Fear!

One of the most heartbreaking lines in all of Scripture must be Genesis 3:10, ‘The man (Adam) said (to God) “I heard the sound of you walking in the garden, and I was afraid . . . and I hid myself”’.

Fear restricts us. Fear binds us. Fear narrows us. Fear reduces us. Fear dehumanizes us. Fear diminishes us. Fear cuts us off from God.

One of the profoundest aspects of Christmas is that Jesus comes as Immanuel –God with us– in order to drive out fear, so that all people might have life and have it abundantly. Jesus comes to us at Christmas to give to us –to create in us– the opposite of fear: trust.

~ Pastor John

If you’ve never heard of the term non sequitur, don’t let it bother you. It’s a Latin term used in literary contexts and it means a conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from the previous argument or statement. So, for example: My car needs repairs; therefore you should read this book by Friday.

Actually, maybe it is a term you should get to know, because if the Bible is literature then the term fits. And, if the Bible is the Word of God then it might be applied to God. In which case, if a person could be a non sequitur I reckon Jesus would be one.

Confused? Yep, me too.

~Pastor John

Money was tight in the small country congregation but the church really needed painting. The pastor came up with a cunning plan. He bought half the amount of paint needed for the job and thinned it down. He set to work painting. Everything seemed to be going well; he had just about finished when a huge storm rolled through and the rain washed the thinned paint off the church walls. In frustration and desperation the pastor got down on his knees and prayed: “Lord, what do I do now?” A voice came from heaven, ‘Repaint and thin no more”.

~ Pastor John