Bill’s Bestowals:
“Seeking Guidance in a New Year”
“… then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”
(Isaiah 58:10b-12)
Dear Church Family,
I hope you read the text above from Isaiah 58 … beautiful words about the light coming, and the Lord guiding, and good things happening. Truly feel-good sentiment!
I’m truly curious, though: when you read it, did it make you curious? Curious enough, perhaps, to open God’s Word and discover what came before it? Note that it opens with “… then ….” Such a word shows that something else has to happen for this feel-good sentiment to become a reality. It is kind of assumed that God followers will really want to know what it is. Therefore, please go grab your Bible and read the chapter … I’ll wait.
OK, now that you’ve read Isaiah 58 : in a nutshell, you realize that God is speaking to His people, Israel, saying, “You profess to seek me and know my ways, and yet I constantly see you hurting others! As long as you are hurting others, you will never find me, and you certainly won’t know my ways!” Starting in verse six, God says, “What you need to do: Bring about justice! Share food with the hungry! Give shelter to the homeless! Clothe the naked! Help those who are oppressed! Then,” as we see above, “then the light will rise, and the Lord will guide, and good things will happen.”
In other words, we have to do what came before the “then” if we’d like to experience what comes after it.
There is a frightening trend in our culture right now: people are walking away from the church. This is especially true of Generation X and Millennials … but not Generation Z, because … well, you first have to walk to the church to walk away from it! In fact, according to a fantastic book called “Unchristian” by researcher David Kinnaman, polls indicate that young people have a pretty negative perception of the Christian faith. Here’s a taste: 85% of young respondents claimed Christians are hypocritical, 87% said Christians are judgmental, and 91% identified Christians as being antihomosexual … and they don’t want to be a part of such things. An observation Kinnaman makes from this: “We have become famous for what we oppose, rather than who we are for.”
This brings me back to Isaiah 58. I know many Christians love the sentiment of Isaiah 58:10b-12, but they really aren’t interested in what God might have to say that leads up to it. What about us? Do we long to see light and have the Lord’s guidance?
Speaking of God’s Guidance: the following song was written with our 125th Anniversary in mind. The sentiment is perfect to send us into the New Year:
PRAYER FOR GUIDANCE
- Father, I pray that You be my guide,
as Your son, Jesus, walks by my side.
Moved by Your spirit, I will abide,
sharing Your love with this whole world wide.
- Dear Lord, please grant me this one request:
that through Your love this world will be blessed.
Please use my hands, and guide my feet,
Work through me always; make me complete.
- Into the future I give You my trust,
I’ll follow Your ways, Lord, for Your ways are just
Help me look forward, not live in the past,
I pledge You my future, ‘til You come at last!
If you want the tune, you can find it online by watching our Nov. 27, 2022 service, OR the January 1, 2023 service.
If you are a “New Year’s Resolution” kind of person, I hope you will resolve to ask for and respond to God’s guidance daily, for he is the Light in our darkness!
Again, Happy New Year! Pastor Bill
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January 2023 Calendar:
Sunday: Fellowship Hour 9:30 a.m.
Sunday School (ages 4-18) at 10 a.m.
Worship at 11 a.m.
Thursday: GriefShare at 10 a.m. in the fellowship hall.
Jan 2: Youth Lock-In 6 p.m.
Jan 3: Mission Meeting at 5 p.m.
Jan. 4: Worship Meeting 1 p.m.
Jan 5: Fellowship Meeting 8 a.m.
Jan 5: Christian Education Meeting 12:30 p.m.
Jan 10: Membership & Evangelism Meeting 6 p.m.
Jan 15: Congregational Meeting to receive Annual Reports follows worship.
Jan 15: Pot-Luck Lunch following Congregational Meeting.
Jan 16: Stewardship & Finance Meeting 1 p.m.
Jan 18: Session Meeting 5:30 p.m.
Jan 29: Helping Hands Sunday 9 a.m.
Jan 31: Building & Grounds Meeting 10 a.m.
BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES:
7 – Diana Patterson 21 – Abby Langin
7 – Chuck Schroyer 22 – Annette Hays
11 – Karen Mosier 23 – Russell Smith
14 – Jeff Pullen 24 – Georgia Landry
14 –Carl Wood 26 – Serena Loyd
17- Anne Dahm 29 – Devin Broyles
SERVING THIS MONTH:
Ushers: Wes Stiefer & Mike Landry
Communion Preparer: Susan Seitz & Lois Morrow
Communion Servers: Chuck Schroyer, Dora Venable, Judy Thompson
Garrett Lundberg & Leon Myers
SPECIAL COLLECTION SUNDAYS:
January 1: Personal Care Collection
January 22: Goodland Academy
