Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, you his servants; praise the name of the Lord. Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised. Psalm 113:1-3

It was a stunningly beautiful October Saturday with unusual temperatures in the mid-80s.  We decided to take a family day in Cape May, NJ, one of our favorite places for a day trip.

As the day began to wind down, we went to the “Point” near the light house to watch the sunset.  This is a popular thing to do in Cape May, as the area is filled with onlookers.  Some bring chairs, most take pictures, all are here for one thing.  This day was no different and we found a spot among the crowd.

Looking out towards the ocean, you see the sun drop just below the horizon.  On this day, it was a magnificent orange – red, and the clouds in the sky took on the same hue.  It was spectacular and when the sun set, the crowd cheered.  They clapped.

Things are busy right now.  We are entering a season that has increased pressures among the fun of the various holidays.  School work gets harder as the first term ends, extracurricular activities are in their full swing, job pressures build and, honestly, most people I speak with are a bit frazzled.

Now more than ever you need to take time to witness something as simple (and extraordinary) as a sunset.  Now more than ever you need to take time to look around and find something God has done that you can cheer about.  Now more than ever we all need to take a step back and witness the glory of the Lord all around us.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30

Sometimes we make it so hard.  We create all kinds of rules or things people must do to be “saved” or to be a part of the community of faith. 

For some, its about holiness (or perceived holiness), for others it is about intense theological viewpoints.  Some churches have intricate rituals, others have simplicity, but hidden tribal rules. 

Yet here is Jesus.  He says “come to me.”  No magic words, no special processes, no hidden agenda, just turn back to God, seek God, love God and love one another. 

As you journey through this week, remember the savior calls you to take his yoke, one of love and forgiveness.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

¹If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ²And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

⁴Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant ⁵or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ⁶it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. ⁷It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. ⁹For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; ¹⁰but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. ¹¹When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. ¹²For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. ¹³And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

It is read at a multitude of weddings (even secular weddings).  It is read often.  It is truth for all of us.  And it is hard.  Sometimes we mess up, sometimes we say things we should not say, sometimes we think things we should not think.  Our thoughts, words and actions can hurt others, as well as ourselves, and we need to be conscious of ourselves. 

Fortunately, even when we mess up, even when we make mistakes, there is love.  God’s love is always there.

As you journey through this week, love one another and love yourselves, for the greatest of these is love.

Pastor Bill

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?” Matthew 8:23-27

It happened so fast I barely had time to respond.  During a storm, my daughter looked out the window and pointed saying “are they birds?”  Actually, they were leaves being sucked up into a tornado that hit our town and dissipated about three houses from ours.  There was no time to run down in the basement, all there was time to do was grab my daughter, turn my back to the sliding glass door and pray.

All kinds of storms arise in our lives and no amount of preparation will take away their impact on us.  We face health issues, family and relationship troubles, work problems and more.  Yet we can rely on God to carry us through.  God may not rebuke your specific storm today, but God will be there. 

As you journey through this week know that God goes with you and will carry you through any storm you may face.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

²⁵“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? ²⁸And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. ³⁰But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you — you of little faith? ³¹Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ ³²For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

³⁴“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”Matthew 6:25-34

Yesterday we held a blessing of the animals service.  It was nice to talk about the incredible gift animals are to us.  Whether it’s the beast of burden helping cultivate the land, the dairy animals providing milk or the dog sitting at your feet, animals are a very special part of creation.

As wonderful a blessing that animals are, look at the scriptures; “Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”  You are more valuable than the birds of the air.  You.  Think about that concept, the God of the Universe, the Creator of Everything values you.

As you travel through this new week know that God has blessed you with all of creation and values you.

Peace,

Pastor Bill