The gift comes from God, the calling from the church. When the gift is received and treated as just that, a gift, something not of our own making, but something that has been given to us for our nurture, cultivation and stewardship and when the church recognizes it and calls upon us to exercise that gift and when we accept that call and exercise it in a way that brings the Glory back to God, then The Body of Christ experiences the very best that God has for Her. This principle is borne out in scripture and is seen in its highest in the gift of Christ Himself; given to the world, the church recognizes this gift given to the sinner and calls the sinner to exercise it. When the sinner accepts the gift and exercises it by allowing Christ to do His living through him, Glory is given back to God from whom it came. In the highest, anything less is eternal damnation for the sinner. For the body, anything less can bring much trouble. Non- gifts that the church accepts because of political or other impure reasons can stunt the growth of the body. God given gifts that the church fails to recognize starve and deprive the body. Gifts recognized and called, but exercised for self-glorification poison the body. So as we start the New Year when weight loss clubs and gym memberships hit their annual peak, let us in Christ’s Body renew our commitment to the exercise of our God given gifts and call upon the sinner to receive theirs!

Eyes and Ears Dear Brothers & Sisters

Written by Larry Gould

Church Treasurer

A New Song – Psalm 40:3, He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. And Psalm 98:1, Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.

New Heavens and new earth – Isaiah 65:17 “See I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. Isaiah 66:22, As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,” declares the Lord, “so will your name and descendants endure.  Revelation 21:1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth, o” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 

New Covenant Jeremiah 31:31, “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.  Luke 22:20, In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you 1 Corinthians11:25, In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  2 Corinthians 3:6, He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Hebrews 8:8, But God found fault with the people and said “The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. 

New Mercies Every Morning- Lamentations 3:23, They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

New Spirit – Ezekiel 11:19, I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.

A New Heart and New Spirit- Ezekiel 18:31, Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel?

New Commandment- John 13:34, A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

New Life – Acts 5:20 ^“Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.” Romans 6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

New Creation – 2 Corinthians 5:17, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!

New Attitude – Ephesians 4:23, to be made new in the attitude of your minds

New Self – Ephesians 4:24, ^and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Colossians 3:10, and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Well, we made it through another Christmas!  Though our wallets are thinner for it, it was worth it all to see little faces light up and voices squeal with delight as colorful wrapping paper litters the living room floor.  Bright lights and green wreaths will find their places once again in a dark attic to await Christmas season 2015.  Hundreds of calories, stubbornly sticking to stomachs and posterior, will have to be worked off at neighborhood gyms or in some extra laps around the block.  As a church, we welcomed some new members and several new attendees, and rejoiced with others in their initial commitment to Christ and the church.  We anticipate many more coming to faith in Christ in the coming year.  Our nation unfortunately cow-towed to an arrogant dictator in North Korea, and retreated in several other areas of international affairs.  A couple days before writing this pastor’s pen, two cops were murdered while sitting in their patrol cars in Brooklyn, N.Y.  Two widows mourn, left without partner, love, and support.  Children mourn the loss of a loving father. Those who chanted, “What do we want?  Dead cops.  When do we want them?  Now! “got their morbid desire, and are at least in part to blame for the tragedy.  Doubtless, they will not be satisfied with the granting of their bloodthirsty desire, and will cry out for yet more shedding of the blood of those who have come to protect them.  May God open all of our eyes this new year to the value of all human lives and of souls that will never cease to exist.

 Rev. Dr. Richard L. Shaw, Pastor

Luke (Gospel of Luke 1:26f)  tells of the visit of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, informing her of glad news that she was to birth the promised Savior into the world he would come redeem.  His first words to Mary were, “Greetings, you who are highly favored!  The Lord is with you.”  He says it again, “…Mary, you have found favor with God.”  This was, of course, a particular favor of being the one chosen, out of all the women of Israel, to be the mother of the world’s Savior.  What a privilege!  But in a sense, this is a microcosm of God’s plan for all of us.  We are all highly favored.  God favors us, loves us, died for us, rose from the dead for us, calls us, pleads with us, warns us, paints word pictures      (parables ), and in every possible way, short of violating our free will free, reaches out to us in favor and love to draw us to Himself.  His love is boundless, relentless, and unstoppable.  Christmas is at once a merry, joyous, festive time, and a very serious time.  Nothing could be more worthy of joyful celebration than the eternal God coming in human flesh to our neighborhood to take our sins upon Himself, dying and rising from the dead, so we could live forever with Him.  And nothing could be more serious than our responsibility to answer His call by trusting Him as our Lord and Savior, and surrendering our lives to Him.  Nothing has more unending consequences than our decision to accept or reject His offer of love and forgiveness.  If you haven’t done so, make this your best Christmas ever by saying “Yes” to His incredible offer of love and life.

REV. DR. RICHARD L. SHAW, PASTOR

Here we are again, on the threshold of another Christmas.  This season evokes many memories, good and bright for some, dark and sad for others.  It is a time for exchanging gifts, commemorating the magi who brought gifts to the child Jesus. “Shepherds” will dig out their bathrobe for the church’s annual Christmas play; moms will go over their food lists to make sure they have enough sweet potatoes and apple pie.  Gift lists will get a last minute surveillance to insure that Uncle Winford and Aunt Matilda were not forgotten.  Families will gather for joyful, sometimes hazardous reunions, and radios will be alive with old familiar Christmas carols and new Santa’s Sleigh Ran Over Grandma type songs.  All this is good.  But let’s be sure to remember the real reason for the season to make alive in our memories that God invaded this desperate world for us all of us.  We came under the control of the usurper Satan, and God incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth came to deliver us.  He came as the Wonderful Counselor, because we all face problems in search of solution.  He came to show us the way and to be the Way.  We are troubled nations make war against nations, and psychiatrists’ offices are filled, because we need the reconciliation brought by the Prince of Peace. And we need the power, stability, and endurance of the Mighty God, and the strong, loving reassurance of the everlasting Father. So this Christmas don’t cheat yourself and others by being so” wrapped up” in family and personal celebrations that you miss the true meaning intended to be remembered at Christmas.

 Rev. Dr. Richard L. Shaw, Pastor

This is in response to The Pastor’s Pen Personal Interchange on November 9, 2014 regarding the use of smart phones. I spoke with a Sister in Christ regarding the Pastor’s letter. She said it may be too harsh for the congregation. I love my smart phone and I use it every day. However, Pastor’s letter really spoke to my heart. I must agree with Pastor Shaw, that the smart phone has really taken away intimate face-to-face, voice-to-voice contact. I do not agree that Pastor’s message was too harsh. The first scripture that came to my mind is 2 Timothy 4:3-4(NIV) 3 for the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. This is why it’s so important to read the Bible, God’s word, every day. John 8:32-33(NIV) Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. So let us not feel judged when we hear the truth. Let’s be willing to learn and grow. The Bible is not a book of condemnation, it is a book to teach us how to love, believe, and have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. It also teaches us to love one another, bless one another, and have hope. Hebrews 10:23-27 (NIV) 23 let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Your’s in Christ

Janet Emley

Church Secretary

Losing loved ones is painful. The psychic pain can at times be quite severe and unwelcome. This is especially so of loved ones we lose in death, but it is also true of loved ones we lose by many miles between us. The ever present temptation is denial. “We’ll be back together again”, etc. Maybe. Maybe not. But denial does not help in any separation. We do better to face the realistic facts from the start. We may never see each other again in this life. Present pain over a separation is a constant reminder of how good our togetherness was while it lasted. It endears is to each other even in separation. It keeps us aware of the finiteness and limitations of our earthly existence. And it keeps alive the one realistic and sure hope our confidence of seeing our loved one(s) again when we are all together with them in our new heavenly home, where “goodby” and “so long ” and “later” have been dropped from our vocabulary.

Rev. Dr. Richard L. Shaw Pastor

A rather new – or at least amplified – temptation common to the technological age in which we live is to allow our “smart” phones and computers to replace face to face, person-to-person, body-to-body, communication.  It’s so easy to text someone, or email them, and even send them pictures via the cell phone, that more intimate communication is falling behind. This is a serious deprivation of interpersonal friendship, and an aberration of the purpose of our Creator in fashioning us for personal interchange.  God made the human body – and the bodies of Christians are temples of God, his dwelling place among humanity, the place where God lives in our neighborhood. We cannot reflect God over the phone. We cannot love others, reach out and touch them, hug them, or, when helpful, hold them. God gave us a body for a reason. We should be neither so “Puritanical,” on the one hand – or so overly zealous of the human body, on the other hand – as to deny or distort the true bodilessness of God’s human creation. We should, as Christians, recognize, celebrate, and strengthen all that God has created the human body for. At the same time, we recognize the limitations of some in this area, and don’t insensitivity break through protective barriers. Recognizing differences, in education, temperament, up-bringing, good, and bad experiences, helps us as a body of Christ to be open and loving while being sensitive and understanding. Let’s not let the wonderful conveniences of modern technology, nor the inhibitions of a distorted background, minimize the purpose of godly and loving personal interaction and communion.

REV. DR. RICHARD L. SHAW, PASTOR

Distractions occur constantly in this journey we call life! They may be from our own thoughts and concerns or from outside stimuli. One area where they can be extremely bothersome is in a church service. We have instant replay in sports, pause, and rewind on our television remote, but if we are unfocused at a moment God directs His word toward us, we may have lost an insight, a glimpse of an eternal truth! A glimpse that, at that very moment, may have created a spiritual connection with eternity. We should all come to service with the anticipation of being spiritually nourished, yet we allow so much to interfere! Was that song too fast or too slow for our personal taste? Look who’s sitting up front why they have a lot of nerve. Is the (fill in your own pet peeve)? Maybe our minds are still at home, “Did I leave the coffee pot on?” “Did the kids lock the door?” “I need to get out early today – I have company coming over!” or “I hope the message isn’t too long – the game starts at 1:00 “Ever have one of those thoughts? The apostle Paul, in Romans 12:1 encourages us “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, (and sisters) in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act of worship”. We are told over and over in Scripture to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Jesus even calls this the greatest commandment. (Matthew 22:37-38) His word when spoken forth will accomplish it’s purpose and not return empty (Isaiah 55:10-11), yet if we are not receiving it properly – it’s purpose may be fulfilled through someone other than ourselves. Don’t be the one spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 13, who receives the word spoken but doesn’t let it take root, or who allows the worries of life to choke it. Prepare your hearts to receive it and have it produce a crop. That word, as it grows in your heart, will allow God to use you to nourish others and be drawn closer to Him!

Rev. Larry Sassmann