The Joy of the Lord

 

Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.—Nehemiah 8:10b

 

I found comfort and challenge today from a very unlikely source, unlikely for me at least. After my devotions and quiet time with the Lord, I was contemplating some important and difficult decisions. The thought came to me that I should listen to an inspirational Christian song. I don’t usually listen to music, but thought I should do so more often.

 

Since I was praying for God to tell me what He wanted, what His will was, I “googled” “Thy will song.” The song entitled, “Thy Will” came up on YouTube. I did not know the song at first, but as it played I remembered it. The song by Hillary Scott and family repeated the phrase, “Thy will be done” over and over again.

 

I did not immediately recognize the name Hillary Scott. She is one of the trio in the country group, Lady Antebellum. Although not well-known as Christian artists, Hillary and her family released the faith-based album, “Love Remains” in April of 2016 with the single, “Thy Will.”

 

If you are able, I encourage you to google the song and check out the back story that led to its creation. It came about out of a time of deep personal loss for the Scott Family. In addition to repeating the phrase from the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done,” the song also says, “It’s hard to count it all joy.” This is a reference to James 1:2-3, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.”

 

I have always emphasized that love, joy, and happiness are as much decisions as they are results. In spite of the circumstances of life, we must choose to love and to be happy. Joy comes from living in a relationship with God in Christ and knowing God has a good plan for our lives. Joy is the result of doing the right thing by trusting God’s will in spite of the consequences.

 

In Nehemiah 8, Israel had just endured 70 years of destruction and captivity by the Babylonians. Under a new regime, the Jews were permitted and even encouraged to return to Jerusalem, but the Temple was in ruins and the city walls and gates were destroyed. During a time of distress and harassment, Nehemiah and the Jews rebuilt the walls and set up the gates in 52 days.

 

At the celebration for the completion of the wall project, Nehemiah and Ezra read the Law teaching the people from morning through midday. As the people heard and understood the Law   interpreted to them in a language they understood, many began to weep. They may have been weeping because of conviction, joy, celebration, or despair over the sad condition of the city.

 

Nehemiah encouraged them in this way, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (8:10). The people were quieted and began to celebrate. Regardless what caused them to weep, the people found the strength to rejoice.

 

I pray that you and I may find the strength and spiritual courage to rejoice in the Lord in spite of any current challenge. God has good plans for you, and His will can be trusted. As I listened to the song by the Hillary Scott family, I was comforted and challenged to rejoice in the Lord. The joy of the Lord truly is our strength. Rejoice in the Lord, today.

 

Randy Bain is the Senior Pastor of Oakland UM Church located at 1504 Bedford Street in Johnstown. You may reach him through the church website www.oaklandonline.org.

 

Lord, Have Mercy

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.—Matthew 5:7

Each of us are trying to deal with the covid-19 virus pandemic. Many have very real fears about our health, our finances, and the future. We are learning how to practice better hygiene and social distancing. While we follow the social distancing mandate, let us be mindful to not practice spiritual distancing. I pray we will live as people of faith rather than people controlled by fear and self-preservation.

With each new report of additional cases, closings, and deaths, I find myself becoming more anchored in faith. Lamentation 3 and Habakkuk 3 bring me great comfort. “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights” (Habakkuk 3:17-19).

Lamentations 3:22-23 describes rejoicing amid destruction. “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” When small challenges come, we often try to cope with them the best we can. We may worry a bit, but if we work hard and do our best, we usually get by. But with each day of more closings, cases, death, and stock market decline, I realize this is too big for me. I can never handle this on my own. It is only through the Lord’s mercies that we will overcome.

Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7). The promise of God’s care and protection are to those who are merciful. Forgiveness is promised to those who forgive others. God’s pressed down and running over provisions are promised to those who give generously. In times of crisis, let us focus on ministry to others while we trust ourselves to God’s care and mercy.

Christians are called to be the ones who run toward trouble and reach out to the least, last, and lost. Throughout history, Christians have ministered in leper colonies, cared for dying babies on the streets of Calcutta, and comforted and buried plague victims. Today, we should honor the guidelines for health and pandemic prevention, but let us not become self-centered to the point that we neglect those in need around us.

I encourage you to turn to the Lord and find comfort in the promises of God’s Word. Psalm 27 is a beautiful, inspiring Psalm; I encourage you to read it entirely. “Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me” (vs. 7).  Be encouraged! This virus will pass. Our Faithful Lord is still on the Throne. God’s mercy endures forever. The Psalm concludes with verse 14, “Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!”

Let us be merciful as we cry out to God for mercy. Pray for God’s mercy as we face this worldwide attack. Let us draw near to God and others even as we practice social distancing. Join me and the Psalmist as we pray, “Hear, O Lord, have mercy.”

Randy Bain is the Senior Pastor of Oakland UM Church at 1504 Bedford Street, Johnstown, PA 15902. You may reach him through the church website www.oaklandonline.org.

time to Celebrate, Grateful People Celebrate

Time to Celebrate

The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.—Exodus 15:2

The most grateful persons I know are those who have been through great hardships. The Pilgrims of 1620 and origins of our modern Thanksgiving holiday serve as one example. During the first winter on America’s shores, they lost ½ of their party. As they faced a second winter, grateful for having survived another year, they prepared for the hard, cold winter with a celebration of rejoicing and thanksgiving.

The children of Israel, spent over 400 years in Egypt. In the beginning they experienced blessing and favor. The final years, however, consisted of hardship and cruel forced labor. God finally delivered them from Egyptian enslavement through Moses’ leadership. They fled to freedom in the wilderness only to have Pharaoh change his mind and pursue them with his army.

In Exodus 15, they praised God for delivering them from their enemies. God parted the Red Sea, and the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. The sea flowed back onto the Egyptians and drowned them all. Their enemies were defeated, and they were finally free. They sang this song of celebration, “I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him” (vss. 1-2).

Considering the many opportunities we have to rejoice, give thanks, and celebrate, I am reminded how simplistic our rejoicing can be. For those of us who have lived life with few struggles, thanksgiving becomes an exercise in trying to consider what we should be thankful for. Those who suffer from great challenges, immediately know what to be thankful for.

Looking through the scriptures, one might be a bit shocked at the things the people of God rejoiced about. In Acts 5, after being arrested, threatened to never teach again in the Name of Jesus, and flogged, the Apostles rejoiced, “because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (vs. 41). 

Paul, the missionary evangelist, late coming Apostle, and human author of half of the New Testament, asked the Lord to remove from his life, a physical impairment, a thorn in the flesh. The Lord did not deliver him, but told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Paul responded by saying, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

One of the greatest reasons to rejoice and celebrate is for salvation. Through Jesus Christ, because of His sinless life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection, we have been accepted, forgiven, and made children of God. Jesus taught, “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).

What struggles have you faced this past year? You may rejoice in the many ways God has sustained you. Celebrate the victories God has wrought in your life. And most of all, rejoice and celebrate that God loves you and included you when He said, “whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Today is a good time to celebrate.

Randy Bain is the Senior Pastor of Oakland UM Church at 1504 Bedford Street, Johnstown, PA 15902. You may reach him through the church website www.oaklandonline.org.

Why church? because Jesus said so!

Why Church?

I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.—Mathew 16:18b

On membership Sundays at Oakland, those, who have taken the membership class and publicly professed Jesus as their personal Savior, join the church. I introduce this portion of the service with a paragraph from our Book of Worship:

Dear church family, the Church is of God, and will be preserved to the end of time, for the conduct of worship and the administration of His Word and Sacraments, the maintenance of Christian fellowship and discipline, the edification of believers, and the conversion of the world. All, of every age and station, stand in need of the means of grace which it alone supplies.

This paragraph gives a carefully thought out reason why the church exists. The Church exists to bring believers together to worship. Proclaiming the Word of God and celebrating the Sacraments are central to the universal Church and every local church. Christian fellowship is more than coffee and stories. It includes accountability, growth, and support. The Church exists for its members, “edification of believers,” and for those not yet members, “conversion of the world.”

A simpler and more authoritative reason for “Why Church” is because Jesus said so. My children and grandchildren used to ask a lot of questions. What is this? What is that for? And the inevitable, “Why questions?” Why do I have to keep my diaper on? Why do I have to share? Why can’t I play with matches? Why can’t I drive the family car to the after prom party? Why, why, why? As parents and grandparents, we do our best to give perfect and accurate answers to the whys? But eventually, we all get to the correct answer, “Because I said so.” End of discussion.

Why Church? Because Jesus said so—end of discussion. After Peter’s Confession of Jesus as the Christ the Son of the Living God, Jesus said, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:17-18). Jesus said that He would build His Church and nothing could overcome it.

Why is there light? Because in the beginning God said, “‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). Why must we come to Jesus to be saved? Because Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Because the Bible says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Jesus Christ’s Church will be built and nothing can stop it. A bigger question is not “Why” but “Will you be part of God’s Kingdom?” Will you like Peter confess Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God? Will you receive God’s forgiveness in Jesus and invite the Holy Spirit to come live and lead in your life? There are many whys out there that you may never understand on this side of eternity. But, one thing you can know for certain. God loves you and calls you to come to Jesus to be saved.

Why Attend Church Services?

Why Attend Church Services?

Not giving up meeting together … but encouraging one another.—Hebrews 10:25

In America, church attendance seems to be dropping to all-time lows. Although many polls have reported that for the last 70 years about 40% of the population attend church on a regular basis, newer studies (cited in Outreach Magazine, April 10, 2018), have concluded the number to be now less than 20%. This must not be just a current problem because the Book of Hebrews urged the first century church to continue to meet regularly, “not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing” (10:25).

Why do we attend church services? Many would say to worship God. This past Sunday, our worship leader commented that praise, at its simplest, means to compliment someone. In the case of worship, to compliment God. I had never thought of it that way. He went on to encourage us to spend the next 30 seconds complimenting God for who He is to us. These 30 seconds between songs became a very meaningful experience of worship for many of us.

The Oxford Living Dictionary defines “compliment” to mean, “Politely congratulate or praise (someone) for something,” or to “Praise (something) politely.” Some of my favorite persons are those who encourage others. They always seem to compliment things and people. I wonder if that is how God feels about us as we worship.

Many people today say they can worship God anywhere. We have turned church attendance into something we can take or leave because we have reduced worship to something we can do privately anywhere and anytime. It is true that Jesus told the woman at the well that “true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). “In the Spirit and in truth” does not mean by oneself.

Reading the context around Hebrews 10:25, we see the motivation for meeting together was not only to worship God, but to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” and “encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Spurring one another on and encouraging each other are not worship, but when we worship corporately, we become part of something bigger than ourselves and our own private agendas. We are part of a church family.

When we talk of worship, many of us think of singing. This is partially true. Even if we limit worship to singing, we find that we still encourage and spur each other on. Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 both teach us to use “Psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit” to speak to one another and to “teach and admonish one another with all wisdom.”

Our praise and worship are definitely directed toward God. We sing to and compliment an audience of One. I am always reminded that Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is Number One on a list of one, but as we sing and worship the Lord in the Spirit, we also encourage those around us. We worship God as a family. You can surely worship the Lord anytime and by yourself, which you should, but do not give “up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Randy Bain is the Senior Pastor of Oakland UM Church at 1504 Bedford Street, Johnstown, PA 15902. You may reach him through the church website www.oaklandonline.org.

What Does My LIfe Consist of? Finances

What is My Life?

One’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.—Luke 12:15

When I was ten years old or so, I thought I got blamed for everything. I remember when my six siblings and I would get into trouble. Our parents would ask, “Who did this? Each of the three older children would respond, “I didn’t do it.” “Not me.” My parents’ question wasn’t “Did you do this;” rather, “Who did do it?” By the time it got to me, I guess my parents figured I had to have done it. The three younger children were still so innocent; so, I got blamed.

Think how silly it would be if we always answered questions with a negative. What time is it? It’s not noon. It’s not five o’clock. These negatives do not answer the question. When approached by a man with a request for money, Jesus warns him in a similar negative way.

A man came to Jesus and ask Jesus to command a brother to divide the inheritance with him. Jesus refused and then warned him about greed and covetousness. Jesus said, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Some translations phrase it as, “Watch out! Be on guard against all kinds of greed.”

Jesus said, “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” If our lives do not consist in the abundance of things; then, what do they consist of?

To covet means to desire, crave, or set your heart on something. Greed carries that desire to focus on things that belong to others. Jesus may have used this negative way of teaching because human beings appear to believe exactly the opposite of what Jesus said. We do think our lives consist of how many things we possess. Even after we quit using those things, we rent storage spaces, buy storage tubs, and fill our attics with things.

Our schedules reflect this same insatiable desire to have it all. We want our children in every activity, sport, and event. We try not to miss out on anything that might move us ahead. We stretch ourselves so thin because we fear saying, “No” may mean will have to sit still for a moment and consider what our lives do really consist of. We are so busy, going, getting, and trying to get even more. But Jesus warns us, “Watch out! Be on guard of every form of greed.”

In order to understand what Jesus was saying our lives do consist of, one must read the rest of the 12^th chapter of Luke. Jesus tells a story of a farmer who built bigger and bigger storage barns only to die rich in earthly things but poor toward God (12:16-21). Jesus then instructs us not to worry because we are more important than birds and lilies. Jesus makes a very profound statement that I believe tells us what our life does consist of. “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms…for where your treasure is there your heart will be also” (12:32-34).

As I read it, we consist of what we focus our hearts on. If we give away earthly things to show God’s love to others and focus on God’s Kingdom which has already been given to us, then we consist of God’s love, God’s heart, and God’s riches. Where is your focus today? What does your life consist of?

Randy Bain is the Senior Pastor of Oakland UM Church at 1504 Bedford Street, Johnstown, PA 15902. You may reach him through the church website www.oaklandonline.org.

Made to Serve, Jesus washes disciples' feet

Made to Serve

After that, he [Jesus] poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.—John 13:5

I remember hearing of a man who complained about a church’s request for a special offering to meet a specific need. In the same service, they asked for volunteers to help move a family from their flooded home. Finally, as the service concluded, worshippers were invited to join the community in a walk to raise money to feed the world. The man could not take it any longer. He greeted the pastor on the way out of the church with this rebuke, “Christianity! It is give, give, give. I think that’s all you people care about!” The minister paused to consider the complaint and responded, “Yes, I think you are about right. Christ gave for us and expects us to give in return.”

Although our tradition, the United Methodist Church, does not regularly practice foot washing as an ordinance, I have participated and led foot washing services many times. Recently, I conducted a wedding where the bride and groom washed each other’s feet immediately after saying their vows and before their first kiss as husband and wife.  It was so moving, and even though my position behind the couple partially blocked my view, it was a priceless moment filled with overwhelming emotion. Love and service are so intertwined.

This past week, Oakland was privileged to host the installation service for our new Johnstown District Superintendent. After being consecrated by the Bishop, members of the district gave him symbolic gifts. One of those gifts was a basin and a towel because leaders are among us to serve.

Jesus, at the Last Supper, took off His clothes, girded Himself as a slave, and “poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him” (John 13:5).  When Jesus finished washing the Disciples’ feet, He put His clothes back on and returned to His place at the table. He then began to teach them the meaning of the foot washing. Jesus said, “‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ he asked them. ‘You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet’” (13:12-14).

When Jesus sent out the 12 Disciples, He did so with this commission, “Freely you have received; freely give” (Matthew 10:8). Jesus concluded the foot washing at the Last Supper by saying, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you…Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them” (John 13:15, 17).

Our good works of service will not and cannot save us. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us we are saved by grace as a gift of God. Our works do not save us so no one may boast. We have been saved, reconciled to God, and given a home in heaven by grace through faith as a gift. Ephesians 2:10 goes on to say, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Human beings are made and Christians are recreated in Christ to serve. Jesus has shown us by example that even leaders and teachers are made to serve. So, where are you serving? How are you serving at home, in the community, in the Church, and in our world? Jesus has given us an example and a command. Let us go and wash one another’s feet. You were made to serve.

Randy Bain is the Senior Pastor of Oakland UM Church at 1504 Bedford Street, Johnstown, PA 15902. You may reach him through the church website www.oaklandonline.org.