February 1, 2018
Pastor’s Weekly Message: “Reflections on January 2018”
I’ve been away for a while, enjoying the relative warmth of Florida. I spent many hours walking the beach of the Atlantic coast. During low tide there was plenty of space to walk between the crashing waves and the towering condos. One of our friends encouraged me to pick up things along the beach that don’t belong there (she is a huge sea turtle defender!!!) So as I walked along the miles of sand I saw broken shells, dead aquatic life, various birds…along with plastic straws, old fishing line, pieces of tires, an old shoe… In the midst of admiring the glorious power of nature and the ocean there was the in-glorious remnants of our human endeavors. Our world is an ever-changing mixture of the two: God’s glorious creation and our need to think we can control it. I picked up the things that didn’t belong there, placed them in my plastic bag, and threw them in the garbage can.
This all reminds me, somehow, of the story of Jonah. Most people remember that he was swallowed by a big fish and three days later the fish vomited him onto the beach (yuck!). But most people don’t know, or can’t remember, what got Jonah to that point. It was his disobedience to God. Not just the every-day, generic disobedience to God but Jonah thought that he knew more about divine justice than God did. Jonah disobeyed God because Jonah thought God was wrong. How did that work out for him?
Here is an invitation: Join us for Wednesday evening worship during Lent and find out more about Jonah. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, February 14th, we will be visited by the characters in the Jonah story. There are many players in this story and they each have a unique perspective to offer, especially when it comes to the importance of obeying God. Well, all but one of the characters believes it is important to obey God: Jonah. Right…God’s prophet is the one character in this story who doesn’t obey God.
So, come and see how Jonah fairs. Come and see your friends play the roles of these interesting characters.
Remember...Wednesdays, beginning February 14th, 6:30, in the sanctuary. Looking forward to seeing you at worship!
Blessings,
Pastor Mike
Pastor’s Weekly Message: “Reflections on January 2018”
I’ve been away for a while, enjoying the relative warmth of Florida. I spent many hours walking the beach of the Atlantic coast. During low tide there was plenty of space to walk between the crashing waves and the towering condos. One of our friends encouraged me to pick up things along the beach that don’t belong there (she is a huge sea turtle defender!!!) So as I walked along the miles of sand I saw broken shells, dead aquatic life, various birds…along with plastic straws, old fishing line, pieces of tires, an old shoe… In the midst of admiring the glorious power of nature and the ocean there was the in-glorious remnants of our human endeavors. Our world is an ever-changing mixture of the two: God’s glorious creation and our need to think we can control it. I picked up the things that didn’t belong there, placed them in my plastic bag, and threw them in the garbage can.
This all reminds me, somehow, of the story of Jonah. Most people remember that he was swallowed by a big fish and three days later the fish vomited him onto the beach (yuck!). But most people don’t know, or can’t remember, what got Jonah to that point. It was his disobedience to God. Not just the every-day, generic disobedience to God but Jonah thought that he knew more about divine justice than God did. Jonah disobeyed God because Jonah thought God was wrong. How did that work out for him?
Here is an invitation: Join us for Wednesday evening worship during Lent and find out more about Jonah. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, February 14th, we will be visited by the characters in the Jonah story. There are many players in this story and they each have a unique perspective to offer, especially when it comes to the importance of obeying God. Well, all but one of the characters believes it is important to obey God: Jonah. Right…God’s prophet is the one character in this story who doesn’t obey God.
So, come and see how Jonah fairs. Come and see your friends play the roles of these interesting characters.
Remember...Wednesdays, beginning February 14th, 6:30, in the sanctuary. Looking forward to seeing you at worship!
Blessings,
Pastor Mike