Coming to the Still Waters

  Here is the church that I currently serve at twilight.  The photo was taken at the close of the day but the church, God's family, is not in its twilight.  It may look like it at times with the culture ever changing around us but God's family, the true church, has no twilight because it follows the One who rose from the grave and brought in a new day which continues onto eternity!  The sun can set on whole world regimes such as with the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes and Persians, Greeks, and Romans but Jesus proclaims a church that He builds and holds in the palm of His hand.   Here is a picture of my dad in front of his Old Glory which he puts out at the start of each new day and brings in at the close of the day.  At 91, he has a joy within him to sing to his helpers throughout the week of songs from days gone by.  A little man from Sterling, Michigan who sailed around the globe and hiked the great Mount Fuji, a squid and a jarhead.  He came home to marry our mo

  I picked this photo because it includes the sheep, the sheepdog and the shepherd.  I was listening to a podcast recently ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0Tq8FIuurI ) and they used the analogy of a pastor as to a sheepdog rather than the usual title of an under shepherd.  Jesus is the Great Shepherd and we are the sheep and many times the pastor, elders, and overseers are seen as the under shepherds of the Great Shepherd. The podcast brought in the idea of the pastor/elder/overseer as the sheepdog.  The sheepdog has one eye and ear on the sheep, the flock, and the other eye and ear on the shepherd, the Lord.  The sheepdog is running about the sheep, guiding and protecting them, and at the same time following the instructions of the shepherd and keeping the sheep moving with him or toward him.  The sheepdog also runs to the shepherd with a wagging tail because he loves the shepherd.  He is loyal to the shepherd.  He is petted by the shepherd and fed by him. The shepherd and the shee

  I thought it appropriate at this time of the year to lead with a photo taken by a good friend named Chuck from Maine.  The location is called Josh Stream.  Some of us have the opportunity to live in a place where the 4 seasons bring about their own beauty.  It has made me think of my own life and what season I am in.  What is the beauty around me that God has placed there for me to take in? A little factoid.  I have preached through Malachi before.  I did 4 sermons with each one covering a chapter.  The average sermon length was 42.5 minutes.  This time I am breaking up the book into the 7 burdens or oracles of God to His people.  So the passages are less than a chapter length but the average sermon length is up to 50 minutes.  Some might say I am going in the wrong direction! Speaking about marriage and divorce within a text is always tough because it would be a really long sermon touching on all the Bible instructs us about the subject.  Saying that, I am thankful for all the Bible

We cover the 2nd of 7 of God's burdens shared with the Israelites after they have returned to Jerusalem from captivity in Babylon.  They have returned to build a new temple under the leadership of Zerubbabel and rebuilt the city walls under the leadership of Nehemiah.  These great accomplishments are also accompanied by an old friend, a disregarding and disobeying of the God who made it possible for them to be back in the Promise Land. God speaks through Malachi the 1st burden.  God has loved them but they have not loved him back.  How do we know?  They are continuing in their disobedience.  They are complaining about their present situation and disregarding God's covenant permanent redemptive plan of His people.  We can do the same today even as the people of God.  We make conclusions on what is presently happening and relying on what man says rather than holding firm to what God has said is the final outcome. The 2nd burden is directed to the priests, the religious leaders

  We just love it when family drops in on a Sunday to worship with us!  My younger brother Tom (which is pretty obvious) and his wife Tamara swung into Weymouth Community Church to catch the intro sermon to the book of Malachi.  I am humbled to have family members listen to one of their kin speak about the words of our God.   This is the first sermon in the book of Malachi.  Intro sermons are always longer because part of the preparation is to set the historical context.  Where do these words of God fit into the whole plan of God?  Malachi will give us 7 " burden " statements of God against His own people, those who have returned to Jerusalem from the exile to Babylon.  The smaller temple and city wall have been completed but departing from God's instruction is still happening.  Malachi addresses the disobediences of the day and we will see some similarities in our day. God makes a statement:  "I have loved you." Malachi responds with the rhetorical statement of