And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. Luke 1:46-50

As you went to bed with flooding rains, and woke up to a steady drizzle, wet roads, flooded fields and a miserable sky this morning, did you think about what God has done for you?

We are one week away from the celebration of the birth of the Savior, and I am sure there is a lot of work to do.

But in the midst of your hustle and bustle this week preparing for the celebration, take a moment, reflect on all the blessings of your lives and allow your soul to glorify God.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

Restore us again, God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us.
Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations?
Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us your salvation.

Psalm 85:4-7

Do you need a fresh start this morning?  Do you need to repair a relationship?  Do you need to make a change? 

There is good news for you.  We do not have to wait for a special day, or a special ritual, rather we can just turn to God and start over. 

God’s unfailing love is there for you.  No matter what. 

Maybe you just need a little boost this morning, or you have serious situation that needs to be changed.  It does not matter; God is waiting for you.

May you find hope and peace in this upcoming week.

Pastor Bill

Yet you, Lord, are our Father.
    We are the clay, you are the potter;
    we are all the work of your hand.  Isaiah 64:8

The season of Advent is upon us.  Advent is a time of patient waiting, a time to remember the hope, peace, joy and love God brings us.  It is also a time to remember who God is, what God has done for us, and who God calls us to be.

Isaiah’s words are a great reminder that God is the potter, molding and shaping us, and when we allow this to happen, God will do wonderful things with us.

We just have to allow God to be the potter.

As you begin your Advent journey, be pliable, be willing to allow God to transform you.  Start by taking some quiet time each day with God, time to give up the busy-ness of the season and just be in God’s presence.

May you find hope, peace, love and joy this Advent season,

Pastor Bill

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving  and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100

Thanksgiving has come and gone, Advent is before us and the world is in Christmas mode.

Yet we need to remember to be thankful for all our blessings every day.  While this time of year is filled with wonderful things, we cannot get so wrapped up in the secular celebrations that we forget who made us and to whom we belong. 

During this busy season, pause and reflect on your blessing.  If you do not routinely go to worship, do so.  Go for a walk away from the lights and decorations.  Spend some extra time with God and experience the joy.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 107:1

As we enter into the beginning of the holiday season, we pause to give thanks.  Thanksgiving is more than a special meal, it’s more than a parade, it’s more than a football game.  It is a day we set aside for a specific purpose; to give all thanks and praise to God for all we have.

Actually, every day is thanksgiving – every day is an opportunity to pause and give thanks because we are blessed beyond belief for God is good and his love endures forever.

So, as you sit around the table on Thursday, give thanks.  And do so Friday (and Saturday, and Sunday…) for God is good and God has blessed you.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14

Sunday evening, I had the privilege of discussing faith issues with some younger people.  They were going through a program and the final step was a pastoral interview.  My style is to converse rather than barrage them with questions.

The beautiful part of this was their honesty – hearing their stories reminded myself that we need to listen to our youth more often.

Sometimes we are so set in our ways that a fresh perspective is rejected.  However Jesus reminds us to not hinder the children’s faith growth.

As you travel through your week, seek the input of someone younger (and it doesn’t have to be a child), ask about different ways to do things, find someone younger and get their thoughts without judgement.  Remember what the scriptures also say “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them (Isaiah 11:6).”

Give ear to my words, O LORD; give heed to my sighing. Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you I pray. O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch. Psalm 5:1-3

The Psalmist sums up how many feel on Monday morning (as well as other mornings!).  Often just getting everyone up, fed and out the door can be a struggle, especially this time of year.  There are so many things going on in our work places and schools, the holiday season is upon us and sometimes it seems like we are all on a runaway train – unable to control the speed of things, unable to change directions, only waiting for the crash.

If this is you this morning, you are not alone.  Prayers are ascending for you as I write this.  Find a moment to get away from the rush, from the hustle and bustle; find a moment to reflect on the blessings of your life and remember this.  The Psalmist, while in these situations, never remains there, for he remembers who is on his side. 

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, so that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover them with favor as with a shield. Psalm 5:11-12

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