New Video and Devotional at 11:00 a.m.

Posted on May 17, 2020 by

Look back here for the pastor’s Sunday devotional. Thanks.

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Mother’s Day Thoughts and a Video

Posted on May 10, 2020 by
Happy Mother’s Day!

I have uploaded another video. Click here for a video about Mother’s Day. I hope as you watch it, you will remember:

  1. Your mother, whether she is a member of the Church Militant or the Church Triumphant.
  2. Those other women in your life who were like a mother to you, women like a beloved grandmother, aunt, foster-mother, teacher, Sunday school teacher, mentor, daughters, daughter’s in law, the mother’s of our grandchildren, etc.
  3. Those men among us should not forget to appreciate the mother of our children.
  4. Those women who wanted to be mothers, but have not enjoyed that privilege. Many of them have been like mothers to children in our churches and communities.
  5. Those mothers who have lost children, including Mary, the mother of Jesus, who had a sword pierce her own soul, too.
  6. Those children who have lost mothers, for there are many of us.
  7. Our mother the church which is being severely tested and tried through the forced separation that is due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
  8. While you are remembering and praying, do not forget a prayer for yourself.

My mother loved Psalm 121. I offer it up for your consideration:

Psa. 121   A Song of Ascents. 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come? 2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved, he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. 6 The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. [If you are interested in the use of videos continue to page 2]

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Meditation on John 10:1-30 with Video

Posted on May 3, 2020 by
A Message by the Pastor

The video version of this meditation can be found here.

In John 10 Jesus identifies himself with God. In verse 30 he says, “I and my Father are one.” Twice Jesus identifies himself as “The Shepherd,” or as “The Good Shepherd.” Fourteen times he calls his people “sheep.” He says, “My sheep hear my voice, I call them by name, and they follow me.”

I think it is safe to assume that Jesus wants to lead us to green pastures by still waters. He will lead us in good times, and in bad. When we are in the valley of the shadow, he is there, encouraging and leading us.

There are five senses: seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting, feeling. In John 10 only “hearing” is mentioned. If we want to receive maximum benefit from the Good Shepherd, we must learn to listen to his voice.

How do we do that? I would suggest three ways: (Please jump to page 2 below).

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Quick Study: John 10 and Psalm 23

Posted on May 3, 2020 by
“The Good Shepherd”
See details in the last paragraph of this post.

Don’t forget to join us for Zoom Worship at 5:00 p.m. Follow this link. After the Zoom Meeting I will post my video Meditation with a text. Have a wonderful Sabbath!

Read John 10:1-30 here.  The assigned lesson is John 10:1-10, but to me it makes no sense to break-up this passage. It coheres too closely. Here is an outline and summary:

I. In John 10 Jesus has one name for his people. Fourteen times he calls his people  “sheep.” 

  • His sheep have a highly developed sense of hearing.  They must, for it is the only one of the five senses mentioned in the passage.
  • Sheep hear the voice of the shepherd. The shepherd calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. The shepherd knows the name of the sheep!
  • When the shepherd has brought out all his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him and know his voice. No doubt, like the Shepherd of Psalm 23, He leads them to green pastures and still waters.
  • The sheep of Jesus will not follow a stranger, they flee strangers, because they do not know the voice of strangers. (Click on page 2 below to continue).
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A Note about Zoom Worship and a Video from the Pastor

Posted on April 26, 2020 by

Michael Westmoreland and our choir have worked hard to prepare a special worship service via Zoom meeting for 5:00 p.m. today. If you want to attend, contact our host Margaret Couch via email (our members should have her address) and she will send you the link. If you are not a member and have my email, contact me and I will send the link to you after I receive it from Margaret.

As a part of the meeting, I am doing a presentation of my thoughts on our gospel lesson, Luke 24:13-35 which tells us about two disciples Celopas and an unnamed companion who meet Jesus on the Road that runs seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus.

Following the meeting, I will be publishing a short video that includes my thoughts on the texts, but lacks the music, and the fellowship of the Zoom meeting. The video will be shorter than the last, under 500 words. The very late Bishop Herbert Spaugh told me before his death in 1978 that in preparing his newspaper column he always put all he wanted to say in the first sentence, and then hit it with 475 words thereafter. I am trying to learn that.

I hope to see you at 5:00 p.m. I hope and pray that this will be a real Sabbath for you, not enforced, but enjoyed.

“O, Lord, our Lord, how majestic is you name in all the earth. Your glory above the heavens is chanted in the mouth of babes and infants.”

And (Mary) gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 

Watch the Pastor’s Video Comments here.

The Pastor

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