Friday, June 27, 2025

As our summer schedule changes begin to take effect, I read these words in John's gospel account...

                "So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one will rob you of that joy."   (John 16:22 NLT)  

At the point of Jesus' saying these words, his disciples were disturbed and confused over what he had told them would happen in the coming hours. They would suffer deep sadness when their Master was arrested, tried, and condemned to die the agonizing death of a common criminal.
   
But before these things could come to pass, Jesus made them one of His final promises, namely that they would soon be reunited with Him and that their sorrow would be turned into a joy that no one could ever take away. The disciples, unfortunately, didn't fully understand Jesus' words, but they would just a few days later.
   
And I think Jesus' promise to his disciples also applies to us today. One day, "the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads" (Revelation 22" 3-4  NIV).  
   
No matter what kinds of sorrows we might be facing in this life, we can, I think, take comfort and joy in knowing that we will one day see our precious Savior face-to-face.  

          Jesus, thank You for giving your all so that I could be brought into Your eternal kingdom. Help me to focus not on the sorrows of this life but on the indescribable joy that I shall experience when I one day see you face-to-face in heaven. Amen. 

+++ Worship this Sunday switches to our summer schedule when we will gather for ONE WORSHIP SERVICE AT 9:00AM! This week we will continue reading from Paul's letter to the Galatians and I'll be talking about the "Fruits of the Spirit". With which fruits have you been gifted? And how are you using these fruits? Join me Sunday as we think about this together. Our Facebook "live-stream" moves to 9:00am this week, as well and then we will, of course, be uploading the completed worship service to the church's YouTube channel as well.  

+++ The summer office schedule also changes this week. The office will be open Monday-Thursday from 9:00am - 3:00pm. There is a one-hour lunch period from about 12:30-1:30 each day. If you're wondering if the office is open, please just give us a call! Emergency numbers remain on the answering machine if needed.  

+++ Have you registered yet for our Vacation Bible School program on Wednesday nights in August?  Oue theme this year is "ROAD TRIP... on the road with God".  We will also need helpers each week and you can easily register here. See you ON THE ROAD!

+++ Mark your calendars for our annual Mini Golf outing for Missions on Saturday, August 9th. More information will be coming soon but we hope you can save the date for this fun event!  

Make this day a great day and enjoy the beauty of God's creation all around you!  Pastor Jack