Christmas Everyday?

As the year winds down this week, I am basking in the warmth and glow of my Church Family’s recent Christmas’ Sabbath services. The common sharing of our stories, children singing, voices raised, young and old joining together to simply acknowledge the birth of our Savior. I want to capture this feeling, I want to bottle up that special sense of joy, peace, and love to last the whole year through.

I’m disappointed in myself because it is so easily forgotten, the light so often dims as the year progresses. But wait! It really doesn’t have to. It shouldn't. Sure, it’s not like everyday is Christmas, and sure, life comes at us in succession of endless waves crashing over us; but I should know better.

 It may not be Christmas everyday, but every day, Christ is to be invited into our hearts, our lives, our families, our church, and into our world. Everyday, we can live in the assurance of our risen Lord. Everyday we can acknowledge the promises of Jesus, that His Word created the world, that He physically joined our world to live with us, in all our joys, our pain, and our disappointments. 

This is a challenge for all believers, C. S. Lewis knew this challenge very well, writing, “It comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists of shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice … letting that quieter life come flowing in … coming in out of the wind.”

I like that sentiment, “Come in out of the wind.” For a heart centered on Christ, everyday can be Christmas.

—Dr. Bill Pritchard

Learning to Grow Together

As we prepare for a second pandemic Christmas, it is easy to be discouraged. There have been difficulties, losses, anxiety, and lots of fear. It has been hard. And let's be honest, sometimes when we face hard things, it doesn't always bring out the best in us.

But sometimes, dare I say often, it does!

We have learned so much, individually and as a Church Family, over the last (almost) two years.

We have learned that we are stronger than we knew we were. We have learned that we really, REALLY need each other - family, friends, and community. We have learned that corporate worship IS extremely valuable and that it is important to get up on Sabbath morning and physically come to church. And we have learned to be grateful that we have the opportunity to do so! We have grown and we have learned.

We have learned that navigating difficult and challenging relationships is (most of the time) worth the effort. We have learned the art of compromise. We have learned that not every topic needs to be discussed . . . or even broached. We have even learned that we don't have to agree on everything to be in good, meaningful, mutually respectful relationships. We have grown and we have learned.

And most importantly, we are learning to trust our God more. Everyday, all day, in everything. Exodus 14:14 clearly states that God's got this! He's got us! I love these various translations:

"The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." (KJV)

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (NIV)

"The Lord will fight for you, and you won’t need to lift a finger!" (TLB)

"God will fight the battle for you. And you? You keep your mouths shut!” (MSG) (This is my favorite!)

We have learned to face hard things and yes, we've learned to allow those hard things to absolutely bring out the best in us!

I am so, so grateful for each of you! I am grateful for all the leadership, kindness, consistency, and support that you have given our church, our community, and . . . me. I have learned and grown so much.

Merry Christmas, dear Church Family!

—Karen Mallory

Learning and Growing - Together!

As we prepare for a second pandemic Christmas, it is easy to be discouraged. There have been difficulties, losses, anxiety, and lots of fear. It has been hard. And let's be honest, sometimes when we face hard things, it doesn't always bring out the best in us.

But sometimes, dare I say often, it does!

We have learned so much, individually and as a Church Family, over the last (almost) two years.

We have learned that we are stronger than we knew we were. We have learned that we really, REALLY need each other - family, friends, and community. We have learned that corporate worship IS extremely valuable and that it is important to get up on Sabbath morning and physically come to church. And we have learned to be grateful that we have the opportunity to do so! We have grown and we have learned.

We have learned that navigating difficult and challenging relationships is (most of the time) worth the effort. We have learned the art of compromise. We have learned that not every topic needs to be discussed . . . or even broached. We have even learned that we don't have to agree on everything to be in good, meaningful, mutually respectful relationships. We have grown and we have learned.

And most importantly, we are learning to trust our God more. Everyday, all day, in everything. Exodus 14:14 clearly states that God's got this! He's got us! I love these various translations:

"The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." (KJV)

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (NIV)

"The Lord will fight for you, and you won’t need to lift a finger!" (TLB)

"God will fight the battle for you. And you? You keep your mouths shut!” (MSG) (This is my favorite!)

We have learned to face hard things and yes, we've learned to allow those hard things to absolutely bring out the best in us!

I am so, so grateful for each of you! I am grateful for all the leadership, kindness, consistency, and support that you have given our church, our community, and . . . me. I have learned and grown so much.

Merry Christmas, dear Church Family!

—Karen Mallory

A Great Light

When I began preparing for this past Sabbath sermon, I knew I wanted to preach Psalm 46 and Isaiah 9. The question was: how do I communicate the heart of these passages? I translated them from Hebrew, wrote translation notes, and dug into commentaries. But as I tried to put the meaning of the passages into words, I felt like I was cheapening them. In the same way that explaining a joke takes the humor away from a joke, I felt that explaining the passages took away their power.  

Then it occurred to me: no one had to explain these passages for the original hearers for them to understand why they were so powerful. The power of the passages is the lived experience of the hearer. Upon realizing this, I decided to tell a story. A fictional story that generally captured the lived experience of thousands of Israelite's who were exiled in Babylon. My goal was for all of us to hear Psalm 46 and Isaiah 9 from the perspective of exiles.

Personally, as I wrote the sermon, often I had to take a breather for the ache I felt in my heart. And when I wrote the words of Isaiah 9 I felt an overwhelmed sense of divine presence and comfort that brought me to tears.

Although we are not exiles in Babylon, we are exiles on this earth waiting for the return of Christ. And we have all felt, at one point or another, the feelings of Korah, Ephraim, and Zeera. We have felt anger, disappointment, confusion, loss of words, doubt, and resentment. But we have also felt hope. The experience of our spiritual ancestors is also our own. 

So the truth of Isaiah 9 and Psalm 46 still applies to us: You will not have peace until you make peace with God. In our disappointment, we become angry at God, and that is understandable. But we will not find peace until we can make peace with God. In Christ, God has made peace with us, but we are the ones still at war with Him. Christ is the light that shines in the darkness, our Prince of Peace, and He invites us to make peace with Him that we may finally rest.

For it is written that Christ has made “peace through His blood, shed on the cross.” My friend, I invite you to make peace with God.

—Pastor Alex

How Long?

I have asked this question to God many times in my life. Not because I lack patience, but because, sometimes, the wait is difficult and it makes no sense. Why does God make us wait for important things like healing, freedom from addiction, mental clarity, and other related things? The sorrows of life are not like long grocery lines, traffic, or delayed shipping; they are significantly more urgent! The sorrows of life seem like something God would not, and should not, delay in.

However, making us wait appears to be how God works. Abraham waited for a son. Joseph waited in an Egyptian prison. Moses, Caleb, and Joshua waited in the wilderness for forty years. Job waited through suffering. David waited to become king. Daniel waited in a lion's den. Jesus waited 30 years to begin His ministry.

Waiting is nothing new for the people of God. In fact, it is the church’s modus operandi (Revelations 14:12). Why? Because it is good for us to wait. Only people who have endured long seasons of waiting know how rich the harvest is for those who endure (Psalm 27:14). God is faithful and true to His promise to those who wait in faith:

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,

    to the soul who seeks Him.

It is good that one should wait quietly

    for the salvation of the Lord. (Lamentations 3:25-26)

Waiting is good for us because it teaches us to trust God. Trust is not something that can be forced on us, rather, it is something that must be created and nourished within us. It is something that requires testing and dependence. In the same way that our trust for people grows the more we depend on them, so does our trust for God grow as we wait on Him.

Read Psalm 13 and notice how the psalmist ends his poem. His/her waiting is not hopeless, but expectant. I cannot tell you how God will reward your waiting, but at least one reward is certain: trust. Trusting God is the greatest reward we can receive. For it makes the troubles of life bearable, and the future God’s storehouse of hope.

—Pastor Alex

The Blessing of Rituals

Here I am starting a short spiritual essay by mentioning baseball players. But you will see my point shortly. Each batter you watch displays unique actions as they get ready to hit. These twitches and stretches are so essential to the player that they become serious athletic rituals. All with the purpose of helping the player excel and play his best.

From Genesis to Revelation, the Word of God is filled with the story of God and humanity which is full of age-old rituals. So many in fact, that many secular thinkers criticize religion for its seemingly meaningless and endless rituals. 

But when you think about it, all of us have rituals, whether they are faith based or secular. So my note of encouragement today is to think through the little and big things we do everyday and dedicate them as rituals to enhance our daily walk with Christ. Rituals with deep meaning are able to provide our lives with blessed memories of being with the people we love, the friendships we have, and a Church Family with whom we worship. 

Dedicate a special chair to read the Bible; use a special song to bring in the Sabbath each week; schedule a time to pray on the phone with a friend each week; if there is a corner you turn on every morning on the way to work, call it your “Amen Corner” and say a prayer (eyes open, of course). Just think of the possibilities to add meaning and richness to your life.

—Dr. Bill Pritchard

The Teacher in the Student

Next to preaching, one of my favorite parts of my job is teaching others how to preach. We have seen Youth Ignite speakers, again and again, do amazing Biblical sermons! And my heart is full of pride every time I see my students do an amazing job. This past Sabbath, however, was particularly special for me. Several people came up to me after Kyle’s sermon and said, “he is definitely your student.” While Kyle was unique in his own powerful way, people could see the teacher in the student.

And this reminded me of Jesus' relationship to His own disciples. When Jesus invited Peter to follow Him and promised to make him a “fisher of men,” what was Jesus hoping to accomplish in Peter? In his book Meet the Rabbis, Brad Young (an expert in second temple Judaism) explains that a teacher would have brought his students into every aspect of his life in order that his students may become like their teacher in word and thought. Just as we distinguish accents, people could distinguish a student’s teacher by the way they lived their lives. In other words, the goal was for people to see the teacher in the student.

We like to call ourselves disciples of Jesus, but can people see the Teacher in us? Having faith and believing is one thing but following is another. I can believe a storm is coming but not move. I can believe Jesus is the Son of God but not follow. The invitation that Christ has extended to all of us is one of life-altering proportions. If you want to truly follow Jesus so that people may see the teacher in you, here is a short list of things you can do:

• Wake up early and pray (Mk 1:35)

• Side with the brokenhearted and disenfranchised (Matt 5:1-12, 25:31-46)

• Comfort the afflicted (Psalm 34:18)

• Read the Gospels and put listen to Jesus' words.

• Read the Gospels and observe Jesus' actions.

• Live out Jesus' teachings and copy His actions.

• Be gentle, meek, and kind (Matt 11:29).

Yes, this takes work. But you need to remember that you are a disciple. And what is a disciple? A student. The best students are the ones who do their homework. Let us learn from our Teacher that the world may see Him in us.