- Scripture Genesis 3:1, 6-7, 17-18
- Date Sunday, 27 January 2019
A year in the Heidelberg Catechism -- for expanding our brains.
Sunday, we are already 4 Sundays into this. We have considered the 'why' of the HC and a little history. We discussed what the HC has to offer us in our modern lives. Then, we jumped in. The Heidelberg is divided into "Lord's Day" pieces. The first Lord's Day introduces the entire theme of the HC. Lord's Day (LD) #2 begins the section on "Guilt" or "Misery" and this Sunday, we are on LD # 3
The discover & acknowledgement that we (as humans) need help is critical. But, wait, so do I as an individual. I need help!
The first step in recovery is to acknowledge one needs help. So, Delivery is not far away.
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- Scripture Genesis 9:1-11
- Date Sunday, 21 October 2018
I have started a series dealing with our Mission and Vision for Pleasant Valley. The entire congregation needs to be familiar with it and we all need to be thinking about it constantly.
To help this happen, I'm doing this little series.
We've dealt with "glorify God" and "His Kingdom" ... but before I move on, there is one more thing that must be considered about the Mission statement.
Here is the full statement - which is supposed to be the thing we are doing now.
"Pleasant Valley Church exists to glorify God and advance His Kingdom"
- Scripture Genesis 41
- Date Sunday, 16 September 2018
I am beginning a couple weeks of study on dreams. This Sunday is mostly introductory, spending time on scripture texts demonstrating how God works through dreams. But, I hope to get enough of an idea of dreams so that we might dream. The Church of Christ needs dreams & dreamers. How can we be what God calls us to be in the lost & broken world? How do we meet the need of this same world? Christ established the church -- His Church -- and humans have decided how to mold it and often fears letting go of it.
Let's dream again of what God's Church can be and should be in this earthly world - led by the God's Spirit. So, we dream ... what can we at PVC do? How do we be the church?
Bring your dreams. - Scripture Acts 20:36-38
- Date Sunday, 19 August 2018
Saying goodbye brings human emotion into play. We are created as humans to exist within community. We usually like having other people around. So, acknowledging a departure of persons brings on strong emotions.
Sometimes, the departure is sweet because an individual you can't stand is finally leaving! I hope that isn't the common case, but we certainly must acknowledge that it can be the case. So, the emotion of departure is gladness & joy.
Most of the time, departure is rough & even gut-wrenching because we cannot bear being seperated one from another. That is the strong emotion of grief or sadness or loneliness or emptiness. When people are in our lives, they can enhance our lives. Perhaps they make our life easier by being in it. Perhaps they add the element of joy into our life that, when they are gone, the joy is gone. Life w/o joy is lonely.
Saying "goodbye" then is tough.
But, did you know that scripture gives us a great formula for saying "goodbye"? That's right. Never believe scripture does not cover all sections of life. People who do not know God's Word will tell you it is another form of the al-Qur'an or Kitab-i-Aqdas or the I Ching or something else. This is not true. It is the voice of ignorance. God's Word covers life fully and mysteriously.
Anyway, back to the subject at hand. Saying goodbye in God's Word is done with a formula. What a great way to say 'goodbye'. Of course, I must acknowledge that we do not always have the opportunity to use this formula. Sometimes, time is against us. Sometimes, the departure is so sudden that it is completely without goodbyes.
But, when opportunity does avail itself -- this is a wonderful formula.
This Sunday, we will consider "goodbye's" and examine this formula.
Goodbye
