The Shepherd’s Voice

by Pastor Doug Pratt

America has faced two great national crises in the 21st century that came to us from outside our land (and one crisis that was largely self-made, the financial recession of 2008). The two external crises have been the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 and the great coronavirus pandemic of 2020. The differences between our national reactions are important to notice.

Though it has been nearly 19 years, my memories of the aftermath of the four plane crashes on 9/11 are still vivid. The initial response across the country was a natural emotion of fear; we all wondered if this was just the start of a wave of terror attacks that would strike Americans. Travel was immediately cancelled, people felt drawn to be with those they love, businesses and the stock market plunged, and the government scrambled to react. But there was also a strong impulse among people of all levels of church involvement to turn to the Lord, get back to church, and re-examine their lives through a different perspective. Americans were angry at the enemy for its unprovoked attack. Patriotism soared and flags flew. Volunteers rushed to Ground Zero in Manhattan to help with the rescue and clean-up. Thousands enlisted in the military to defend our freedom. Even Congress showed a unity of purpose, singing God Bless America together on the Capitol steps. It was a time when, through our grief and shock and fear, we came closer together.

The current crisis has played out quite differently. Though the pandemic is caused by another external enemy, our foe is not other human beings but an unthinking microbe. Nobody has been waving flags or singing patriotic songs in defiance; it is difficult to direct righteous anger at something that has no […]

by Pastor Steven Grant

Jesus taught as part of His Sermon on the Mount, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life…” (Matthew 6:25, ESV). This may seem very difficult to do, especially in times such as we are now experiencing. Jesus is teaching us much more about the God we love and worship than He is about us. Jesus continued by encouraging us to consider birds and flowers, and to remember how much more valuable we are than they. Jesus assures us that God is so intimately involved with His creation that He even makes sure that birds have food to eat and that flowers are a miracle of beauty. So, is it not possible that our God will be able to help us, sustain us, and love us through any challenge we might face?

Try to imagine the fear and anxiety the followers of Jesus must have felt on that first Good Friday. The One in whom they placed all their hope and faith was being crucified before them. And yet by quoting the first line of Psalm 22 (“My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?”), Jesus was in fact invoking the whole Psalm. As you read the entire Psalm, notice the truth that has been often preached by many others since: “It is Good Friday, but Easter Sunday is coming!”

May you all be well and joyous in the Lord!

A SIMPLE PRAYER
Almighty God, calm my anxious heart. Fill me with that peace that passes all understanding. Enable me to glorify You even in how I respond to our current crisis and by the trust I place in You. You, O Lord, are worthy of that trust, of all our faith and […]

by Pastor June Barrow

A friend once told me of a decision she made. She would be intentional about choosing a path of discipleship. That meant new commitments to learn the Bible, to pray for herself and others, and to serve God as best she could. And then… she received a diagnosis—breast cancer.

As she talked to me about it, she said, “I had marked out for myself a path of discipleship, a plan to grow in my faith. But here I am on a completely different path, one I would never have chosen and did not see coming. I see now that this is the real path of my discipleship and that the Lord is with me and that this is where my faith will grow.”

So it is with us. Our worship has changed, our classes suspended, our gatherings now virtual. None of us chose this; none of us saw it coming. But for us, for now, this is our path of discipleship.

What is ahead? There will be much prayer, many calls to trust in God, battles of faith against fear and doubt, and fresh awareness of our love for one another. Be honest with God about what you think, feel, and believe. Stand firm on what you know: Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28, NIV).

Though we are surprised by these events, God is not. Though I may be daunted, God is not. He leads, we follow. He keeps us and we are His. We belong to Him. That is our constant security.

by Pastor Allen Walworth

And a leper came to Jesus begging him, and kneeling he said to Jesus, “If you choose, you can make me clean.” Deeply moved by this, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said, “I do choose. Be made clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. (Mark 1:40-42, NRSV)

So, how are you feeling after these several days of social distancing and home sheltering? Do you have cabin fever, are you bored or tired of your own cooking? For many, the most difficult part of this unusual time is the physical separation from those we love—our family, our friends, our church. Sure, we have the phone, the internet, and Zoom calls—and thanks be to God that we do—but what we miss with these technological connections, what we still miss the most, is the feeling of human touch.

God designed us for touch. Newborn babies need to feel human touch to remain healthy, and so do adults. God created miles of nerve endings coiled into every square inch of our skin, all designed to feel the sense of touch. When those tiny nerves are starved, we begin to get “skin hunger” (the word my kids used when they wanted to be hugged).

So imagine how the leper felt in the Scripture passage above. Lepers were socially “untouchable” in the first century, when many believed that God was punishing them for their sins. Greatly feared and despised by the healthy population, lepers were considered dirty and unclean, and not allowed to be near any other person, including their families. (Does this sound anything like today’s headlines?) How unthinkably bold it was of Jesus to heal this leper, and to do so by extending His hand to touch […]

by Pastor Su Kim

As the world adjusts to stay-at-home orders, the Bible tells us that the Apostle Paul had to adjust not only to stay-at-home orders but to being chained in his own home under guard. No longer able to travel freely and share the gospel of Jesus Christ, it seemed that Paul’s imprisonment would hinder the spread of the Good News. And yet, God used this new situation. His incarceration afforded the church a chance to support Paul. The generosity expressed by Christ’s church during those trying times reminded Paul of God’s provision and care, which allowed him to remain joyful and content in all circumstances (Philippians 4:12-13). It also gave Paul an opportunity to write his letter to the church in Philippi. He tells the church, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel” (Philippians 1:12, ESV). A new situation allowed the furtherance of the gospel in profound ways and gave followers of Christ the book of Philippians, a source of wisdom and inspiration through the ages.

How might this new situation in which we find ourselves serve to advance the gospel? How might God be encouraging each of us to be generous as an expression of gratitude to God for the glory of His name? What innovative ways will God allow for more people to hear the good news? 

by Pastor Brad Rogers

Social distancing is a misnomer. What we actually need is physical distance in order to prevent the spread of disease. This is important to note because our souls deeply yearn for connection with God and with one another. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 12, “…so in Christ we, though many, form one body and each member belongs to the others.” In this time of greater social distance—even from our community of faith—many of us are left feeling spiritually dis-membered, cut off from the spiritual body. 

Psalm 42 speaks to the soul’s longing to gather in worship of God:

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? – Psalm 42:1-2

There exists in each of us a longing to be with God and God’s people. How can we as believers who sense this longing to connect in a meaningful way also protect one another? The psalmist provides the answer to dis-memberment, saying “…therefore I will RE-MEMBER you…” (Psalm 42:6). 

If you are feeling cut off from the Christian community, from your church family, you can REMEMBER one another. We can reconnect in ways that go beyond the current social and physical limitations.

• Remember one another in prayer.
• Remember one another with personal connections by phone, text, email, social media, or other safe social measures.
• Remember to gather in worship together online.
• Remember […]