by Les | Jan 2, 2023 | Click Date to Respond
Colossians 3:12-13, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other’ as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
The following is largely attributed to having been said by John Wesley although sources that discuss John Wesley argue that he never actually said this. Still, the words are a guide for Christian behavior.
Do all the good you can,
by all the means you can,
to all the people you can,
in all the places you can,
as long as ever you can.
As we enter the new year perhaps this statement should be our resolve as we seek to bring new disciples before our Lord and Savior.
by Les | Dec 27, 2022 | Click Date to Respond
John 15:4, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”
Christmas Eve was this past Saturday and with it the conclusion of the Advent season. On Christmas Eve the Christ Candle of the Advent Wreath was illuminated. The five candles of the Advent Wreath represent Hope, Peace, Joy, Love and Christ Jesus.
The Christ Candle sits in the middle of the Advent Wreath. It is fitting as Christ is also the center of our Christian faith. Without Christ in the middle of our lives we would be unable to fully appreciate the meaning of the other four candles of Advent. The warm glow of the five candles should also remind us that Christ is the Light of the World.
As we move beyond the Christmas season, and longing for remaining Christ centered, I conclude with this chorus of ‘Day by Day’, from the musical ‘Godspell’.
Day by day,
Day by day,
Oh, Dear Lord,
Three things I pray,
To see thee more clearly,
Love thee more dearly,
Follow thee more nearly,
Day by Day
by Les | Dec 19, 2022 | Click Date to Respond
1st Corinthians 13:13, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
The fourth candle on the Advent Wreath is the Love Candle. Paul’s words, as found in First Corinthians 13, describe love wonderfully.
1st Corinthians 13
1If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
by Les | Dec 5, 2022 | Click Date to Respond
John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
All about us chaos reigns. Countries are at war as they have always been. Our televisions, radios and streamed news are full of stories of mankind imposing violence upon another. It seems that there is no peace in this world.
Peace is something that mankind has always pursued but never have been able to accomplish for any extended period. It seems to be the nature of humankind to ask for peace while not working to maintain it.
Peace is a word that evokes a sense of serenity, a feeling that things will somehow work out. Everyone seems to desire it but we are somehow unable to embrace it.
Fortunately there is a refuge of peace and it is within the arms of our Savior. Jesus’ peace is a gift, a gift that reassures us that there is no need for fear.
In life we all pass through seasons of both good and bad times. Place your worries, burdens and fears upon God’s shoulders in your prayers. God is always faithful and hears even our whispered needs.
As we enter this second week of Advent rest assured in God’s promise of peace as was delivered to us through Jesus Christ.
by Les | Nov 30, 2022 | Click Date to Respond
Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Yesterday was the first day of the season of Advent and Meridian Avenue observed it by lighting the Hope Candle on our Advent Wreath. Advent is to be a period of preparation for the celebration of Christ’s birth and also for the second coming of Christ.
When people speak they usually express hope in superficial ways. We often hear statements such as ‘I hope it will rain’ or ‘I hope the weather will be good’.
So often we fail to recognize the importance of hope in our lives. Having hope reduces feelings of helplessness and it increases our happiness. Hopelessness, on the other hand, leads to despair and depression.
To the believer in Christ, hope is the anchor of our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Hope is our confident expectation of an eternal future with Him. We are assured, in our faith, that our firm hope in God’s promises are always fulfilled.
Faith and hope are a cord tightly woven. Faith is a root, having taken hold in the past. Hope is looking forward towards the future; an offshoot of the root of faith. The two are inseparable. It is impossible to have hope without having faith and without faith hope will never fully develop.
As we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Savior, also prepare to look forward with hope towards the second coming of our Savior.
