“Looking Forward” to Sunday

March 7, 2010

This week in our study in the Sermon on the Mount we will be looking at one of the most used (overused?) scripture in the Bible. It is one of those verses that people whose shadow has not fallen on church grounds since they were baptized as an infant or married thirty year ago love to quote. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” It has often proved to be a comfortable citadel that people seeking refuge from inquiring folk retreat to. For the unrighteous, those words have often represented an impregnable fortress of safety. For Christ-followers, the ultimate silencer.

What was Jesus actually saying? How should his words inform our relationships and our concern for the lost? Be here for our next to next to last (no typo) message in our Sunday morning series, Firm Foundations.

This Saturday morning (10am – noon), Bob Garner from New Horizon Wellness will be in our Cafe speaking on Eating for Energy – Ramp Up Your Health. Bob gave up a six figure salary with a Fortune 500 company last year to go back to school and pursue a passion he has had for years – helping people understand the connection of overall health, mood, and energy level with the food they eat. He is presently partnering with several doctors in our area to help people experience wellness.

Right now over forty of you have signed up to be a part of this seminar. There is room for five more. If you would like to be a part of this lively, entertaining, and informative seminar call Mike Petrillo in the office today (973-992-2828). The doors will be open from 9:30am. We will be serving a number of healthy snacks and beverages before and during Bob’s presentation.

Although there is no charge for this seminar, we certainly want to show Bob our appreciation. To help defray the costs of the snacks and his appearance with us, I will arrange to have a basket near the doors in case you would like to contribute for the morning’s seminar.

One more thing. Men, this is the last weekend to sign up for our retreat at the Fellowship Deaconry on March 12^th and 13^th in Liberty Corners. This morning I was with several pastors as we all fervently prayed for what we are certain will be a watershed weekend for a number of us. About seventy-five have signed up so far form our Cry For Awakening churches with more expected to do so this weekend. It is going to be a great time. DON’T MISS IT!

That’s it for now. I trust to see you this weekend.

Blessings,

Pastor Tim

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February 21, 2010

This Sunday, as we continue looking at The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has a word about worry. Worry is not some minor annoyance; it can and often does take over our lives. Worry drains our energy. It makes us sick. When we worry we don’t just worry with our minds, we worry with our bodies; our organs. If we worry long enough we can get ulcers and become vulnerable to all kinds of maladies. Worry has caused people to take their own lives.

People do all sorts of things to manage their worries. They gulp down pills and alcohol. Even those who don’t go that route are smart enough to know that it is not enough to just say to yourself “This is ridiculous, I just need to stop worrying about this.”

Jesus in Matthew 6 understood that platitudes and mind games were not very helpful when trying to deal with worry. So, he gave them seven reasons why they shouldn’t worry. Some of them were quite practical while others pierced like an arrow into the deepest parts of their soul. This Sunday we will unpack Jesus’ suggestions for a worry free life. I hope you will be able to join us.

Blessings,

Pastor Tim

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February 14, 2010

This Sunday we will continue in our series on The Sermon on the Mount. But since it is Valentines Day, I bring you, in this space, a word on love. No controversial diatribes. No subtle railing against a decaying society. Just love. We all love love, don’t we?

We love to be loved and to be in love. We love to even just think about love. And it doesn’t really have to be our love that we are thinking about either. Someone else’s will often do. Fifty percent of paperbacks sold in America are romance novels (generating over $1 billion a year). Just under twenty-five percent of all Americans read a romance novel in 2008. Judging from who is reading them it would seem that women tend to think about love more than men think about love since women make up ninety-one percent of the romance readership. And once they pick the book up, they just can’t put it down since they typically begin and finish a romance novel within 7 days.

These women really love to think about love a lot. You often can find them watching films like Twilight (series), He’s Just Not That Into You, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, even Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Just try getting some women to kick back one Saturday evening to watch a good, solid, uplifting film like, “Lethal Weapon 4″ is almost impossible.

In fact we love love so much that we have given a whole entire 28 day month over to love. To think about love. To give gifts to ones we love to love so much. Flowers and chocolates; dinners and fleece items from The Gap. We spare no expense. We even have our own saint dedicated to love which we love. But did you know that the saint of love was a real live (and reportedly lovely) little man?

Although church history identified three men named Valentine or Valentinus, tradition tells us that the Valentine in question, a teacher and priest near the city of Rome in the later part of the third century, is the one identified with the tradition which bears his name.

At that time Claudius II had issued an edict forbidding marriage among soldiers feeling the extra responsibility of a wife and family was just too much baggage to carry into battle. But Valentine, viewing the trauma of unrequited love, met with couples in secret and joined them in holy matrimony. Claudius learned of this “friend of lovers” and had him arrested. But the emperor, impressed with his dignity and strong convictions attempted to convert Valentine to the Roman gods. Valentine refused and instead tried to convert the emperor, knowing full well the consequences of his actions. On February 14, 270 A.D., Valentine was executed.

But the story does not end there. While in prison, Valentine, waiting his fate, came into contact with the daughter of his jailer and himself fell deeply in love. Just before his execution he asked for pen and paper and signed a farewell message to her, “From Your Valentine,” a phrase that has buried itself in the hearts and minds of men and women the world over, thanks to the people at Hallmark.

Though deeply sentimental, the facts surrounding Saint Valentine are not at all sure. What is sure is that his story has spawned a tradition that has been around for at least 600 years, (the oldest known Valentine’s Day card written in 1415 and still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while imprisoned in the Tower of London) and probably long before that.

One thing is for sure. People are starved for love. To be loved and to love. To know that they are accepted and acceptable to another. Often because we believe (many times rightly so) that people determine whether we are lovable depending on whether we measure up on their good/bad scale, we spend our lives posturing, pretending that we have less problems and are more together than we really are. We work feverishly to try to do things that will make us more acceptable to them. All to say, “I am worth loving. I won’t be a drag on you, you’ll see. Please love me.”

But the Bible says that there is nothing that I can do that will make at least One person love me any more than He already does. No amount of spiritual gymnastics or renunciations or crusading or holy living will make my heavenly Father love me more than He already does. There is also nothing that I have done or will do that will ever make Him love me less. No amount of hidden sin or present failure can separate me from His electing love. God loved all kinds of sullied individuals in scripture from Jacob to David to Peter to Solomon to even the nation of Israel who endlessly found new ways to disappoint.

God graciously and lavishly loves. All twelve months of the year. He knows we thirst for it. He knows we need it. We need His love. “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings” (Psalm 17:8). I wonder how our lives would change if we ever truly believed that. If we took God at His word.

All you need is love. Love not based on performance, beauty, or brains but on God’s eternal choice of me, His son; His daughter. Guess what? You got it. Happy Valentines Day.

Pastor Tim

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February 7, 2010

It has been called The Lord’s Prayer. If you grew up anywhere near a Christian church you probably learned it as a young child. But that is mislabeled for the simple reason that Jesus, with all integrity, could not have prayed this prayer himself. One part of the prayer says “forgive us our sins…” that is something Jesus could never have prayed. Perhaps it should be entitled, “The Disciples Prayer” since Jesus gave it to them, as a model of what prayer to God should be about. It was to serve them in the same way that an outline serves a speaker. A speaker doesn’t get up before an audience and read back his outline but uses it instead as a guide.

But as I read through the prayer it strikes me that, like a towering Mark Teixeira home run, Jesus touches all the bases. And he opened up for them, and for us, a window of understanding into whom it is we come to when we pray and what it is He is concerned about. And so, He gave us insight into what we should be concerned about.

This Sunday, as we continue in our study in The Sermon on the Mount, we will look at this prayer. It is a wonderful model for all those whose desire to pray often do not match the reality of their prayer life. Jesus said we ought always to pray. This is how we should do it.

Sunday we will be having Marie Rodriguez from InterVarsity Christian Fellowship with us. She will be briefly sharing her ministry on some of the college campuses in Newark. God is moving among students and you will not want to miss her report.

Also . . . . Someone told me that there was a big football game being played this Sunday. Oh yes, that would be THE SUPER BOWL! Although my interest in the outcome of this annual classic waned somewhat with the inexplicable implosion (collapse, destruction,annihilation, obliteration, eradication extermination . . . need more?) of my team (The Giants), I am still a fan and am looking forward to enjoying the fun with many of you. If you haven’t already made plans to join us in the Café to view the big game on a big screen, you need to do so right away. Food and drink will be supplied by our able staff and all you need to bring is a mere $5 bill. Oh, you will also need to bring at least one non-perishable food item to be donated to our Food For Friends bin to get in.

The doors open at 4pm. IF YOU HAVE NOT SIGNED UP, PLEASE DO SO WITH MIKE PETRILLO IN THE MAIN OFFICE (973.992.2828 OR EMAIL HIM) BY NOON FRIDAY SO THAT WE CAN PREPARE ADEQUATELY.

I look forward to seeing all of you this weekend.

Blessings,
Pastor Tim

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January 31, 2010

I hope that many of you are planning to join us this Sunday immediately after our morning service for our monthly Fellowship Luncheon. It is a great time to sit and “visit” for a while with your church family. Often we get so busy that we never get a chance to be in a setting where we can engage one another in a conversation that lasts longer than it takes to say “hi, good to see ya!” Last month it was near Standing Room Only so come join us for a great time.

Sabrina Anton will be leading us once again in worship (along with some wonderful special music) as I continue in our series Firm Foundations. We have finally made it to chapter six (!) where Jesus reviews and critiques the manner in which religious people of his day gave, fasted, and prayed. Although all good things in themselves, the key to blessing went deeper than the act itself. Back then most of the religious activity that went on was like an off Broadway show. Lots of interesting costumes, dialogue, and entertainment, but little gained for the kingdom or the individual who offered it. I wonder how much things have changed.

Immediately after the luncheon we will be having our annual Vision Meeting (1pm) in the auditorium. In that meeting we will be recounting all that God has done for us in the past year and look at plans which our leadership are praying over (and have already begun to move toward) for 2010. We will also be recommitting ourselves to the Lord as we review our Church Covenant, as well as inspecting and passing (hopefully) our budget for the coming year. Although we really expect all members to be at this meeting it is definitely not a members only meeting. All are welcomed to attend.

It will be a busy day. I look forward to seeing you then.
Blessings,
Pastor Tim

(P. S. Don’t forget about our baptism class on Saturday morning at 10 am for those interested in being baptized in March. If you haven’t signed up with Mike Petrillo yet and you do plan on attending, please do so today by email or by phone at 973-992-2828).

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January 24, 2010

Ibn Saud, the king of Saudi Arabia from 1932-1953, once had a woman come to him and demand the death of a man who had killed her husband. The man had been picking dates from a palm tree when he accidentally fell hitting the woman’s husband and fatally injuring him. Although the king tried to persuade the woman not to pursue her rights, she insisted on them.

Finally the king said “It is your right to ask for this man’s life, but it is my right to decree how he shall die. You shall take this man with you immediately and he shall be tied to the foot of a palm tree. Then you yourself shall climb to the top of the tree and cast yourself down upon him from that height. In that way you will take his life as he took your husbands life.” The woman quickly changed her mind, realizing that in following the letter of the law and demanding her rights, she might lose her right to life.

In demanding our rights sometimes we often lose our right to real life, the kind of life that come from an individual who hungers and thirsts after righteousness. Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount wanted to correct the conventional thinking of his day. Thinking that supported the notion that if things looked good on the outside then God was pleased.

The conventional teaching of the day called for an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth when personal damage was inflicted on a person. What was that all about? What did it mean? What is the recourse that a person seeking righteousness has when they suffer? I hope you will be with us this Sunday as we continue in our series Firm Foundations.

I want to thank all who opened their hearts and their wallets last week for the suffering people of Haiti. Although I know some of you had already given through your place of business and even may have contributed directly to Converge Worldwide, we still had a special offering of almost $4,000 that will be sent along with the gifts of many other churches in our conference to help those in need. For your help, I am so very grateful. Please remember to keep praying for the suffering masses there. As the news shifts back to healthcare reform and the other politics of the day, know that these folks will spend years recovering from this disaster.

Blessings,

Pastor Tim

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January 17, 2010

Who do you trust? I mean, who do you trust to tell you the truth all the time every time? We have in our culture developed ways in which we give strength to our words; ways in which we attempt to back up our words so that people will believe what we are saying. We use promises and vows and oaths and even legal documents to insure that people will listen to us and . . . to insure that we will be good to our word. Even then we often fail.

Vows and oaths and promises were the bedrock of the social and ecomonic structure in the days of Jesus. So as Jesus spoke about truth-telling their ears must have perked up since this was an essential component of their culture. But they were really no better than us when it came to truth-telling. To those who pursued righteousness, Jesus had something to say when it came to this area of speech. I hope you will be here Sunday for the next installment in our series Firm Foundations.

All of you have heard of the devastation in Haiti this past week. I hope that you have kept those people close in your prayers this week. This Sunday we will be taking a special offering for the victims of this earthquake. Come ready to give. ^“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy,” (Matthew 5:7).

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January 10, 2010

A. Alvarez in his book Life After Marriage said “You can make divorce as easy to obtain as a dog license, but you can’t burn away the sense of shame and waste.” Jo Coudert observed in Advice From a Failure, “The divorced person is like a man with a black patch over one eye. He looks rather dashing but the fact is that he has been through a maiming experience.” Divorce is as one observed “The psychological equivalent of a triple coronary by-pass.” It is not about legal documents, but incisions on the heart.

This week in our study of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives another example of what righteous living is all about as he addresses the topic of broken marriages. The trail of heartache and fractured families runs long through our culture and sadly, the church. No one gets married with the expectation that they are going to get divorced. But things happen. What should be the attitude of a Christian, who is seeking righteousness in all their relationships, be towards divorce? Is divorce always forbidden? What should be your position and the position of this local church? I pray that God’s word will offer us generous portions of truth and grace as we tackle this difficult issue.

Also, many of you recently put together shoe boxes filled with goodies for the season to be delivered to third world children in conjunction with Operation Christmas Child. We will, by way of video, be showing you where your boxes filled with love ended up. Also, don’t forget that our regularly scheduled classes begin again this Sunday at 9 am with Café 222 Weekend opening at 8:45. I hope you are making plans to be with us this Sunday. See you then.

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January 3, 2010

I hope that you are all recovering from this Christmas season. (Yes, I said recovering - two minutes ago someone tried to shove yet more sugary, chocolate covered, high in fat and cholesterol goodies down my throat - they succeeded). It is hard to believe that a new year (decade) is upon us. (It was like, three days ago, wasn’t it, that we were all crammed into our gym for a grand dinner to mark the start of a new millennium – remember that?)

This week we continue to ‘build the house’ as we once again resume our series on the Sermon on the Mount. I hope it has been a good and challenging series of teachings for you. I know it has made me positively uncomfortable most weeks as the sermon continues to study me and my own heart. We are in a section in chapter five where Jesus gives six illustrations to show that the religious leaders with their narrow interpretation of the Old Testament Law were . . . well . . . missing the point. Righteousness, Jesus said, is not about rule keeping, but about right relationships.

Two weeks ago we talked about murder and the hatred that gives rise to the act. This week it is adultery and the lust from which it comes. Jesus remarked “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” How would the people who were gathered on that hill and heard Jesus that morning have understood these words when they first heard them? How would it have challenged their thinking? Based upon his teaching what would they, if they were serious about following the path of righteousness, have to do? Righteousness from Christ’s perspective was not rule keeping, but right relationship. It always has been.

I hope you will be with us. And I hope you will stick around after the service on Sunday for our Fellowship Luncheon. It is our monthly time to visit with one another. Oh . . . and don’t forget, our regular 9 a.m. teaching time for all ages will not resume until next Sunday (10^th).

Blessings,

Pastor Tim

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December 27, 2009

I hope that you will be with us this Sunday because there is someone that I want you to meet. Ted Faison is the senior pastor at Living Water Christian Center Church in East Orange. The church that he ministers at is one of our Cry For Awakening churches. Over the past year, some of our most spirited and warmest prayer meetings were at Living Water.

I have asked Ted to come and open God’s word for us this week at our morning worship (10:30 am). He is a true brother in the Lord and I know that you will be blessed this Christmas season by his message.

So shake off your post holiday doldrums and make it a priority to be here with your church family for an inspirational and meaningful time of worship and encouragement. As a part of our service, I will be dedicating little Jayden Colon as his parents Paul and Dannellys publicly promise to raise him to honor and serve God. Come out and support this wonderful family.

Blessings,

Pastor Tim

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December 20, 2009

I am reading Ed Welch’s helpful book on depression. There are many levels of what we call “depression” but one of the signs for someone who is sinking into a dark place is a general disenchantment with almost all parts of their lives, and a feeling that what they do does not matter. And, that they are all alone.

I can’ t help but think that many of the people who populated the audience when Jesus delivered his sermon on that hill near the Sea of Galilee were discouraged and disillusioned because of the scoundrels and schisms that they had suffered under in their world. I am sure many of them felt as if there was no way that anyone really understood how they felt and what they were going through. Worse, that when all was said and done they would look back on a life that had made no discernable difference to anyone. Even to those closely knit to them. But Jesus knew differently.

He said in his sermon that there was a certain kind of person that indeed could make a difference. But they first had to understand two things: who they were and what they were called to do. If and when they ever did, well . . . then they truly could make all the difference in the world.

Jesus called his disciples to be salt. He called them to be light. But what exactly did he mean by that, and how does his call to them translate to us twenty centuries down history’s road?

God has called kingdom people to make a difference; a difference that will matter forever. Come Sunday and find out how. Bring a friend.

Blessings,
Pastor Tim

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December 13, 2009

Jesus called his disciples to be salt. He called them to be light. But what exactly did he mean by that, and how does his call to them translate to us twenty centuries down history’s road?

God has called kingdom people to make a difference; a difference that will matter forever. Come Sunday and find out how. Bring a friend.

Blessings,
Pastor Tim