Friday, January 23, 2026

As we move through January, today we hear some words from Matthew's Gospel account...
 
                  "Do not judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves."      (Matthew 7:1  AMPC)
 
This verse is one of the world's most popular Bible verses. For many people --- including professed Christians --- it means questioning of others' beliefs or behaviors is off-limits.
   
But as is usually the case, a single verse needs context to be properly understood. In this case, the next four verses elaborate Jesus' true meaning. It's not that we as Christians can never challenge other people --- but we must never attack others for things that we ourselves are doing. Jesus described this kind of hypocrisy as a "beam of timber" in our eyes while we're seeking to remove the "very small particle" from another's eye (Matthew 7:3 AMPC). 
   
Elsewhere, Jesus taught, "Be honest in your judgement and do not decide at a glance (superficially and by appearances); but judge fairly and righteously" (John 7:24  AMPC). As Christians, we have a biblical responsibility to challenge those on a bad path, believers and unbelievers alike (See 1 Thessalonians 5:14; Jude 1: 22-23). But we must only judge according to biblical standards, and always with mercy and grace.
   
Finally, let's admit that the only person anyone can judge with total accuracy... is ourselves. We should expend our greatest energy in dealing with our own faults and failures before we ever attempt to judge anyone else.
 
          Lord, help me to judge fairly and righteously, starting with myself. Amen.  
 
+++ I am glad to be back to see you for worship at 8:30am and 10:00am on Sunday!  Thanks to all who stepped up to help lead worship last week and did such a great job! This week we will celebrate the 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany and we will hear from Matthew's Gospel about fishing for people. My message, "Called to Belong, Follow, and Share" will be examining how we are called to fulfill each of these 3 steps if we are to be true Jesus followers! And we'll use the church in Corinth to gauge our effectiveness. Join us on Sunday as we worship together. We will be "live-streaming" on the church's Facebook page at 10:00am and then "up-loading" the completed worship to our YouTube channel when completed. We can't wait to "see you" in worship on Sunday!

+++ All ministry and team leaders please remember that Annual Reports are due in the church office by January 30th so that we can prepare the report booklet for the congregation. This is a great opportunity to tell everyone about the work of your team and to invite others to join your group.

+++ Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 18th... when we will gather for worship at 7:00pm. This year's Lenten Theme is: "Dying His Death, Living His Life".  Each week we will look at how each of us is called to "die" to a part of ourselves in order to "live" into Jesus. We will also offer a Lenten Bible Study group at 12:00noon on Mondays each week beginning on February 16th. Plan to commit to a Lenten devotion with us each day and week. Just bring your lunch and be a part of our weekly study group each Monday in Lent.

+++ A NEW PROGRAM OPPORTUNITY begins next week! Each Wednesday morning at 9:30am I will be hosting a "Coffee With the Pastor" time in the Fireside Room! We'll engage in conversation, maybe a devotion or scripture or piece of poetry, or just enjoy fellowship together! We will meet from 9:30am - 10:30am and you can feel free to come and go as needed. I will put on the coffee, tea, or hot water and you can bring a snack if you'd like to do so. I hope you will join me on Wednesday mornings each week!  

+++ 2025 Year End giving statements are available for you to pick up in the Narthex. Please help us save on postage by picking yours up when you are here next. We are so grateful for your continued support of our great church.
 
Make this day a great day and try to be a fair and righteous judge!   
​Pastor Jack