I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Galations 3:2

 It is a common belief in the secular world that Christians get to heaven by doing good works.  That if you are good enough, if you have racked up enough good points, you are a slam dunk to get through the pearly gates!

Not so!  There is no point system in God’s world – only heart checks!  Your heart will tell the Lord the status of your love for Him and others.  He looks into the depths of our souls, and if we have believed and invited Jesus (through the power of the Holy Spirit) into our hearts, then the love light will be on... and it is a green light!

We can’t help but do good things out of love and gratitude, when the Lord is living in us and through us.  In fact, we receive great joy in acts of unselfish love!  So the reward starts here today and carries us right through the gates into the arms of the Lord!

If you have never asked for the Lord Jesus to be on the throne of your heart, you can do so right now.  Admit your need for him (none of us can be good enough on our own.) and ask him to come into your heart.  Once there, nothing can take it away, but your journey has just begun!

Where are you on your journey?

Pastor Susan Vergeront

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  John 15:13

Memorial Day is a day that is set aside to remember, and honor, our brave soldiers who have given their lives to protect our land and keep us free. It began as a day to honor our Civil War dead, but after World War I, it was expanded to include our war dead from all the wars in which America was involved.

Much as Jesus gave his life for the world, our brave fallen soldiers gave their lives not just for their friends, but for millions of people they would never know.  They gave their lives for the idea of liberty and freedom  that is embodied in this great experiment in democracy called the United States.

Jesus gave his life so we could be free from sin and death.  Our fallen soldiers gave their lives so we could live our lives in liberty and freedom.  We must never forget those who died who enabled us to live the way we do today!

Say a prayer for our fallen this Monday, and tell your kids about it too!  We must never forget!

 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.1 john 1:8-9

That really wasn’t all that bad.  I don’t know if I would call it a sin!  I enjoy it and it doesn’t hurt anyone.  Many of our guilty little secrets are rationalized like that! And we come to church Sunday morning, and can’t think of any real sin to confess.  But if it is tugging at your conscious, deep down you know that what you are doing is outside the boundaries of God’s laws. 

 We don’t like to talk about sin, because it makes us feel judged, or like we are judging.  But sin is a very real obstacle to a close relationship with God.  Our worship become lip service because we don’t want to face up to our short comings.

 The Good News is that we can be forgiven, and God can give us the strength to break bad habits.  But first, you must confront, confess and receive forgiveness both from God and yourself.  This will change your life!

 Pastor Susan Vergeront

For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15.21,22

We are still in the season of Easter, rejoicing over the glorious resurrection and the truth that darkness is defeated by God’s light!  I found these words on a Dayspring card some dear souls sent to me!

We should fear only

           If the Lord were not in control;

We should worry only

          If the Lord were not able to meet our needs;

We should strive only

          If the Lord were not our shepherd;

We should doubt only

          If the Lord were not faithful;

We should grieve only

          If the Lord were not risen!

Hallelujah!  His life and love has set us free!

 These words shine in the Easter season, but are true all year long!  They move my heart each time I read them, and I pray they touch yours as well!  Think about what a wonderful God we have!  Throw off the fear and worry and doubt that drags you down!  Celebrate Jesus today!

 Pastor Susan

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6

We are carriers of the Light!  The light shows us the way, and then we carry the light within us, so others too can know what it is to be children of the light!

We don’t have to preach, although those with the gift certainly can.  We just have to use whatever gift good gave us, to share His love and joy with others.  Some share their light by helping others, some share His light by sharing their resources, some share their light through their music or art or poetry.

The important thing is to let your light shine, so others can see the love God has for them through you!  Where are you taking your light today?

Pastor Susan Vergeront

SPECIAL INVITATION!  Missionary friends of Norm and Alice Parsons will be in the chapel Wednesday evening, April 25, at 7:00 PM  to tell about their 40 years of Christian Mission work in Japan.  They will tell of the aftermath of the great earthquake, and how it has affected the spirituality in Japan.  All are welcome!

 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.   Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.  Matthew 5: 14- 16

 Light one candle and it can light hundreds of others before it goes out… and those can light others and on and on it goes.   One light in the darkness can light the world if it is spread.   If you keep your light hidden, it does no one any good!

 This is what Jesus is saying.  You are Christ’s light in the world.  In fact you may be someone’s only picture of what a Christ looks like!  Your light can show others the way!  Your light can give light to others who are suffering from gray days, or even dark days.

So let your light shine!  Let it shine through your eyes, your smile, your encouraging ways, and words of respect and love!  What a blessing that will be to others!

 Pastor Susan Vergeront

 … if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:  that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.   2 Corinthians 5: 17-20

 The truly unbelievable good news of Easter is not only that Jesus rose from the dead, but that he lives on today!  And with this remarkable event, the whole world changed. We became his new creation!  The curtain that separated us from God was torn, and we have direct access to his love, his forgiveness, his grace. 

 How can we keep such good news to ourselves!  The good news of Easter also lives on through us!  We are ambassadors of Jesus!  What a remarkable notion that is.  What will you do with that good news?

Pastor Susan Vergeront

When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it.  Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, "Hosanna!" Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!" "Hosanna in the highest!"  Matthew 21: 8-9

 A welcome parade!  Shouts of praise, and “hosannas” meaning salvation has come.  Welcome the conquering hero!  They were looking to Jesus for salvation, but not in the way he had planned.  Just a few days later, what looked like a celebratory parade turned to a nightmare.  The hero became the hated.  His work was not the kind they hoped for!  What looked like a parade turned into a death march!

 It is good to remember this in our lives.  What appears as a tragedy in our eyes can turn into a triumph, and what seems to be a triumph in our eyes, can become the door to suffering and hardship.

 We need to use our “God eyes” when we measure what is happening to us. And we need to be PATIENT!  In God’s time, he makes everything beautiful in His time! (Ecclesiastes 3.10)

 Things are not always what they seem to be!  What are you looking at?  Remember to ask God to help you see his vision!

Pastor Susan Vergeront