Wonderful Counselor

Another sunny Sunday morning, with dazzling sunlight careening about the azure heavens, streaming with unhindered glory over the rolling snow-sprinkled countryside.... Pastor Brad warms to the moment, greeting us with his own generous warmth. It's the first Sunday in Advent, that time in which we prepare to greet the celebration of the Savior's birth.

Announcements
1. Brad shared a letter from someone who was so blessed by our Thanksgiving dinner. Brad thanked those who helped and also those who came yesterday to help decorate the sanctuary.
2. Next Saturday there is a sewing group meeting here to make mittens, hats and items for the needy as we get ready for winter.

The quartet opened the worship time with the Gaither's "He Touched Me."

Scott and Cheyenne went forward to light the first Advent candle. "People who have walked in darkness have seen a great light."

The quartet sang a message song about the God of the mountains who is also the God in the valley who is there when things go wrong. Trials and temptations test you, but God is with you. He will not forsake you. "The God of the day is the God of the night."

After several hymns an offering was taken was taken while the quartet sang the uplifting "Yes, I Am." Then our children collected the soup cans in which we collected our loose change for Covenant World Relief.

When we entered the sanctuary we noticed a baptismal font set on a pedestal in the front, indicating that we're dedicating an infant this morning. Bob and Ellie Rlients were here to baptize Selah Joy and Zoe Grace. The family came forward to share the moment and bear witness.

A time of prayer followed, leading us to the sermon.

Wonderful Counselor

First, Brad shared some of names of football players that were unusual or striking. Bronko Nagurski was one of these. Definitely sounds like a tough guy. And how about Webster Slaughter?

The text today was Isaiah 9:6, the section that talks about the names of Jesus, which corresponded to  tie that he wore today featuring the many Biblical names of our Lord including today's.

Brad then read from Hebrews 4 and how Jesus, our Wonderful Counselor, is there for us in our time of need. As we head into this Christmas season, Brad asks us where our need is. "Where is it that you are broken today?"

All too often we avoid facing our failures, or resist admitting we have needs. Sometimes we successfully hide it for a while, but it's there and others see it.

Where are you broken today? Where are you in need? Is it depression? Is it fear? Always worrying? Always living with a chronic sense of anxiety? Or maybe it's the stress of all your responsibilities? Or financial stress? Or maybe you're lonely?

Wherever it is that you are broken, there's a Wonderful Counselor who wants to meet you.

If you are going to seek healing from the Wonderful Counselor today, you need to be yourself, as you are. Honest.

Brad shared the pain in his heart for a friend who is an alcoholic. The man is not honest with himself, remains in denial that he has a problem.

From there he told the story of the woman at the well, (John 4) Because she was honest, Jesus was able to meet her, reveal Himself as the answer to her real need.

Sometimes we are afraid to be straight with Jesus, to even be blunt. But Jesus can handle it. The good news is that we have a Wonderful Counselor who wants us to be real with Him.

"Cast your cares upon the Lord." Be truthful with Jesus, and with yourself. If you do that, He will reveal Himself.

Another piece of advice Brad shared was that we can't be in a hurry with God. When we ask for something from Jesus we need to learn how to wait for His response. Prayer isn't a hit and run affair. We seek, and wait for Him to speak.

Mark 9:7 "Listen to Him."

God speaks through His Word. He also speaks through friends or a song on the radio or this message or through your circumstances. It's a noisy world, but we can learn to hear and recognize His voice.

When you identify your need and go to the Wonderful Counselor, and when He speaks, I want to encourage you to do what He says to do. He's the light of the world. He knows what is best for you.

One last story: about a guy who had everything and kept all the rules, who went to Jesus and said "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus told him what to do, but the man didn't do it and went away sad.

Are you willing to be obedient to what Jesus asks of you? If we don't do what He tells us to do, then we're just playing games. We need to do what Jesus tells us to do when He asks us to do it. When He speaks to us we need to follow where He leads.

“Open Wide and Say Ahhh”

There were a number of visitors with us on this warm, sunny summer day. Pastor Brad welcomed all this Independence Day weekend, foreshadowing his message with comments about James 3 and its emphasis on taming the tongue.

In commenting on our freedoms which we share as Americans, Pastor Brad noted that there are more slaves today than at any time in history, and that we should not take our freedoms for granted.

Scripture reading today, by Ruth Anne:
Zechariah 9:9-12
Romans 7:15-25a

“Open Wide and Say Ahhh”
Has anyone here ever said something they wish they could take back? After sharing a painful personal incident from his younger days, he noted that the Bible says many words about word. Proverb 18:21 states, “The tongue has the power of life and death.”

Words can help someone, or crush their spirit. Words can instruct, or discourage. Words have great power.

In another personal anecdote, Pastor Brad shared how one time years ago he was teaching a Bible study and someone shared something, but his glib reply showed that he was not really listening, and the person brought him up short by pointing this out. “You weren’t really listening to me,” the woman said. He dismissed it, until a week later another person said that he was not listening to them either. The reality is that we need to not only watch what we say, but also watch what we don’t say.

Jesus was the perfect model of how we are to be. He was both grace and truth. He could speak the truth, but with great gentleness and sensitivity. “A bruised reed He will not break,” writes Isaiah.

Pastor Brad then cited the verse, “If anyone speaks, let him speak as if it were the very words of God.”

Unfortunately, sin interferes. As a result, we have a pattern of connecting and disconnecting. From the beginning, when you look behind the fig leaf, Adam and Eve were both harboring shame and guilt.

5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. ~ James 3:5-6

The evil one wants to divide and destroy what God has done, and uses our words to do it.

There are five areas where we mess up.

1. Name Calling
Even playful name calling can hurt. We’ve all done some of it when young. We don’t realize when we are doing it that we’re hitting a sore spot. People often hide that. But when we see we’ve said something that hurt, we need to apologize quickly. It is better to have verbal discipline and not hurt people.

2. Blaming
Many couples fall into this. “I am the way I am because of you.” Instead of owning their behavior, couples often blame the other. Proverbs 22:13 refers to the sluggard who does not assume responsibility. Rather, he hides himself to avoid pain. The blame game is unhealthy.

3. Generalizing
“You always do that…” or “You never do that…” Proverbs 10:21 says “The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment.” To generalize is to not show good judgment.

4. Critical Comments, Critical Spirit
Critical words stick and hurt for a long time.

5. Anger
Frequently, you will find that angry people grew up in a home with an angry person. Proverb 29:11 cautions, “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.”

Pastor Brad reminded us that, on the other hand, when someone comes to us & they’re angry, we should not minimize it by dismissing it or spiritualizing it. Nor should we speak too quickly. Jesus was not rattled by another’s anger. The Scriptures compel us to mourn with those who mourn.

12 Before his downfall a man's heart is proud,
but humility comes before honor.
13 He who answers before listening—
that is his folly and his shame. ~ Prov. 18:12-13

We need to be good listeners and take ownership of our words. Again Past Brad reminded us that we should speak as if our words were the very words of God.

After celebrating, sharing communion together, he reminded us in closing, “On the other side, we need to extend grace to those who have said hurtful things to us.”

There’s Just Something About That Name

“I’m delighted that you are here to worship with us this 24th week after Pentecost,” Pastor Brad Shannon said in his opening remarks. “When God opens a door, nothing can shut that door.”

Other special features of today’s service included Scripture readings from Haggai 1:15b-2:9 and II Thessalonians 2: 1-5 & 13-17 and a prayer of dedication for the Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes. This day also we honored Lillian Peterson on her 88th birthday which we celebrated after the service.

The sermon today used as its springboard the letter to the church of Philadelphia found in Revelation 3:7-13.

There is something about names. Some names are funny. Some people, like Sean Coombs (aka Puff Daddy, P Diddy etc.) change their names from time to time. Some, like Sting, Bono and Oprah, are known for just “a name.” And a lot of cities are known by their names, like Tinseltown, The Big Apple, and Motor City.

The city of Philadelphia in Biblical times, the city to which this letter was written, had undergone very challenging times. It was a city with an ever changing identity, with both cultural and literal earthquakes, and for the Christians there it was a city with unrelenting persecution. To the Christians in this city Jesus said, “I will write on them a new name.” And the Lord promised that their future would be to live in a city that will not be shaken.

The passage begins, “These are the words of him who is holy and true who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.” This reference to keys hearkens back to Isaiah 22:22 which states, “I will place the key of the house of David around his neck. What he opens no one will shut. What he shuts no one will open.”

Jesus says, “I hold the keys to the Kingdom of God. No one can shut what I open or open what I shut.”

Jesus is saying “Trust me. When I open a door, walk through it. I will be there on the other side.”

Finding God’s will is not a puzzle that you have to figure out. Rather, it is a matter of following the Lord’s voice. Jesus has the whole picture in view and we can trust Him.

Pastor Brad shared the illustration of a family that decided to not give each other Christmas presents one year, but to help a needy family. Their decision resulted in countless others being blessed and their efforts being rewarded far in excess of anything they had imagined.

Walk through a door and watch God show up. There are open doors all around us.

To the church in Philadelphia Jesus said, “I know your deeds.” Of the seven letters to the seven churches, this was the only letter with no rebuke.

“8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth.´ vss 8-10

Jesus says “I am going to use you in a powerful way.” Like Philadelphia, we are a small church. God has called us to love and serve Him here. We have a small church, but a big God. It is the Enemy who whisper in ears, “You are small. What can you do?”

There was a small church in Mississippe after Hurricane Katrina that was used of God to feed more than 6,000 people a day, gaining national recognition for their efficiency and faithfulness. You do not have to be big to be effective.

It’s true that when you have open doors you can also have annoying flies. But God will take care of these, too. No matter what we go through, Jesus promises to be with us. Stay filled with hope and joy. And stand firm...

11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 Those who are victorious I will make pillars in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.

A new name! Can you imagine what they felt?

13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.