Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 43:13 Before the beginning there was nothing ... except God. When we say nothing, we mean NOTHING! This is difficult for us space and time travelers to comprehend. When we consider this “before the beginning” situation, we probably think of God just “floating” around in space somehow. But this is an incorrect picture. There was no “space” as we know it. How do we know? The word says that God “created the heavens.” This is the “space” where He put everything. The heavenly bodies came later on day four. So, before the beginning, we have God in eternity - the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. And at some point they make a decision - to create a creature with whom they can share their life and love (Ephesians 1:4-5). In order to do that, they had to make a place for this creature to live. So, the heavens and the earth are created. This scenario prompts a truckload of questions in us, but we wish to consider two thoughts about God Himself - His wisdom (intelligence) and His power. We have all designed and made things in our day. As kids, we drew pictures, made ornaments for the Christmas tree, or folded paper airplanes. Later on, we planted vegetable gardens, decorated cakes, built a bookshelf, did craft work, etc. But in none of these things did we imagine something entirely new. We copied and replicated things or parts of things in existence already. Not so with God. He imagined and designed things which had never existed before! From the vast and enormous to the minute and intricate, He designed. We can only stand in awe of a Mind which could imagine and design an entire eco-system with 1000's of perfectly interacting kinds of living things. And then, He had the power to bring them all into existence from nothing - just by speaking! “Then God said, ‘Let...’” And whatever God envisioned and called into existence came to be just as He planned it - all dancing in perfect rhythm. Consider God and His wondrous works.

Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12 Isaiah prophesies of “My servant” who is to come. We understand this figure to be the Messiah, and the prophecy finds its fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth who was made Lord and Christ. This is not a “happy” passage of scripture, but it provides for hope and joy in our relationship with God. More than any other it gives insight into the life and death of God’s Servant and the effect which He would have upon people, even upon kings. He still has the same effect today. Over half of the passage deals with the Servant’s making “a guilt offering” for sin (v 10). We know this to be Jesus’ sacrifice on His cross for the sins of the world. When we contemplate Jesus’ cross, especially around the Lord’s Table, we usually focus upon the painful suffering Jesus endured by way of crucifixion. It was an agonizing death to be sure. And our Isaiah passage speaks of physical torment: “pierced...crushed...chastening...scourging.” We do not want to minimize the physical pain of the crucifixion, but it is a mistake to believe that the physical suffering of Jesus is what brought us redemption. After all, countless Christians later died on crosses for their faith at the hands of the Romans. In three places (vv 6, 11, 12), Isaiah writes of the Lord’s laying upon His Servant the iniquity and sin “of us all.” This seems to be more than an academic transference in God’s mind, and Peter (1:2:24) writes that Jesus “bore our sins in His body on the cross.” We cannot begin to imagine the agony of bearing the iniquity of the entire world at one time and being under the wrath of God for such. And the prophet tells us that it brought about another kind of suffering. Isaiah tells of “the anguish of His soul” (v 11) and that “He poured out Himself [Lit His soul] to death, and was numbered with the transgressors” (v 12). An innocent Son of Man suffering the physical agony of crucifixion, bearing the iniquity of the human race under the hand of God, providing the justification of many - this is the cross of God’s Servant, Christ Jesus our Lord. ><>Jeff

John 5:39-40 A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they started to have a good conversation. They talked about a great many and varied subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: “I don’t believe that God exists.” “Why do you say that?” asked the customer. “Well, you just have to go out on the street to realize that God doesn’t exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, would there be so much abuse, suffering and pain? I can’t imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things.” The customer thought for a moment, but didn’t respond because he did not want to get into an argument. The barber finished, and the customer left the barbershop. When the man had stepped outside, he saw a man walking in the street who had long, stringy, matted hair and a scraggly beard. He was dirty and unkempt. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again, and he said to the barber: “You know what? Barbers do not exist.” “How can you say that?” responded the surprised barber. “I am right here, and I’m a barber. And I just worked on you!” “No!” the customer exclaimed. “Barbers do not exist because if they did, there would be no people with long, stringy hair and untrimmed, scraggly beards like that man outside in the street.” “Ah, but barbers DO exist! What happens is that people do not come to me for my services.” “Exactly!” affirmed the customer. “That’s the point! God, too, DOES exist. What happens is that people don’t go to Him for instruction about life and loving one another. That’s one huge reason there is so much pain and suffering in the world.” – Adapted Jesus said it first. (Surprise, surprise!) Read our scripture. ><> Jeff

Exodus 12:1-2 If you are reading this, then God has brought us into another year, as we count years these days. We know that the Almighty oversees the ebb and flow of life on planet Earth, but sometimes in the hustle and bustle of living we tend to forget that truth. When the Lord was about to free Israel from captivity in Egypt, He changed their calendar. Following the ninth plague and as He was about to give instructions to Moses and Aaron about the Passover meal and the tenth plague, He told them: “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you.” Freed from captivity after 430 years, Israel would be traveling through the wilderness, enter into a covenant with the Lord, receive His law, conquer Canaan, and dwell in the land promised to their forefather Abraham. Truly, it was a new beginning. As we stand on the brink of a new year, let us reflect on where we have been and where we are now. The previous two years have brought us difficulties and set-backs to which we’ve had to adjust. We experienced several deaths in our congregation, in our families and among our friends. Some of our members moved away including an elder. The COVID-19 seriously disrupted things. Many of us had to endure the virus with symptoms of varying degree. As a result of the pandemic, we discontinued ministries and classes. A few of our members have stayed away. And the virus is still hanging around. As you know, we are in the process of regrouping and refocusing on the will of God, His purposes for us, and how best for us here to accomplish those purposes. Our Sunday morning Bible classes and the eldership are our first concerns. Other ministries and works and what they will “look like” are quite undecided. As we as a congregation begin a new year - 2022, let us consider that we also are experiencing a new beginning. Pray that God will show us the way, and that we will have the courage and zeal to follow Him. ><> Jeff

Ephesians 1:3-6 Paul writes to the saints at Ephesus that God has “blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Most Christians can rattle off a whole string of material blessings from God, but can name only of few of these spiritual blessings which are available only in Christ Jesus. These blessings are priceless and have eternal significance. How many spiritual blessings can you name without looking at the list below? Here are just some of the spiritual blessings found in Christ: $ Eternal life $ Redemption from one’s debt to God $ Forgiveness of sins $ Continual cleansing of Christ’s blood $ Reconciliation to God $ Adopted sons of God $ An eternal inheritance with Christ Jesus $ Privileged to wear the name of Christ - Christian $ Gift of the Holy Spirit $ The fruit of the Spirit in and through us $ Prayers are heard and answered $ In the kingdom of God’s beloved Son $ Intercession by Christ and the Holy Spirit in our prayers $ Power to put to death the deeds of the flesh $ Spiritual wisdom and understanding to know God’s will $ Peace of Christ $ Members of the body of Christ $ Fellowship with the Father and the Son $ The discipline of the Father $ Jesus shepherds us How many more can you think of? We are truly blessed in our Lord and Savior Jesus! ><> Jeff

John 11:1-15 In order to soften the blow of the meaning of certain words, we have learned to use euphemisms. For example, a man does not commit adultery, but he “has an affair.” A woman does not lie, but she “stretches the truth” or “fibs a little bit.” A person doesn’t sin, but they “make mistakes.” In using such phrases, we try to make things seem not so bad. This isn’t always a good thing. One euphemism which we all seem to use is when a person dies we say that they passed away. Years ago, I used this phrase, but I have stopped using it (sometimes it still slips out) because I think it is misleading and uncharacteristic of the reality of the situation, and suggests an end of the line condition. Here’s my point: What does it mean to pass away? You might say: We all know it means to die. Maybe, but what does it suggest? Away where? Beyond the sky? Away to Never-Never Land? Into some mystical somewhere? Into nothingness? Away into non-existence? To me this phrase must have been coined by atheists or pure materialists because it indicates there is nothing more. There are two phrases which I have begun using (euphemisms if you will) which conform with reality. One is “passed on.” The individual who has died has passed on into the next life. The other is “crossed over.” The person who is deceased has crossed over into another dimension. These work a lot better for me. The scriptures, especially the New Testament, repeatedly use the word sleep (asleep, sleeping, etc.) to refer to those who have died. We have studied in one of our classes about whether this is to be taken literally or would be simply a euphemism for death. Even Jesus spoke of Lazarus being asleep. It’s worth your while to get out your concordance and read and ponder these passages. Words have meaning. Softening the intensity of the meaning of some words in certain situations may be desirable, but we still need to be careful to use words which conform to reality. ><> Jeff

Ecclesiastes 7:14 (Continued from last week) Some of the “pieces” of our lives are bright, lovely and filled with joy. Some “pieces” are dark, ugly and full of anguish. But according to our God, they are all necessary to shape us into the people that He wants us to be and that we need to be. Peter is quite clear - our faith will be tested like gold being refined in the fire (1 Peter 1:6-7). Will our faith be found to be genuine? Are we steadfast in our love for the Lord? Do we persevere through our trials? Someone has said that life is very much about how you handle plan B. Someone else has said if you want the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain. Life certainly isn’t all trouble and heartache. Thank the Lord! We have blessings abundant, especially the spiritual blessings which no man can take from us. But we can fail to see them, appreciate them, and cherish them. We should not be like the type of person whom I’ve encountered more than once. When I’ve remarked about the beautiful, sunny day we were enjoying, their response was: “Yeah, but it’s supposed to rain tomorrow.” Go figure. Your life (mine, too) is being put together one “piece” at a time. As you grow older, you can begin to get a clearer picture of what God has been doing with you. However, I don’t believe we’ll have the entire picture until God shows it to us in the next life. What a glorious day that will be! But while you’re still here, enjoy the blessings of God. Look for the good. Persevere through the adversities. Walk with the Lord. Rejoice in His goodness. Hold to His promises. And trust that one day you will see the beautiful picture of your life which you and He are putting together “piece by piece.” ><> Jeff

Ecclesiastes 7:14 During the pandemic last year, Shirley and I took to doing jigsaw puzzles. Perhaps you did as well. It was a very popular activity while staying inside, as we found out, for more than once we tried to order another puzzle or two and found them to be out of stock. We find doing jigsaw puzzles to be relaxing, one way to keep our minds sharp, and something to do together. As I have pondered over many of these puzzles, the thought would always come to me that life is like a jigsaw puzzle. There are many different pieces showing small parts of the whole picture. There are pieces with very different colors. There are pieces with very different shapes. As the pieces are fitted together, the final picture begins to become clear. At any stage of assembling the puzzle, however, the image presented can seem rather ugly, even bizarre. Not until the puzzle’s completion does the detail and full beauty of the figure as intended by the artist or photographer become evident. Every life, yours and mine, is a series of “pieces” being fitted together. Every day is a piece. Every event is a piece. Every decision is a piece. Every person who comes into our lives is a piece of our personal puzzle. Every blessing from God is a piece. Every adversity is a piece. Every book read. Every sermon heard. Every prayer offered. Every good deed. Every kind word. Every failure. All of these and more are coming together to create a picture of your life, and, more importantly, to shape you into the person that you are. As God (the Designer) works with everyone of us, we often wonder what He is doing. We look for the good, the joy, the blessings. We expect people to do what’s right and to tell the truth. (By the way, those are arguments for the existence of God.) But, as you know, it doesn’t always happen that way. The Preacher wrote: “In the day of prosperity, be happy, but in the day of adversity consider - God has made the one as well as the other so that man will not discover anything that will be after him.” (Continued next time.)

Faith is one of the most important parts of being a Christian. Despite this, it seems like our society has lost track of what Christian faith really is. Merriam Webster defines faith as: "something that is believed especially with strong conviction." That's a perfectly acceptable definition to put on an exam, but to us as Christians it's so much bigger than that. Faith is, first and foremost, our belief that God is not only real, but also that He is the creator of all things and that He sent his son to die for us. That's what I would consider the standard "Christian definition." Even so, faith means much more than even that. Faith is: Knowing that God has a plan for every individual person on this planet, and that no one is overlooked. Trusting that no matter what obstacle is put in front of us, it's only there because God knows that we can overcome it. Trusting that no matter how bleak your situation may be at any given time, God will always make sure that we come out the other side better off than we were before. Knowing that no matter what happens, it's because God wants it to, and that nothing happens without God's approval. Trusting that if God wants something to happen, He always has our best interest in mind, even if we can't always see it in the moment. Knowing that God not only listens to our prayers, but wants to hear them, and can even be influenced by them. Knowing that miracles happen every day. At that, the word 'miracle' was made just to be able to begin to describe the impossible occurrences that God brings into being on a regular basis. Nothing helps me more on a daily basis than simply trusting that God's right there beside me every step of the way. With that in mind, I want nothing more for people than to have that same comfort in their lives. I believe that should be a goal for all of us. Even all of that is just scratching the surface of what faith can be. Jesus tells us in Matthew 17:20 that "if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you." If that tiny amount of faith makes nothing impossible to us, then what do we ever have to worry about?

Mark 12:28-30; 1 John 5:3 Most of us learned Jesus Loves Me by heart in Bible class. The love of the Savior has been impressed upon our hearts from the beginning. We have heard so many times “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son...” And we do need to understand the love which God has for all people. Sometimes, though, we seem so enamored by God’s love for us that we forget that His love should draw us into a relationship with Him. God’s love should arouse a response in kind from us - love. To soak up the love of God like a sponge and not return it is to misunderstand love entirely! Jesus taught us: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35). Love is quintessential giving. John wrote, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments...” God’s love for us moved Him to give us what we needed - a Savior. Our love for God should move us to give God what He wants - people to do His will. This is the heart of the matter - Do you love Jesus? Do I love Jesus? If so, let’s listen to His voice. Is your personal life a mess? Do you love Jesus? Is your presence at His table sporadic? Do you love Jesus? Is your giving paltry? Do you love Jesus? Is your marriage more like a train wreck than a scenic express? Do you love Jesus? Is your prayer life on life support? Do you love Jesus? Are you available when a need arises? Do you love Jesus? Do you keep your mouth closed when you should be praising the Lord? Do you love Jesus? Are you still looking at porn? Getting drunk? Using vulgar language? Do you love Jesus? Do you talk about Jesus in your home? Do you love Him? Are you the center of your life? Do you love Jesus? Do you love the Lord Jesus above all else? ><> Jeff

John 2:2-11 In our last piece, we made an observation about Jesus’ miracle at Cana when He turned the water into wine. When the host had run out of wine, He told the servants to fill the waterpots which were there with water, and they did. We noted that Jesus did not do for them what they could do for themselves. Then He changed the water into wine. Upon reflection, we noted that this always seemed to be the case with any of Jesus’ miracles. He would do for a person or a group what they could not do for themselves. In similar fashion, Jesus did the same thing in feeding the 5000 (Mark 6:33-44). If you’ll recall, it was a desolate place and the hour was late, so finding food would have been a problem. Jesus asked what food was available, and the disciples brought forward the five loaves and two fish. This was what they had, so Jesus used what the crowd had in order to feed them all. The people provided what they could, and Jesus did the rest! Now, in making this observation, I don’t want to leave the impression that we are doing anything without the help of God. In fact, in His illustration of the vine and the branches Jesus told His disciples: “...for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Jesus’ point is that in order to bear fruit we must abide in Him who is the vine. We receive our strength and sustenance from Jesus so that we might accomplish the will of God. Paul makes note (Ephesians 3:20) that God “is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.” That power is the Holy Spirit. The Lord is ever at work in us in order to accomplish good in our lives. As we reflect on all of this, one thing comes to mind. Whatever it is that God wants me to contribute - whether time, skill, money, labor, counsel, etc. - I have to be willing to give it. This is an absolute must in allowing Christ Jesus to work through me for good, to be a blessing to others and to bring glory to Him. ><> Jeff

John 2:2-11 Most of us have probably heard the ancient Greek proverb: “The gods help those who help themselves.” Although this is not completely true, there is a great deal of truth in it. Examples of God helping us humans are, of course, found throughout the Bible. The question is on what basis does God decide to help people? Without wanting to over simplify a complex subject, let’s take a look at an example from Jesus’ ministry. In John 2, we have the narrative about Jesus at the wedding feast in Cana. When the host had run out of wine, Jesus’ mother Mary came to Him and asked Him to help out. This, of course, implies that she knew something of who He was and what power He could command. She tells the servants: “Whatever He says to you, do it.” Now here is the thing which caused me to take particular notice (even though I’d read and studied this numerous times). Jesus tells the servants, “Fill the waterpots with water.” Jesus didn’t cause the waterpots just to miraculously be filled with water. Jesus didn’t cause the waterpots just to miraculously be filled with wine. I believe He could have done either of those things. He had the servants fill the waterpots with the water which He would turn into wine. So here’s my thought. Jesus did not do for them what they could do for themselves. Does that make sense to you? As I reflected on the events in scripture in which God or the Lord Jesus helped humanity in some miraculous way, it seemed to me that this was always a guiding factor. When Israel faced desperate situations and massive armies, God intervened. The Red Sea crossing and the Assyrian army’s defeat by the plague come to mind. Jesus healed the blind, lepers, the lame; He cast out demons. Mankind could not do any of this. The ultimate example is the salvation of the human race. Since we could not save ourselves, God intervened through the sending of His Son Jesus who is Savior of all. Let me know your thoughts about this. (More next time.) ><>Jeff