Pastor’s Blog - May – June 2021

During the months of May and June, I am delivering a sermon series on Sunday mornings at Saloma Baptist Church based on texts from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). In many ways, the Sermon on the Mount represents the core teachings of Jesus and his principal instructions to his disciples of all ages.

Timothy Keller, writing in his most recent book titled Hope in Times of Fear: The Resurrection and the Meaning of Easter, says this about the Sermon on the Mount on page 160 of the book; “Jesus’s call comes in the midst of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’s reissuing of the Ten Commandments, in which he tells disciples how to live, how to care for the poor, how to be generous with their wealth, how to love their neighbors. If believers are a counterculture of justice and peace, they become an attractive witness to the world, a foretaste and glimpse of the New Jerusalem, when all of human life will be healed by the presence and Lordship of Christ.” The Sermon on the Mount is central to our Christian faith.I certainly ask that you remember me in your prayers and thoughts as I prepare and bring these messages.

I certainly take all of the preaching that I do very seriously, but I feel that this particular sermon series is one of the more important ones that I have prepared and planned in many years. Why? The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus’s longest and most detailed teaching record that we have recorded in the four Gospels. It is a profound sermon that tells disciples and believers how to live out their faith. It remains as important and instructive to us in 2021 as it was for the disciples when Jesus spoke these words more than 2,000 years ago.

According to John R.W. Stott, “The Sermon on the Mount is probably the best-known part of the teaching of Jesus, though arguably it is the least understood, and certainly it is the least obeyed.” Scott seems to get at the real challenge we face when speaking of the Sermon of the Mount. We know where to find it in Matthew (as well as the shorter version in Luke 6:20-40), but we don’t fully understand all that Jesus has to say – and we certainly don’t seek to obey it as Scott points out. Some people even argue about the practicality of applying portions of Jesus’s teaching in the Sermon on the Mount in our post-modern and humanistic society – that much of what Jesus has to say in the Sermon on the Mount, including the beautiful Beatitudes found in the first of part of Matthew 5, is simply impractical to apply in this era.

In summary, Jesus is telling us how to be Christians in the Sermon on the Mount – salt of the earth and light of the world. He gives a detailed explanation and application of the Ten Commandments. Jesus shares some of the most difficult instructions in all of the Bible – to “love your enemies” and “to be perfect, as our Father in heaven is perfect.” He tells us to love Him and to love each other. There is a detailed explanation in the Sermon on the Mount on how to pray (we sure need this in 2021), including the Lord’s Prayer/Model Prayer. He discusses the topic of wealth and where is our treasure? Jesus reminds us to not worry about things in this life and says that God knows our needs. We are told to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Instructions are given on how to ask God for help. Jesus closes out the sermon by teaching disciples on how to make proper choices and warns us against the teachings of false prophets. He declares that not everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven – which is a very stark way to end the sermon.

The great New Testament scholar, William Barclay, stated: “One great scholar called the Sermon on the Mount ‘The Ordination Address to the Twelve.’ Just as a young minister has his task set out before him, when he is called to his first charge, so the Twelve received Jesus their ordination address before they went out to their task…All are agreed that in the Sermon on the Mount we have the essence of the teaching of Jesus to the inner circle of his chosen men.”

I would state that the Sermon on the Mount is just as important for us today as it was for the 12 disciples when Jesus first presented it. It is our “call to discipleship” and our “call to action” as his 21stcentury disciples and witnesses. Pray for me as I prepare and present these messages in May and June. My goal is to impart to all the basic teachings of Jesus in this section of the Gospels and to help us better understand what we are called to be doing in 2021 and beyond.

Pastor's Blog - March-April 2021

The months of March and April, in the year 2021, bring to our minds some significant moments in time. Let me share some thoughts on these matters.

First, it has now been one year since we first began to deal with the COVID-19 global pandemic. No event in our life times has brought about such dramatic change in such a relatively short period of time. In the course of one year, our lives and culture have been changed tremendously and permanently. Over 510,000 Americans, and around 2.5 million people worldwide, have passed into eternity with COVID-19 - with over 28.5 million having tested positive in the United States (around 115 million worldwide) - our country has more deaths from COVID than any other country in the world yet we supposedly have the most advanced health care system. COVID has brought to the surface the disparities in healthcare outcomes - with Blacks and Hispanics having substantially higher rates of infection, hospitalization, and death.

Every institution of life has been impacted - the church, education, business and industry, government, nonprofits, etc. We have witnessed the greatest economic dislocation since the Great Depression. On a positive note, treatments have greatly improved for the virus, and the numbers of people who have been vaccinated are increasing. We are hopeful that the worst may be over by late spring to early summer - yet we are now hearing of numerous variants of the virus that are spreading at a much more rapid pace and may be somewhat resistant to the vaccines.

We are all exhausted from the pandemic - we all know of multiple people who have passed away with COVID - most all families have had at least one family member to have tested positive. There are post-COVID-19 complications that we are only now beginning to understand in terms of long-term and debilitating health effects. While the infection numbers and positivity rates are going down, the numbers of those passing away are increasing. Here in Kentucky - more than 400,000 have had COVID and over 4,600 have passed away. Taylor County continues to be in the "at highest risk" category, according to national designations, as this blog is prepared in late February.

Second, even in the midst of all the darkness of this one year anniversary of COVID-19, there is another journey that we are on during this period - the Season of Lent. Beginning on Ash Wednesday and continuing through the Saturday before Easter Sunday, this 40-day season is a time in which Christians spend time in self-reflection, repentance, prayer and meditation, Bible study and prayer, self-denial, and renewed reflection on the passion of Jesus in his sacrifice for our sins. While Lent may seem to be somewhat "dark" in itself because of the emphasis on moving toward the Cross and what Jesus went through, there is "light" - even in the darkest of moments as Jesus hangs on the Cross - pointing toward the hope that is to come.

Holy Week is a very important part of Lent beginning with Palm Sunday on March 28 and concluding on Holy Saturday on April 3. Good Friday (April 2) is the day that we remember Jesus actually experiencing the pain and agony of the crucifixion on the Cross. If you are following my sermon series on "Christ Speaks from the Cross," you have a good idea of the fact that even in the time of Jesus' pain and suffering, He was expressing forgiveness for those who were crucifying Him and showing concern and love for others. It was on the Cross that He took upon himself the sins of all humanity and was in that moment separated from God the Father - for the first and only time in all of history. He died. His body was placed in a tomb. And on the third day, He arose from the dead. The tomb was empty. Jesus arose and thereby conquered death - making provision for our salvation once and for all. And He ultimately ascended into heaven where He sits at the right hand of God the Father and from where He will return one day for His church. But He did not leave us without hope - God's Holy Spirit has come to us and is in us! Praise God. What a powerful message in an age of darkness and death as we have experienced over the past year of the COVID-19 pandemic! Amen!!

Third, the spring season is a time when we witness the bursting forth of God's creation - as the flowers bloom and trees put forth leaves and the beautiful colors are so abundant. Spring is a physical representation and reminder that God is our creator - and of how he renews our lives in Jesus Christ. Again, when we have experienced a year of pandemic, and as the pandemic continues at some level, God is using Easter and the spring season as a time of renewal and recommitment for His people! Can you sense it? I do. I need it. We all need it. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. May this be a season of renewal, hope, and reminder that God is in charge and that there is always hope in Jesus Christ.

Pastor's Blog - January-February, 2021

Many people are undoubtedly excited about a new year having arrived - in view of all that we experienced in 2020. There is no way to really overstate the historic nature of 2020 with all that we experienced: the global COVID-19 pandemic, a divisive and expensive presidential and national election, racial and social unrest not experienced since the 1960's, threats of extremism here at home and abroad, economic setbacks not seen since the Great Depression, and general uncertainty about the future among many people. There is a widespread sentiment that 2021 will surely be better - could it be any worse than 2020?

Let me address this important question from the perspective of our Christian faith. No doubt, the year of 2021 will bring forth its own challenges. While there is "light at the end of the tunnel" relative to the COVID-19 pandemic with the availability of the new vaccines and improved treatments, we must realistically acknowledge that the months of January, February, and March, and even beyond, will continue to be very difficult with continuing spread of the virus, high infection rates, and thousands of lives being lost. It will be mid-year 2021 before a large number of the American population will be vaccinated which is necessary to reach a point of relative safety. Even then, COVID-19 will continue to be a public health threat, but we will be able to return to a "new normal" - whatever that new normal will be in terms of all areas of life. But we hope to be through the worst of the pandemic by mid-2021. That will be a great blessing of course.

There will be other challenges as well. Many of the problems I mentioned in the paragraph will continue to be challenges in 2021 and will require our attention and work as a country - including attention from the perspective of our Christian faith. There will be the new issues arising in 2021 that capture our attention and consume our time and resources. There will be moments in time that it will seem that 2021, at least for some people, has equaled, or surpassed, the challenges of 2021. That is the course of life and goes with the passing of time.

We can look to the Bible for eternal wisdom in 2021 as in all times and for the guidance to get us through the challenges of this world. A text that comes to mind, as we move into 2021, offers hope and perspective for those of us who are believers in Jesus Christ. Read and study these words of Paul recorded in Philippians 3:13-14: "Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press onward toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

As we move forward into 2021, dealing with COVID-19 and other challenges along the way, let's hold onto the words of Paul in Philippians 3:13-14 - "forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead..." In Jesus Christ, we are winning the prize for which God is calling us "heavenward in Christ Jesus." Amen!

Pastor's Blog - November-December 2020

The months of November and December in the year 2020 promise to be very challenging and different than what most of us have experienced. These months feature two of the primary holidays of the year. First, we come to the annual celebration of the secular holiday of Thanksgiving - scheduled for November 26 this year. On Sunday, November 29, we move into the Advent Season when we begin our annual time of preparation for the annual celebration of the coming of the Messiah - a time of preparation and anticipation to remember his first coming as a baby in a manger in Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago. These four Sundays of Advent - November 29, December 6, December 13, and December 20 - are part of the season of preparation leading up to the Christmas Day celebration on Friday, December 25. Then just a week later, we begin a new calendar year on Friday, January 1, 2021. In sum the next two months bring a series of significant secular and religious holidays that we have traditionally enjoyed as highlights of the year in the church, in the home, in the workplace, and throughout our culture.

 

In 2020 the next two months will be much different because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health officials are already recommending that families make plans to not host annual family Thanksgiving gatherings because of the increased number of virus cases that are traced to intergenerational gatherings. This same advice is being given well in advance of the Advent and Christmas season because of the continuing widespread threat of COVID-19. This will impact not only the way we as families celebrate these holidays in our homes, but the impacts will be felt much more broadly. Businesses will not be able to host annual holiday festivities. Shopping patterns are being dramatically changed with the trends toward online shopping increasing significantly as a result of COVID-19. Many local businesses, many of whom depend on the holiday shopping season for their economic livelihood, may face very serious declines in sales because of the virus. Many people will celebrate the holidays in much smaller groups. And church celebrations of the Advent and Christmas seasons will be much different - we are already in discussion about this at Saloma Baptist Church.

 

One example of the resulting change is the way we will be doing the Prison Fellowship Angel Tree in 2020. In prior years (we have participated in this outreach ministry and mission for the past 15 years or so), we have purchased one toy and one clothing item for each of the participating children of an incarcerated parent in the state prison system. In 2020 Mrs. Karen Reynolds and I have been working with Prison Fellowship, and the Angel Tree mission project will be done virtually this year. We will not have direct contact with the children during the holiday season. Rather than our purchasing and delivering gifts, we will conduct a fundraising campaign and ask people in the church to "adopt" an Angel Tree child during the Christmas season at $40 per child. Prison Fellowship will then be responsible for getting a Walmart Card to the child's guardian in that amount along with a Bible and other Christian material promoting the Good News of Jesus Christ. This is being done this way in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Be in prayer for this, along with our other Christmas ministry and mission projects which will be further outlined and discussed during the month of November and into December.

 

So you see that Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas 2020 will be different than in prior years. We will not be able to do everything that we have previously done in prior years - such as the annual Holiday Dinner (celebrating both holidays) and Hanging of the Greens Service. Some families will not be able to have large gatherings that have been traditional at Thanksgiving and Christmas. It will be tempting to just conclude that "it just doesn't seem right...how can we get through the holidays the way things are..."

 

Let me suggest a few things to consider even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic:

  • Take a moment and consider how truly blessed each of us are - even in the midst of a pandemic. Sit down, take a piece of paper, and write down all the many ways that God is blessing you and moving in your life. Look at the words of the hymn "Count Your Blessings" - and "name them one by one."

  • Compare our situation in 2020 to that of our grandparents and great grandparents - they went through World War I in 1916-1918, Spanish Flu Pandemic in 1918-1919, Great Depression from 1929 until the late 1930's, World War II from 1945-1949, etc. Say a word of prayer of thanks to God, again, on how blessed we are and how fortunate we have had it in comparison to prior generations. Quite frankly, being asked to wear a mask, or having to change our holiday activities, or maining a six feet social distance, pales in comparison to what was faced by the "greatest generation" in going through the Great Depression and fighting World War II.

  • If you are not able to gather together in large family gatherings in 2020, then take time to visit with family members via Facetime, Skype, Zoom, Teams, or other interconnecting technology. Use social media to connect. Send texts, emails, and make phone calls. While it may not be the same, God has given us multiple technologies to connect together. Let's use them in creative ways to gather as families and friends in these days.

  • As far as as our church, we are staying connected via Facebook Live streaming, weekly videos, Flocknote messaging, email list serves, Zoom, and creative use of other technologies. This year, we will be distributing an online Advent devotional guide that will have Bible studies, devotions, family studies, and extra material. It can be accessed by computer, smart phones, iPads, or other devices. Materials can also be copied.

  • During the Advent and Christmas season, we have the extraordinary opportunity to share the Good News of the coming of Jesus Christ into the world. Our church will be participating in the Lottie Moon Christmas Mission Offering for International Missions, Toys for Kids financial donation, Prison Fellowship Angel Tree (see above), the WMU backpack project for local school children, and other Christmas outreach. Become involved in supporting these mission projects designed to give of ourselves in Christian love and compassion, in the name of the name of the Babe of Bethlehem, to others. Take time to share the Good News of Jesus with someone who is unsaved and unchurched during this season.

  • Choose someone in the church family or in your neighborhood who may be shut-in, or who may not have much family living locally, and make an effort to make their holiday season special. There are any number acts of Christian love and compassion that can be shared to show that they are loved - and in doing so, you are acting in the name of Jesus Christ.

I hope that my point is evident by now. While COVID-19 may change the way in which we are able to celebrate the holidays in 2020, we can make an effort to create new traditions and go the extra mile in helping others. And as we do that, we will find that our disappointments in not being able to do Thanksgiving and Christmas in the same way "we've always done them," we will discover new and fulfilling ways of putting the "eyes and ears, hands and feet of Jesus" to our faith during this very special season. That is my prayer for all of us who are a part of the extended family of Saloma Baptist Church. May God bless you in this season of the year.