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Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 3:13-14 Have you ever climbed a fence? It’s been a while, but I remember climbing fences when I was a kid. The goal (even though I didn’t say this to myself at the time) was to get on the other side so I could keep going. Many of…

“The Voice” Luke 3 records the story of Jesus’ Baptism like this:‘When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he waspraying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”’ Later in Jesus’ ministry, as documented in Matthew 17 at his Transfiguration, we read:‘…there he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light… a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from…

Things in the Garden started so beautifully–the unspoiled beauty of creation; living face to face with the Creator. But what began in such primeval perfection was ruined by carnal rebellion. From that moment, all creation groaned under the weight of separation from God. What, or better Who, could mend this gaping rift?You and I know that Jesus was and is the only perfect remedy for such a circumstance. It is Jesus the Son of God whose death reached all the way to God; and it is Jesus the Son of Man whose death reached all the way to you and…

Pastor, are you a thermostat or a thermometer? Get the idea? No?Here is the question: do you set the “temperature” or try to read the “temperature?” In Luke 4, Jesus has just returned from the wilderness temptation. He entered a first-century Judaism that had grown stale. Though God broke the silence of the intertestamental period with his birth in Bethlehem, the melody of redemption had taken some thirty years to be heard. Jesus returned to Nazareth and at synagogue, was given the scroll to read. He read from Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has…

Yesterday Jill and I had the chance to visit a unique ministry site in Carrol, Ohio. A ministry led by Pastor Kevin Seymour called, Three Strands, meets at this location. The setting is kind of a biker hangout and fight club all together. Most of the interior is painted black, but a closer look reveals signs of the gospel everywhere. The walls have some murals that depict salvation and the battle of good versus evil. There are cold water therapy tanks that double as baptismals when a biker or fighter comes to Christ. The boxing ring has “Jesus Saves” on…

On January 7th, I wrote the following: “…Today we celebrate God’s revelation to us. The Gentile kings knew it, God the Father announced it, and Jesus gave his closest friends a glimpse of it. May the glory of Jesus shine on our minds and hearts today.” The next morning I awoke to the reminder that 68 years ago, missionary to Ecuador, Jim Elliot, was speared to death by the very people he came to win. Elliot and five other missionaries had a covenant to do no harm to those among whom they ministered. When the Auca warriors lifted their spears, the men…

We are quickly approaching the Day of Epiphany on January 6th, a day when the church has historically remembered the visit of the Magi to Bethlehem bringing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Many cultures have celebrations on the Day of Epiphany, or as it is often called, Three Kings Day.  One of the traditions is to share a Three Kings Cake, baked to resemble a crown, with various fruits and candies representing the jewels of a crown.  Often, baked inside the cake is a baby Jesus figurine.  The person who finds the figurine in their piece of cake is…

Is there anything that makes us more tense than the holiday season? Think of the tensions of this season; financial tension, relationship tension, job tension, family tension, calendar tension… it feels like one more thing and you’re just going to fly apart. In fact, there’s even a tension that exists between the understanding of Christmas and the understanding of Advent. One isn’t really a synonym for the other.  Everywhere around us it’s already Christmas, so why am I trying to talk to you about Advent? In our world, Christmas begins when the big box stores tell us, usually around October….

Sam Barber My perspective of the church has expanded in the past eighteen months as a superintendent. Our district is represented by a diverse demographic of folks from nearly every walk of life. SCO represents, I think, a snapshot of the Kingdom in all its differing beauty. I’m seriously considering a little emphasis called, “D.S. for a Day,” where I invite a different pastor to join me on a Sunday in a church very different from the one they pastor. My reasoning for this is that my view of God and God’s work has expanded greatly as I’ve witnessed the…

Back in the old days, you know, when I was the pastor of a church, I wanted to give my congregation a little lesson in Advent theology. I had our props person make me a five foot tall “1” and a matching “2.” I had them placed on the stage before church started and more than one person had questions. I ignored them. Our praise team even worked around the numbers during the singing portion of worship. When the message time arrived, you could see the anticipation on the faces of the crowd as they wondered, “Why is there a…