This weekend our nation celebrates Memorial Day as a time to remember and honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our freedom. If the intent were simply to honor the dead, then a one-time event would have sufficed. But our nation has chosen to honor every year those that died for a deeper reason. The circumstances that necessitated our nation entering into war at times in our history were so important that we were willing to place the lives of our citizens at risk of death for the defense of what our nation values. People in general are forgetful, so we have Memorial Day in order that current and future generations will remember the horrors of war and the great sacrifice that was paid for our freedom.
As we recognize Memorial Day this weekend at our services, we will look at Joshua 4 where the Israelites placed memorial stones, taken from the bottom of the Jordan river, to help future generations remember the amazing thing God did when He parted the waters of the Jordan and they walked across on dry ground. A challenge every society faces is the ability to pass on to the next generation the values of past generations. In Joshua 4 we will see principles of establishing memorial stones in our lives that give us the opportunity to talk with younger generations about the things that we value. For us Americans who are also Christians, it is important that we establish memorial stones that speak to the shared values we have. Values that are based first on our relationship with God and then how that relationship with God has shaped the values we have as a country. Join me this Sunday as we see the importance of having memorial stones.

Throughout our marriage, Sue and I have lived about a third of that time in fairly rural, farming areas. There are two things I came to understand about farmers: 1) once the seed has been planted they always want you to pray for rain and 2) they want you to pray for no rain when the crop is ready for harvest. When harvest time came there was excitement and pressure to get the crop harvested. And it was all hands on deck! Everyone associated with the farm was expected to play a role in the harvest from the farm hands to the wife and children, and yes, sometimes the local preacher. Harvest time is a window of opportunity when the crop is ready to be harvested that can’t be missed or great loss will result.
When Jesus was on earth he spent most of his ministry doing three things: teaching, proclaiming the gospel, and healing people.(Matthew 9) And people responded to his ministry by trusting Him as their savior. This was Jesus gathering the harvest of His kingdom and he called His disciples to pray for more laborers in the harvest. What’s interesting is the ones Jesus called to pray were the same ones he sent out as part of the harvest. Harvest time in the mission of Jesus is the opportunity to go into the world to gather those that God has called to himself. And it is all hands on deck! Everyone associated with the Kingdom of Christ is expected to play a role in the harvest because if the opportunity to harvest is missed, it will result in great loss. We live in a time when the harvest is plentiful and Christ calls us to pray for laborers to go into the harvest. Join me this Sunday as we continue our series on Mission by considering specifically the Mission of Jesus.

“I couldn’t see the forest for the trees!” 

“Right under your nose.” 

“Hidden in plain sight.”

These are all terms we use to describe a condition known as Inattentional Blindness, or perceptual blindness; a psychological lack of attention that is not associated with any vision defects or deficits.  I’m sure we can all relate to this condition because of being inflicted with it ourselves or living with someone that has this. 

Sunday is Resurrection Day when we celebrate the resurrection of Christ and all that is accomplished by it! Easter is the high point of the Christian calendar and should always be a meaningful day for us as followers of Christ. In our text this Sunday, Luke 24:13-35, we meet two disciples that are afflicted with the above mentioned condition. They were with Jesus, but were not able to recognize him. Jesus was hidden to them in plain sight. 

We may be able to reason and even understand this is a condition people deal with today because Jesus is not walking alongside us as he was for the disciples on the Emmaus Road that day. But it wasn’t the physical presence of Jesus that led them to see the resurrected Christ. It wasn’t the nail prints in His hands or the scars from being tortured. No, it was something totally unexpected. They didn’t see the resurrected Christ until they sat at a table with Him where Jesus broke bread with them. The breaking of the bread took them back to the day Jesus fed the 5000 and showed He could meet their deepest needs. Jesus reminded them that He came to have a relationship with them, and in that relationship He would meet their every need for time and eternity. So it is for people today. People come to see the resurrected Christ not because of some compelling argument or physical evidence. They see the resurrected Christ when they discover what it means to have a relationship with Him, and that relationship becomes the basis of meeting every need of the human heart for time and eternity. Join us this Sunday and see the resurrected Christ.

The Small Group Sue and I belong to has just completed a study based on Tim Keller’s book “The Reason for God.” It’s an excellent study for your small group if you want to know how to address some of the objections society has against Christianity. One of the sessions addressed the question “How can you say there is only one way to God? What about other world religions?” In the course of discussion our group leader, Art Paschal took us to John 14:6 where Jesus states “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” And that is my text for this Sunday. Jesus is Exclusively and Entirely the only way to come to the Father.
In response to the question, “how can Christianity say there is only one way to God?” it needs to be acknowledged that all religions are exclusive in the claims they make. All religions believe they are right and other religions are wrong. The question people need to decide is which one will I believe – where will I place my faith for my eternal soul?
Christianity is different from other world religions in that the way to God is not through the religion itself, or by obeying a set of rules, or by our own good works, or by some act of fate. Christianity says the way to God is Exclusively and Entirely through Jesus! That is the claim Jesus makes in John 14 and it is the foundation upon which the church is built. Some people think you just need to add a little Jesus to your already good life, but that is not the claim of Christianity. The true gospel is more than just a little Jesus, it’s Exclusively and Entirely Jesus!

You likely have heard or even used the phrase, “you are gifted” to describe a person that has a special ability that most people do not have. A person that can sing or play a musical instrument. It might be someone that can paint or draw artistically. We even say that of athletes that excel above others in their position. But when it comes to recognizing a special ability in ourselves, most of us, including me, don’t like to think of ourselves as “gifted” with being able to do anything special.  However, when it comes to our spiritual life, it is vitally important to recognize that you are gifted. Our spiritual giftedness is different from a natural talent or skill; it comes from God and is for his glory. Thus the term “spiritual gift” because it is just that; a gift from God that is given through the Holy Spirit. Since God has given you a spiritual gift the question of the day is: have you opened that gift?  Sunday we will look into Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, chapter 4, where he gives a description of the source of spiritual gifts, how they are given to Christ’s followers and what their purpose is in the kingdom of God. 

My message on Sunday is the first part of a journey I invite you to take. Throughout this year we will offer at various times a 7 week class on Spiritual Gifts that will help you understand what Scripture teaches about Spiritual Gifts and how you can open and use your gifts in the ministry of our church. The second week of February we are offering the class at 3 different times throughout the week. Click the button below for more information about times of the classes and register for one if a time works for you. If you don’t take the class this time it will be offered several times throughout the year. If you are in a small group your leader may decide to do it as one of your group studies. I would like to see most, if not all adults in our church take this class in 2024. 

If you are a follower of Christ, you are a gifted person! Open that gift and see what God has given you and how you can use it for His glory.

You may hear this question a lot over the next few days: “Are you ready for Christmas?” Being ready for Christmas may include making travel arrangements, decorating the house, preparing special food but what people most often mean by that question is, do you have your shopping done? Have you bought all the gifts you need to buy? We are people  that understand the societal norms surrounding the giving and receiving of gifts as though there is an unwritten book of how we are supposed to do this.

When it comes to understanding the Advent of Christ, our gift giving customs are very helpful in understanding the Gift of Christ. We may have a range of motivations for gifts we give depending on the nature of the relationship we have with the person we are giving the gift to. The closer the relationship the higher the value and the more personal the gift is. The fact that God gave to us such a personal gift in the Advent of His Son Jesus reveals the value God places on our lives. This Sunday we focus on the Love of God in The Promise of a Savior. Join us as we explore God’s amazing gift to us in the Advent of Christ.

When I was a young man living in Canada, where hockey is king, there was a man that started playing for the Edmonton Oilers named Wayne Gretzky, # 99. The Oilers were not my team but it was hard not to watch and follow his career. Wayne Gretzky played the game of Hockey like no other person before or since, setting many records in the NHL. He has a nickname in part because it phonetically works with his last name, but mostly because it describes the kind of player he was. He is known as “The Great Gretzky!” Great in his name refers to the fact that he is a hockey player who played in a way that was beyond the normal of his peers. 

In Luke 2 we read about the Angels announcing the birth of Jesus with this famous statement: “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”  The third Sunday of Advent focuses our attention on Joy, but Advent joy is no ordinary joy. This is Great Joy! Joy that is beyond the normal description of joy. In 1 Peter 1 this joy is described as “inexpressible and glorious joy!” In 1 Peter 1 we are going to see what is the foundation and reason for a joy of this kind. 

The devil wants us to settle for things that bring a shadow of joy and happiness through pleasure in the things of this world. But as with all things from this temporal world, that joy is temporary and even shallow. The joy we receive in the Advent of Jesus is Great Joy! Are you looking for Joy? Great Joy can be yours in Christ Jesus. Join me this Sunday as we discover the Great Joy of Advent.

For the next few weeks we will be back in the Gospel of John. This Sunday we will be in John 10 where Jesus makes 2 of his “I Am” statements: I am the gate and I am the good shepherd. These “I Am” statements remind us of the name God gave himself in Exodus 3 – I am that I am. In the “I Am” statements, Jesus is making a clear statement that he is that same God that spoke to Moses, but is now in human flesh. 

Shepherds, with their sheep, were a common sight in the ancient near east and were used all throughout scripture to illustrate spiritual truth. Most notably Psalm 23 is a prophetic description of what The Messiah would be like. In Jesus’ claim to be the messiah he identifies himself as not only a shepherd of the sheep, but as The Good Shepherd. The word “good” is the operative word that adds clarity to the kind of shepherd Jesus would be. Good means more than just good at his job, or better in comparison to others. The word good in this statement means the perfect one! The one who is worthy and will fulfill the role of that shepherd perfectly. 

The interesting thing about sheep is that they are rather dumb animals and incapable of their own care and protection. In this story, guess who the sheep are? That’s right, it’s us! Shepherds are tasked with the care and protection of the sheep, and Jesus, as our good shepherd will do that perfectly for us. When we admit our need for God’s care and protection, Jesus comes as our good shepherd. Join me this Sunday as we look at Jesus teaching on the Good Shepherd

Since the fall of man as recorded in Genesis 3 there has been a striving among people for greatness in this world. In the book of Genesis we see this happening in the first offspring, Cain and Abel. Cain wanted to be better than his brother so much that when his sacrifice was rejected and Abel’s was accepted, Cain became enraged and killed his brother. The Tower of Babel is an example of mankind reaching for greatness to rival God. That pursuit for greatness is seen in the rivalry between Esau and Jacob, as well as Joseph and his 10 older brothers. In this Sunday’s text, Matthew 20:20-28 we see the quest for greatness in the eyes of the world is still very much part of the human experience. The disciples are inquiring from Jesus who will be the greatest in His new Kingdom – the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus’ response had to shock the disciples – it may shock you. The way to greatness in the Kingdom of Jesus comes through serving others. Join us this Sunday as we look at the Healthy Habit of serving others as a way to love what God loves.

Serving Opportunities

Click Here for a response form to serve at our church

Cape Fear Network Strategic Partnerships

First Fruits in Wilmington

Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity

NC Mission Opportunities

SEND Relief

Additional Resources:

Book Chapter – Self-Right­eous Ser­vice Ver­sus True Service

Book Exerpt – Ser­vice: A Prac­ti­cal Guide

Book Exerpt – The Grace of Giving

This Sunday we are starting a Church Wide Campaign – Healthy Habits for Spiritual Growth. The elders of the church have established a discipleship pathway, through which, we desire to lead our congregation to a closer relationship with God as well as strengthen the ministry of our church. Healthy Habits is one phase of the discipleship pathway. Over the next 6 weeks what I preach on Sunday will be reinforced through a Bible Study during the week. All of our Small Groups will be doing these studies, but if you are not in a small group you can do them individually with the materials provided in our weekly newsletter / digital program. We are asking our congregation to make a commitment to participate in the Healthy Habits Campaign in the following ways: 1) to attend or watch on YouTube each of the Sunday services 2) to do the Bible Study through the week, either in a group or on your own and 3) regardless of where you are in your spiritual journey, ask God to reveal areas of your life He desires to change during our Healthy Habits Campaign. You can share your commitment digitally or by paper copy and placing them in the plastic receptacle on the stage at the services this Sunday.

This Week’s Resources

• Book – The Life You’ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg
• Book – The SPIRIT of the Disciplines – by Dallas Willard
• Book – Celebration of Discipline – by Richard Foster
• Article – Duty or Delight
• Book – The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
• Reading & Prayer App – Lectio 365