Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye

A New Year's Day service. Chuck welcomed us and shared how they went downtown to listen to the symphony.

Announcements
Next Sunday the regular service hours will be in place, with Sunday School.
January 20 there will be an artistic event here in which there will be a day to learn how to paint. There will also be crafts or whatever you bring.
Next Sunday Covenant World Relief jars will be handed out.

How neat it would be if the Holy Spirit were in control all the time, Chuck said, leading into a reading from Psalm 51 before taking time for worship. The quartet sang Give Them All to Jesus during the offering.

Prayers for the needs in our church family preceded the message.

Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye

Terry had us turned to Psalm 1. It's on his heart to get us reading the Scriptures this year. To get to know God, reading the Bible is one of the best ways.

PSALM 1
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

God makes things new. Change is often difficult even though we often like it.

When was the last time you tried to change something about yourself... dietary or money spending or exercise. Significant life changes are hard, because we are so used to what our former habits were.

Embracing change is a commitment. God calls us to be like Jesus, which means making changes in our lives because we are not yet there.

Romans 12:1, 2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Reminder: the therefore is there for a reason. All of us fall short, Therefore we need to be transformed.

So Terry showed us a Transformer that comes in one form and get transformed into another. The Greek word "morph" is the basis of our word for Metamorphosis. Metamorphosis is a complete change from one kind of thing into another, best exemplified in what caterpillars do when they become butterflies.

A lot of people ask "Why do so many kids go off to college and lose their faith?" What Terry said was that we have not done a good job of getting our kids to embrace faith from within. Too often our young people have only been taught to conform to rules and how they are supposed to be, and when they go to college they conform to a new set of peers.

What we need is transformation within, not conformation of external behaviors.

What we need is to learn how to listen to the Holy Spirit. And this is what our kids need to learn how to do...

Conforming is like saying, "Cloneliness is next do Godliness." But this is not the same as real transformation.

One cause of chafing in marriage is when we try to be the Holy Spirit for our spouses. What we need in our marriages is to each listen to the Holy Spirit ourselves.

My thought for you this week is for all of you to be reading. Tomorrow, Psalm 2. Tuesday, Psalm 3. This year we will experience a gradual becoming that is good.

Note: God is on your side. You be on God's side. And this week, whatever God prompts you to do, take the step and see what surprises God has in store for you.

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Here are some photos from last week's Christmas service.

A Tree or Chaff

After welcoming us, Brad shared about how special last week's service was at Gwen and Walt's. A beautiful time on the lake with a service there and a day of fellowship. Today we would be looking at Psalm 1, which has a message all of us need to consider.

Announcements
1. Gail shared that on the 24th we will have a picnic following the service.
2. Walt shared an update on the building. The well has been dug, the foundation laid and power brought in. Many people have donated services, and this week the walls will go up. Financially the project is on track. It's a very exciting time.

A Tree or Chaff

Pastor Brad began by having us read Psalm 1, a wisdom psalm.

The psalmist presents a set of images to convey a truth. Some people are like trees, planted by streams of water. Its leaves don't whither. And it will bear fruit.

He then contrasts this tree with chaff, a bi-product of harvesting. Chaff has no value. It is dead, so it needs to be separated from that which does have value.

The psalmist then points to an either/or. Your life is either becoming a tree or chaff. But the choice is yours.

If you want to become a tree, he says there are places you should not be going to and people who you may not want to be involved with.

I Corinthians 10:23 states, “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.  In other words, our faith is not a set of rules.

But even though we have this freedom, there are some things that are not beneficial. Paul says that even though it is legal to do some things, it may not be beneficial.

Hanging out in a bar, watching television... this may not be sin, but does it bring you closer to God? Does God seem more alive when you are doing many of the things you do?

Verse 2, "But those who delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on His law day and night..." This is how you will become a tree.

Brad summarized in this manner: If you live your life in a place of spiritual drift where you get up and go through the motions of your day, this environment will deaden your life. This culture will lead you to a life of chaff unless you live with intentionality.

What would it look like as a church if we said, "No more chaff. I'm going to make decisions that make me a tree."

What if we found creative ways to get God's word into us, that would transform us into life-giving trees. I worry that we don't find the time, make the time to get God's word into us.

In closing Brad sang "I Want to Walk As a Child of the Light."The congregation joined in on the final verse.

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Here are some photos showing our current building project status:

It's starting to look real. Stay tuned.