Leader or Lord?

It is probably an understatement to say that this election year has been a very strange one. Neither candidate seems to be able to appeal to the masses. As we draw closer to November and the election of a new president, I have heard many people express the fact that they don't know who to vote for or better yet other folks have stated that they just won't vote at all. I have even heard people say that if a particular candidate is elected they plan to move out of the country. Many of the clients that I counsel are also expressing fear and dismay. My standard response to my clients is we have to remember we are not electing a savior to the presidency but a person. A sinful, flesh and blood individual just like the rest of humanity. Unfortunately people continue to believe that if we elect the "right" person with the "right" programs everything will turn out great and all will be well. The reality is that no matter who is elected, we will continue to face many issues that will remain unresolved. Politicians will continue to spout rhetoric about how they are going to change this or get rid of that. However, for all the promises made, a great number of those promises will not be kept. I believe the promises a candidate makes are done so with all sincerity because they feel they really can make a difference. What the candidates fail to understand along with many other people is the issue is not a lack of character but a lack of Christ. It is a heart issue and fallen, sinful human beings no matter how much they try cannot make everything all right. They cannot guarantee that what they are pledging will come to pass. Our government is designed in such a way that there are checks and balances. A president cannot make significant decisions without the Congress and Senate's involvement and vice versa. Yes, there is such a thing as the presidential use of the "executive order" which can bypass House and Senate approval but even such executive orders have their limits. And while having a system of checks and balances is good, as long as there are human beings involved, selfishness and self-centeredness often prevails. When we cast our votes, we are voting for a leader as opposed to seeking the Lord. We are not unlike the Israelites who asked Samuel to appoint a king over them after his sons failed to follow in Samuel's footsteps and became corrupt. "So all the elders of Israel gathered at Ramah. They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have." (1 Samuel 8:4) Samuel was greatly distressed knowing that God was to be their only King. However, God reassured Samuel, "And the Lord told him: "Listen to all the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do." (1 Samuel 8:7-9) Just like each one of us has the individual right and free will to choose the next president as citizens of this country, so God gave Israel the right to choose who would govern them. But God gave them a warning about the consequences of their choices. Similarly, we will live with the consequences of whoever we choose to occupy the oval office. We need to be reminded that there is only One who we can truly trust and depend upon to govern our lives and that is Jesus Christ. When we put our hope and trust in a person or a plan we will wind up disappointed every time. God knows how sinful the heart of humanity can be and that is why Christ came to earth. He came to "seek and to save what was lost." (Luke 19:10) God wants to bless His people, "If my people who are called by my Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14) Our country is in great need of healing on so many levels but it appears we would seek that healing to come from a leader and not from the Lord. I don't know what the outcome will be in November, but I know that come what may I will put my hope and trust in the Lord. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)
Peace and Blessings,
Pastor Sheree 

Empty Nest, Emptiness

It is my desire to try and blog at least once a month. However, here I am desperately trying to meet my "deadline" before July 1st. I have struggled all month to try and feel inspired by some situation or circumstance that would move me to share. However, the reality is this month I have not felt moved to blog. As I was sitting in my den looking out at our deck where we have a bird house, I was symbolically reminded how sometimes our spirits go through dry seasons. I look forward every year to the birds nesting in the bird house. Typically the resident visitors are house wrens who loudly announce their presence whenever they come back from a foraging mission. However, this year to my delight we had black-capped chickadees lay claim to the free lodging. Unfortunately the resident chickadees were constantly harassed by robins who were nesting in nearby trees. As a result what started out as a promising hope for new life ended up with the chickadees "flying the coop." Our church is currently undergoing a difficult season wherein we may be forced to close our doors this fall due to financial constraints. That empty bird house reminded me of the emptiness I may feel if we no longer have a place as a church community to call home. I am convinced that those black-capped chickadees were able to find a new place to start over. Likewise, God is faithful and will lead us to our next "nesting place." In Psalm 42, the psalmist laments that his soul is earnestly seeking God for deliverance from the oppression of his enemies but he is having trouble finding God. "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Where can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng." (Psalm 42:1-4) I pray that our church will not have to reminisce about how we once used to worship God joyfully together. There may be some outside the church that question, "Where is your God?" However, despite the struggle the psalmist yet has hope. "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God." (Psalm 42:5) The psalmist repeats his hope at the end of Psalm 42 and again at the end of Psalm 43, which scholars believe were created as one single prayer and later separated. The point the psalmist seeks to emphasize is despite the fact that there is an emptiness in his soul, that does not take away from the fact that God is still faithful and he can rejoice and trust in the One who is both Savior and Lord. Likewise, our church family will continue to believe and trust in God to move in the midst of our situation for His honor and glory. 
Thanks Be To God!
Pastor Sheree

"Memorial Day"

Next Monday, May 30, 2016, hundreds of people will flock to cemeteries to remember and honor their deceased relatives and friends. Memorial Day was established first and foremost to remember those who died serving this country during all wars. However, it is also a time when people take a moment to visit the graves of those whom they knew and loved who have passed away. If the individual was in the military, many times an American flag will be placed at the gravesite. Some people will place stuffed animals or small tokens that remind them about something that was special or unique about the deceased individual. Following this officially recognized "day of mourning," people will return to their routine activities. Memorial Day weekend has also been recognized as the "official" start of summer vacations and travel. Subsequently, gas prices begin to rise, the internet is flooded with people furiously looking for cheap flights, and hotel reservations are quickly booked up. Memorial Day fades into the background until it comes around again next May and people move forward with their mindsets focused on fun in the sun. However, there is another time of "remembrance" that is not easily forgotten. It is repeated day in and day out in some churches and celebrated less frequently in other church communities. It is referred to by many names, the Eucharist, the Lord's Supper, and Holy Communion but it is a pivotal experience for believers in Jesus Christ. Jesus on the night He was betrayed transformed the traditional Passover meal, giving it a new meaning that was to be carried on through the rest of time. Paul, shares with the Corinthian believers, "For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper He took the cup saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes." (1 Corinthians 11:23-26) What Jesus established that night was not something to be easily dismissed or only acknowledged once a year. It was to remind us in a very tangible and symbolic way of His great sacrifice for the sins of the world. Those who lost their lives in combat are often said to have "sacrificed" their lives. Yet, despite their sacrifice, wars continue to rage on all over the world and the shedding of a soldier's blood does not redeem or stop wars from ever happening again. On Memorial Day we honor the dead but Jesus rose from the dead. Thus, we remember a living Lord when we celebrate communion. Jesus told us to remember Him until He comes again. His sacrifice on the cross does guarantee that one day wars and strife will cease because when He comes again there will be a new heaven and new earth. (Revelation 21:1-4) The psalmist declares, "Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy! Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest." (Psalm 126:3,5-6 NLT) This will be the first Memorial Day since my mother's death in September 2015 and there most likely will be tears shed and little rejoicing. However, every time I celebrate the Lord's Supper I am filled with joy, expectation, and a living hope rooted in the promise of our Savior to His disciples, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:1-3) One day we will all join our loved ones in death but the ending will be different for those who are followers of Jesus Christ as the writer of the book of Hebrews states, "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him." (Hebrews 9:27-28) I encourage you this Memorial Day in the midst of bittersweet memories of deceased loved ones to remember with joy the One who is coming again to make all things new. "He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22:20)
May God's peace be with you,
Pastor Sheree