27 June 2010
Independence Day
07/03/10 08:19 PM Filed in: From the Pastor
Even though Independence Day wasn’t celebrated in America until after the War of 1812, it remains the single most important holiday in American history. On July 4th, 1776, the United States claimed their Independence from England. Foreign laws and powers would govern America no longer! The country's first great leaders established their own democracy, a government by the people for the people. The concept of social equality and individual rights was in place. Once this happened, it didn’t take long for the rest of the world to take notice and soon stories of the ‘American Dream’ were spread across foreign lands.
The document that gave immigrants these rights after gaining access to the Unites States was the Declaration of Independence. This government declaration was established to insure and secure rights of individuals to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It also gave American citizens the right to alter or abolish their government and replace it, were it to become destructive, with one that insures their safety and happiness. What this document was to the rights of the American people, so was the Constitution to the legal framework of the United States. Established on September 17th, 1787, the Constitution, established justice, insured domestic tranquility, provided for the common defense, promoted general welfare, and secured the Blessings of Liberty to everyone and their posterity. These two documents together were the foundation of our nation.
It’s important to learn the history of your country. We must not forget the hardships those who came before us experienced in order to gain the freedoms we sometimes take for granted. So this weekend and tomorrow you should raise a flag, have a picnic, gather with friends and family, and when you hear the sound of fireworks as they light up the July night sky… remember your freedoms today are because of the men and women who were willing to give their lives in order for you to be free, great men and women of conviction that risked a great deal in the formative years of our nation, and a God that gives guidance and has watched over the United States all these many years.
The document that gave immigrants these rights after gaining access to the Unites States was the Declaration of Independence. This government declaration was established to insure and secure rights of individuals to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It also gave American citizens the right to alter or abolish their government and replace it, were it to become destructive, with one that insures their safety and happiness. What this document was to the rights of the American people, so was the Constitution to the legal framework of the United States. Established on September 17th, 1787, the Constitution, established justice, insured domestic tranquility, provided for the common defense, promoted general welfare, and secured the Blessings of Liberty to everyone and their posterity. These two documents together were the foundation of our nation.
It’s important to learn the history of your country. We must not forget the hardships those who came before us experienced in order to gain the freedoms we sometimes take for granted. So this weekend and tomorrow you should raise a flag, have a picnic, gather with friends and family, and when you hear the sound of fireworks as they light up the July night sky… remember your freedoms today are because of the men and women who were willing to give their lives in order for you to be free, great men and women of conviction that risked a great deal in the formative years of our nation, and a God that gives guidance and has watched over the United States all these many years.
Life is Short
06/27/10 04:28 PM Filed in: From the Pastor
It helps now and then to step back and take a long view. God's eternal Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work. Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us. No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the Church's mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water the seeds already planted knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities. We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing this.
This enables us to do something and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, and an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders. We are ministers, not messiahs. We are building a future that will only be completely seen in eternity.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work. Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us. No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the Church's mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water the seeds already planted knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities. We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing this.
This enables us to do something and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, and an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders. We are ministers, not messiahs. We are building a future that will only be completely seen in eternity.