Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
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First Lutheran Church kicked off the season of Lent with Ash Wednesday service on February 19 at 6 p.m. This year Ash Wednesday was approached much differently than in years past to assure the safety and well-being of the attendees. As members walked into the sanctuary, they were greeted at the door by helpers offering prefilled communion cups and materials needed to receive ashes. In lieu of the traditional practice of having the pastor draw a cross on the forehead of each person, Pastor Amy...
If I were to ask you, “how would you explain the central message of Christianity?” how would you respond? The gospel, put simply – Jesus living the perfect life and dying for our sins, so that we can have eternal life with God – isn’t something we learn once and then move on from. (I know, too often I’ve thought this.) Frequently, people seem to gloss over the part that we, as humans are sinful. Our culture says people are generally good but sometimes do bad things, which is inconsistent with what God says. This type of thinking is dangerous,...
Without even saying, “be not afraid,” the familiar and beloved Ecclesiastes 3 addresses fear head on. I think this is the reason Ecclesiastes is so beloved. Because it’s true. It’s true that half of life is suffering, and half is joy. It’s true that sometimes we need one decision, and sometimes we need a very different one. And sometimes we don’t know what to decide. Read here Ecclesiastes 3 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up...
Fear can be a positive protective measure, and fear can morph into something destructive. When fear overwhelms us (2020 anyone?), we often tend to isolate ourselves, curving more and more inward. Scripture tells us the last thing we should do is to isolate ourselves. In Scripture’s many “be not afraid”, God sends someone to the fearful one. When we’re afraid, God sends someone to us because we need to talk about it. When we say our fears out loud, and really be honest, we can diffuse their heaviness and power on our lives. Matthew's account...
How have you experienced fear? What paralyzes you? What keeps you up at night? Psychology would tell us that fear is a natural defense mechanism, and can keep us from danger. We all have experiences where our fear kept us safe, avoided a dangerous situation, prevented harm. But that’s not the fear I’m exploring. I’m wondering about the fear that makes us feel helpless, the fear that colors our actions, that impairs our ability to move and grow, inhibits our ability to challenge the status quo. Fear that chips away our trust in anyone, or anyth...
There are 365 times in scripture that we read the words, “Be not afraid.” I’ve never gone through and counted them, so don’t quote me on it, but a simple concordance search confirms: there’s about that many. The remarkable part is to whom “Be not afraid” is spoken. It’s told to Abraham (Gen 15:1) as he is called to be the father of the nation. It is told to Hagar, the poor, servant girl, single mother, treated terribly by those in power (Gen 21:17). It’s said to warriors before they go into battle (Joshua 10:25). Sometimes God says it throu...
Quite a few years ago, about 20-25 years ago when living in Colorado, the lottery jackpot there reached an unheard of level. I don't recall the exact amount but I think it was getting close to $10 million dollars. A huge amount for a lottery back in those days. One day a colleague and I made a pact. We would each buy a lottery ticket and if either of us won, we would have to buy the other lunch at the McDonalds about two blocks from the office building where we worked. Part of the irony was that neither of us ate at McDonalds. There was a...
If at first you don't succeed, skydiving might not be a good sport for you. If at first you don't succeed, you are probably headed toward a career as a cable TV news reporter. Silly jokes to be sure, but they do bring up an important point. A new beginning can sometimes mark the beginning of the end, or for some, it will hopefully help establish a strong base from which to build and grow. Picture a rookie pitcher, just called up from the minor leagues and his first game as a major league pitcher is against the world series champion team and in...
A Happy and Blessed New Year to you. I've got a question for you. How many of you made a new year resolution this year? I have another question. How many of those resolutions are still being kept? My guess is not very many but hopefully I'm wrong. Unfortunately, many of these resolutions that do fail to work are worthwhile and following through with them would certainly be beneficial to you and those around you. Some very good resolutions that you may have made might have been to quit smoking, start exercising, start eating healthy, cut down...
Greetings dear friends in Christ. Here we are, another year has come and gone. I truly hope the year 2020 was a good one for you and your families. No, I'm not joking about that. Yes, I know what this past year was like for many of you, but I still hope this year was a good one for yo. If you stop and think about it, there just may have been some very good times for you. There were so many among us that were affected by the COVID-19 virus. It's effect was felt through the community from our homes and our schools to our churches and our...
I hope that everyone had an enjoyable holiday, but I must admit that it did not seem like a normal Christmas. Yes, we sent out cards and decorated the tree, but there was something strange about the atmosphere. The signs of the virus are everywhere, and I cannot help but think about how many families have been impacted by it. Some of you may have missed seeing your loved ones because it was not safe for them to travel. My wife and I know how you feel. Others of you might have canceled your...
Then Job answered the LORD and said: I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be hindered. I have dealt with great things that I do not understand; things too wonderful for me, which I cannot know. I had heard of you by word of mouth, but now my eye has seen you. Therefore I disown what I have said, and repent in dust and ashes. Job 42:1-6 (NAB) In this passage from the Book of Job we see the words of a very humbled man. He has been afflicted with great loss and much suffering and wants to see God and have Him tell...
When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and...
Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise,...
"But when you have eaten and are satisfied, you must bless the LORD, your God, for the good land he has given you. Be careful not to forget the LORD, your God, by failing to keep his commandments and ordinances and statutes which I enjoin on you today: lest, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built fine houses and lived in them, and your herds and flocks have increased, your silver and gold has increased, and all your property has increased, you then become haughty of heart and forget the LORD, your God, who brought you out of the...
My recent days have been filled with planning for Advent, the church season that begins on November 29 and continues for four Sundays. Advent is a time of preparation and waiting for the Christ child to be born at Christmas. Our Advent theme this year is “It’s True!”, based on the song of the same name by Christian artist Sara Groves. This song captivated my heart several years ago when it came out. As I listened to it again and again, my heart swelled and ached at the truth contained in the lyrics. On Christmas Eve of that year, I had the oppo...
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His steadfast love endures forever. Psalm 118:1 I have been sitting here in front of my computer for over an hour, and the only thing I have typed is the Bible verse above. I keep typing a sentence or two and then deleting it. About 30 minutes ago, it felt like I was on a roll, having written a couple of paragraphs... and then I deleted that too. With Thanksgiving approaching, my desire is to write a beautiful and inspirational sermonette about being...
“I don’t have any.” “None.” “I think I understand, so no questions.” These were some of the answers I got on “Sermon Note Forms” recently turned in by our 7-8 grade Confirmation students. The prompt was as follows: One question I have is:_______________________________________________ Sermon Notes are a required part of Confirmation in most Lutheran churches. Students are expected to give a short report on the pastor’s sermon. The idea is that it promotes active listening, and it challenges the hearts and minds of young people to wonder— w...
Do you have a favorite Bible verse? John 3:16 is always a top pick, as is Psalm 23. Other top picks include Micah 6:8, Isaiah 41:10, Hebrews 11:1 and Philippians 4:7. Each verse, in fact all of Scripture, is chock full of promise and grace. I discovered my favorite Bible verse around 20 years ago, and it has captured and challenged my heart and imagination since then. Here it is: From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace - John 1:16 When I think back to my discovery of this verse, I am pretty sure that at the time, I was feeling...
First Congregational Church I am moved by what poet and songwriter Sara Graves shares in her song “The Dream” about her grandfather’s recurring image of God: You are standing in the driveway As I come up the street I can tell by your movement you’re not angry You are waiting there Because we humans worry. We see the chaos of the world around us. We worry that we’ve done something, that we’ve caused God’s wrath on us. That we don’t deserve the radical love that God offers. Human reason says that “everything happens for a reason” and that...
When God taps us on the shoulder and introduces Himself, we are faced with a decision to either listen, or excuse ourselves and walk away. Some individuals when convicted with this holy invitation will accept His love and are filled with joy as they proceed into an exciting life-changing journey of faith and hope. Others are confident in their abilities and intelligence to steer their own vessel and perceive the concept of allowing Jesus to come in and take over, as not exactly what they had in...
God (probably) doesn’t want to bail you out by Joe Greiner Evangelical Free Church In Jeremiah chapter 15, we come across some of the most painful language Jeremiah ever uses to describe his situation. Why has my pain been perpetual And my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will you indeed be to me a deceptive stream With water that is unreliable? Jeremiah 15:18 Jeremiah is in anguish because his calling to be God’s prophet has led to an extreme isolation. Everyone hates him. In the nation, he is entirely alone and despised by all. He has...
The First Congregational Church in New Rockfod has stood in the same spot for more than 100 years. In fact, it has graced the corner of Central Avenue and 5th street since long before those streets were ever paved or even had names. In the past weeks, Dean Wallace Construction completed the daunting task of reshingling the roof and steeple of the historic structure. Erected in 1884, the church building and its congregation have bragging rights for being the town's oldest church. In the early d...
To be perfectly transparent, I have no idea how many people read these, or if there are regular readers of sermonettes. As I write them, I imagine there are some who read them each week. If that’s you, you may have noticed a theme with my last couple of sermonettes. Sin. I talked about how sin starts small, how sin loves the dark, and how sin inevitably hurts those around us. These messages have been reflections of the valuable lessons I’ve learned recently, however, I suspect today’s might be the most important: sin is not the enemy. Some...
Sin is a concept I don’t enjoy. I know, that’s not very surprising— a pastor who doesn’t enjoy sin. However, my struggle with the concept isn’t what you might assume it is. Obviously, I struggle with it because part of me enjoys sin, and part of me hates it; but that struggle is simple and easy to understand. No, what frequently bothers me about sin is how confused we often are about what actually is sin. The word is thrown around frequently, both in and out of church circles, but I don’t think we usually use it properly. See, “sin” isn’t...
