A new church was formed and, as often happened, it was persecuted.  The beliefs of Christians were different from the Pagan world.  Many felt the Christian beliefs angered the gods of Rome, which caused the downfall of the Roman Empire.

Paul, after forming the church and moving on with his missionary journey, wrote to the church to remind them of hope in Christ – and to remind the individual church that they are not alone – that in fact the entire church is with them.

In 1 Thessalonians 2:17-20 Paul writes:  As for us, brothers and sisters, when, for a short time, we were made orphans by being separated from you – in person, not in heart – we longed with great eagerness to see you face to face. For we wanted to come to you – certainly I, Paul, wanted to again and again – but Satan blocked our way. For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? Yes, you are our glory and joy!

We are in one of those situations when the church is separated physically, but not spiritually.  We may not gather together in person, but we continue to gather, we continue to reach out, we continue to proclaim our hope in Christ.

We can learn from Paul’s journeys.  He was shipwrecked, arrested multiple times, beaten and driven out of cities.  Yet he always kept his hope in Christ.  His faith was challenged and probably shaken at times, but it remained in Jesus.  He may not have been able to gather together with the various churches he started – but he remained in contact with them through his letters.  And we gain by those very letters, for they were inspired by the Holy Spirit and given to us.

Our “stay at home” orders may have been extended for a little while longer, and opening the building is still “down the road”, but the church continues.  We remain separated only in person but not in heart.  And we must stand firm in our joy – Jesus and each other.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

Normally on Mother’s Day I include a litany for us all to say, giving God thanks for all the mothers and the mother like figures in our lives.  But we cannot join together to say that litany this year.

Normally on Mother’s Day I do a Children’s Sermon talking about women I know who were mother like figures, but not mothers themselves, and how all women of faith are mothers to us.  But we cannot join with the children this year.

And I recently lost my mother to Covid-19.  This dread disease has disrupted lives and made simple things, like celebrating our mothers difficult.

But here is something I’ve learned.  Moms are tough.

Guys, admit it, they might just be tougher than us.

My wife went through a very difficult pregnancy.  We walked hand in hand every day with the fear of losing our unborn child – but she had the harder part.  She experienced morning sickness the entire pregnancy.  She could only eat certain foods.  And I could go on but that is not the point.  I’m trying to say that our mothers experience so much – in bringing forth life and raising that life.  Moms are pretty incredible.  And tough.

And so are the women out there who have never had children but treat all kids like their own.  The mother-like figures who brought us up in the faith, the mother-like figures who watched over us when we were playing, the mother-like figures in our schools and so on.

So today, on Mother’s Day, I offer up a prayer of thanksgiving to God for:

Mom who brought me life, taught me so much and dedicated me to the church

Aunt Marie, who taught me how to serve the church

Manisha who is such an incredible mother to Kiran (and so many others)

And all the other mothers and mother-like figures.

Let us pray:

Thank you, God, for our mothers and the women in our lives who have guided us.  For those who have departed, help us to remember all the good.  For those still with us, bless and guide them.  Help us to live in ways that honor them and You.  In Christ, Amen.

Mark 10:46-52

⁴⁶They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. ⁴⁷When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁹Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” ⁵⁰So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. ⁵¹Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” ⁵²Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

Philadelphia sports fans can be a contentious lot.  We have the reputation for being passionate, knowledgeable and, in some cases, loud and obnoxious.  We boo poor performance.  But one thing Philadelphia sports fans do not boo is heart.  If a player makes a mistake but is giving his all, he gets a pass – we say he has “heart”.  Look at the Philadelphia Flyers.  Their last championship was 1975 but fans love them – because they play with heart.

Heart is important.  Having heart is about bravery in the face of turmoil, giving your all, doing your best and the like.  It is not about being the best or having all the talents.  It is more a state of mind than of physicality.

In our gospel text Bartimaeus is told to “take heart, get up, he is calling you.”  Yet Bartimaeus already has heart.  Even when told to be quiet, he continues to shout, “Son of David, have mercy on me.”  Bartimaeus may be blind, he may be a poor beggar, but he does not lack heart.  And what does that heart get him?  The attention of Jesus and the healing of his blindness.

Take heart today.  Yes, things are still a mess.  Yes, we are not sure when we will gather together again, but we still do our best.  We still gather to worship and pray in the ways we can.  We still support each other; we still care for each other.  We still have heart.

And heart will lead us to mercy and healing.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

1 Peter 5:6-11

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

This is part of today’s lectionary passage and I decided to use it in the morning prayer service.  It struck me deeply, especially where Peter says that, after we have suffered a little while, Christ will restore us.

That, my friends, is good news.  That is what we need to remember.  This situation will end, and God will restore us.  Maybe things will never be the same, maybe things need to change in a different way, but we will be restored.  By God. 

Please keep that in mind as we begin this new week of social distancing.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.  Isaiah 43:1 

It’s not about being a Democrat or a Republican

It’s not about an evil socialist plot to take over the world

It’s not about an evil capitalist plot to take over the world

It’s not the fulfillment of misinterpreted prophecy

It is a virus

A very deadly virus

And it matters

On Friday April 17^th, 49 people in Pennsylvania died of Covid-19.

On Friday April 17^th, 8 people in Montgomery County died of Covid-19.

One of them was my mother.

Yes, she was elderly.  She just turned 88 on Monday the 13^th

Yes, she was in a nursing home.

Yes, she had dementia.

But she mattered.  To us, and to God.

Every one of those 8 deaths in Montgomery County mattered to God.

Every one of those 49 deaths in Pennsylvania mattered to God.

Every person who has died of Covid-19 matters to God.

Every person on this planet matters to God and therefore every person on this planet should matter to us – the followers of the Risen Christ.

Please stop the political arguing.  Please stop unsafe protesting.  Please stop jumping on each other online because you disagree.

Use the wisdom God has given you.  Be safe.  Disagree but do so in a civil and godly manner.

Remember you matter to God.  And so does the other person.  Even if they disagree with you.

May God quickly end this virus,

Pastor Bill

Luke 19:41-44

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

In my Aunt Marie’s living room hung a picture of Jesus weeping over Jerusalem.  I often wondered why Aunt Marie hung this picture, but lately, I’ve been thinking about it in a different way.

Is Jesus weeping over Morgantown, or Honey Brook or (insert YOUR town here)?  Do we hear Jesus reminding us of our doom when we turn from God?

Or are we just waiting for things to “get back to normal?”

While I am not one to fall prey to “prophecy mania”, I do wonder about Jesus’ thoughts on us today.  Will we make the changes we need to live simpler lives?  Will we just wait for the restrictions to be lifted and go back to our insane lives?  Will we try to be better?  Great questions that cannot be answered…yet.

But we can look to Jesus, we can envision Him crying over our towns and warning us to repent.

If only we would…

Peace,

Pastor Bill

Grief.  It is not just about the feelings we have over losing someone to death.  It’s about all the losses we experience through life.

Many of us are experiencing grief right now.  Grief due to being at home instead of school, or work, or even worship.  I felt an incredibly powerful wave of grief when I was at the church building last Thursday.  I was getting some more things to work on at home, and while carrying the box to my car it hit me.

I’m also grieving the loss of a vacation we had planned.  Last week we were supposed to be in South Carolina, but instead were still here.  Just like you.

And it’s easy to say “look at Italy, look at India, look at…” but that doesn’t help.  We still need to deal with our own grief.

So yes, it is okay to say you are feeling the impact of this crisis.  While some places have it worse, we still need to deal with our loss.

But we cannot stay there.  To overcome this crisis, we need to remember we are people of the resurrection, people of a God who takes the bad things and turns them into something far better.  Afterall, Psalm 30:5b says weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

Brothers and sisters, we may be grieving a lot of losses right now.  And that is okay.  But remember, we will rejoice again.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

One of my “newer” favorite songs is “In Christ Alone”.  On one hand, I love the Celtic rhythm, it stirs my Scot-Irish blood.  On the other hand, there is a line that I’ve always sung louder and more powerfully.

No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.

In this day and age I’m sure you can agree that there is great assurance in the line “no power of hell nor scheme of man can ever pluck me from his hand…”  After all, we live in a time that is difficult.  Is this corona virus from Satan?  Is it a scheme of man?  Is it both?  We don’t know, but any way if we are in Christ, we need not fear.

But lately I’ve been thinking about the next part, “till He returns or calls me home here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.”

The Power of Christ.

During this crisis I’ve been thinking a lot about the Power of Christ. John 14:12-14 says, ^“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

We are facing a global crisis.  We are followers of Jesus Christ.  And Jesus says we can do even greater things than He did.  Jesus healed.  Jesus drove out evil spirits.  Jesus raised the dead.  Brothers and sisters, if we can do far more, than through our prayer, we can bring about the healing of this world.  Join me in prayer.  Lord Jesus, in your name and power we can achieve far more than we can imagine.  In your name and power, we rebuke this Corona virus.  Bring healing.  Bring hope.  And help us to believe.  Amen.

Pastor Bill

Just a quick post.  I’m trying different ways to bring us together during this crisis.  I just posted a prayer for today on YouTube.  Check it out here

I also created a chat site  let me know your thoughts.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

Psalm 46:10

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”

On this surreal Monday of a surreal week we have only one recourse.  To be still and know that God is God.  We need to turn to God for our comfort and strength.

God knows it has been a trying time for many peoples and nations over the past few months and now we in the USA are experiencing the same thing.

We must not panic.  We must not scoff or ignore the warnings.  We must not hoard.  We must not blame ideologies.

What we must do is this; be still and know that God is God.

Keeping you all in prayer,

Pastor Bill

To view yesterday’s worship service and

special sermon, click:  Sunday 3-15-2020 Worship Service