  I guess I'll share the verse today, and the chapter tomorrow...
My favorite verse is Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me gave himself for me."

To me, this verse speaks of the new life we have when we come to faith.  Our past problems can no longer hold us back, our skeletons in the closet can no longer haunt us.  We are new, because the sinful people we were are gone, and now, Christ is in their place.  We live our lives in the body secure in the love Jesus has for us, it is Him who gave us this new life.  

To go on living as we have is folly.  That life is dead.  And only Christ lives now.

That's what it means to be a Christian.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.  Drop me a comment and let me know your favorite verses...

Monday, February 19, 2018

Sermons from FBC - Christ in The Old Testament

This week we started a new sermon series that looks at Christ in the Old Testament.   During this series we’ll be looking to see some of the ways that Christ shows up in the Old Testament.  Jesus is the climax of the story of Scripture.  He is the better Adam, the better Jacob, the better Jonah, and the better Hosea.  

To read (or listen to message) click here:

    Christ in The Old Testament

Hope you enjoy - love to hear your comments!

Friday, February 16, 2018

Worship Styles

Several years ago I had an opportunity to attend a Pastor’s Appreciation breakfast sponsored by Houghton College. Houghton had put together a Master of Art in Theological Studies, so part of the reason for doing this breakfast was to introduce and advertise their new Masters level program.

Still, they had a wonderful breakfast, and then a message by Michael Walters, the Chair of the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Houghton. Walters said that many churches are polarized at one extreme or another in their style of worship.  I've been thinking about this again lately, with our change in worship style at Waverly FBC.

Walters had told of a trip to Australia with some students. The first church they attended was very informal, so much so that in the middle of the message people would get up and get some coffee and goodies, conveniently located in the back of the sanctuary. This was just way to informal for his liking. The following week, they attended a service at a very formal Episcopalian church, very High Church, with an incredible choir that sang only in Latin. Much of the elements of the worship service almost seemed to be in code for the students there, they were lost.

I suppose that the best place for a church to be is somewhere in the middle. Visitors need to be comfortable enough in our worship service that they can follow along, and know what we do and why we do it, yet it needs to be formal enough to experience the holy. Symbols can help, the practice of the Sacraments can help, the lighting of the Alter Candles can help.

Our Worship Style needs to appeal to the surrounding culture enough that they will be comfortable joining us, yet formal enough to give them a taste of the divine.

How are doing at that? Let’s talk about it. If you have any ideas, leave a comment, we’ll get a discussion going…

Faith First

  Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”  Taking him...