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Well being, church attendance enhances well being hmmmm
Gallup research conducts and maintains a “Well-Being Index” on various aspects of Americans well being. Well, well, what do you think they found? “In U.S. Churchgoers Boast Better Mood, especially on Sundays.” (Gallup – Healthways Well-Being Index in 2011) The study was done by Chaeyoon Lim who sub-titled the study “Those who don’t attend religious services often see their mood decline.”
I am not saying that church should always be a “feel-good” experience, frankly if folks left worship from First St Johns and they didn’t feel a little, oh I don’t know, disturbed? If they didn’t feel a little challenged, a little pushed, I’d probably be disappointed. Sure I want people to be pumped up, encouraged, thankful to God and renewed in their relationship with Jesus. Frankly I’m not surprised that they are in a better mood. Even if they’ve been challenged, pushed, they still know whose they are, our Father’s. They know that they are part of the Body of Christ, surrounded by brothers and sisters in Jesus and ready to start a new week in the Lord standing for the Lord in the world. So yes they should leave worship in a “Better Mood”.
“…regular churchgoers seem to do better than non-churchgoers… in terms of their daily positive wellbeing experiences. This underscores previous Gallup research that finds very religious Americans do better across numerous dimensions of well being than do those who are less religious or not at all religious.”
And look, don’t give me any of this “Moonie effect” or other non-sense, there is no doubt in my mind that the general “well-being” of Americans has been directly related to the decrease of community and especially being a part of a church community. This goofy idea that you will be happier sitting at home watching television by yourself, thinking that you are genuinely getting community on your computer, the stories go on and on and you know them as well as I do. The solution, get off your quista and get out among real human beings. As we as a culture continue to cut ourselves off from each other, the worse our life attitude will be. Sit home by ourselves, isolated and vulnerable, Satan picks us off one by one. The Bible tells us two are better than one, we all need others to “have our back”, where better than brothers and sisters in Jesus?
The study goes on to report: “Not only do Americans who attend a church, synagogue or mosque frequently report having higher wellbeing in general, but they also get an extra boost to their emotional state on Sundays – while the rest of Americans see a decline in their mood. The average number of positive emotions frequent churchgoers report experiencing rises up to a high of 3..49 for the week on Sundays, whereas for those who attend church monthly or less often, the average number peaks on Saturdays and declines to a range of 3.14 to 3.29 on Sundays.” Yea, you read that right, on the day before we have to go back to the old salt mine, people who attend worship actually get a bump in their wellbeing. There is a sense of being secure in something bigger, knowing you are with like-minded brothers and sisters in Jesus and the research confirms this: “…the research found that friendship in church is more strongly correlated with life satisfaction than friendships in other contexts such as the workplace or a book club. It is not only that churchgoing Americans may be more likely to socialize on Sundays, but also that they are spending time with co-religionists who can especially boost their mood.”
Let’s face it, church does put you into proximity of people who are like-minded, feel secure being in church and something to readily share with each other. (Hopefully it’s not, ‘wow, pastor’s sermon was brutal today.’) This research lines up with so many other studies that show numerous positive outcomes to church, worship, prayer etc. While the world stresses individuality, isolation, “feeling good” in things such as materialism, covetousness, sex, drugs, booze and rock and roll, the reality is that well being is found in church, in worship, in the presence of those who are brothers and sisters in Christ. It stands to reason, we come into the presence of the almighty Creator, Sustainer of all things. He knows us better than we know ourself, He forgives us, He has given us a way through the sacrifice of Jesus to come into relationship with the all knowing, all powerful Lord of all. We have the assurance that through the forgiveness we have in Christ’s sacrifice that we will have eternal life in a new perfect world, the world that the Father intended before we messed it up with our sin. If all this doesn’t enhance your “well-being” then you need to sit down with your pastor and have a long serious discussion.
Small groups ministry
I have always had a heart for small group ministry. Corporate worship is vitally important and I’m not saying you should substitute corporate worship for a small group, frankly that would be like working out, but then not eating right. Yea, small groups can be a workout, but the way we truly feed on the Word and of course the Body and Blood of Jesus is done in corporate worship.
In the most recent issue of Christian Counseling Today Jennifer Cisney Ellers wrote a great article condensing the benefits of small groups. “We, as Christian caregivers, cannot ‘heal’ anyone, but we can create an environment and opportunity for individuals to encounter Christ in real and personal ways. We can provide people with the chance to be ‘Christlike’ in our interactions with each other and model agape love. I believe that small groups offer one of the most profound opportunities for the Holy Spirit to work in the hearts and lives of Christians.” Think of it as taking what you receive from God in worship and then applying it in a more open forum with everyone in the group. At some point everyone in that group, you included, are going to need that “agape” love from others in the group. Seriously, where else do you think you are going to get that anywhere else in the world?
Please read the following with an open-mind, small groups really are so important. Guys, you need a group where you can be encouraged, strengthened, mentored. Too many guys think that they can handle everything on their own, despite the fact they’ve never had to deal with it, no one’s ever given them any information or guidance and, big guy, if you really are serious about your family, being a great husband and father, doesn’t your wife and children need your best effort? Part of that should be getting help and guidance from other Christian men. Right? We are pulling together a men’s group at First St Johns, we will need a lot of help to get going, so please be one of those guys who steps up if you live in the York, Pa. area. Otherwise find a good group in your area or better yet, get together with your pastor and let him know what you’d like to do. We already have a great women’s group at First St Johns, and we have other groups like “Discipling”, “Grief Share”, Employment Support, Prayer Group, Sunday Bible Study, so if you are local here, please don’t hesitate to be a part of great groups.
Jennifer Ellers goes on to enumerate the benefits of small groups:
- Universality: Small groups reinforce the sense that we are connected to others through common experiences and shared feelings. When others describe emotions similar to what another member is going through, their sense of isolation is diminished and they experience connection.
- Altruism: Small groups provide the opportunity for members to share themselves and help others. Many studies have shown the power of offering assistance to others to improve self-esteem.
- Instillation of hope: When people see others moving through difficult situations and healing, they believe it is possible for them as well.
- Imparting information: People in small groups share practical information about what has been helpful or harmful to them. Group members have the opportunity to learn from the experiences of others.
- Development of social skills or ‘socializing techniques’: Group members can learn and practice social and interpersonal skills in the safe and supervised environment of the group. They can learn how their actions and interactions are perceived by others and discover new ways of interacting when their current behaviors are not getting the desired outcome.
- intimate behavior: Groups offer modeling, by leaders and other group members, of critical social skills – such as sharing feelings, handling criticism or conflict and offering support.
- Cohesiveness: One of the most important healing factors in any small group experience is for group members to experience a sense of cohesiveness or belonging. This happens when members feel acceptance and validation.
- Existential factors: Small groups can help members see a ‘big picture’ of life in terms of meaning and purpose.
- Catharsis: Groups provide a safe atmosphere to let out deep emotions and painful experiences. Expressing emotions in front of others and having those feelings validated decreases levels of stress, tension and pain.
- Interpersonal learning and self-understanding: Small group members may have a clearer view and the ability to learn when they see themselves in others or reflect how others see them. These two factors overlap and interact, but also provide an opportunity for increased self-awareness for all group members. (Jennifer Cisney Ellers Christian Counseling Today Vol 20 No 4 pp 20-21)
These are the benefits to a small group. It’s sort of a workplace mantra to “not reinvent the wheel”, point taken in the work world. Why wouldn’t we benefit from the experiences of mature Christians in their interpersonal relations? Bear in mind that small groups need time to grow in a lot of ways; trust, cohesiveness, maturity, etc. If you do make a commitment to a group do it with the intent that you will give as much as get, that you want to be a better Christian disciple as well as Christian spouse, parent, child, employee, etc.
God lives in community, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we live in community with the Trinitarian God, and we live in community with the Body of Christ, our church, our brothers and sisters in Jesus. A body cannot live in isolation from other parts of the body, to be strong, healthy Christians. To be part of a strong, healthy church we need to be part of a Christian group where we can grow and where we can help brothers and sisters in Jesus to grow.
Please check out some of the groups at First St Johns, if you have an idea please let me know. Believe me, I will go to great extents to do whatever I can to help build strong Christian brothers and sisters to be part of strong groups of Christians. But make a commitment to be a part of a Christian small group and grow as a mature Christian disciple.
All the Lord’s people prophets
We make our beginning in the Name of God the Father and of God the Son and of God the Holy Spirit and all those who know the power of the Holy Spirit said … AMEN
The feast of Pentecost is the oldest continuous celebration that Christians observe. Reason being it was originally a Jewish festival that God directed Israel to remember going all the way back to Deuteronomy 16:10. It is originally referred to by Yahweh, as communicated to Moses, almost what we would think of as Thanksgiving in the United States. Israel was to raise up thanks to Yahweh for the “first fruits, the first harvest”. God reminds Israel: “I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’ (Joshua 24:13) Israel would have a lot to be thankful for. The Israelites had to fight their way in, but when they made it, there is ready made homes, fields, vineyards. They had to make their way into Palestine/the Promised Land, but Yahweh intends that when they get there, they will be set, they will be free from the paganism they escaped from in Egypt and that surrounds them and they would be able to provide for themselves. Pentecost was also a day to remember that Yahweh gave Israel His Law. The Law is what Israel is built on. Jewish people believe that they are saved by the Law, so Pentecost is to celebrate what they perceive as their salvation in the Law. In response there was only continual griping. God is providing them with manna to live on, He gives them water, He gives them the Law, He gives them the promise of a fruitful life in the Promised Land and what is their response? “We are still in the desert, we’re sick of this manna and we don’t want to go to the Promised Land because we are afraid and we just don’t trust your promises.” So God hears the griping, He gets angry, that means Moses gets angry who whines to God and Yahweh tells Moses to bring the 70 elders of Israel together for a huddle. Moses is fed up with the complaining and so Yahweh promises: “Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone.” (Numbers 11:17) Life is not a bed of roses for Israel, but they are about to see the fulfillment of God’s promises. Considering everything God has promised them it’s a life that’s not to shabby and their response is to continue to fuss and whine.
Take out your bulletin. Look at the Numbers reading verse 25. “Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him [Moses], and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders.” What do you notice about “God’s Spirit”? It’s capitalized, a proper noun. “What” you say, “this is 1,500 years before the Holy Spirit descends on the disciples, what’s going on here?” Yahweh gave Moses the Holy Spirit probably right from the start of His revelations to Moses. William Wrede describes it: “…the Lord comes down in the cloud and gives them a gift. The same gift of the Spirit given to Moses is now shared with the seventy. Moses loses none of his gift, but as one candle lights another, the Spirit is given to each and they all begin to prophesy. This is God’s gift to his people to be a blessing to others.”1 I really like that imagery, while the Holy Spirit didn’t descend upon the Jews in the desert the same way He did on the disciples in Jerusalem, the outcome is still the same. Men possessed by the Holy Spirit and led by Him to prophesy. Clearly a preview of the Christian Pentecost here in the Sinai desert 1500 years before Jesus. These two men, Eldad and Medad, apparently didn’t check their e-mail or got caught in traffic, and didn’t make it to the elder’s meeting at the tabernacle and they are back in the camp, but the Holy Spirit doesn’t miss them. Joshua rushes to Moses to rat them out, contrary to expectation Moses is not at all disturbed: “Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets.”
Fast forward 1,500 years, we see a stark contrast. Where Israel had God’s promises of material satisfaction in Israel, they had the tangible tablets of the Law, and some of them even had the Holy Spirit. We find Jesus’ disciples huddled together in a house in Jerusalem. While everyone else in Jerusalem is probably out, celebrating the third most important feast-day in Judaism, the disciples probably still have a “bunker mentality”, they remember Jesus’ promise, ten days earlier: “…you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now… you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,” (Acts 1:5, 8) OK, fine, but when will that happen? In the meantime, “we’re going to hide out here, our Shepherd’s gone, no doubt there are people who want to arrest us and are looking for us. Until such time as Jesus does what He promised and we have no idea what that really means”, maybe they don’t remember Numbers 11, “we will make ourselves very scarce.”
Hiding away, cowering. Certainly an odd contrast to their ancestors who are standing out in the desert heckling Moses, demanding immediate satisfaction. The disciples are together, they are trusting in Jesus’ promise, they don’t know how that will happen, but in faith they wait. Their faith is rewarded, probably beyond anything they imagined: “…a sound like a mighty rushing wind..” You’ve probably heard people describe an on-coming powerful tornado,… they often say it sounds like an approaching freight train, concentrated power and fury. Can’t we imagine the Holy Spirit’s approach being at least like a freight train? The Greek is pneu,matoj a`gi,ou in English we have the word pneumatic, as in pneumatic tool, how is a pneumatic tool powered? … Compressed air, we have tools that use the power of compressed air. In Hebrew the word is x;Wr [ruach] which also means “wind, spirit”. Both usages imply momentous power. This wasn’t just a sudden burst of wind, but an enormous, continuous blast, a strong enough blast that all these people in Jerusalem, our reading says “…devout men from every nation under heaven..” rush together, “bewildered”, what is this noise! We don’t rush into the street at any random burst of wind, we might take a quick look out, but normally we don’t pay anymore attention. Then “…divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them” Now that we have your attention, you will hear us preach in your native language. This is all the work of the Holy Spirit, a clear demonstration that God is at work, the Holy Spirit inspires Peter to preach in a way he would never have before (this is the same guy who didn’t want to talk about Jesus to a few people after Jesus had been arrested. Now Peter is proclaiming the Gospel to thousands.) From this Peter is used to bring three thousand souls to know Jesus as their Savior.
Remember they are here to celebrate the “Feast of the First Fruits” those who God chose to come to faith are now the “First Fruits” of the Christian church. Philip Schaff notes: “This festival was admirably adapted for the opening event in the history of the apostolic church. It pointed to the first Christian harvest … We may trace to this day not only the origin of the mother church at Jerusalem, but also the conversion of visitors from other cities, as Damascus, Antioch, Alexandria and Rome, who on their return would carry the glad tidings to their distant homes…”2
We who are chosen by God to be saved in Christ, baptized in the Name of the Father, Son and Spirit, disciples and apostles of Christ, we are called to proclaim Him just as the disciples did on the Festival of First Fruits. We are called to proclaim Him in the language and understanding of those we know, being used by the Holy Spirit to reach those He has put in our lives to point to the Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation that only He can promise. Take some time this week in prayer, help us Father to feel the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives and to live that life in Him and to the world. The Spirit’s power in the wind, but to also pass from you to those He leads you to, like a candle lighting another candle. And also as our young men are “lighted” by the Holy Spirit in recognition of their confirmation today.
The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Shalom and Amin.
Our daily bread. How far does that go?
I’m not trying to be snarky or a wise guy, but I am going to be frank. Ya, we are promised our daily bread and even at that, it’s what we “need”, not what we would like. I’ve heard plenty of people lean over the counter at Burger King say “ya, I ‘need’ a Whopper”. We kind of throw the word “need” around a little loosely. Believe me when I tell you, I can directly relate to what many are coping with in today’s corporate world. We as Americans and business people continue to try and reconcile the “American Dream” with being Christians. Like it or not, they are irreconcilable. Paul writes: “ESV Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” I think this really kind of cuts to the chase.
I would never say and frankly I don’t think Paul would either, to stop striving, to not follow the lead of the Holy Spirit. Does the Holy Spirit lead us to strive and succeed in any aspect of life? Yes, He does. But if we look at the people most intimately involved with Jesus, with the Holy Spirit (yesterday was Pentecost), we, as Americans, would look at these men and not call any of them a “success”. All things being even, we’d probably think of them as fanatical hippies and dismiss them as unrealistic and certainly not worthy of being role models or any kind of mentors. What would you say your “emotional needs” are? I think I know, believe me, I know the drill, by now in my career I should have had an MBA and was the CFO of a mid-cap company, nothing huge maybe $500 million cap. But at the same time, I’ve realized that it seems a little like Paul who was all set to go to Asia and he has a vision to go to Greece. We will never know, but it seems that had to change the course of history. For whatever reason God chose Europe to be evangelized and the part of the world Paul would have gone to is probably the most contentious part of the world. In that same sense, the Holy Spirit can move us in the opposite direction we intended. Jesus promised us life and life more abundant (John 10:10). Do we have life “more abundant” in Christ? Yes? Just by virtue of Him being our Lord we have abundant life. Is that “abundant life” necessarily in this life, that is do we realize the complete abundance of life in Christ in the world? No. When? In the resurrection, when we will be restored to our bodies, to the world as it was meant to be. Not a world fallen in sin and death, but an eternal world that is restored in Christ’s return to where the Father had intended the world to be.
We as men, as Americans, as people in a time and place that even two generations ago would have been unimaginable. Do we have emotional “needs”? Yes, they are fulfilled in the peace, joy and provision of the Lord. Brother I know where you’re at. I wanted the esteem, the recognition, the prestige. Let’s face it, no matter how high we go there is always higher. I was just watching an episode of Frasier. He is receiving a “Life-time Achievement” award and realizes, maybe he’s at the pinnacle of his life, “what to do with the rest of my life.” We have expectations of our own, of our spouse, children, the rest of our family, our peers, on and on. I know the drill, I’ve known the drill in corporations, in the military and yes, believe it or not, I’m kind of going through that right now in the church. I’ve only been ordained, not even four years, and I’ve got those thoughts rolling around in my head, more, bigger, faster. Frankly, I feel that I’m under spiritual attack and I think that those who are resting in Christ are going to be under even more attack. There are many stories of saints overtly tempted by Satan with many kinds of earthly desires. For we Christians, we will be tempted and challenged in Christ. Peter tells us: “ESV 1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” Something strange is not happening to you, whether it’s your own ego, your spouse, dad, kids, peers, ad infinitum, what matters is what is in Jesus.
Now you may not like the following, but I will say this, you’re a guy. Guys are supposed to go out and slay the biggest animal to eat, have the biggest fanciest cave, be the most accomplished among our peers, but it’s not about us, it’s about Him and what He has for our life. Thirty years ago when I started with Chase Manhattan I would have laughed in your face if you had told me that I would be a Lutheran pastor in York, Pa. (I’m from the Boston area). I was, at best, a nominal/cultural Christian. Frankly I really wouldn’t have probably understood what you were talking about and wouldn’t really have cared that much. The Holy Spirit took me in hand and there’s been a lot of events in my life that could have only been Him and He puts me where He wants me. Do I think this is it? Frankly no, but it could be and at this point in the game, I doubt I would be surprised either way.
Now the not so gentle part. I see you getting “tunnel-visioned”, I certainly understand why. Many reading this are guys, probably about the same age, we’ve done a lot and we were expecting the American dream, which means a senior level job, seven figure salary, (at least mid-six), a fat retirement account, at least one nice car for everyone in the household (read Mercedes level), of course one doesn’t summer where one winters, does one? At our age that’s beginning to slip away, in fact in our age group we stand a very good chance of not retiring or continuing to work to some degree until we’re called to be in His presence. We’re tempted to dump it on God and say “hey, that wasn’t supposed to be the deal”. As an American? Ya probably. As a Christian? No we have to be open to the Spirit’s leading. Even if you did have all the ego gratification and material gratification, would that mean that the Spirit wouldn’t be pushing on you? Those in the Acts church gave everything they had in common with their brothers and sisters. Have you really taken it in prayer to the Father? Have you really asked Him what is His will? Are you afraid of the answer? Do you think He is going to tell you to sell everything, learn some unknown language and move to some exotic place? I doubt it, but maybe He’s moving you to take your skills, any/all of them, to apply them for others, maybe in His church, maybe for some other deserving civic group? We all get way too caught up in our careers and more and more material/ego gratification and we tend to shut out the Holy Spirit and what He is guiding you to. Take some serious time in prayer, take some time in Bible study, in journaling. Write down what the Spirit is really putting on your heart, be open to Him and His leading and try to put aside your pre-conceived notions. God told us His ways are not our ways. What He is trying to do in you is probably something that would never have occurred to you and maybe you have cut yourself to any leading other than your own. I do understand, we all go through that regardless of our position. But yes frankly I think middle-aged, professionally trained men are especially susceptible. Look for His guiding, in 35 odd years He has led me to places I would have never expected and He truly has always provided, maybe not to what I wanted or expected, but certainly to what I needed, I really can say that I have never wanted and quite often have received more then I expected.
If you are not a part of a church body I would definitely encourage you to be, you are certainly welcome at First St Johns. If you are at a church sit down with your pastor and discuss further with him. You are definitely not unusual, this is a struggle we all have, may God richly bless you and help you to see His will, when we are in His will we will know joy, peace and prosperity, even while the things around us may not seem that way. We are starting a Men’s Group at First St Johns, maybe associating with Christian men in a small group setting might help you to get a better perspective, help you to feel less isolated. And our Coffee Break Bible Study meets at the church 140 W King St in York, Pa. 10am Wednesday mornings, park right behind the church and go in the back door.
Pastor Jim Driskell
His Plan, His Lordship
His Plan, His Lordship
First St Johns, May 29, 2014 Ascension Day
We make our beginning in the Name of God the Father and in the Name of God the Son and in the Name of God the Holy Spirit, AMEN.
The Ascension…, it might seem more like a scene from an old black and white movie, where the gal is saying good bye to her guy at the train station, the guy being sent off to war, both of them know that this could well be the last time they see each other. As far as the disciples are concerned this day starts off as another discipling session with Jesus, they aren’t expecting anything extraordinary to happen, they are just wrapped up in their own little world of expectations.
The conversation might have gone something like: “Hey Jesus, been a pretty eventful last forty days. You were crucified, we didn’t see that coming. You were resurrected, we sure didn’t see that coming. So anyway, on to, you know, the important stuff. Because we have our own agenda, and obviously you have some pretty impressive power. So when are going to use that power for something really important, when are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
I would like to think that they were all holied up and were looking forward to the Kingdom that Jesus had promised, right? That’s not what they asked though, was it? When will you restore the kingdom to Israel? Who is Israel? Well us of course, the Jewish people. All they have been through and then they try to reel all these events; the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, the Atonement, the Resurrection, all these things that have just happened in the last 40 plus days, the disciples try to reel these events back into their own provincial, petty politics. “Come on Jesus, sure we’ve seen all these great things, but let’s see something really great. Now that you’ve risen from the dead, let’s kick these Romans out, restore David’s kingdom, we will all reign with you and we will have power and wealth and freedom, it will be so great.” Time after time, Jesus tries to get these guys to focus on what is important. The conquering Romans have been a topic over and over and probably far more then we imagine. These guys can’t get past the issues and ideas that are right in front of them and realize that what is important is not political power. It’s just not! Sure it’s important to the extent that we need government in order to serve and protect, absolutely. But they have, right in front of them, been talking to Him, learning from Him, seeing His power for three years, constantly, day in and day out. Then the most climactic events in human history happen, the Cross and the Resurrection, and what are they still camped on forty days later? Our reading specifically says: “…[Jesus] appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.” He’s talking about God’s Kingdom, they’re talking about the Kingdom of Israel, their plan, their agenda, “Come on Jesus when will the kingdom be restored?” It’s all about us, it’s what we want, we want to rule in this world, we want to do it now, let’s go. Government comes and goes, and for the most part, regardless of who is there, things hardly change and if they do change, it’s usually not for the better. God has implemented the “left hand Kingdom”, the world/government, it is important. But in terms of Jesus? Does it really matter who your state rep is last week, last year, last decade? You probably don’t even remember all of them. Yet there the disciples are; “give us power Jesus!”
What is Jesus’ reply? Guys! Focus! Is that what I’ve been talking about for the last three years? Is that what I’ve been talking about for the last forty days?” This isn’t your call, this is not about politics and power, this is about eternity, the real/eternal Kingdom, the only one that matters. Remember back in Mark 13:32? “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” We are all guilty of it, we try to impose our agenda, our goals, our desires on Jesus. Why wouldn’t they? As far as they are concerned this is unlimited power and Jesus is there to exercise that power for their plans, not for His. Much like most people think today.
I already told you. It’s up to you to faithfully follow. At this point Jesus tells them that they will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. It seems like there’s a lot of waiting with Jesus. They waited and sort of floundered for three days while He was in the tomb, they are with Him forty days they are waiting but they’re never told for what. Certainly not seeing Jesus’ Body being lifted up into the air right before them. But just before this happens He tells them; “this is the plan guys, and this happens on my schedule, according to the Father’s agenda.” Matthew tells them the same thing in Matthew 28: 18-20. All authority has been given to me and it will be better than anything you can think of now. “…you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” You’re talking about being bureaucrats, I’m talking about the power of the Holy Spirit. So often that is how God works, isn’t it? Our sights are pretty low and usually we are just so hooked on what the world tells us to want, Jesus tells us, you’re going to have the Holy Spirit. He is going to lead you to places far from where you are used to being.” Matthew says disciples, Luke says witnesses, but the expected results are the same saying: “ you will be my witnesses, my ma,rturej not just in the old neighborhood, but to places you’ve never been, to the end of the earth. The Greek word ma,rturej means witness, someone who is telling you what happens, but in English you also hear …“martyr”? And so it is, that we are called, to put aside our wants, put aside our agenda, witness to what it is that Jesus wants and yes in some form, die to those desires, be a witness to the world of Jesus, His ideas, His promises, His agenda. We can concern ourselves with our trivial ideas of what is important, or we can stand in awe of Him who is lifted up before us, on the Cross to pay for our sins or by angels taking Him to heaven, to glory, to the ultimate power which He will then bestow on us by making us a temple of the Holy Spirit, by showing us the world, not just our tiny little slice of it, by trusting Him the almighty God for what we do and don’t need to know and then going into that world in His Name, power and glory to be His ma,rturej in His power, but also, in some form, probably in His suffering too. But always to His glory, His power, the Lord of all creation. But unlike the tearful goodbye at the train station, the angels impart the promise, the hope, the assurance. You might feel like lost sheep again, in the meantime you will have the Holy Spirit in you 24/7, you won’t be alone. Jesus will return, in glory, this time to be in your presence forever and you will know all the glory and splendor of the new Jerusalem, your perfect resurrection into the perfect world the Father had always intended through His Son Jesus.
The peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Shalom and Amin.
A “draft for the ages”? Certainly eternal consequences.
I’m sure you’ve heard the “big news” by now, the first openly homosexual man to be drafted by an NFL team was drafted by the St Louis Rams. I was watching the NFL channel coverage of the draft and you would think a cure for cancer, or getting rid of ref’s entirely and having entire games called by video had just happened. There are about 1,700 players in the NFL at any one time. The NFL has been around since the 1920’s, (albeit with far fewer teams), so conservatively somewhere around 100,000 men have played in the NFL and one of them is finally homosexual. Listening to the coverage you’d think that because Michael Sam is homosexual that this is somehow as Sporting News called it, “A Draft for the ages”. Huh? Not too hyperbolic?
A little context and a lot of this is coming out of the Boston sports station that I’ve listened to for years and no, these guys are actually pretty liberal. But they did have some context. The guy was drafted 249th, way down. By a team that is in desperate need of any kind of notoriety, the St Louis Rams. It seems clear there were better players, but hey, despite the fact that there have been tens of thousands in the NFL, and no doubt some were homosexual, does tend to undermine the argument of the number of homosexual men in the population, significantly less then the guesstimated 10% that the liberal media likes to throw around. One of the guys commented that this guy will probably be playing arena football in a couple of years and it will be an “oh yeah, he was the guy back in the 2014 draft.” They also made an interesting comparison to the Tim Tebow drama of a couple of seasons ago. This is a guy who turned around the Denver Broncos and got them into the playoffs. What happened to a guy who has done so much good humanitarian service in the Name of the Savior? The Patriots gave him a shot. A team with the best winning percentage of this century, three Super Bowls, a team with integrity. A coach Bill Belicheck who uses that lame red flag as sparingly as any coach in the league. (May his tribe increase, I want to watch football, not a bunch of legalists fussing about the latest rule changes and video checks. Play football, get on with it and quit whining) Well frankly the NFL is by far the whiningest sport in professional sports. Anyway a team stacked with talent, always in the hunt, but always looking for guys with integrity. They couldn’t keep Tebow, but the whole scenario is, I don’t know, odd?
Interestingly enough in my devotional reading today Henry Blackaby writes on this very subject. Do we coddle people in their sins? No! Do we love them? Do we care for them, do we keep trying to reach them for real life in Christ? Absolutely! Hey, we are all sinners, we all have our issues, but as Blackaby writes: “You are not acting in true friendship if you condone disobedience or even if you look the other way.” Amen brother! Now of course I will probably end up taking heat for this, but for the life of me, help me, explain why it is somehow commendable that we are supposed to be dancing in the streets because a guy who will probably never be on an NFL roster and sleeps with another guy who was drafted 249th. Have we really gotten this messed up as a society?
We have no business telling someone that their sin is just skippity do da and you just go ahead and do whatever you want. Sam is 24 years old, actually a little aged for a NFL draftee, but still, let’s face it a kid. Someone who has a long way to go in life. Where do we adults come off encouraging this guy in his lifestyle? “Jesus never gave relief to people who were under conviction… Jesus brought no comfort to him [Zaccheus] as he dealt with his sin (Luke 19: 1-10)… Neither did Jesus excuse disbelief. We never find Jesus saying, ‘Well, that’s all right. I know I’m asking you to believe a lot and that’s not easy.” This nonsense that Jesus was the Great Enabler, is just that nonsense! Did Jesus give love and compassion? Absolutely! He is always helping us in our sin, we are always sinning. But when our lifestyle is just basically “I don’t care what God wants or doesn’t want, I only care what I want and that’s what I going to do!” This bizarre idea that Jesus is supposed to tell someone “that’s ok, it’s not your fault, you’re a victim or subject to your genetics, blah, blah and whatever you need to do, well that’s just ok (Oprah style)” is just not faithful to Scripture and is just not what we want for a society. Haven’t we seen enough in a society that says I don’t care what’s good, bad or indifferent to anyone else, I’m going to do what I want to do and how it damages anyone else (including me) well too bad. These are the same people that are going to expect a government agency (read the taxpayer) and yes, even more bizarrely, the church to swoop in and pick up the pieces after the inevitable crash and burn.
“Don’t ever try to ease the discomfort of someone whom the Holy Spirit is making uncomfortable! Be careful not to communicate to your friends that you find their lack of faith acceptable … or being comfortable with sin.” That just makes so much sense, the Holy Spirit is pushing on someone to really look at their life as a whole, outside of Jesus, and their sin. Trying to get someone to really realize how far they are lost in their sin and some nice gooey “Christian” in true Oprah style tells them: “…don’t you worry baby, it will be alright, you’re not a bad person, don’t let people tell you, you do what makes you happy…” Ok, that might help their self-esteem, but it’s the same old idolatry. Our feeling good about ourself is more important than what the Holy Spirit is trying to do. “God, what I want, is more important than what you want!” How do you think that will play out in eternity?
Peter King of Sports Illustrated in his blog says that the Michael Sam selection is his pick as the highlight of the draft. He glorifies ESPN’s decision to run uninterrupted and unedited the saga up to and including when Sam kissed his, oh I don’t know, companion, SO,… Really??? So much for unbiased journalism. How on earth does this rate anymore then a shake of the head? If this is what this guy wants to do, if this is what the NFL wants to do, hey you’re grownups, you make your own decisions. But somehow lionizing this moment, trying to make it comparable to some major points in American history? Give me a break and as I wrote before, a 249th pick, someone who will probably never wear an NFL uniform in a regular season game, in a league that has numerous issues with players dealing with legal issues, questions involving gambling and who can forget the great “wardrobe malfunction”, drug abuse, a league that is often derisively referred to as the “National Felon’s League”. There’s no doubt in my mind that the majority of people in the NFL are people of integrity and good judgment. But more and more those in the NFL who just push for the buck, cheap publicity, a general disregard for common decency are dominating professional football. How do you think that will work out for football, for fans of a league that is becoming more debased?
When do those in the NFL who long for a sport of decency, integrity, sportsmanship, an inspiring product, start to push back against the element in the NFL that seems to want to drag the league down to the lowest common denominator? A league that disposes of a Christian who wins (Tim Tebow) and then two years later lionizes a 249th pick solely on the basis of the fact that he sleeps with another guy?
I will admit it, I will probably stay a Patriots fan, because, despite their own situation with former tight end Aaron Hernandez. To their credit, they immediately cut all ties, they did not play around with the situation. It’s an organization that is generally recognized to be high quality in many respects. But it’s teams and people like the Patriots who are going to have to start to restore the credibility of a league that is becoming more of a symbol of questionable virtue.
Yeah, all will be held accountable by God, even those of the great and powerful NFL. The NFL may be an American icon today, but what does that really matter when the final judgment comes. In the meantime, as Blackaby so aptly points out, we don’t do anyone a favor by patting them on the head, telling them not to worry about what God says and send them on their way.
Please do me one more favor, for all you amateur theologians who love to do the “judge not…” that’s not what it means, if you don’t know what you’re talking about, do yourself a favor, stop making yourself look ridiculous and either learn or just be honest and say, “We don’t care what God says, we are going to sin, our blood is on our hands.” Hey so be it. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 4: 1-3: “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,…” This is Paul giving directions to a pastor that he is mentoring. Likewise directions to me a Christian pastor. I’m really tired of the world trying to make a virtue out of obvious sin, admit it, quit trying to justify it, be honest. The world is steeped in sin and trying to justify it with utter nonsense. Christian teachers, the Bible, tell me what is God’s will, that’s what I’m responsible for, that’s what I will teach, convince, rebuke and exhort. At the end of time I can stand before the throne, and yes I will have my own sins to deal with, but in the end I look forward to hearing those words from the Father “‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
That’s my responsibility, the Holy Spirit put me where I am, and I can only be responsible to Him and not to a world that loves to rationalize, justify, cavalierly flout was is virtuous and what is good. If the NFL and the media treated this as a note, fine and move on. But the hyperbole surrounding this has been absurd. Don’t tell the rest of the world that this is a “draft for the ages”, it’s a footnote, if you think it’s otherwise, you really do not live in the real world.
The Dying Word
First Saint Johns
April 9, 2014
This is from Concordia Publishiing House “Words of Life from the Cross” series
SERMON: THE DYING WORD (LUKE 23:46)
The sixth word is Jesus’ dying word, a word of committal, a word of trust. His dying words are faithful, full of trust in His Father, trusting that in His death His Father will receive Him in loving arms just as the father of the prodigal received his son with open and welcoming arms. Here again is the paradox of faith. Jesus had cried out in abandonment, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” and yet now He cries out in faith, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit!”
Isn’t that how it is with the life of faith? God seems so distant at times, especially those times of darkness and woe, those dark nights and days, and yet He stands ever near to embrace us in those strong, loving, fatherly arms. Jesus trusted His Father, and He did it on behalf of all of us. His trust is complete and unwavering. Though He dies, yet He trusts. Though He suffers, yet He trusts. Though the Father is silent and hidden, yet He trusts.
But take note of something—this dying word is not sighed or whispered. This is not a weak word of resignation by a man who is overcome by death. No. He shouts this word in a loud voice. He summons His strength and shouts it to the highest heavens. He wants the whole world to hear what He has to say. He is the Son of the Father, begotten and beloved from all eternity. He trusts His Father’s mandate that sent Him on this mission to the cross.
Jesus is not overcome by death. Rather, He overcomes death by dying. “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55). Jesus has taken the sting of death and the venom of the Law into His own flesh, shed His own blood, and now He cries out in victory and triumph as He commits His life to the Father who sent Him. This strong word of the cross cuts through your doubt and disbelief. Adam’s death is conquered by this Second Adam’s death. Adam hearkened to the doubting word of the devil and became a transgressor, plunging the world into the chaos of sin. But this Second Adam, the new head of redeemed humanity, holds true to His Father and will not waver even as He dies. His life is in the hands of the Father.
With His final breath, Jesus shows Himself to be the faithful Son. Where we have failed, He has succeeded. Where we have sinned, He has proven sinless. Where we doubt, He remains strong.
Being self-absorbed and self-oriented, the old Adam in us resists this surrender. It fights like crazy against the loving embrace of the Father, like a small child throwing a temper tantrum who will not be held. We want to be in control, we want to be in power. We resent any notion that we sit not in the driver’s seat, but in the passenger’s seat of our lives. Like so many drowning victims, we think we can swim to shore ourselves. We do not need a lifeguard; we even resist the attempts to save us. We want it all on our own terms.
You know how it is in your own life—the bargaining, the denial, the transactions—anything but letting go and leaving to God our Father to hold us in safety. Jesus does it. On the cross, He entrusts His life, His mission, His death, everything to His Father. “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.”
The words are from Psalm 31. The psalms are the hymnbook of the living and the dying. Jesus takes up the words of David on His lips, for they are His words, too, wrought by the Spirit of Christ in David.
In you, O LORD, do I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
in Your righteousness deliver me!
Incline Your ear to me;
rescue me speedily!
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me!
For You are my rock and my fortress;
and for Your name’s sake You lead me and guide me;
You take me out of the net they have hidden for me,
for You are my refuge.
Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
You have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.
David, surrounded by his enemies, commits his life into the hand of God. Jesus, the greater Son of David, hanging in the darkness with the burden of humanity’s sin hanging heavy upon Him, commits His life to His Father. In committing Himself into His Father’s hands, He entrusts us as well, gathering all into His death that we might be gathered to Him in our death.
In Luther’s day, people were quite intentional about writing down their last thoughts and confession. What you said at your death was what would be remembered about you. This is Jesus’ last word of His being humbled unto death in obedience to the Law. This is the last word of His work that began with His Baptism where His Father voiced His approval over His beloved Son. Now at the end of His mission, His work completed, the Scriptures fulfilled, the redemption of the world accomplished, He closes His eyes and breathes His last breath with a faithful, trusting word.
Remember these words when it comes time for your last words and make them your “now I lay me down to sleep” prayer. Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit. Say them each night, as the Small Catechism instructs, in case you should die before you wake. Hold the cross of Jesus before your closing eyes, and rest in peace and joy, knowing that death has been swallowed up in the victory of Jesus’ death.
For Your last triumphant cry, for Your faithful trust to the end, for Your final breath of the old creation, for Your entrusting Yourself and us to Your Father, we give You thanks and praise, most holy Jesus. Amen.
Please cllick on the following link for a audio recorded version of this sermon
Sabbath rest, we are called to rest
Pastor Jim Driskell
First St Johns
Sabbath Sermon March 30, 2014 He told us to rest in Him
We make our beginning in the Name of God the Father … And all those who know rest and peace in the Lord of the Sabbath said … AMEN
(Juggling my date book,) I’ll do the reading for Exodus, but then I have to keep practicing my sermon, I’m getting sick of hearing my own voice,(sorry I’ll be right with you) but if I do that in the morning, I’m going to have to be up by 5:30, so that I can get my workout in, do devotions, and then work for a couple of hours before I leave, or I’m going to have to stay up later…..)
We keep trying to find that magic wand to make more time, to try to be more efficient with the time we have. When I worked for Motorola, they were big on stuff like this, they paid for people to take Time Management Classes, during work time. Have to be more efficient, which meant your work days were about (holding hands straight out to the side) this much bigger than when you started. So how about family, nuclear and extended, the kids’ swim meets, music lessons, trips, shared times, quiet moments. How about those other goals in your life; sports, civic, academic, your spouse’s pursuits, and yes once in awhile actually watch a Red Sox game? It’s been estimated that if we did everything that we should do in a day, Red Sox extra, we would need a 36 hour day, mercifully that also includes sleep.
The Sabbath is the 4th commandment, Gene Veith notes, “one of the ten commandments, up there with killing, stealing, not committing adultery… the Sabbath’s holiness is to be recognized by not working on that day.”
So how does a Christian manage his time, I have to tell you, not a whole lot differently. We live in the world too. We put too much trust in our own judgment, we have to do this, we have to do that, can’t let my child get behind, got to put more time in at work, do an Olympic distance triathlon under 2 hours before I’m 60, I want more degrees, on and on, when do we stop and wait on God?
Well, if I shift this around, if I stay up later on Saturday night, I can go to one service, no Bible study, no fellowship interaction, but I can do a zip in pray, sermon, sing, zip out and I’m done. Is that an A priority or a B, Covey says it’s an A, all right, but I’m only budgeting two hours, no more. Make no mistake about it, clergy are pretty much the same, different motivation but…, have to get that new book, titled The Two Minute Pastor.
Rabbi Heschel talks about athletes having to take a breathing spell in order to collect their strength. I’ve been doing triathlons for twenty years, part of race preparation is tapering, for the week prior to your race you rest and let your body repair. Last year I decided to do an racquetball tournament match 2 days before a race. I might as well have not shown up for the race. Rabbi Heschel notes the Sabbath, is time God gives us to taper.
What does God say about this? “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling, (Is. 30:15). This is our Father who is telling us what would be best for us to do. God is not telling us that we will be saved if we become couch potatoes, the third commandment clearly states that “Six days you shall labor and do all your work,” (Ex 20:9). And we are certainly saved in our Lord Jesus Christ, but the Father is concerned that we become so absorbed in our work, our achievement, things that build our pride that we forget our Lord, we make an idol of the things we do. On the Sabbath, we all can stop and turn back to Jesus. Because the Christian Sabbath means more than the commandment, we observe the Sabbath on Sunday because that is the day that Jesus was resurrected to show us that we have life eternal in Him. Every Sabbath we are not only refreshed, God’s Law tell us to rest, we are rejuvenated with the promise of His Gospel the forgiveness of our sins and our life everlasting in Him. So mark it in your day timer now, Sabbath day of rest. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matt 11:28)
Having said all that, we see that Jesus violated the Sabbath in today’s reading, well at least according to Pharisees. According to the Law, and at the point in time the Law was determined by the Pharisees, it was a violation of the Sabbath for Jesus to spit on the ground to make a little mud to anoint the blind man’s eyes. Jesus chose to do His “work” in this way in order to heal the man. We could imagine that He was trying to provoke a reaction by “working” and He got one. They accused Him saying “This man is not of God…” for, according to them, not keeping the Sabbath.
The truth is as Jesus points out, He is the Lord of the Sabbath (Matt 12:8), He can do what He wants. But it also raises an issue too, that there are those who feel they have a ministry of quibbling, as if it is somehow a legitimate pursuit to overlook good work, to find the one flaw, the blemish on an otherwise good face and try to deface the entire effort.
If we are called to do good works, we should do good works, if it’s on the Sabbath it’s no doubt within God’s will, let’s not quibble with someone if they’ve just done a good work. Jesus tells us that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. The Sabbath is always intended to be a time of rest, of rejuvenation, and Dr Veith also points out: “the Sabbath speaks to us of Christ. That God wants us to honor Him by not working is a reminder that we are not saved by our works,…” But maintain some perspective and don’t lose sight of what God is doing, as the Pharisees did when they were in the presence of God, Jesus the Son of God.
It is interesting to note that in our readings today, Jesus saying He is the light of the world, God telling Isaiah: “I will turn the darkness before them into light”, Paul telling us that we are children of light and that we worship on “Sunday”. We are children of light, we do need to remember the Lord in a day of rest and worship, we do need to do good works and not to tear down another’s good efforts, but help them and encourage them in their work. But the Sabbath is also a time that God gives us in order to separate from the world, the day in and day out, the things that hound us and turns us to Him in worship. We need to detach from the world on a regular basis and come to Him for rest, relief, hope, promise, restoration. You do not get this anywhere else but in the church. When we trust in God to turn to Him on a regular basis, once every seven days seems to be a minimum, He gives us what we need to return to the world truly renewed, restored in Him and ready to deal with what the world dishes out.
When we don’t do that, when we trust in what we want, what the world pushes us to do, after awhile we find that the world has ground us down and convinced us that there is no hope. We find that we have been detached from the Sabbath, which is detachment from the church and then detached from the hope and promise in Jesus. It is a commandment that we are not good about honoring, take some time this week, do it with the rest of the family, how can you make the Sabbath more family honoring and therefore more God honoring.
The peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amin and Shalom
God’s will, even in the little things.
We had a great “Coffee Break Bible Study” today, (you could have too, you are all invited 10am Wednesdays Green Bean Coffee Co, corner of W King and Beaver Sts, downtown York, Pa.). Part of the discussion was on liturgical worship, but we also made time on the Gene Veith book that we’ve been studying. I had to share some of his book today.
“…The point here is not to identify vocations for people who think they do not have one, but to emphasize that our Christian calling is to be played out in whatever our daily life consists of.” (Gene Veith God at Work pp 58-59)
Cannot emphasize this enough, we compartmentalize our life and if it doesn’t “have to do with religion”, then we leave God out of the equation. However, God is who put you there (“For such a time as this” – Esther 4:14), He has you there at that time and place for a reason. Discern His will, be open to what the other person is doing and what God is moving you to do.
“If a person is married, that is his or her calling. Thinking I should never have married that person or I have no vocation for marriage is no excuse for divorce or abandonment. “If anyone lives in marriage, in a certain way of life, he has his vocation”, wrote Luther. “When this is interfered with – by Satan, or neighbors, or family, or even by one’s own weakness of mind – it ought not to yield or to be broken in spirit. Rather if any difficulty impedes, let one call on the Lord … For it is sure that here, in fidelity to vocation, God has insisted on hope and trust in his help” (Exposition of Psalm 127; quoted in Wingren, 195) Yea, especially in this case, we let friends (who way too often just tell us what we want to hear), or family with that whole history etc going on, or Satan who will twist and try to manipulate any way he can. He doesn’t care how, so long as it separates you from Jesus and messes up your life.
We are put there for a reason, just because it’s not what we like, doesn’t make us happy or blah, blah whatever excuse we have, does not mean that God did not intend for us to deal with this. We grow when we deal with the things in our life, marriage, work, worship etc. Running away is not growing, it’s immaturity. When we deal with the issues at home, at work, at church, we have taken a test and passed, not saying always well, but we grow, mature. Hopefully all involved grow and mature and see God’s hand at work. But the world’s idea of “well if it’s uncomfortable, unhappy, then it must be wrong…” no, it means that God has you there to confront, deal with and grow in.
“We can do nothing about the past. The future is wholly in God’s hand. Now is what we have. The future-oriented obsession of today’s culture pushes our attention and our good works to the future, to what we are going to do later. We must “live in the hour that has come,” says Wingren. “That is the same as living in faith, receptive to God, who is present now and has something he will do now ‘(214)'”
“…Whatever we face in the often humdrum present – washing the dishes, buying groceries, going to work, driving the kids somewhere… this is the realm into which we have been called and into which our faith bears fruit in love..”
What you are doing now is important, God has you there for a reason, so do it well, oh yeah sure, sometimes we aren’t in the right place, doing the right things and we know perfectly well we’re not. But I’ve certainly had the experience, something that doesn’t seem all that important and yet, the person I’m interacting with sees it as being very important. Even if that person doesn’t express it, I’ve had the feeling, walking away, that wow, I’m glad I stopped for that, it didn’t seem important at the time, now I can really see God’s hand in this.
Be open to what God is doing, it isn’t always a big splash for you, but it might be for someone else. Lots of things we think are boring and unimportant, God is using to move us somewhere or do something in our life. We are often too quick to chose otherwise and then miss what’s supposed to be happening. Putting our will over God’s will, which is never a smart idea.
I could go on, yea I know, when don’t I? But this would be a good topic for next Wednesday. As I said 10am, the Green Bean Coffee Co, corner of W King and Beaver Sts, downtown York, Pa. Parking in the little lot behind the church. Everyone is welcome no charge, obligation etc, I will even buy your first cup of coffee.
Pastor Jim Driskell 