From the Pastor's Heart

  Romans 5:4-5 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces  perseverance;  and perseverance,  character; and character, hope.  5  Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Tomorrow we will celebrate the resurrection of our Lord.   How glorious Easter is – Alleluia, HE IS RISEN!!   We are people who have hope because death was defeated.   The resurrection of our Lord is the most important element of our faith. I know that all of us experience tragedy and loss.   I have hopefully been able to provide some comfort to some of you who have experienced grief and loss over the years I have served you as pastor.   It is no secret that our family has suffered another terrible tragedy.   You have been with me through the death of my great granddaughter, the death of my grandson thr...

Do an image search for Galatians 2:20. You will find all sorts of peaceful, flowery, and pleasant pictures with the words of this verse.  Even the one I chose to include is rather happy looking.  There is nothing pretty or pleasant about crucifixion and death. This month we will begin our journey through Lent.   The interesting thing about the church (liturgical) calendar is that it looks like mountain peaks.   There is descent and ascent.   We like the idea of ascent.   We like the idea of happy places.   We also like to minimize and “sugar-coat” the reality of the times of descent.   Nevertheless, we must descend into those times of examination.   Lent is such a time.   February 17 th is Ash Wednesday.   What our observance of Ash Wednesday will look like is still to be determined.   However, it will not look like the last two.   There will not be a row of robed clergy.   Our sanctuary will not be filled with o...

  Happy New Year!! Woo-hoo!   It is a new year!   Wait?   You say no, it’s a month away?   You say, Pastor Joyce we haven’t Christmas yet.   Hmm, call the board together, something is wrong with our pastor.   Let me say it again, Happy New Year! Let me ask you a question, how do you know when the New Year is?   Your answer is probably because the calendar says so.   But there are other new year celebrations.   Probably the one we are most familiar with is Chinese New Year.   There is a Muslim New Year.   The Jewish New Year is celebrated Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.   Countries like Thailand, Iran, and the Russian Orthodox church all have unique timing for celebrations. Time is a slave.   We are slaves to our calendars.   We are slaves to the tyranny of the clock.   You know the sayings: Time and tide waits for no man.   Time is money.   Don’t waste your time.   Time is the most valuable...

I went back this morning. I went back to Salem. I am missing worship. Not the quiet pensive variety but deep holy worship. As I went back, I heard a strong voice leading in prayer. It started like this: Most Gracious Heavenly Father. The voice grew. The responses followed with a rhythm like the falling of dominos in a row. I knew this sound well. There were whispers of thank you Jesus. Or praise you God. Or oh yes God. As the leader’s voice swelled so did the response. Soon it was a cacophony of harmony. Hands were raised. Tears flowed. Heaven came down and was orchestrating the sound of worship. Needs expressed out loud at the same time. Adoration exclaimed. Quietness settled but there was no amen. A word of exhortation or adoration proclaimed. It came from the back or the side of auditorium. The anointed voice was heard. Hearts and heads bowed as they we absorbed the Holy Spirit’s work. Responses came. Some knelt. Some grieved over sins. Some expressed j...

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;   Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;   Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; (Ephesians 5:18-20) I’ve been following a devotional this year that has really been powerful.  If you are interested in a good online option, I highly recommend the Daily Text from Seedbed.  The last few days we have been wandering in the wilderness with the people of God.  There have been many times that I realize that stories that I thought I knew, maybe I didn’t know as well as I thought I did.  It’s good to flush out those finer points because we do think we know.  And the word of God is alive.  The Holy Spirit wants to make things alive to us. One of these entries admonished us to sing.  There is something about singing.  And I’m rath...

And He Walks With Me As I was praying and pondering what to write for my weekly devotional, I started thinking about the hymn , In The Garden.   We didn’t get to sing it on Sunday!  Nor did we get to sing He Lives, Up From the Grave, Christ Arose, and others.  I am sure that you have a hymn that you particularly love and makes your celebration of the Resurrection complete.  I also know that In The Garden is at the top of the list for many. This hymn was written by C. Austin Miles.  When I was a kid and trying to learn to play the melodica, I used to sit for hours with the hymnal practicing the hymns.  I always liked to look at who composed the music and who wrote the lyrics.  I noticed that a lot of hymns were written by C. Austin Miles.  Mr. Miles is responsible for nearly 300 hymns that appear in hymnals.  Some of the ones we are familiar with are Love, Mercy, and Grace , and Dwelling in Beulah Land .  However, it is In The Gar...