May Pastor’s Pen

May Pastor's Pen

Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 ESV

In keeping with the current CDC regulations, it would appear that we will be continuing our Sunday worship online for the foreseeable future. Starting Sunday, April 26th, Pastor Joel will be bringing the message every Sunday. He is planning a series about the “one anothers” of the New Testament. You will find the dates and specific topics for this discussion below.

BTW… Don’t forget that if you do not own a smart phone or a computer and are unable to watch and interact with our worship online, each service/message is recorded on a DVD format.  If you want the services mailed to you, please call Carol in our church office and she will send them to your home. 717-264-6957

April 26 –    Love One Another

Luke 10:25-28; John 13:34-35

May 3 –     Submit to One Another

Ephesians 5:15 & 21; 22-28

May 10 —   Forgive One Another

Colossians 3:12-17

May 17 — Encourage One Another

I Thessalonians 5:11

May 24 –  Accept One Another

Romans 15:1-7

May 31 –  Carry One Another’s Burdens

Galatians 6:1-5 

 

The following was part of Pastor Joel’s 4/16 meditation that was posted on Facebook as an encouragement to the church and to the online community.

I waited patiently for the LORD;

He turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

He set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear

and put their trust in the LORD.

                                        Psalm 40:1-3

Psalm 40 begins with someone in trouble. They’ve somehow lost their footing and fallen into a sticky situation – what the psalmist describes as a place of “mud and mire.” Have you ever had the tires of your vehicle stuck in the mud? You put the transmission in DRIVE and tried going forward then you put it in REVERSE and tried backing up, but all you did was throw mud and “spin your wheels.”

That is the psalmist’s predicament. He is stuck. He’s “in it with both feet.” And it doesn’t take too much imagination or misuse of the Scripture to conclude that, if something doesn’t happen soon, he’s going down for the count.

Have you ever been “between a rock and a hard place?”  Have you ever been stuck?  Do you feel stuck right now? The psalm assures us that we have someone watching over us – a Rescuer. He sees the difficulties and perils we face.  He hears us when we cry out for help. And he will trudge through the mud and the mire, to save us and reestablish our footing on very solid ground.

So if you’re wondering today if you’re ever going to get out of the house; if you’re worried about what you’ll do if a virus sets your feet in cement; if you’ve made some bad choices that put you in some sticky situations, here is what can you do?

  1. Cry out to the LORD – Find a prayer closet and honestly pour your heart out to him. James the brother of Jesus said, “Humble yourself before the Lord and he will lift you up.” James 4:10
  1. Swallow your pride – Confess you’re in over your head and reach out your hand for his inevitable mercy. Paul, the great leader of the early church said,

“God demonstrates His own love for us in

this: that while we were still mired in sin,

Jesus Christ came to our rescue. Romans 5:8

  1. Praise him for what he has done, what he is doing, and what he has yet to do so that in these uncertain times other people will hear your song and put their trust in the LORD too.

Keep the faith, brothers and sisters.  And keep reaching out. It makes all the difference!

Pastor Joel

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