FEBRUARY 2012 SERVICE SCHEDULE
February 5, 2012 (Communion Sunday)
Scripture: 1 John 2:28-3:3
Sermon: Excitement
Synopsis: We are children of God! We should be bored with that and make
sure that no one knows. That is not really an honor. I mean anyone can be adopted
these days no big deal. You may disagree with me, but this is how many people
treat the news. We should show some excitement for what God has done. We should
be impossible to silence. I suggest that we should also be excited about what
He is yet to do. Imagine what God could do through this little church if we
actually showed some excitement about being His children.
February 12, 2012
Scripture: Hebrews 1:1-14
Sermon: Superiority
Synopsis: As we have seen even throughout this past Advent, angels are
held in very high esteem in today’s society. Books upon books are being written
about them. Movies and television shows are produced with many different portrayals
of how they operate and look. Some even aspire to become one. There is One
who is far superior. Jesus the Son was not created, but all was created through
Him. That includes the angels. All glory and authority belongs to Christ.
February 19, 2012 (George Libby)
Scripture: Romans 3:9-18
Sermon: Reflections on a Tragedy
Synopsis: What was the real tragedy at Penn State? Is Penn State unique
as an institution gone wrong? Or, is the Penn State tragedy indicative of
a much larger, much more insidious problem with mankind? How did you react? What
do our reactions say about each of us? What can we learn about ourselves and
about God's grace through what is alleged to have occurred in Happy Valley?
February 22, 2012 (Communion)(Ash Wednesday)
Scripture: Isaiah 58:1-11 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Sermon: Humility
Synopsis: Entering into the Lenten season means reflecting on our sinfulness
and recognizing the need for the Savior. The worship we do, the prayers we
pray, and the works for Christ that come out of our faith all must be done
for the glory of Christ and with a right attitude. Both passages remind us
that we are to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord. Let’s make this a
call to preparation this Lent.
February 26, 2012
Scripture: Hebrews 2:1-4
Sermon: Pay Attention
Synopsis: All throughout Scripture, angels were to be listened to and obeyed.
They are messengers from God and had authority in their words. We have already
learned that the Son is greater than the angles, so it would be wise to pay
even closer attention to what He has to say. It is time to sit up, take note,
and pay attention.
MISSION NEWS FROM FAMILY GUIDANCE
(Building Strong Families and Giving Children Hope and a Future)
An eyewitness to change: A counselor’s view of Promise Camp
It was my first week as a Promise Camp counselor, and we had no sooner given the campers their cabin assignments when I realized I had better get on my toes quickly. We had a “situation;” his name was D’Andre. From the moment we walked toward our cabin, D’Andre attempted to incite an argument at every opportunity. On Monday, he told me that he hated camp, the staff was stupid, and if it wasn’t for the fact that his mom would kill him if he did, he’d ask to go home. The boy was my “trial by fire; for this first week of camp. During our Wednesday evening campfire program, the gospel is shared with the kids, and they are given the opportunity to accept Christ into their lives. I could sense that D’Andre was being impacted by something he was hearing. When the chance to accept Christ came, I heard him praying the prayer loud and clear and he raised his hand high when the kids were asked to.
D’Adre was not a changed boy overnight. He was still a handful, but he was a handful that ”got it.” When asked later on in the week what made him realize that the gospel was true, he told me that it was because it was about love. D’Andre had never experienced true loving discipline at home. He had experienced a kind of love during camp that he never knew existed. He was told that God loved us this way all the time and was much better at it than even his counselors were. When he was able to connect the surprising love he was experiencing at camp with what God does and did for us, he decided he wanted it. He wanted more of “whatever you guys have.”
A week later we had a sequel to the “situation.” His name was Micah a fourteen-year-old with a pride issue. He told me the first day of camp, “I just can’t just let it go when someone says something to me, I gotta get back. Nobody says something to me, and gets away with it.” He had a desperate fear of appearing weak, and he assumed that letting people talk about him without responding would weaken him. He thought that to be considered strong you had to have everyone afraid of you.
Micah is also a natural born leader and fiercely intelligent, and I wanted to impart some kind of wisdom to him, something to get him moving in the right direction. He needed to see that a leader can lead and be strong without pride that a good and godly leader is humble, quick to forgive and quick to apologize when in the wrong. I did everything I could to demonstrate this kind of leadership to Micah throughout the week. One day he had a particularly violent verbal encounter with another counselor. I decided the moment had come for a heart-to-heart, so Micah and I walked for over an hour around the outskirts of the camp. I talked, he listened, he talked, I listened. I explained to him the meaning of the things Jesus did for us and the kind of leader He was. He led his disciples for years, and He did it with love. I described to Micah the powerful leadership qualities I saw within him. I told him what I felt he was capable of, if he could only rein in his emotions.
On our walk back, Micah was quiet and thoughtful. As we approached the Activities Center, I could see the counselor he had been arguing with standing by the stairs. He approached us as we walked across the grass and apologized to Micah for his actions. He explained that he had not been showing the right kind of leadership. Micah readily accepted the apology, but still was quiet. On Friday morning, I noticed him off on his own for a moment, and I realized that he was apologizing to the counselor he had argued with. When he boarded the bus to go home, he gave me a firm, strong handshake and thanked me. I know that D’Andre and Micah will never forget their time at camp. It’s where they met God and discovered the truth about Him and who they are in His eyes.
Greg King, Senior Counselor, Promise Camp 2011
CHRISTMAS DINNER IMPACT
George Libby received the following note from a family that has participated in delivering our Christmas Day dinners to shut-ins for many years:
“Listen, the ministry you guys have led has helped us raise two children for nearly 20 years. Do you have any idea what impact the interface…having our children spend what for their peers is a totally self-indulgent day…serving others? We have delivered meals to some really scary places…to some really scary people…thank God! Thank you! Are you too close to what you are doing? Do you have any idea? Our children know the difference of how they spend Christmas Day…from how their peers spend the same day. We have worked SO HARD to build children with good hearts. Good souls. God’s people. There are a handful of things that have helped us raise two children that will be the wonderful adults all parents want. Your ministry is one BIG part of that effort.We have stories. Here’s one. A dying man held Aaron’s hand while telling Aaron about his childhood, tears streaming down his face. Aaron smiled and was comfortable with the entire situation (I wasn’t). Formative. Connection. A memory. One I wouldn’t give up for anything. I have many more. Who is being served?
I want to tell these people their pain isn’t in vain. Isn’t wasted. They have no way of knowing we carry these images/feelings away for the rest of our lives. FAMILY. Read that word one more time. You are CREATING/MAKING it. You have no idea the impact you have made. I promise. Just with our family. The things we experienced! Thank you.
CHRISTMAS DINNER THANK-YOUS
“Dear Pastor Scott,
Thank you so much for the Christmas dinners and the people who delivered. It
was a blessing. Joe and Mary Jo stayed a bit to bring joy and love. I felt
it. Please thank them and all who cooked the delicious food and an abundance
beyond words. It was the first time to ask for these meals and to share with
a lonely neighbor. Christmas is a time for family and friends, but for those
with neither, God provides.
I pray all who cared for someone like me at a sad time in one’s life, they
may be blessed by the Lord in the coming year in all they do. Thank you, too.
I enjoyed talking to you by phone. You cheered me up. Please keep me in prayer
as I will pray for you and your work.”
Alice Burkhart
A NOTE OF APPRECIATION
Dear Session and Church Family,
We want to express our deep thanks
for the gift card given to us for Christmas. It was a true blessing.
Thank you,
Pastor Scott and Kimberly
THE SILENT SERMON
A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks the preacher decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his preacher’s visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fire place...and waited. The preacher made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the preacher took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone, then he sat hack in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember’s flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead. Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. The preacher glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it. As the preacher reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, “Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I will be back in church next Sunday.” We live in a world today which tries to say too much with too little. Consequently, few listen. Sometimes the best sermons are the ones left unspoken.A THOUGHT FOR TODAY
A retentive memory may be a good thing, but the ability to forget is
the true token of greatness.
Elbert Hubbard
A NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION FOR 2012 “BE THANKFUL”
- Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire. If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
- Be thankful when you don’t know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn.
- Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow.
- Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improve-ment.
- Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build your strength and character.
- Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.
- Be thankful when you‘re tired and weary, because it means you’ve made a difference.
- It’s easy to be thankful for the good things. A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.
- Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive. Let us, therefore, find a way to be thankful for our troubles, and then our troubles can indeed become our blessings.