Christmas Hymns Evoke Memories of the Good Shepherd

As someone who has a hard time carrying a tune, I am in no position to comment about music in the worship service. However, just because I can’t sing doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the many options that we have.

Jen Moser is a terrifically talented musician, and her instrumental and voice contributions to our services lift up and inspire all of us. We are so fortunate to have her, as well as those in the choir who lend their voices to our choral music each week.

Music is especially important this time of year when we sing the familiar hymns that evoke memories of Christmases past. My favorite Christmas hymn, among many, is “Angels We Have Heard on High.” I really like the music, but the lyrics also have special meaning, recounting the angels’ presence as the shepherds watched over their flocks the night Jesus was born. This stirring hymn invites us to raise our voices to proclaim that the long-awaited Savior has come, and because of Him there is hope on earth.

It also reminds us that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, who laid down his life for his flock. After overcoming sin and death through his sacrifice on the cross and resurrection from the tomb, he continues to watch over us and always will, so that we are never alone. Therefore, we have nothing to fear because, as the Gospel of John (10:10) reminds us, “he came that we may have life and have it to the fullest.” 

Simple Biblical Guidance to Life’s Complicated Situations

As much as technology has improved our lives, it has also caused it to be infinitely more complicated. Case in point: I just bought some waterproof headphones so that I could listen to music when I swim, but I have no idea how to make them work, even after reading the directions. I long for the days when the Sony Walkman was the latest technology, and you didn’t have to have a PhD to figure out how to use it.

Fortunately, we don’t need advanced technology in our spiritual journey. We can always return to the basics in the Bible. Here are three well-known passages that might help us to simplify our daily routine and slow our rigorous pace.

The first comes from the Gospel of Mark (12:30-31) in what we know as the Greatest Commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength,” and then, having done that, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Pretty simple and straightforward. Imagine how much better our world would be if we embraced that commandment.

Another key passage comes from the Gospel of John (8:31-32) in which Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” There is so much deceit and dishonesty in our world today. How much better would things be if we held to the teachings of Jesus and committed ourselves to lives of honesty, integrity, and sincerity?

And finally this from the Old Testament Book of Deuteronomy (6:18), which states, “Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight.” Much as we might be inclined to deny it, Jesus is always watching, so would it not be in our best interest and the best interest of others to “do the right thing” always and everywhere? In this complicated world, the answer to that question is quite simply, yes, is it not?

Best wishes for a blessed week!

New Leadership, Same Doctrine

 We woke up on Wednesday morning to new leadership in the highest office in
our land. Some were pleased with the outcome, others were disappointed, but one thing
has not changed: we are still one nation under God and one church rooted in faith.

Throughout my ministry at Oak Chapel, I have been intentionally apolitical, and I
will continue to follow that practice, but sometimes pastors fail to speak up and speak
out about issues outside of the four walls of the church when they really should be
vocal.

Obviously politics and faith intersect in many unavoidable ways, but today, I want
to remind all of us about the importance of unity. Satan seeks to divide and conquer,
and he has been very successful with that strategy in recent years. In order to combat
that, we need to engage in open dialogue with one another so that we can at least
respect the right of others to express their opinion.

For spiritual wisdom on this matter, we turn to Scripture, and it is there that we
find wisdom in this passage from Romans 12:16, 21, which encourages us to “live in
harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim
to be wiser than you are. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” 

Remember, Jesus instructed us to love our neighbor, but he never said we have
to agree with them on every issue. Let us go forth this week in peace, respect,
understanding, and forgiveness as we seek to find common ground while preserving our
right to practice our faith with confidence and joy.

A Pathway to Healing Through Prayer

It’s hard to match the excitement of football on weekends in the fall. From Friday-night lights on the high school gridiron to autumn Saturdays in sold-out stadiums across the country to Sunday match-ups that feature our favorite professional team, football is ingrained in our culture this time of year.

It is a high-intensity game with thrilling acrobatic plays as well as bone-jarring collisions, and those collisions often result in a range of injuries. Fortunately, most of these well-conditioned athletes heal relatively quickly from their physical wounds, although many deal with pain long after their playing days come to an end. 

Regardless of whether you played football or not, all of us deal with pain of one sort or another — physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual — and very often the healing process can be agonizingly tedious.

So the question becomes, how do you heal, and how do you help others overcome pain and suffering? We know that the Bible is filled with examples of and references to healing, including this from Psalm 147:3, which states that our God “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” The Book of James (5:14-15) tells us that “faith in the Lord is the key to receiving healing.” That passage continues in verse 16 with a reminder about our responsibility to help others heal by “pray[ing] for one another.” This helps all of us to heal.

Pain and suffering are unavoidable realities in life, but prayer is the great elixir, so as Matthew West says in one of his popular songs, “Don’t Stop Praying!”

An Unexpected Blessing

As you may know, we delivered new blankets, courtesy of the church, to the Salvation Army and One-Eighty on Monday of this week. Both agencies were very grateful for our donation, but something else happened that afternoon that we did not expect.

After delivering blankets to One-Eighty, we couldn’t help but notice two women sitting outside the facility. One of the women in particular caught our attention. She was sobbing almost uncontrollably. We decided to approach her to see if we could provide assistance, and she proceeded to tell us that she was homeless and had no place to stay that night. The three of us looked at each other and without saying a word agreed that we had to do something. We put the woman who was homeless up in a local motel for two nights while purchasing a meal for each of them because they had not eaten that day. This spontaneous response was not something that we planned to do. It just kind of happened when we realized that the plight of the two was very serious, and we could not stand by without getting involved

It reminded me of the Scripture that I have referenced many times from Hebrews 13:1-2, which advises us to “keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”

I could not help but think that these two women were angelic in their own way. They were both downcast and in despair, and yet they were very grateful to us, and they expressed their faith and gratitude to God as well.

We wrapped up our serendipitous encounter by holding hands and praying that they would find long-term shelter. When we left, we were uplifted by our experience, and wondering how God might use us next.

The Good News Was Never Meant to be Frightening 

Halloween is more than a month away, but I am seeing an increasing number of outdoor displays throughout our community, and it’s still September. Makes me wonder where people get the time, not to mention the money, to purchase and put up these displays.

What fascinates me most is that these are adults engaging in this practice, not for their children, but for themselves. Do people really enjoy being frightened; do they really want to scare themselves and others? 

I’m okay with Halloween, but I’m old enough to remember it as a one-night event, not a month-long celebration. What’s all the fuss? I guess I’ll never know, but when it comes to scaring others, I think the church has been guilty of that for many years. Charismatic preachers and televangelists rage about hell’s fiery flames with such messages as “the end is near,” or “repent or die.”

As I mentioned during our service at the lake a few weeks ago, I’ve never been a fan of that approach. Not only is it unappealing, it’s downright threatening. I believe that a softer, gentler tone is much more effective.

Jesus himself set the tone for a gentle approach when he said this in the Gospel of Matthew (11:28-30): “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ should not be menacing, but rather warm and inviting. So let us all remember to spread the Good News with a compassionate spirit and a tender heart.

Faith at the Fair and Throughout the Community

Despite having been a Wooster resident for 40 years, I had never attended a show at
the Wayne County Fair. I don’t know why, but I never got around to it. That all changed
this year, thanks to the incredible generosity of Bob and Rosie Troutman, who provided
some tickets, including two to the performance by Christian musician Matthew West.
What a show and what an experience!

The 47-year-old West brought incredible energy, enthusiasm and inspiration. He also
endeared himself to the crowd with a narrative that included humorous references to
Ohio and the Fair itself. He even took the time to learn how to pronounce “Wooster”
correctly.

Each of his songs were rhythmic and meaningful, including such titles as “The God Who
Stays,” “Truth Be Told,” and “I Trust Jesus.” He also reminded all of us that no one is
perfect and that we all need God’s grace in the song, “Broken Things,” and he
concluded the show with the very moving song, “Don’t Stop Praying,” which encouraged
all of us to never give up because God will never give up on us.

The uplifting concert reminded me what a special community we have in Wooster and
Wayne County. We are not afraid to proclaim our faith in a public setting, and I think that
sets us apart from many other places. Are we perfect? Of course not! But are we
sincere and genuine? I believe we are, and I believe that God’s presence is visible
throughout the city and the county — just one more reason why this is such a special
place to live.

The Clock on the Wall and the Passage of Time

I have great respect for people who are always on time. Sadly, I am not one of those people. I always seem to be running a little late, including my efforts to start our worship service on time.

I used to be able to blame the clock in the Narthex, which had remained constant at 6 o’clock since I came to Oak Chapel five years ago, but all that changed last week when a very thoughtful visitor offered to have the clock repaired at no cost to the church. Stuart then remounted the clock, and we are now back in business.

As I reflected on this recent experience, I started to think about how important time is in our daily lives. We talk a lot about being on time, managing time, saving time, making up for lost time, and a host of other sayings related to time.

Ironically, there’s not much we can do about or with time. The clock continues to roll on despite our best efforts to slow it down or stop it. Time is an intangible reality. The one thing we can say for sure is that we never know how much time we have left, but rather than fret about it, we would be wise to make the most of the time we have and to allocate adequate time for rest and relaxation.

Scripture gives us plenty of valuable advice in this area, including this passage of wisdom from Ecclesiastes 3:11, which advises us to acknowledge that “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

There’s no point in trying to manipulate time; just enjoy the time He has given us and use it to honor and glorify his resplendent name whenever we can.

Lessons in the Dirt to Help Smooth Over Our Differences

My father exposed me to Major League Baseball at an early age. He would take me to rustic old Forbes Field several times a year to watch the Pittsburgh Pirates, who were actually pretty good back then. We would sit in the right field grandstands so we could
watch the great Roberto Clemente in action, but my interest went beyond what the
players did. I was mesmerized when the grounds crew would come out before the game
and midway through to manicure the field and smooth out the dirt. When they finished
their work, the infield was perfect — until the players stepped back on.

In life, we really need to take time to “smooth things out” for ourselves and in our
relationships with others. The Good Lord calls on us to live without fear and in peace
with one another. In order to do that, we need to smooth out the rough spots, both in our
own lives and in our interactions with other people.

In order to do that, however, we don’t need a tractor or a field grate to drag behind it.
Instead, we need a simple commitment to the God we serve and a pledge to obey his
foundational commandment — to love our neighbor. Think of how much smoother our
life would be if we simply loved each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Love also
begets forgiveness, and that is critical for we are to forgive others if we expect God to
forgive us.

The next time you go to a ballgame, watch the grounds crew. They hold the secret to
smoothing the field. Likewise, if we watch and follow the Lord, he will help us smooth
out the rough spots in life.

Just When You Think You Have Seen It All

The XXXIII Summer Olympic Games will get underway this weekend, beginning with the opening ceremonies tomorrow night, July 26. During the next two weeks, many of us will gather around our television sets to watch our favorite athletes and teams go for the Gold.

I’ll be watching the swimming competition as well as men’s and women’s volleyball, while Sheri will likely focus on gymnastics. But there is one “sport,” which I’m not sure is even a sport, that I just learned will debut at these games, and that is breakdancing.

How in the world breakdancing became an Olympic sport is beyond me. The thought that a fad that died a merciful death in the 1980s has somehow come back to life is beyond me. But someone thought it would be a good idea to make it an Olympic sport this summer. 

I guess the old saying is true: Just when you think you have seen it all, along comes something that you could not have imagined. 

All of this is a long-winded way of saying that we should always be ready for the unimaginable, including the day when Jesus returns. Will there be “wailing and gnashing of teeth” as stated in the Gospel of Matthew? Will he be checking off names from the Book of Life as mentioned in the Book of Revelation?

The honest answer is “I don’t know,” but I am looking forward to experiencing his resplendent glory, and I would encourage you to do likewise. None of us wants to talk about the end, but let us be reminded that this end represents a new and everlasting beginning. Therefore, it is important that we not only keep the faith, but to also strengthen our commitment so that when that day comes we will not be taken by surprise.