The Time Has Come...

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."

"But wait a bit," the Oysters cried,
"Before we have our chat;
For some of us are out of breath,
And all of us are fat!"
"No hurry!" said the Carpenter.
They thanked him much for that.

"A loaf of bread," the Walrus said,
"Is what we chiefly need:
Pepper and vinegar besides
Are very good indeed--
Now if you're ready, Oysters dear,
We can begin to feed."

"But not on us!" the Oysters cried,
Turning a little blue.
"After such kindness, that would be
A dismal thing to do!"
"The night is fine," the Walrus said.
"Do you admire the view?

"It was so kind of you to come!
And you are very nice!"
The Carpenter said nothing but
"Cut us another slice:
I wish you were not quite so deaf--
I've had to ask you twice!"

"It seems a shame," the Walrus said,
"To play them such a trick,
After we've brought them out so far,
And made them trot so quick!"
The Carpenter said nothing but
"The butter's spread too thick!"

"I weep for you," the Walrus said:
"I deeply sympathize."
With sobs and tears he sorted out
Those of the largest size,
Holding his pocket-handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes.

"O Oysters," said the Carpenter,
"You've had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?'
But answer came there none--
And this was scarcely odd, because
They'd eaten every one.

The Walrus and The Carpenter

Lewis Carroll

If I didn’t know any better I would say that is one of the candidates talking to voters they are trying to convince to vote for them.

I am afraid I find the Presidential field very underwhelming.  I can’t imagine supporting anyone running for President in 2016.

I imagine that is the way many  people felt  following Jesus’s death on the cross.  The leader they were following was dead, what were they going to do?  Friday and Saturday must have been very dark indeed. 

Then Sunday morning came!  Jesus rose from the grave and lives! 

Hope was restored and even better salvation had been won!   God is alive and well and is in command, command for those who follow Him and in command for those who fight Him.

In 2016 Society is trying to blot out all mention of God and His son Jesus Christ from the public venue.

Society wants God removed from our money, our buildings and our public events.

"The time has come," the Walrus said, "To talk of many things:

The very God that Society would wipe from our consciousness is the very God who loves the world so much that he sent His only Son to die on a cross for our salvation.

Society may turn it’s back on God but God will not turn His back on Society. 

With the candidates to choose from it may seem like God is, what is really happening is what happens when  Society turns it’s back on God.

Prayer is what is needed right now, prayer for healing and prayer for guidance.

My candidate as always is Jesus Christ!

Pastor Steve

Now Thank We all Our God

Now Thank We all Our God
1 Now thank we all our God
with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things has done,
in whom his world rejoices;
who from our mothers' arms
has blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today.

2 O may this bounteous God
through all our life be near us,
with ever joyful hearts
and blessed peace to cheer us,
to keep us in his grace,
and guide us when perplexed,
and free us from all ills
of this world in the next.

3 All praise and thanks to God
the Father now be given,
the Son and Spirit blest,
who reign in highest heaven
the one eternal God,
whom heaven and earth adore;
for thus it was, is now,
and shall be evermore.

Psalter Hymnal (Gray), 1987

Martin Rinkart, a Lutheran minister, was in Eilenburg, Saxony, during the Thirty Years’ War. The walled city of Eilenburg saw a steady stream of refugees pour through its gates. The Swedish army surrounded the city, and famine and plague were rampant. Eight hundred homes were destroyed, and the people began to perish. There was a tremendous strain on the pastors who had to conduct dozens of funerals daily. Finally, the pastors, too, succumbed, and Rinkart was the only one left—doing 50 funerals a day. When the Swedes demanded a huge ransom, Rinkart left the safety of the walls to plead for mercy. The Swedish commander, impressed by his faith and courage, lowered his demands. Soon afterward, the Thirty Years’ War ended, and Rinkart wrote this hymn for a grand celebration service. It is a testament to his faith that, after such misery, he was able to write a hymn of abiding trust and gratitude toward God.

1 Peter 2:1-12  So get rid of every kind of evil, every kind of deception, hypocrisy, jealousy, and every kind of slander.  (2)  Desire God's pure word as newborn babies desire milk. Then you will grow in your salvation.  (3)  Certainly you have tasted that the Lord is good!  (4)  You are coming to Christ, the living stone who was rejected by humans but was chosen as precious by God.  (5)  You come to him as living stones, a spiritual house that is being built into a holy priesthood. So offer spiritual sacrifices that God accepts through Jesus Christ.  (6)  That is why Scripture says, "I am laying a chosen and precious cornerstone in Zion, and the person who believes in him will never be ashamed."  (7)  This honor belongs to those who believe. But to those who don't believe: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,  (8)  a stone that people trip over, a large rock that people find offensive." The people tripped over the word because they refused to believe it. Therefore, this is how they ended up.  (9)  However, you are chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, people who belong to God. You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God, who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.  (10)  Once you were not God's people, but now you are. Once you were not shown mercy, but now you have been shown mercy.  (11)  Dear friends, since you are foreigners and temporary residents in the world, I'm encouraging you to keep away from the desires of your corrupt nature. These desires constantly attack you.  (12)  Live decent lives among unbelievers. Then, although they ridicule you as if you were doing wrong while they are watching you do good things, they will praise God on the day he comes to help you.

I wish I could write like that.  I can’t, so I place it here for you to read and to know that whatever happens in this world nothing can ever separate you from God’s love.

Now thank we all our God for all that we have and all that we do.

Pray for our enemies that the Holy Spirit will enter their hearts and show them Jesus.

Pastor Steve

It Is Well, With My Soul

It Is Well With My Soul
When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well, (it is well),
With my soul, (with my soul)
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life,
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul! 

This hymn was written after two major trau­mas in Spafford’s life. The first was the great Chicago Fire of October 1871, which ruined him financially (he had been a wealthy businessman). Shortly after, while crossing the At­lantic, all four of Spafford’s daughters died in a collision with another ship. Spafford’s wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, “Saved alone.” Several weeks later, as Spafford’s own ship passed near the spot where his daugh­ters died, the Holy Spirit in­spired these words. They speak to the eter­nal hope that all be­lievers have, no mat­ter what pain and grief befall them on earth.

The world would have us think that anything we do is all right.  If it makes you happy, then do it.  If you disagree then you are judgmental, if you speak against, it is hate speech.

Satan would have us believe that the word of God is too judgmental, that it is hate speech.   You should expect that from someone who will not submit to the authority of God.

As sinners we must confess our sins and submit ourselves to God’s authority to be forgiven and freed.  We must do this on a daily basis because we sin on a daily basis.  We do so in thought, word and deed.

To think that we can live any way we choose, do anything that makes us feel good and not submit to the authority of God is living in a fantasy.

For Christians, not to say this is wrong, and to not urge these people to turn from their sinful ways is heresy.

On the judgment day those who feel that they can choose how to live and still enter the gates of heaven will be disappointed.   Matthew 7:21-23  "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord!' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the person who does what my Father in heaven wants.  (22)  Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name? Didn't we force out demons and do many miracles by the power and authority of your name?'  (23)  Then I will tell them publicly, 'I've never known you. Get away from me, you evil people.'

Now is the time to stand firm in the faith and now is time to continue to preach the Good News of Jesus the Christ.  We must do this with love, not animus. 

As public opinion continues to strike against the tenants of our faith, as denominations continue to give in to public opinion, as those around you ridicule and deride you, remember this.  Philippians 3:14-15  I run straight toward the goal to win the prize that God's heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus.  (15)  Whoever has a mature faith should think this way. And if you think differently, God will show you how to think. 

We are under attack but we are not alone, if God is for us, who can be against us?

It is well, with my soul

Pastor Steve

Christians Under Siege

ISIS is killing children who are Christian, beheading them and putting their heads on a stick. The mothers are being raped and killed and the fathers are being hung.

Syrian Christians, Iraqi Christians, Egyptian Christians, Indian Christians, Chinese Christians, Pakistani Christians and African Christians are being killed for their faith.

Yet so many Western Christians are silent. In January, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) penned a letter to 300 Catholic and Protestant leaders complaining about their lack of engagement. “Can you, as a leader in the church, help?” he wrote. “Are you pained by these accounts of persecution? Will you use your sphere of influence to raise the profile of this issue—be it through a sermon, writing or media interview?”
There have been far too few takers.

Wolf and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) sponsored legislation last year to create a special envoy at the State Department to advocate for religious minorities in the Middle East and South-Central Asia. It passed in the House overwhelmingly, but died in the Senate. Imagine the difference an outcry from constituents might have made. The legislation was reintroduced in January and again passed the House easily. It now sits in the Senate. According to the office of Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO), the sponsor of the bill there, there is no date set for it to be taken up.

Wolf has complained loudly of the State Department’s lack of attention to religious persecution, but is anybody listening? When American leaders meet with the Saudi government, where is the public outcry demanding they confront the Saudis for promoting hatred of Christians, Jews, and even Muslim minorities through their propagandistic tracts and textbooks? In the debate on Syria, why has the fate of Christians and other religious minorities been almost completely ignored?

In his letter challenging U.S. religious leaders, Wolf quoted Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was executed for his efforts in the Nazi resistance:  “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

2015 will be a pivotal year for Christianity.  As we are assaulted here and abroad the Good News of Jesus Christ must be proclaimed.

He warned us that there would be days like these...get busy

Pastor Steve

When I'm 64

When I’m 64

When I get older, losing my hair, many years from now

Will you still be sending me a valentine, birthday greetings, bottle of wine?

If I'd been out 'til quarter to three, would you lock the door?

Will you still need me, will you still feed me when I'm sixty-four?

You'll be older too

Ah, and if you say the word, I could stay with you

I could be handy, mending a fuse when your lights have gone

You can knit a sweater by the fireside, Sunday mornings, go for a ride

Doing the garden, digging the weeds, who could ask for more?

Will you still need me, will you still feed me when I'm sixty-four?

Every summer we can rent a cottage

In the Isle of Wight if it's not too dear

We shall scrimp and save

Ah, grandchildren on your knee, Vera, Chuck and Dave

Send me a postcard, drop me a line stating point of view

Indicate precisely what you mean to say, yours sincerely wasting away

Give me your answer, fill in a form, mine forever more

Will you still need me, will you still feed me when I'm sixty-four?

The Beatles, 1967

In June 1967 I was 16 and “When I’m 64” was released by the Beatles.  Paul McCartney wrote it when he was 16 and tweaked it for the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely hearts Club Band  Album.

I always liked the song and thought it was neat that a guy wanted to be sure that his girl would still love him when  he was 64, 48 years from now.

Paul is 72 now and I turned 64 September 28th.  I still like and sing the song, but who would have though that staying out ‘til quarter to three was referring to PM, not AM?

At age 16 I couldn’t envision what I would be doing at 64.  I had not yet met my wife and I planned to join the Air Force out of High School and make it a career.

I would retire after 20 years in the Military and then begin my civilian career.

God had other plans.  I flunked the Air Force Physical and spent the next 47 years selling Millwork, selling Shoes, selling Insurance and working on Computers.  Finally in 1995 God got through to me and said go into the Ministry.

God had been pulling at me since I was a young boy but I kept insisting that I new what I wanted to do.

God had other plans and it took  30 years for me to get it.

If God is calling you, I hope it doesn't take 30 years for you to get it.

If it does, so be it , but be prepared to give him all that you have, just as he has given us all that we have.

I don’t know how long I will be in the ministry, I don’t know how long God wants me here.  I do know that  I am finally doing what God wants and I do know that now more than ever God needs the Gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed to a world in crisis.

I am rewriting the song to go

“When I’m 84”

Who’ld of thunk it?

Pastor Steve