Pastor’s Blog for April – John E. Chowning, SBC Pastor

The month of April is a wonderful and exciting time of year. We witness the full array of God’s creative hand as spring bursts forth with new life as flowers bloom and trees display various shades of green. Temperatures are generally nice – cool evenings into early mornings with warmer temperatures during the day. April is a time that we transition into more outside activities, softball and baseball, and thoughts of summer vacation begin to come to mind. We are generally positive and upbeat about life in spring and our energy levels seem to increase.

April 2017 also brings the celebration of the most sacred events of history – the passion and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. From Palm Sunday into Holy Week, we are reminded of the course of events that culminated the approximate 33 years of life of Jesus on earth and that brought to an end his three years of earthly ministry. During this three year period, Jesus called in action His 12 original disciples, spent time preaching and teaching, challenged the religious establishment of the day because of their hypocrisy and self-righteousness, reached out to the masses of people and ministered to all rather than the few, and prepared for His ultimate sacrificial death on Calvary.

At Calvary, we witness “love in action.” It is the love of God as manifested in the sacrificial death of “His only begotten Son” (John 3:16) – it was the intervention of God into the course of human history that was necessary because of the sin of humanity. Jesus died a horrible death on “The Old Rugged Cross.” Why? He died on the Cross because of your sin and my sin! And His was a voluntary death because of His love and grace.

But then on the third day, as the women went to the Tomb to anoint His broken body as was the custom of the day, they found that the tomb was empty. How could this be? Had His body been stolen? No, Jesus was alive! He arose from the dead! The tomb was empty!

More than 2,000 years later, we live in the Resurrection! We are people of the Resurrection! The Resurrection Power is in us through the indwelling presence of Jesus Christ through the living power of God’s Holy Spirit.

He’s alive – how is that truth impacting our lives today? Does our Christian witness truly reflect the Living and Resurrection Power of Jesus Christ?

Pastor’s Blog for March

John Chowning, Pastor of Saloma Baptist Church

We are now officially in the Season of Lent during the month of March and into April. Lent, which has traditionally observed in the high church, or more liturgical Christian traditions, is receiving more attention in recent years among Baptists and other evangelical Christians. The Season of Lent, which began in the fourth century church, runs for some 40 weekdays beginning with Ash Wednesday (March 1 this year), running through Holy Week, and concluding on Saturday before Easter. Easter Sunday for this year is a bit later on Sunday, April 16. As an aside, please note that the six Sundays between Ash Wednesday and Easter are not counted as part of the 40 days.

In the early church, Lent was a time of preparation and study for those who were to be baptized into the church on Easter Sunday. An entire body of believers was called to this period of preparation, and many who had been away from the church for whatever reason, were encouraged to return to the church community during this season.

The number 40 relates to a number of events in the Bible – in particularly it relates to the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness as He prepared for His three years of earthly ministry and resisted the temptations of Satan.

Today Lent is observed by many Christians as a time of prayer and preparation leading up to Easter. Some will spend time during this season in self-examination and repentance. In some traditions, Christians enter into a period of fasting on certain days during Lent – giving up certain food, drinks, and other types of enjoyment. Other traditions focus on helping the “least of these” (Matthew 25) by acts of giving, service, and sharing with those in need. In sum, the Season of Lent is an excellent preparatory time in which believers are called to periods of prayer, penance, repenting for failures of the past, and focusing on God’s grace. Lent is a time to prepare for Easter and to live the resurrected life in Jesus Christ to which we are called.

We as Baptist Christians can benefit by taking time to learn more about the practices of other Christian groups. While we don’t need to do something just for the sake of doing it, or to simply imitate the practices of others, the meaning and observance of Lent can really enhance the depth of our understanding of the passion and suffering of Jesus Christ at Calvary and His ultimate resurrection on the “third day…” One way of observing Lent at Saloma Baptist Church is through the daily use of our Lenten Devotional Guides, titled “Empowered: A Guide to Experiencing the Power of the Holy Spirit,” written by Dr. Jim Denison. Daily prayer, repentance, study, and contemplation of the meaning of this season of the year, will give us deeper understanding and application of the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ!

Pastor's Blog for February 2017

February is the shortest month with only 28 days except in Leap Year when there are 29 days. It's a month of transition - moving from the coldest days of winter with hints of spring in the air. It's not uncommon, at least in Kentucky, to experience snow and zero temperatures one weekand signs of spring the next week - all during the month of February.

But more than anything, many people think of "love" during the month of February. Valentine's Day is observed annually on February 14. Also known as Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, the holiday emphasis originates from a Western Christianity liturgical feast honoring early saints by the name of Valentinus. By the 14th century AD, the holiday had evolved to a time for romantic expression, and by the 18th century AD, it became a time when gifts, such as flowers and cards, were presented to others as an expression of love and romance.

For those of us in the Christian tradition, it's fitting and proper for us to share small gifts as expressions of our love to our spouses, children, grandchildren, and close friends. But it's also a time that we should give consideration to the greatest expression of love in all the course of human history - i.e., the gift of "God's only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him (Jesus) will not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). That, my friends, is the ultimate expression of the inexplicable love of God the Father in the form of God the Son and with the indwelling presence of God the Holy Spirit!

"This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us" (1 John 4:9-12).

During February 2017, and in all times, may we show the love of God in all that we do.

Pastor's Blog for January 2017

by SBC Pastor John Chowning

The beginning of a new year brings numerous challenges and opportunities for Saloma Baptist Church and the entire Body of Christ. None of us know what lies ahead in 2017 as far as the day to day course of events. Many will face unforeseen challenges and difficulties while others receive blessings and positive life experiences. 

Regardless of what lies ahead, we should choose to consider the opportunities that will come our way in 2017 and beyond. We are people of the Risen Lord and have the indwelling presence of God's Holy Spirit. 

Accordingly we should move forward in 2017 with hope and assurance in Jesus Christ. We must not despair no matter what comes our way because we are believers in Jesus Christ - the Messiah whose birth we just celebrated and whose death and resurrection we will remember in mid - April. 

May we choose to move forward in 2017 with the faith, hope, love, joy, and grace that are ours in Christ Jesus our Savior and Lord!

Pastor's Blog for December 2016

We are in the midst of celebrating the birth of the Christ of Christmas more than 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem. The birth of Jesus is a monumental intervention by God in the course of history as He sent His only begotten Son (John 3:16) so that we might believe in Him and have eternal life. It is only through faith in Jesus Christ that we are saved from the penalty of our sins and that we have eternal life. 

Much of our Christmas observances in the United States has become secularized and commercialized. Many businesses depend upon this season of the year to make their business profitable. In the name of not offending others, we have removed the word "Christmas" from our celebration outside the church resulting in phrases such as "Happy Holidays and Winter Festival." In many ways, the "Christ" of "Christmas" is no longer at the heart of the celebration.

At Saloma Baptist Church, we place Jesus Christ "front and center" in our Advent and Christmas observances. In addition to the worship and Bible study emphases of the season which focus on the Good News of His birth, we seek to reach out into our community and world in the name of the Christ of Christmas. It is our goal to share the Good News with those around us and to support the spread of the Gospel throughout the world.

We do this in several ways. The SBC WMU prepares and shares fruit baskets with shutins and families undergoing particular difficulties at this time. We participate in the Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree program whereby we purchase gifts, on behalf of the incarcerated parent or guardian, for children in Taylor County whose parents are currently in prison. We collect new and gently-used toys in support of the local Fire Department's Toy for Kids Christmas ministry. We distribute Christmas buttons in the local community that announce that Jesus is the "reason for the season." We are giving away copies of Janet Denison's Advent devotional guide titled "Christmas - In the Name of Jesus." And we are raising funds, sponsored by the WMU, for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering that will go to support Baptist global missions.

Certainly, the Advent and Christmas season is a time to spend with family, to give and receive gifts, to decorate our homes and church sanctuary, and to worship together in celebrating the Good News of "Immanuel - God With Us!" However, it is even more a time in which we have a unique opportunity to share with our community and world this message:  "Joy to the world, the Lord has come!