February Epistle: Looking for God

The Hubble space telescope was launched in 1990 and orbits the earth at an altitude of about 340 miles.  The Hubble is known for its spectacular photos of stars, galaxies and nebulae.  For example, this recent photo was taken of a "celebrity star," one of the brightest stars seen in our galaxy, surrounded by a glowing halo of gas and dust. 

What beauty there is in our universe!  Astronomers around the world have been awestruck over the success of Hubble and the fantastic pictures that it has relayed to earth over the past 31 years.

However, the Hubble has its limitations.  Enter the James Webb Space Telescope.  This new, $10 billion telescope launched on Christmas day.  Unlike the Hubble which resides in low earth orbit, the James Webb has parked itself almost a million miles outside of earth’s orbit around the sun.

Evolutionists now believe that the universe is around 13 billion years old.  For various reasons, they have concluded that the earliest stars which formed in what they call the “Big Bang” are not visible to the Hubble.  The James Webb telescope is an exclusively infrared telescope, which sees light emitted outside the visible range of our eyes and the Hubble telescope.  It is believed that the “early” stars can be seen in the infrared spectrum of light.  This is the goal of the James Webb project, which should begin producing images this summer.

I am anxious to see what this new telescope will find.  The images from the Hubble have been breathtaking.  I am in awe of the majesty and power of God, who formed the universe and all that is in it not in 13 billion years, but in the space of six days.  He created the stars and planets, galaxies and nebulae with His powerful Word through Christ Jesus, as John says in the first chapter of his Gospel.  He created it all for times and seasons, to give light on the earth, and for our enjoyment.  But not until recent times have we been able to see some of the incredible beauty that exists in the vast universe.  

The James Webb telescope is looking for evidence of evolution.  It is a $10 billion investment to find and understand our origins.  Without knowing it, it’s looking for God.  But God makes himself known freely.  He describes in His Word where we and the entire universe came from: “God said…and there was.”  Of the sun, moon and stars Scripture says, “And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.’ And it was so” (Genesis 1:14-15).

And God made man, and man sinned against God and was cast out of His presence.  And God saved man.  That’s what He has revealed to us in His holy Word.  That’s something that the Hubble, and the James Webb, and all the instruments of scientific discovery can’t see or understand or know.

Images from the Hubble are amazingly beautiful, and the ability to park the James Webb a million miles away from us in space is an astounding feat of scientific prowess.  But neither compares to the beauty and power of the incarnation of Jesus Christ, or to His suffering and death on the cross for the sin of mankind, or to His resurrection from the dead on Easter morning.  

The universe in which we live is passing away.  But the Scriptures shed light that transcends the universe.  That light reveals our past and our eternal future.  It delves deep into our being and shines a light on our sin and on the forgiveness we have through our Savior.

The James Webb telescope is so powerful that it would be able to detect the tiny heat signature of a bumble bee as far away as the moon.  At the same time, it is completely powerless to see the mighty workings of God and His great love for you.  For that, you need your Bible.

O LORD, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.

Out of the mouth of babies and infants,

you have established strength because of your foes,

to still the enemy and the avenger.


When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him,

    and the son of man that you care for him?


Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings

    and crowned him with glory and honor.

You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;

    you have put all things under his feet,

all sheep and oxen,

    and also the beasts of the field,

the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,

    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord,

    how majestic is your name in all the earth!


Psalm 8


In the name of Jesus,

Pastor


January Epistle: A Firm Foundation

You and I are sitting on the brink of a new year.  2021 is in the rear-view mirror and 2022 remains yet behind the curtain.  We’re not gifted with foresight that will tell us what is to come in the months ahead.  After the last couple of years, we wonder, “What’s next?  What’s around the bend in 2022?”  Uncertainty can be pretty unnerving!

One thing that is certain is that nothing stays the same.  We get comfortable with things as they are, and then we blink, and they’ve changed!  Our health changes and our lives take a new turn.  Unforeseen expenses throw our financial security into doubt.  A virus makes its way around the world and everything is thrown into confusion.  Sometimes we’re left wondering, “Is there nothing in this life that we can depend on?”

For the Christian, the answer is a resounding Yes!  We can depend on God’s Word.  We can depend on His love for us.  We can depend on His forgiveness.  Why is that?  How do we know that all of this is true?

If you were to walk by the church property at 4949 E. Eastman Ave. today, you’d find a flurry of activity as workers frame the foundation walls in preparation for another cement pour.  These footers reveal a mass of rebar to strengthen the foundation at specific points.  

It is on these footers that the weight of the building will rest.  They must be strong and stable.  Any movement in the footers would translate to movement in the structure of the building itself. 

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One of our beloved hymns answers the question, “How do we know that God’s love for us is true?”  

How firm a foundation,

O saints of the Lord,

Is laid for your faith

in His excellent Word!

What more can He say

than to you He has said

Who unto the Savior

for refuge have fled?

God has preserved for us His holy Word.  2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”  Peter writes that “No prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).  Jesus himself testifies to the truth of the Old Testament saying, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me” (John 5:39).  He also speaks to the truth of the New Testament, saying to His disciples, “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” John 14:25-26.  An Isaiah 40:8 says, “The Word of our God will stand forever.”

The Scriptures are true.  They are sure.  They are strong and stable.  They are God’s holy Word.  They are God’s revelation to the world of His saving work in Jesus.  The Scriptures reveal to us that Jesus was born as the sinless Lamb of God to bear our sins on the cross, die, and rise from the dead on the third day.  It is on the shed blood of the Son of God that your salvation stands.  God loved you so that He gave His one and only Son to die in your place.  That’s what your salvation rests on.  There is no better foundation.

When through fiery trials

your pathway will lie,

My grace, all sufficient,

will be your supply.

The flames will not hurt you

 I only design

Your dross to consume

and your gold to refine.

It’s true that we don’t know what lies ahead for us in the new year.  We can certainly expect that there will be challenges – some may be significant, others will be small.  But through it all, God’s love and care and the surety of His promises remain.  The cross and the empty tomb are the sure foundation of your faith.  The trials and troubles of this world are temporary.  Your heavenly Father’s love and the salvation that is yours through Jesus Christ are eternal. 


Throughout all their lifetime

My people will prove

My sov’reign, eternal, 

unchangeable love;

And then, when gray hairs 

will their temples adorn,

Like lambs they will still 

in My bosom be borne.

(LSB 728)

God bless you as He has in the past and give you peace in the coming year as you stand on the firm foundation of his love.  In the name of Jesus,

- Pastor


Building Update: Demolition Approaches

Dear Friends and Family of University Hills Lutheran Church,

 Greetings to you and your family in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

 We’ve been informed that the demolition permit for the old church building should be approved by the city of Denver soon.  This is good news and shows that we are indeed moving toward the construction of a new building in which to worship.  There is, of course, a bitter-sweet aspect to the news as well, as many of us have dear memories of being confirmed, married, even baptized in the old sanctuary.  Some of us attended grade school at U-Hills.  Consequently, there is an element of sadness to this latest news.

 The Gospel lesson that was read recently was from Matthew 16:13-20.  The people were saying all sorts of things about who Jesus was, from “a prophet” to “Jeremiah” to “John the Baptist,” Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”  And Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

 Jesus says in response that the Father has revealed this to Peter, and that Jesus will build his church on this confession, saying that the very gates of hell will not prevail against it.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ has been preached at University Hills for sixty-eight years, and the Christians who have gathered there for services in that span of time have continued to make the same confession that Peter made, two thousand years ago:  “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  With that confession, we also confess: “He lived and died and rose from the dead for me and all sinners.  I am saved by grace alone, through faith alone.”

 This reminds me of the hymn which we sung that same Sunday, “Built on the Rock.”  The first stanza is memorable: 

 Built on the Rock the Church shall stand

Even when steeples are falling.

Crumbled have spires in every land;

Bells still are chiming and calling.

Calling the young and old, to rest,

But above all the souls distressed,

Longing for rest everlasting.


 Church buildings don’t last forever.  The recent fire that destroyed a good deal of the Notre-Dame Cathedral illustrated that.  Many churches fell in Europe during the devastation of WWII.  Our own building, it has been determined, is not a good candidate for the remodel necessary to ready it for use as a sanctuary.  We, therefore, have opted to take it down and erect a new one, complete with worship space, offices, and accessible restrooms.  The building will include unfinished space for a warming kitchen and classrooms, which we ourselves will finish at a future date.  Thankfully, God’s Church stands, even when the buildings do not.

 

Verse three of “Built on the Rock” illustrates that perfectly:

 We are God’s house of living stones,

Built for His own habitation. 

He through baptismal grace us owns

Heirs of His wondrous salvation…

 

Ephesians 2:19-22 says, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.  In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

 Buildings will fall and rise, but the Church, the people of God, built into a holy habitation and temple of God, will remain until the end of time, and on into eternity.

 As we look back and reminisce about the special occasions that we associate with our old church building, we are reminded that what made them memorable was what took place there, and with whom we shared it.  Our baptism, or perhaps that of our child, was a forgiveness of sins, God putting his name on us, putting his Holy Spirit into our hearts.  Our wedding was a commitment before God and each other, God uniting two into one flesh.  The funeral of our loved one was a thanksgiving to God for their life shared with us, and a commendation of their soul to his care until the Day of Resurrection should come and we be reunited once again.  Our confirmation was a day when we proclaimed publicly our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, confessing that the doctrine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod was true to the Scriptures, which are the only norm of faith and life. 

 These memories will live on, as will our faith in Christ and our love for him.  We will continue to meet together each Lord’s day.  We will celebrate the holy Eucharist.  We will baptize our children.  We will teach the Scriptures to young and old alike, both in our congregation and to those nearby.  And, we will continue to proclaim Christ as crucified and risen from the dead, and returning one day to take us all home.

 In these days of change and uncertainty and as we move forward in faith with our building project, I pray that our Lord Jesus Christ will continue to be your Rock and your Fortress, and that, relying on Him alone, you will have joy and peace.

 In the name of Jesus,

Pastor Vanderhyde

An Update on Resuming In-person Services

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 Psalm 122 begins, “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”  It is my great joy to invite you to “Go up to the house of the Lord” as University Hills Lutheran Church resumes our noon worship services beginning this Sunday, June 21. 

We are working hard to ensure that our gathering will be safe for everyone and that our procedures are in line with state and county health dept. guidelines for large groups.

This transition to in-person services will not include fellowship time or in-person Bible study or Sunday School.  We will continue to offer a virtual Bible study each Sunday, at 10:00am, via Zoom.  Christ Lutheran will be sanitizing the pews, doorknobs, etc. after their 9:00am service to ensure a clean facility for our service.

 We encourage anyone who is especially vulnerable to the coronavirus, and anyone who is uncomfortable gathering in groups just yet, to continue to make use of the services that we will continue to post online.  Please do whatever you feel necessary to ensure your good health. 

This Sunday, please observe the following:

·         Please wear a mask into the sanctuary and until you are seated.

·         Keep proper distance between you and others.

·         Seating in the sanctuary will be limited.  An usher will help guide you to your seat.

·         Once seated, you may remove your mask.

·         As you come forward to receive communion, please wear your mask and keep a good distance (at least 6-8 feet) from the family group ahead of you.

·         Wait to approach the table with the elements until the family group ahead of you has moved on.

·         Remove your mask once you have reached the table to receive the elements.

·         Replace your mask when returning to your seat.

·         When you have returned to your seat, you may remove your mask.

·         An offering plate will be located at the back of the sanctuary.

 

I look forward to seeing those of you who are able this Sunday.  If you have any questions regarding our worship on Sunday, or if you feel you are not comfortable attending but would like me to give you private communion at home, please call me.

It will be a joy to see you all and to worship together again.  God be with you and give you His peace.

In the name of Jesus,
Pastor Vanderhyde

An Update on Coronavirus Concerns and our Community

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

These are trying times as we watch for news of the spread of the Coronavirus in our city, state, and nation.  Our leaders are working hard to get out in front of this disease. Recommendations are changing daily, it seems, and are becoming stricter with each report.  Yesterday, March 16, Governor Polis announced the closing of restaurants, bars and theaters across the state to onsite activities (takeout and delivery is still allowed). 

A few days ago it was mandated in Colorado that all gatherings of fifty people or more be canceled.  Yesterday, the CDC and the president's task force asked that, for at least the next two weeks, any community with minimal to moderate COVID-19 spread cancel gatherings of ten people or more.

As followers of Jesus Christ and as citizens of God's heavenly kingdom, we are not to live our lives in fear of anything save God alone.  Romans 8:28 says, "We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."  In confident faith we trust that his promise is true. A few verses later we read, "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?"  The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the demonstration of God's love for each one of us and for the world (Romans 5:8). Therefore we do not live in fear, but we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

While we do not live in fear, trusting ourselves to the Lord's care, we also must act as responsible citizens in our community.  We have been urged by our district office to heed the advice of the CDC and our local authorities in how we respond to and work to minimize the impact and spread of the Coronavirus.  There are many in our congregation and larger circles who are at high risk from this disease. 

I have been in contact with our Elders and Church Council, and we have come to the difficult decision that, for the good of our church community and the community at large, University Hills will discontinue all church-related activities for the time being.  Christ Lutheran and other congregations have decided to do the same. We will continue to monitor the recommendations of the CDC and local authorities and will keep our members informed of any decisions that are made as we go forward.

What we are witnessing is unprecedented.  We don't know what, in the end, the impact will be.  What we do know is that our Lord remains in control, and that he will continue to work for our good.  Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord!

During this time I will continue posting audio sermons to this website, found here. Please hit the “subscribe button” at the top of the page to have the sermons automatically delivered to your phone.  You can also find an expanded online form of our service including the scripture readings for the day, sermon, creed, Lord's prayer, prayer for our congregation and society, and benediction here.  Please contact Roberta or myself if you would prefer an audio CD or a printed copy to be mailed to you each week. I'd also like to be able to offer times when I would be available at the church (Christ Lutheran) for members to receive private communion. Watch for details that will be forthcoming.  Please also continue to update the church office (Roberta) or myself with prayer requests.

There are devotional materials and sermons from The Lutheran Hour Ministries at www.lutheranhour.org and from Lutheran Public Radio at www.lutheranpublicradio.org.  The Lutheran Hour is broadcast each Sunday in Denver at 6:00 a.m. on 850 AM and 94.1 FM.

God is giving us an opportunity to love each other and our neighbor.  If you have any needs at all (grocery shopping, rides to doctor, etc.), please contact me (at the phone number below) or one of the Elders.  We have people ready and able to be helpful to our brothers and sisters. Likewise, remember to check on your neighbors and offer help where you are able.

On Sunday we read responsively Psalm 46.  It is very applicable to our situation today.

God is our refuge and strength,

    a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,

    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam,

    though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

    the holy habitation of the Most High.

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;

    God will help her when morning dawns.

The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;

    he utters his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord of hosts is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come, behold the works of the Lord,

    how he has brought desolations on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

    he burns the chariots with fire.

"Be still, and know that I am God.

    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth!"

The Lord of hosts is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

I will be praying for you all and I encourage you to continue in prayer for one another, for our congregation, and for the nation at large.  God be with you!

In Christ,

Pastor Vanderhyde 

303-759-0161

The March Epistle: The Word of the Lord Stands

I think it’s safe to say that we live in a changing world.  The stock market is up, the stock market is down (today it’s down because of the coronavirus scare!).  Oil is boom, oil is bust, oil is boom again. Yesterday the house two doors down was there, today it’s a pile of rubble, waiting for the new owner to build a new and better house.  What seemed a solid, family value (marriage between a man and a woman) has seemingly redefined overnight.  

In this changing world, people come to power and, inevitably, lose that power.  Borders are redrawn, nations rise and fall. Often, leaders and even nations want to leave a legacy about themselves, something that will speak well of them for generations to come.  On our recent trip to Italy, we saw a lot of that in the museums: busts and full sculptures of emperors and senators, monuments to military victories, etc.  

One interesting monument was the Arch of Titus. It was erected by Emperor Domitian in 81 AD to honor his brother’s (Titus) victory in the Jewish rebellion in Judea.  About 35 years before this rebellion was put down in 70 AD, the disciples remarked to Jesus about the beauty of the temple stones.  His reply referenced this very victory and the coming destruction by Rome: 

“You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down” (Matthew 24:2).

Solomon’s temple was not forever but was destroyed.  Neither was Herod’s temple forever (the temple was rebuilt in Jerusalem in 516 BC and enlarged and refurbished by Herod the Great in the decades before Jesus was born).  The Arch of Titus has carvings which detail the victorious procession of the conquering army of Rome as it brought away many Jews as slaves and the treasures of the Jewish temple as spoils.  The Arch of Titus still stands today, but even this stone monument is not forever, as it required restoration in the 1800’s.

The Roman Empire spanned 1000 years.  The ancient Romans believed that, no matter what went on in the world, Rome would endure.  Even today it is sometimes referred to as the Eternal City.  

It was striking, then, to see the remains of ancient Rome.  The Forum is a preserved area of the heart of ancient Rome where great pillared colonnades and massive buildings once stood as temples to various deities and even Roman emperors.  

Although the artist’s renderings of the original buildings are beautiful and quite impressive, these great monuments to a civilization did not last.  Neither did the Roman Empire.

All of this might remind us of Psalm 146, where God urges us:

 “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.  When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.”

Don’t put your faith in kings and princes, in emperors or presidents, in the government…, because all of the establishments of man will pass away.  After Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple, he says, 

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

The only thing stable in this world, the only thing that will not pass away, is the Word of God.  That Word is the good news of a loving God who sent his only Son to be our Savior, to die on a Roman cross for the sins of the world.

While the world continues to change, while kingdoms rise and fall, God’s eternal Word will continue to change the hearts of people, bringing repentance and creating faith.  Whatever happens in your life today, tomorrow, and over the decades, His love for you will never change, and His claim on you as his dear child will remain true forever.

Swift to its close 

Ebbs out life’s little day;

Earth’s joys grow dim,

Its glories pass away;

Change and decay in all I see;

O, thou who changest not,

Abide with me.

God bless you during this Lenten season as you look forward to the celebration of Christ’s passion and His glorious resurrection, eternal monuments to His great love for you.

- Pastor

The January Epistle: Forth in the Name of the LORD

I pray that your remembrance of Christmas was filled with peace and joy as you celebrated the coming of Christ our Savior in humility to win for us the victory over sin and Satan, over death and hell.

I have a question for you.  Were you victorious in 2019?  You could very well respond, “That depends on how you define victorious!”  How did you fare in accomplishing your New Years’ resolutions?  I can imagine that many of the items that made last year’s list appear as hopefuls on this year’s list as well.  However, our victories and defeats involve much more than whether or not our New Year’s resolutions are met. A change to one’s health, job transition or loss,  a broken relationship, the death of a loved one, or any number of disappointments and difficulties can seem insurmountable at the time. When we’re faced with such obstacles in the coming year, will we be victorious?  Or will they defeat us?

One of the great victory accounts in the Bible is found in 1 Samuel chapter 17.  It’s the account of David vs Goliath. I encourage you to take five minutes and reread the account for yourself.  It’s pretty exciting! David is just a young boy who tends his father’s sheep. His older and full-grown brothers are with the army of Israel under King Saul, and are encamped against the Philistines.  Each day the Philistine champion, Goliath, comes out of the ranks of the enemy and challenges one Israelite to face him in battle – winner take all. Goliath is over nine feet tall, his armor alone weighs around 125 lbs, and no one from Saul’s army (including Saul) dares fight with him.

Along comes young David, sent by his father to see how the battle is going.  When David hears the challenge of the giant, and when he sees the army of Israel fleeing before him, he tells Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of [Goliath].  [I] will go and fight with this Philistine.” Saul’s tells David that he can’t, he’s just a boy, and this guy has been practicing war since he was David’s age! But David replies that he’s used to fighting lions and bears and is not afraid.  Saul consents and offers his armor and sword to David, but, of course, they don’t fit the stature of a boy. Instead, David takes his staff and chooses five smooth stones from the brook. With these and his sling he approaches Goliath.

Goliath disdains David, and says, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?”  And then he curses David by Goliath’s gods. David runs at Goliath, fits a stone to his sling, and slings it at the giant.  The stone sinks into his forehead and he falls on his face. David cuts off his head with Goliath’s own sword, and the Philistines flee en masse.

Now, it looks like David has won a great victory over Goliath and the Philistines.  And, to be sure, David is hailed as a national hero. After all, he was bold and brave and didn’t let the size and bluster of Goliath intimidate him.  I could say much here and give you three ways to emulate David and gain victory over the difficulties and obstacles of 2020. But it would all be rubbish.  

I have, you may have noticed, left out some really important details in the telling of the story.  First, David tells Saul that the reason he will be able to strike the giant down is that “[Goliath] has defied the armies of the living God!”  He says confidently, “Yahweh, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”  David’s confidence is not placed in himself, in his abilities or wisdom or strength. He is sure of victory because the Lord, Yahweh, is with him.

Then, when David faces Goliath and the Philistine taunts him, David replies, “You come to me with a sword and a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of Yahweh of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”  David tells Goliath that he will be victorious this day over him and over the entire Philistine army, “For the battle is Yahweh’s, and he will give you into our hand.”

Many of us will be facing Goliaths in this coming year.  I want to encourage you to lift up your heads with confidence and to meet these giants without fear.  Just as David was confident in the Lord Yahweh’s presence with him, you, too, can be confident that the same Yahweh of hosts, is with you.  He has sent his only Son, the Son of David, to be born in the city of David for you. Jesus Christ faced our greatest enemies – sin, death and the devil – and he has utterly defeated them all.  

Because you are the Lord’s, he will be with you as you face your Goliaths this year.  Just as David was able to recite how the Lord had been with him in the past you can point to the past as well.  David looked forward to the coming of the Christ. You can point to the cross and the empty tomb and say with confidence, “Jesus, the Christ, has come for me!”  You can point to your baptism and be reminded that in the blessed waters Yahweh put his name on you and you became his dear child. You can be assured of his presence as you place the very body and blood of Christ into your mouth for the forgiveness of your sins and the strengthening of your faith.

As we step out into the great unknown in 2020, remember that the same God, Yahweh of hosts, is with you, as he was with David, and that the battle is the Lord’s.  As you meet your Goliaths head on, remember that Christ has already won the victory for you. You are his, and he will guard and keep you in 2020 as he has in the past.  We go forth in the name of the Lord!

- Pastor

The December Epistle: Silent Night

So where were you and what were you doing on July 19th of 2012?  On the 20th?  How about the 21st?  Perhaps you, along with millions around the world, were watching and waiting with bated breath for the announcement that Princess Kate had given birth.  When the baby was finally born on July 22nd, the images of Prince William (aka proud papa), Princess Kate (aka proud mamma), and their newborn baby (named George later) were splashed across the internet and television screens around the world.  The birth was announced in a press release from Palace officials and was accompanied by gun salutes in several countries, the ringing of bells in Westminster Abbey, and colorful light displays. Suffice it to say that within minutes of the birth of the baby third in line to Britain’s throne, the event was known around the world.

On December 25th, we celebrate the birth of another king, King Jesus.  Although he is the king of the universe and the very Son of God, his birth occurred in obscurity. Aside from an impressive heavenly choir that terrified some shepherds who were startled out of their wits, it was a very silent night.  There were no reporters camped outside the stable door. Bethlehem’s 7am newscast the next morning spoke of the crowded conditions and the inconvenience of the census, and even hinted at the oppressive Roman occupation, but breathed not a word about the birth of the Savior of the world.

Yet, though the night in this respect was silent, it was indeed holy.  This silent night, as well as Mary, Joseph, and Bethlehem itself, were each set apart by God for this miraculous and glorious event, the birth of Immanuel, “God with us.”  All of the promises that God had made to come to the aid of his people, to send a redeemer, were wrapped up in the incarnate Christ child. He would be the one who would atone for the sins of mankind, who would undo and reverse the curse that had resulted from Adam and Eve’s fall.  And only a doting father, an exhausted mother, and a handful of humble shepherds knew about it.

But the good news that the King had come could not be kept under wraps.  His coming was not designed to be a secret. In this humble birth, God had come to dwell with man, as a man, “Born under the law, to redeem those under the law” (Galatians 4:5).  What began in obscurity and silence would before long be proclaimed to all nations. The King has come!

Will Prince George be king of Britain one day?  If so, what will result? We don’t know. But we do know what has resulted from the birth of the baby, Jesus, that silent night so long ago—Peace.  Peace between God and man, and an eternity with God in heaven. That’s a life far better even than life in Buckingham Palace!

Silent night, holy night! Son of God, love’s pure light.

Radiant beams from thy holy face

With the dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.


- Pastor