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This Sunday we celebrate Father's Day. It is an opportunity to honor those fathers who have stepped up to the plate and fulfilled their obligations as a Dad. We also thank those who have taken on the role of father when others have been absent. We recognize there is no perfect father other than He who sits on the throne, our Creator. Now more than ever men are being called to step up and be the Christian leader of their households and to raise their children with integrity, strength and Godly wisdom. Come this Sunday and see how we can all come together to guide and instruct the coming generations.
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The Bible reminds us to take off the old and put on the new in several places. To put on “Christ.” Exactly how do we do that? How do we choose our fashion for the day? The Spirit of God reminds us to develop the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In this world, many of those seem to be difficult to do and hard to wear, but the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to make a conscious effort to choose the right fashion statement to show Jesus to others.
Did you know that the Holy Spirit is given to believers to transform them, remind them, encourage them, and provide the zeal and confidence to live out the Christian walk in a weary wondering world? It is He that convicts the world of sin so that all may know of the power of the resurrection through Jesus Christ. The Spirit is not a force, it is not a way of thinking, and it is not self-ambition. The Spirit is a gift of God through Jesus Christ left with us and in us to bring our light into a dark world.
If you think back over your week, there probably was a time when you forgot something. Maybe it was you forgot to pick up something at the store. You forgot to say something to a friend or co-worker. Or even, you forgot a special day. Memorial Day is that day that reminds us to remember. Remember those who sacrificed their lives for our freedoms. We have a pattern of forgetfulness. Maybe its in how fast paced our lives have become but we not only forget the simple things we forget the all important spiritual things in our lives. This weekend, we will gather to remember and worship the God who remembers.
If you were asked to make a choice and you could either choose life or death, you probably would adamantly say, “I choose life.” Good choice! Now, what if having that life meant putting your all into a relationship where that person would protect you, provide for you, love you, and even die for you? Are you all in for life? God has arranged it all, everything so that you may have life and it is through His Son, Jesus Christ. Life comes through Him, by putting your all into a relationship with Him.
There are so many things in our lives and in the world that capture our attention. We can either focus on all that is wrong and all that I want or we can remain true and focus on what God has in store through His purpose and plan and for His glory and honor. That’s what we’re coming together to learn from God’s word about this weekend— where is your focus? Keeping our eyes on Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of the faith is necessary and we can only do that by being reminded that our focus is Christ.
We’ve been told over and again that we are never alone and that God is with us each and every day, through the thick and thin. And yet, there are days when we don’t feel Him near and wonder, “Does God even see me?” The Lord God, His name is El Roi, the God who sees me. Through the life of Hagar we understand that in our lowest moments, God sees our pain. He hears our cries. We can then rest in knowing God is never unaware of what we are going through. God doesn’t promise a quick fix to our problems, but He sees us and also sees the larger picture in His plan for you.
We are privileged. We know this side of the story of Jesus, but the Disciples of the day didn’t. I can hear them say: We thought He was going to deliver Israel from its captors. We thought He was going to usher in a new kingdom, a new government. We thought since He was a man of God that our lives would be free. And yet, it IS because He was our sacrifice we can know true freedom. It IS because He rose again, we can know new life. It IS because He came that we can know eternal life. We thought a lot of things about Christ— His coming, His ministry, His crucifixion and resurrection. Well, today you and I can know without a doubt that He lives and reigns forever and ever.
As fellow Christians we’re not supposed to wait to see what happens, we are to be what does happen. The tomb is empty, we’ve been told the good news that Jesus is alive and yet, we’re walking away. Until we come in direct contact with Jesus and have a conversation with Him do we truly recognize who He is through the Word of God and ultimately we have communion with Him. But it doesn’t end there. We are to be lit on fire with a passion so great that His story continues in and through our lives.
There are stories people tell over and over again that by the 100th time you kind of tune it out because you’ve heard it before. Maybe you could recite it from memory, verse-by-verse, action-by-action. The Good News, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus might be one of those stories. Well, you’ll want to perk those ears up, tune your hearts in this weekend as we once again proclaim that Jesus Christ is risen from the grave! New life has come! Our relationship between God and humanity has been restored. Now before you say I’ve heard it before, tune in to hear the Good News that anyone united with Christ gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life emerges! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other.
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