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We discovered first-hand that they have a lot more history in England than we have here in America. This spring my family and I took a long awaited vacation to England and Scotland, and we drank deeply of the history of the isle of Britain. We visited Stonehenge, which is some 5000 years old; we ate dinner in “The Haunch of Venison”, an inn that dates back to the 13^th century; and we traipsed through cathedrals which are far older than our country. One of the most impressive historical sites we visited was Hadrian’s Wall.

Hadrian’s Wall was commissioned by the Roman emperor Hadrian in the early 2^nd century. At over 70 miles long, it stretched from coast to coast across the island and served to mark the northern boundary of the Roman Empire. As a fortified wall that stood 12 feet tall and whose top was wide enough to drive a small cart on, it served its purpose of keeping the Scots and Picts from invading the south.

In its day, it was an imposing tower of strength. But by the time we visited, it had been mostly broken down and covered over by the silt of time. In fact, by the time we visited, most of what we saw was the result of much archeological excavation. Archeologists had to dig away the buildup of dust and soil to uncover the wall. My family loves history because it’s fascinating to see what people have done in the past, and we can learn lessons from history. One lesson from Hadrian’s Wall is that building projects, no matter how impressive, don’t last forever.

That’s a sober thought for our church, which a few weeks ago celebrated the restoration of our historic building. It caused me to wonder how far into the future our beloved church building would last. It’s hard to imagine it not being here, but the lesson of history teaches us that it likely won’t last forever.

The good news of the gospel is that even though building projects don’t last forever, the Church itself does. The Church of God is the people of God, proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ to the world; and that’s not tied to any building. When the Romans abandoned Hadrian’s Wall and eventually left England in the 4^th century, the wall began to fall into disrepair. But the Church had been established on the Isle of Britain – the gospel message took root in the soil of England, and the Church lives on to this day.

How does the Church weather the winds of change and the silt of time? How can we be sure a gospel witness remains in East Barre, regardless what happens to our beloved church building? In truth, we can’t be sure of the future of the Church in East Barre – the Church continues in any given place only by the grace of God. All we can do is be faithful in the present. That means doing our part to proclaim the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, that future generations may look back and see that the gospel took root in the soil of East Barre, regardless how long our beloved church building remains.

Everything eventually changes – everything but God, that is. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) The Church that is rooted in the unchanging message of Jesus Christ will remain until the end of time, building or no. May we be that kind of church, rooted in the unchanging word of God.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds…” James 1:2

How can James exhort us to count it pure joy when we go through hard times? When most of us face trials, we feel more like complaining than jumping for joy. Yet James tells us to count it “pure” joy. How can he say this?

I don’t think James means for us to get all giddy whenever difficult things come up. I don’t think he means for us to look forward to heart surgery, or cancer treatment, or strained family relationships. I think James wants us to look beyond what we are facing and consider that God often uses hard things to draw us closer to the source of pure joy, in other words, to draw us closer to Himself.

As many of you know, my brother-in-law, Andy, and his family have been living with us since October. They had been living in Japan when Andy got very sick – it was a difficult trial for them. As they’ve been living with us and God has been at work bringing healing, we’ve often asked the question, “What do you think God might be trying to teach you through this difficult time?” It’s a question we should ask ourselves whenever we face trials of many kinds.

James knows that God uses tough times to reveal more of Himself to us. If we’re open to God and willing to learn, God does some of his best work in the “furnace of affliction”. Precious metals are made more pure -- that is, refined -- by passing them through the fire. As the hymn writer has said, “When through fiery trials, thy pathway shall lie, My grace all sufficient, shall be thy supply: The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.”

My brother-in-law, Andy, and his wife, Keiko, have experienced a refining through their trial and they now rejoice for what God has done in this difficult time in their lives. Last month, as we gathered to pray, Keiko actually gave thanks to God for the illness, because she saw what God had done through it, drawing them closer to Himself.

The next time you face a difficult trial – of any kind – ask God what he might be trying to teach you through it. When we do that, God will refine us and we’ll find ourselves drawn nearer to God; and that’s something we can surely count as pure joy.

As a church, we’ve been working on developing a more “outward” focus – a missions oriented attitude in who we are and in all we do. One very tangible example of that focus is Abigail, who returned last week from a short term mission’s trip to India. Together with Wilson and Aruna, an Indian pastor and his wife, Abigail and ten other team members from the Barre area ran several vacation bible school sessions for children who live in the slums of a large city in Northwest India.

Each VBS session welcomed over 100 children, who got to hear the good news of Jesus Christ through bible stories, games, and songs. India is hot and noisy and crowded. And the children do not speak English, so it’s fair to ask, “How could Abigail and the team teach the children about Jesus?” The answer is that God provided a translator. Aruna and her daughter-in-law translated everything that was said so that the children would understand.

That simple fact got me thinking. God can speak directly to each person’s heart, but when it comes to bringing the good news of His Son, God chooses to use a translator – someone to speak face-to-face with those who haven’t heard. Reflecting on that, it occurred to me that this is simply the pattern Jesus set when He came and brought God’s message to us in the first place. Jesus became a man so he could bring the good news to the world face-to-face. By coming in the flesh, Jesus translated God’s message so we could understand.

The message of Jesus is very translatable. In keeping with the pattern of using translators, even his teaching was translated, right from the start. Jesus spoke and taught in Aramaic, but God chose to have it translated into the common language of the day – which was Greek. Jesus taught in Aramaic, but the New Testament was written in Greek. Jesus’ teaching was immediately translated into the common language of the day, so the world would understand.

God can speak directly to each person’s heart, but he chooses to work through translators. He sends some of us, like Abigail, half-way around the world to bring His good news. God has called most of us to stick close to home, but that doesn’t mean God doesn’t have a translation project for you and me. God has given us neighbors and friends who need to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. God can speak directly to their hearts, but he chooses to use us to translate. May we be good translators of God’s grace and truth wherever God has called us!

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:27-30

When Jesus calls us to come to him, he promises us rest for our souls. Do you feel rested in your soul? So many times, it feels like we’re missing something. Like Jesus handed out keys and said, “Ok, start up the car,” but somehow you didn’t end up with a key. Something’s missing. “Come to Jesus.” Yes, but how? How do we receive the rest Jesus promises?

I think the answer lies in the command we often overlook. Jesus says, “Take my yoke… for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Jesus calls us to himself and commands us to take upon ourselves a yoke. Literally, a yoke is a harness placed on one’s back to distribute a load. Jesus is using the term figuratively – he doesn’t have a literal yoke he expects us to wear when we come to him. But Jesus does expect us to work, and he promises that his “yoke” will fit well and distribute the load so that you won’t be worn out. Jesus expects us to bear a spiritual “yoke”, and engage in spiritual work in order to find rest for our souls.

There are two instructive things about yokes we ought to remember. First, when a yoke is placed on an ox, it is only a tool, a harness which is used by the master. It is not the master itself, but the willingness to bear the yoke demonstrates the willingness to submit to the master. Second, the yoke not only distributes the load so the ox can work, it also gives the master a means for guiding and directing the ox. The ox comes under the control of the master.

So what is the work Jesus expects us to do, in order to find the rest for our souls? What is the yoke we are to come under?

The yoke Jesus expects us to bear is the yoke of spiritual discipline. A spiritual discipline is a habit that you intentionally practice in order to train yourself to submit to God. There are many spiritual disciplines we see Jesus practicing in the gospels, as he trained himself in submitting to the Father: prayer, worship, fasting, study, and solitude, to name a few. To follow a discipline is to submit to practicing the discipline on a regular basis. It takes work and commitment.

We all say that we want to come to Jesus, but unless we take his yoke upon ourselves, we won’t find rest for our souls. In truth, we have a hard time actually submitting to God – by our nature, we resist it. It’s easy to give lip service; what’s hard is actually taking the yoke. But taking the yoke represents our willingness to submit to God; and when we bear the yoke, we give our Master a means to guide and direct us. When we bear his yoke, we come under the control of the Master. Have you taken his yoke?

May we come to Jesus and take the yoke of spiritual discipline, that we may find rest for our souls. If you'd like help in taking the yoke, don't hesitate to ask Pastor Tim.

The first time I laid eyes on our church building was a stark and gray November day as I drove north on my way to deer camp in 2002. The leaves were gone and the clouds hung low in the late afternoon sky as I detoured through East Barre to get a look at the church I’d heard was looking for a pastor. The brown shingled siding and white clapboard body helped the church building blend in with its surroundings. I prayed, “Lord, is this the place you’re calling me to serve?” Three and a half months later I had my answer.

Today, the church building no longer blends in with its surroundings! As we near the completion of a larger project to restore our historic Queen Ann style Victorian building to some of its original color, people can’t say enough about how attractive they find it. As an historic church proclaiming the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we can hope and pray they find the gospel attractive as well!

It’s exciting to be able to add some exterior color to our little corner of the world. It’s even more exciting to invite our neighbors to see the vivid interior color of a life lived with God in Jesus. This second kind of color only shines in our lives when we allow God to do His restoration work in us. A friend of mine is pastor in a church in Boston which is also going through work on its exterior. I liked what they printed on a large banner outside their church. It went something like this:

Exterior Restoration Work – July through November.
Interior Restoration Work – Sundays at 10:30 and through the Week.

It’s good to add some color to our world here in East Barre. But of course, exterior color eventually fades, and buildings eventually fall apart. The good news of the gospel is that the interior restoration work that God does in our lives will never fade. Indeed, when we draw near to God and worship Jesus, He does a work in us that produces lasting color, which our neighbors and friends can’t help find attractive.

As we delight in the success of our exterior restoration, let’s not forget to give continual attention to God’s work on our interiors. When we do that, we allow Jesus Christ to paint us as living colors in a stark and gray world.

When Nicodemus came to Jesus at night (see John 3), he confessed that he believed that Jesus had come from God. Jesus declared right up front, “I tell you the truth, unless a person is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Jesus’ response puzzled Nicodemus and so he asked, “How can a man be born when he is old?” The term, born-again, still puzzles people. Sometimes I’m asked, “What is a born-again Christian?” According to Jesus, a born-again Christian is the only kind of Christian. Jesus said, “unless a person is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” So what does it mean?

First of all, it has nothing to do with re-incarnation. Re-incarnation is a Hindu idea that we live and die and are then born again into the world in a different form. “Born-again” cannot mean re-incarnation, because Hebrews 9:27 declares that, “man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…” We do not cycle through death and birth numerous times.

When Jesus spoke of being born again, he was talking about a different kind of birth – a spiritual birth. In fact, the Greek word which we translate “again” is more often translated “from above.” To be born-again is to be born from above. It’s a spiritual birth involving the Spirit of God at work in our hearts. When we first come into the world, we’re born of the flesh and we inherit our parent’s nature. That nature, since the Fall (see Genesis 3), is sinful – turned away from God. The only way back to God is through Jesus. When we renounce our old nature, our sinful nature, and ask Jesus to save us from sin and death, God gives us a new start. It’s a new life; a life lived by the Spirit of God, not by our old nature. We’re born again, from above.

About 600 years before Jesus, God spoke through the prophet Ezekiel about the new era which would be ushered in by Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Speaking of that new era, God said in Ezekiel 36 that “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you…” God said he would replace our old (sinful) heart and give us a new heart and a new spirit. This is why the apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians, could write “if anyone is in Christ [that is, identified with Jesus], he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” It’s a new start! It’s a new life lived for God.

None of us chose to be born – we weren’t around when our parents made the decision. So it is with being born again; it’s really a decision of our heavenly Father. Nevertheless, if we are not yet born-again, Jesus urges us to cry out for mercy from the Father and to seek the kingdom of God. Remember that he promises: “everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” If you are not yet born-again, do not give up asking, because, as Jesus said, “unless a person is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Dennis showed me a report of average rainfall in Barre that claims, surprisingly, that August is the month that gets the most rain. I sure hope that isn't true this year! If we have more rain in August than we've had so far in July, the road crews will be busy repairing washouts into October.

Water can be a destructive force. It seems that everywhere you drive here in Central Vermont, there’s road damage. Driveways were washed out, road shoulders were eroded, undercutting the road itself in many places. The gravel and smaller stones washed away, leaving only boulders in some places. The flood damage to the houses and buildings down by The Dugout on Route 302 reminded me of the damage my parents suffered nine years ago, when two or three feet of floodwater filled their home.

Disasters like that test us. They cause us to evaluate what's really important in life, and they test what foundation our lives are built on. Sometimes disasters that test us don't come from the storms of weather, but rather from the storms of life. A report from the doctor that the tumor’s malignant; news from our spouse that they're leaving; word from our employer that our job’s been eliminated. The storms of life rock us and test what foundation our lives are built upon.

At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus declared that anyone who heard his teaching and put it into practice was like a man who built his house on the rock (Matthew 7:24ff). When the floodwaters struck that house, it remained because it was built on a good foundation. Conversely, anyone who heard his teaching but did not put it into practice was like a man who built his house on the sand. When the floodwaters struck that house, it came down with a crash. It's important to note that in Jesus’ parable, both the house built on the rock and the house built on the sand were struck by the storms of life. The implication is that we all can expect to be tested by the storms of life.

I was talking with a new friend the other day, and Joe -- not his real name -- shared with me how he had been rocked by the storms of life. Some years ago, Joe’s wife of more than 20 years left him for a younger man and Joe lost everything. Joe had not built his life on the rock of Jesus Christ, and his life came down with a crash. When he saw that he had lost everything, he despaired even of life. Joe said he was ready to end his life, but God, by His grace, intervened. A friend of Joe’s pointed him to Jesus and Joe began to re-build his life, this time on the solid rock of Jesus Christ.

Today, Joe says he's come full circle -- not only did God rescue him, but as Joe built his life on the rock, God has restored what Joe lost. Joe is now prepared for the future storms of life – Joe is setting his foundation on the rock of Jesus Christ.

Have you checked your foundation lately? Everyone knows that the best time to anchor your foundation to the rock is before the storms come. May we each hear the teaching of Jesus and put it into practice.

In chapter six of the book of Ephesians -- the last chapter, the apostle Paul exhorts us to put on the full armor of God. Paul tells us to do this so that we can take our stand against the devil’s schemes. He reminds us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil. Paul elaborates on the picture of our armor in a creative fashion, assigning spiritual values to the various pieces of armor. The belt is the belt of truth – on a soldier, the belt is what holds everything together; so it is with the truth. The breastplate is the breastplate of righteousness – protecting our vital organs, the breastplate of righteousness is a reference to the righteousness of Jesus, which protects us vitally. The shield is the shield of faith – our faith, our trust in God through Jesus, is the piece of equipment we hold up to defend ourselves from the flaming arrows of the devil. The helmet, that part that protects the most critical part of our body, Paul calls the helmet of salvation. Our salvation comes from God when we entrust our lives to Jesus Christ. Without a helmet, a soldier is fatally exposed to the enemy.

Whenever we read the New Testament, it’s a good idea to ask whether the passage is alluding to something in the Old Testament. When we look at this passage through that lens, we see that Paul wasn’t actually being so creative. Like any good writer, he was borrowing from others. This armor imagery is used by the prophet Isaiah in chapter 59. The difference is that there, in Isaiah, it is the Lord Himself who puts on the armor and goes to battle. Seeing that there was no-one to intercede for His people, he determined that his own arm would “work salvation.” Indeed, in the coming of Jesus, God Himself “worked salvation.” But now, as we see from our passage in Ephesians, we who identify with Jesus are called to join together with God in working salvation – that is, in bringing justice and standing against the enemy of our souls.

Life on earth is life in a war zone – a spiritual war zone. God calls us to join together with him in working out our salvation (Phil 2:12). For our protection, we need to put on the armor of God. Did you notice that each of the pieces of armor listed above is defensive? They’re all for our protection in the battle. There’s only one piece of battle gear that is used for offense against the enemy of our souls. That is the sword, which Paul calls the “sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” We need to put on the armor of God every day, for our protection. But God also calls us to join in the battle and to take up the sword. Sometimes the best defense is a good offense! Let’s take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, the bible. Let’s equip ourselves for battle by daily meditating on God’s Word. It’s the weapon Jesus used when he did battle with the enemy of our souls in the wilderness (see Luke 4:1-13). May we be prepared to do the same.

One cold night in February, my son, Jonathan, and I were flooding the ice on our pond. I remembered when I was Jonathan’s age, flooding the ice on the pond next door. Back then, we had to run the garden hose way over from our house, and it was quite a production; we had to piece together enough hose, climb the fence, and sometimes the left-over water in the hose would freeze before we were ready to start. But now, all Jonathan and I had to do was hook up the hose to the pipe that fills our pond. I turned to Jonathan as we watched our ice begin to shine in the moonlight, and said, “You know, we don’t know how good we’ve got it.”

When the well driller went to work three and a half years ago, we never imagined we’d hit so much water that we’d have three gallons per minute overflow from our artesian well. He knew just where to drill the well. My brother suggested we put in a trout pond and it only took an extra day of work by our excavator to put in the pond after cleaning up the rocks, stumps, and brambles behind our house. Sometimes we forget how good we’ve got it. We’re blessed by God with a pond to raise trout in, to cool off in in the summer, and to skate on in the winter. We’ve even got an easy way to flood the ice. All because of an overflowing well.

When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well (John chapter 4), he asked her for a drink. She was surprised that a Jewish man would deign to speak to a Samaritan woman. His reply is astounding: “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” Jesus goes on to say, “whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” A spring of water welling up, like an overflowing well. It becomes clear from John’s gospel that the water Jesus promises is the Holy Spirit, welling up within those who trust in Jesus; the Spirit who gives life and blesses us beyond what we can imagine.

Sometimes I think we forget how good we’ve got it. For anyone who commits themselves to following Jesus, God drills a well deep in the heart, and the Spirit wells up to overflowing. If you thirst for this living water, but haven’t yet experienced it, turn to Jesus, and ask him to come drill a well in your heart. Be patient and persistent; Jesus is a good well driller – he knows just when and where to drill.

Let’s not forget how good we’ve got it. Let’s thank God for his many blessings upon us, but most of all, let’s thank him for his Son, Jesus, the well driller, and for the Holy Spirit, who is the source of the spring that overflows from within.

“Among the lampstands was someone ‘like a son of man,’ dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.” Thus is the description of our Lord Jesus as he appeared to the apostle John, and is recorded in chapter 1 of the book of Revelation. The book of Revelation is not easy to understand – it speaks of things which are to come and is rich in symbolic language.

Whenever we look at God’s word and try to understand its meaning, it’s good to see if there’s a connection to another part of God’s word, especially those parts that come earlier. So, for example, if you’re reading a passage in the New Testament, it’s good to ask whether the author has made a direct connection to an Old Testament passage. These connections are sometimes direct quotations (we see the Psalms and Isaiah quoted directly quite often in the New Testament); other times, the author just alludes to another passage. For example, when John begins his gospel, “In the beginning…” it’s easy to recognize that he’s alluding to the beginning of the book of Genesis, which also reads, “In the beginning…”

So what about the passage from Revelation? Does it allude to anything in the Old Testament? If so, what does that teach us? If you look in the margin of your bible, you may see a note to look at Daniel chapter 7, verse 13, or possibly verse 9. In verse 13, there’s a reference to one “like a son of man.” In that Old Testament passage, the one like a son of man approaches the Ancient of Days, who is God and sits on the throne in verse 9. The one “like a son of man” is “given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” (verse 14) Does that sound familiar? It’s what Jesus says in the gospels about himself.

But as we look at this passage from Daniel a little closer, it gets more interesting. In verse 9, Daniel describes the “Ancient of Days” who is seated on the throne and he writes that “the hair of his head was white like wool.” That’s the same language used to describe Jesus in our Revelation passage. What does this mean? That Jesus, the Son of Man who is given all authority, is the Ancient of Days. At the end of Revelation (Rev. 22:1,3), we see this connection confirmed. The throne there is “the throne of God and of the Lamb.” No-one sits on God’s throne but God; what we learn from looking at these connections is that Jesus is God, and always has been the Ancient of Days.

We got goats this summer and our children have been busy doing the milking morning and evening, drinking goat’s milk, and making goat cheese. Goats are curious animals that seem to love to investigate anything you put within their reach. When they first arrived, my friend Shavki, a Turkish refugee from Russia, came to see them. He told me that, where he’s from, goats had the reputation of being clever animals, while sheep were regarded as pretty stupid. I was inclined to agree with this assessment, especially since we happened to be the proud new owners of two goats. But now that we’ve had them a while, I wonder. Sometimes they seem pretty thick, themselves.

I’ve read that in our culture, sheep owe their reputation of being stupid, at least in part, to cowboys, who were used to herding cattle. Cattle are fundamentally different from sheep. Cattle must be driven from behind, but sheep need to be led. When cowboys came upon a herd of sheep, they’d try to drive them like cattle; whereupon the sheep would scatter and try to fall in behind the cowboys. The result was chaos. Since they didn’t know how to handle sheep, the cowboys simply assumed the sheep were stupid animals. In fact, sheep just need to be led, not driven.

Sheep recognize their shepherd’s voice. If sheep are led by a good shepherd, they can share a watering hole with other herds; when it’s time to go, the shepherd calls and leads his sheep. Though they are mixed together with other herds, the sheep don’t need to be sorted – they will follow the voice and leadership of their shepherd. They sort themselves by listening to and following their shepherd.

Jesus said that he is the Good Shepherd, and that his sheep know his voice. I don’t really know much about the relative intelligence of sheep and goats and cows. But I do know that in the bible, God likens his people to sheep. We’re called to listen to the Good Shepherd and follow him. Do you recognize the Good Shepherd’s voice when he calls? Are you following him? Or are you more like the lost sheep, who needs to come into the fold? The bible teaches that we all, like sheep, have gone astray, each to his own way, and need to come into the fold.

Thanks be to God, the bible also teaches that Jesus, who is God the Son, is the Good Shepherd, and he is seeking his wayward sheep. May we listen for his voice and follow him this day.

Pointing Us To The Word

The next time you read through the gospel of John, take note of where Jesus makes “I AM” statements. Maybe you’ve notice them before. There are lots of them. For example, Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.” He said, “I am the good shepherd.” He also said, “I am the light of the world,” “I am the resurrection and the life,” and “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” There are other “I AM” statements, but the one that almost got him killed before his time comes in John chapter 8. Jesus was having a debate with some of the Jews, and he said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” They replied that Jesus must be out of his mind because Abraham lived a long time ago. Then Jesus pulled out the big gun: he said, “Before Abraham was, I AM!” John tells us that immediately the Jews picked up stones to kill him, but Jesus slipped away.

Why were the Jews ready to kill Jesus for such a statement? Very simply, because by saying what he said, the Jews realized that Jesus, who they thought was a mere man, was claiming to be God. That’s blasphemy, and God’s penalty at the time was death by stoning.

Why did the Jews think Jesus was claiming to be God? Because the words Jesus chose were the exact words used by God in the Old Testament to reveal himself to Moses. When Moses asked God who he should say sent him, God replied, “I AM that I AM… tell the people that I AM has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:14) Jesus used these exact same words to speak about himself. It was ok for him to say “I AM the true vine,” but to say, “Before Abraham was, I AM!” was going overboard. Here it was clear to the Jews that Jesus was saying, “I’m the LORD.”

In fact, if we look at just about every place Jesus deliberately says “I AM,” we see that these are things no mere man could claim, unless he was God. And this is one of the main points John wants us to get in his gospel – that Jesus was not merely a man, but that he was the great “I AM.” And so John introduces his gospel with these words, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:1,14) May we worship Jesus, the great “I AM”, the Word become flesh.

I can’t say I feel any different since you ordained me a week ago Sunday afternoon. There’s been no significant change in my ability or power to do the work our Lord has prepared for me to do. At least none that I can tell. To tell you the truth, even though your ordaining me is the culmination of a journey I began back in 1997 when I entered seminary, I didn’t really expect anything spectacular, like a change in my voice or radiance streaming from my face.

Sometimes we pine after more spectacular evidences of God at work, but most of what God does in our world He does by quite ordinary means. Like a local congregation of the people of God formally recognizing and setting apart for ministry their pastor. I must say that while I may not have been endowed with any spectacular signs or powers because of your ordaining me, the service itself was indeed spectacular. I saw no fire from heaven, but the Spirit of God was clearly in attendance. From the powerful words that were spoken, to the thrilling sound of the singing, to the solemn vows we took, to the mighty prayer and laying on of hands… God’s Spirit was present and we who were there got to witness it.

Perhaps that’s one of the most important effects of the ordination – we got to witness and experience the power of God in our midst. And that always changes things, for all who take part.

There was one other thing I came away with, from the ordination. There have been few times I have felt more loved and honored. I want to thank you all, each and every one, for your part in making it a special day for me and for our church.

God delights in using ordinary means to accomplish his purposes. If we can continue to grow in our love for one another and if we can call upon the Lord to be present in our midst, that we may see and experience His glory, we will be well on our way to advancing the kingdom of God in our corner of the world. May our gracious Lord and Savior enable us to do these things.

Recently I challenged the congregation to memorize the Sermon on the Mount, which are chapters five through seven of the gospel of Matthew. Memorization is one way to internalize God’s word, so that we may be reminded of it, live by it, and allow it to guide and protect our hearts. The Holy Spirit delights in using God’s word to guide and direct us. When we’ve hidden God’s word in our hearts, we give the Holy Spirit a tool for speaking clearly to us, by bringing to our minds a particular verse when we face a crisis, a decision, or a confrontation.

In addition to the personal benefits of memorizing portions of God’s word, we can bless one another by being able to speak God’s word to each other. That’s because the Holy Spirit not only delights in using God’s word to guide us, but also delights in using brothers and sisters in Christ to guide us. When we put the two together – God’s word and the family of God – we’re just asking for God to be at work in our midst!

The Sermon the Mount is like the Reader’s Digest version of the bible. It’s a condensed version of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ, delivered in the form of a sermon that’s only 107 verses long. No doubt Matthew’s record of this sermon is itself a summary, but it is the inspired Word of God and will serve as a guide for how to live a life as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

There are small booklets of the Sermon on the Mount at the church where I have broken the sermon up into 4-6 verse chunks. During worship services each week this summer, we’ll be reciting the next week’s chunks for memorization. Please don’t feel like you must begin memorizing at the beginning of the sermon – you can begin where the rest of the church is, and memorize the earlier parts later. May our Lord bless our efforts at internalizing His Word.

We had to go north to find winter this year. My family and I are snow lovers, so this winter has been a bit of a disappointment. It seems we’ve had nothing but the false promise of Spring – several times this winter has looked an awful lot like mud season. Toward the end of February, we’d had enough. My wife Bobbie looked at me and said, “Let’s drive north and find some snow!” So we checked the forecast, tossed our X-C skis in the car, and drove to Averill, where my family has a deer camp.

Happily, we found snow and for the first time this winter I strapped on my X-C skis. Our camp has no electricity or plumbing and it’s ordinarily about a three mile walk – or ski – down a logging road to reach it. But during the winter, Canaan Hill Road – the dirt road that leads to the logging road – becomes part of the VAST trail system, so our three miles turned into six. We had a wonderful time getting there, but didn’t arrive at the camp until after dark. The stars were out and it was cold – it was winter!

We lit the Coleman lantern, started a fire in the wood cook stove, and used the iron bar to break through the ice covering the stream to get water. At first, the crack and pop of the fire in the stove gave only the promise of warmth. It takes time for a wood stove to chase the cold out of an un-insulated camp. But after a bit, because we faithfully fed the fire with good fuel, the camp warmed and chased the cold out of our own bones.

Our lives are a little like our camp. Without a fire burning within our hearts, the cold and darkness closes in around us. God supplies the fire: when we commit ourselves to following Jesus Christ, God gives us His Holy Spirit, which He likens to a fire. God also supplies the fuel, which is the Word of God. Our part is to feed our hearts the fuel to keep the fire burning.

Some winters are colder than others, but every winter is a reminder that this world we live in can be a cold place. Sometimes it feels like it takes a bit to chase out the cold, but the warmth will surely come if we will faithfully keep feeding the fire of our hearts. As we look forward to the coming of true Spring, may we faithfully tend the fire in our hearts, by feeding on the Word of God. By so doing, we’re sure to chase the cold out of our bones, and be more alive to God.

The following is an excerpt from the daily devotional guide, “Our Daily Bread,” which I read and our deacons make available to our church. I thought this devotion – from December 28, 2005 – was perfect for this edition of “Pointing Us to the Word.” It was written by one of my preaching professors, Haddon Robinson. I hope you enjoy! Today’s Verses: Proverbs 2:1-9

“Profitable Bible study involves more than just opening to a chapter and reading what's there. Here are seven guidelines to help you make the most of your study of the Bible.

Now read today's verses again with these principles in mind. Then try it again tomorrow. You will begin to discover the treasures in the Bible.”

Our glorious summer is past and winter seems to be knocking on our door quite loudly. Looking out my office window, I can see the damage ten inches of early wet snow can do to a tree when it comes in late October. Since the tree still held on to many of its leaves, the frame of the tree could not bear the weight of the snow. The trunk broke up high, and the top of the tree hangs down. The weight of the snow was a crisis for lots of trees here in Barre; some lost enormous branches, some simply broke, others were uprooted. Their frame could not bear the weight of what was laid on them.

Just before the snow came, we visited some friends who are still rejoicing over the birth of their son, Lukas Alexander Otterman. Babies are always a wonder to me – and Lukas was no different. I marveled at his tiny hands and miniature fingernails. At three weeks, Lukas mostly slept and ate, as infants do, and proved himself to be utterly dependent on his parents. Unlike a newborn foal, which is up and running next to its mother within hours of being born, human beings are completely dependent on their parents for years.

With the early snow and baby Lukas, I suppose it’s no surprise that my mind turned to Christmas, that time of year when we rejoice over the birth of our Savior. This is where my wonder at babies takes a quantum leap. How is it that the One who set the stars in place could come and dwell in a body with tiny hands and miniature fingernails? How is it that the One upon whom all life depends, could become so utterly dependent upon his parents, Joseph and Mary? And how was it possible for a human frame to bear the weight of the One upon whom the foundations of the world rests, and not collapse like the snow-laden tree out my window?

Wonder of wonders, the Word of God declares that the frame held – “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The weight and glory of God did not crush Jesus’ human frame. Jesus’ human frame was not in crisis when the glory and weight of God filled it.

Rather, it takes a different kind of crisis to crush the human frame. That crisis is the crisis of our sin, which Jesus bore on the tree that is the cross. Jesus willingly took the weight of our sin upon his human frame, and no human frame can bear that weight. Our God did for us what He knew we could never do ourselves.

And further wonder of wonders, because it was not his own sin that Jesus died for, God raised Jesus from the dead and gave him a new frame – a resurrection body that can never be crushed. When we put our trust in Jesus, God promises to come and inhabit a human frame again – our frame. And because Jesus has weathered the storm for us, the weight of our sin no longer need crush us; neither will the weight and glory of God crush our frame when He comes to dwell in us.

May the wonder of God fill us as we consider this God who comes and bears our sin for us, that He may fill our frames with His Spirit.

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them…” So Matthew introduces us to the Sermon on the Mount in chapter 5 of his gospel. Just as Moses delivered God’s law from a mountain, so Jesus delivered the law for his followers on a mountain.

Jesus did not give us a new law; he simply ratcheted up the existing law by giving his authoritative take on it. Jesus interpreted God’s law as God intended it to be. For example, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.” In other words, the heart attitude is what matters. Again and again, Jesus makes clear that the law was meant to show us our hearts. God looks at the heart, and wants us to look at our hearts, and measure them against God’s law.

I was reading Psalm 119 the other day. Psalm 119 is the longest psalm in the bible and it’s subject is the glory and goodness of God’s law. Over and over, the Psalm reminds us that God’s law is not a spoiler, but is meant for our good. But as I read the first part of the Psalm this day, I was struck by the plea in verse 5: “Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!” Right at the start, the Psalmist confesses that, though he sees God’s law is good, he is not able to keep it. The law pointed at his heart; the Psalmist saw his heart and his need, and cried out to God. The law shows us our heart and shows us we fall short of God’s standard.

This is just what we find Paul teaching in Galatians 3. There Paul gives us the purpose of the law: “the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ.” (vs 24). The purpose of the law is not to save us, but to lead us to Christ. The law cannot save us; it can only show us our need. None of us can keep the law perfectly… certainly not if the command “Do not murder” really means “Do not be angry with your brother.” We cannot keep the law so it cannot save us. Only God can save us. The law is good, but it’s purpose is to show us our need and point us to the Savior.

The good news of the gospel is that God has not left us with the law alone; he has left us with the One the law points us to, who is Jesus the One who is able to save. As you read God’s law – the commandments we find in the bible – remember the point of the law. It’s purpose is to show us our need, our inability to live up to God’s standards, and thereby lead us to Christ. May it be effective in it’s purpose in our lives!

When I graduated from seminary, my parents gave me funds earmarked to fulfill a long held desire of mine: I was to get a canoe. I have fond memories from my younger days of hurtling down the Winooski River in my brother’s canoe, paddling quietly up “The Creek” in Underhill, or going on a four-day canoe trip into the wilderness of Alaska with my wife, Bobbie, when she worked for the National Park Service on the Kenai Peninsula.

I think what I like most about canoing is this: with a canoe, you can travel into remote places and you can do it almost silently, so you can hear and see the world around you. Once on that trip in Alaska, we had a moose and her calf swim right across the lake in front of us; later, we watched a black bear feed on the bank, unawares; still later, we drew near to a bald eagle sitting on her nest.

Those are not the kinds of things you think of when you think of Boston, which is where we lived when I finished seminary. There’s not much place for a canoe in Boston. So instead of getting the canoe right away, we waited until we knew where God was calling us to serve.

Now here we are. We’ve been here two years, and while I haven’t forgotten my parents’ gift, life has been full with the church, my part-time work at the software company, and finishing getting moved into our house. I’ve had no time to research getting the canoe. I hadn’t forgotten about my parent’s gift or my long held desire. And apparently, God hadn’t forgotten either. God provided me with one of you, who had a canoe, and was wanting to sell it. It’s a perfect fit, at just the right time. Isn’t that just like God?

God delights to give us our heart’s desire, when it’s good; and He does it all in good time. We took the canoe out near the mouth of the Lamoille River a few weeks ago, quietly paddling along, listening to the sounds around us. God is good.

For me, canoing is a little picture of something God calls us to. It’s a reminder that God invites us daily to quietly slip away from the busyness of life in order to better listen to Him. Taking time on a regular basis to get away from the crush of life, and paddle around in God’s word, listening to what He wants to speak to us, is like going on a mini-canoe trip. May we each find a way to paddle around in God’s word this summer, and listen to what God says.

In our Thursday evening bible study we’ve been looking at the New Testament letter from James. On the one hand, James can be hard to read because he doesn’t mince words; on the other hand, I don’t think anyone except Jesus uses more analogies from the world around us.

In twelve short verses last week, James managed to use more than six different illustrations. In our passage (James 3:1-12), James warns us of the power of our tongues – our words. He writes about the disproportionate power of the tongue, saying it is like the rudder of a ship or a small bit that directs the course of a horse. In his warning, James focuses on the destructive power of our tongues – “Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.” He goes on to say, “All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue.”

If no man can tame the tongue, what are we to do? The conclusion we drew, since no-one can tame his own tongue, is that we must need God’s help to control our tongues, to govern our words.

Thinking about why God would design us with such power in our tongues, in what we say, led us to reflect that God may have done this in order to show us that the power of our words is just a reflection of the power of God’s word.

When we listen to and follow God’s word, and allow it to control and direct our ways, we’ll find it not only has power, but is also for our good.

“Whose woods these are I think I know…” If I were to say that to you while we were traveling together through snowy woods, and had stopped to enjoy the peace, you' d probably know I was quoting Robert Frost. And you' d know that my point is not “Hey, I think I know whose woods these are.” You' d know that my point is rather the point of the poem: “the woods are lovely, dark, and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.”My point would be the point of the poem, not the first line of it.

We're in the season of Lent, leading up to Easter. Before we get to Easter Sunday, we have to go through Good Friday, when we hear Jesus utter his cry of dereliction from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus is quoting the first line of Psalm 22. His point is not the question: “Why have you forsaken me?” His point is the point of the Psalm. Psalm 22 goes on to say: “I cry out… yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of God' s people…” The Psalmist then asks God for delivery – which, indeed, Jesus experiences in the resurrection from the dead –and then the Psalm crescendos into an exclamation of praise to God and an expression of absolute trust in God. That' s Jesus' point when he cries out from the cross. “Though I suffer, I put my trust in God.”

May we follow in his footsteps this day, putting our trust in the One who showed us how to trust in our trustworthy heavenly Father.

The gospel of Jesus Christ brings tremendous freedom and great joy. I don' t know if I' d ever seen Dennis Roberts get as happy as he was last Spring when I preached from Luke chapter 6. Luke 6 is where Jesus and his disciples were walking through the grain fields one Sabbath day and the disciples were picking some grain and eating it. The Pharisees wanted to know why Jesus let his disciples break the law about keeping the Sabbath. After all, it' s a pretty basic command – it' s the fourth of the Ten Commandments. They wanted to know, why' d he let them do work on the Sabbath, a day of rest?

Jesus' short answer was that he is Lord of the Sabbath – he had special privilege because of who he is, the Son of Man – the ultimate authority (see Daniel 7:13-14). The longer explanation the New Testament gives is that Jesus is what the Sabbath rest was pointing to; Jesus has fulfilled the Sabbath so we are free from the law. When God rescued Israel out of slavery in Egypt, he gave them commands to follow. One of his first was a royal declaration that everyone got to rest every seventh day. Can you imagine what good news that must have been for slaves who were used to working seven days a week? God wanted them to be able to rest, so he gave them a law to follow. But the law also pointed to God' s greater rest we would have in Jesus.

Jesus said, “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Jesus is our true rest. When we come to him, we enter God' s rest. And we' re free. And, as Jesus says, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!” (John 8:36) We' re free from the condemnation of the moral law (Jesus paid for that on the cross) and we' re free from that portion of God' s law that Jesus fulfilled –that includes keeping the Sabbath!

Maybe you can see why Dennis was so happy last Spring: fishing season was approaching and God' s word gave him freedom to occasionally skip Sunday morning services. So long as he doesn' t make it a habit (Hebrews 10:25), he' s free! If our rest is in Jesus, then God' s word says that we are free indeed.

Sunday Mornings' Ask Anything! Several of you have mentioned that you' ve enjoyed our “Ask Anything” Sunday Morning services. These are services where, instead of a regular sermon, Pastor Tim addresses questions about life, faith, and the bible that some of you have asked and put in the “Ask Anything” box at the back of the church. We plan to have our next “Ask Anything”Sunday on May 1st, so get your questions in the box!

Dear Members and Friends of the East Barre Congregational Church,

My daughters Abigail and Emily just took part in “Looking Glass Land,” a play produced by the Montpelier Theatre Guild. The play is based on Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking Glass,” which is a part of Alice’s adventures in Wonderland.

The last show was two and a half weeks ago, but in our house we still hear echoes of scenes from the play. Even our seven year old, Jonathan, knows large portions of the dialogue. The cast put on six performances. They did a wonderful job and had a lot of fun in the process.

It was fun, but it also took a bit of work. There were many rehearsals and lots of ferrying of kids back and forth between East Barre and Montpelier. The girls always enjoyed being there, but it took effort to get there.

I think a big part of the fun of acting is the opportunity to enter another world. Everybody works together, learns their parts, and invites the audience to enter into the world of the play.
Someone once said that there are no dress rehearsals for life. You just show up. But in a very real sense, life in the church is a big dress rehearsal for heaven. For it is at church that we learn to worship and enjoy God. We work together, learn who we are and what part we play in God’s drama, and invite and encourage those watching to enter into this rehearsal for heaven.

Sometimes it feels like work to get ourselves out of bed on Sunday morning and get to rehearsal. But once we arrive, we find that the great Director in the sky is ready and waiting to lead us through rehearsal, teaching us to worship and enjoy the adventure of a personal relationship with our Creator God through Jesus Christ.

Hope to see you at the next rehearsal!

Yours in the Great Adventure,

Pastor Tim

“ Lord, teach us to pray…” The disciples could tell that there was something different about Jesus’ prayer life. They wanted what he had, so they asked for instruction. At the most basic level, prayer is simply talking with God. But when the disciples asked, Jesus gave them a model prayer, an outline or a structure for how we should pray. We call it “The Lord’s Prayer,” but it is perhaps better called “The Disciple’s Prayer,” for in it Jesus teaches his followers how we ought to pray.

We can use this prayer as an outline for our own time of prayer. Here’s the prayer, phrase by phrase.

“ Our Father, who art in heaven” This sets the tone for our prayer. This is whom we are addressing. God is a good father, who loves us! He is not some far off, distant ruler; he is our good father.

“ Hallowed be thy name” To hallow means to honor, to exalt, to lift up. God’s name is a representation of who he is. Here we can ask that God’s reputation would be honored. When we pray this, we’re praying that God would get what God deserves.|

“ Thy kingdom come” God’s kingdom is wherever Jesus reigns in hearts and minds. Wherever God’s kingdom is we find grace and truth; we find love, peace, forgiveness, and justice. When we pray this part, we can ask that God’s kingdom would expand in our own hearts and in the hearts of those around us. We can pray that those who do not yet know Jesus as king, would come to know him, that they would enjoy his peace.

“ Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” God’s will is given to us in the bible, the Old and the New Testaments. For example, the 10 commandments, the commands of Jesus and the apostles. When we pray this, we’re praying that God’s ways would be carried out, just as they are carried out in the heavens. We can pray that we would know God’s ways, as revealed in his Word, the bible. And we can pray that others would know more about God’s ways. “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.” (Psalm 19:8).

“ Give us this day our daily bread” Our daily bread is a manner of speaking of all our basic and necessary needs. Here is where we ask God to provide for our needs. Here is where we bring our own personal needs before God, as well as the needs of those around us.

“ And forgive us our trespasses” Daily we need forgiveness. Each of us fails to live up to what God has called us to be. God forgives us for all our sins when we first turn to Jesus. But then he tells us to continually come and ask for forgiveness as we become aware of our sin. Here we can pray that God would show us our sin, that we could see it and turn from it.

“ As we forgive those who trespass against us” The evidence of a forgiven heart is that it in turn is forgiving of others. Forgiveness can be difficult business. When we hurt, it’s hard to forgive. We can pray for the strength to forgive, and for eyes to see where we need to forgive. Pray for the ability to put the offense behind us, and be reconciled to one another.

“ Lead us not into temptation” We are frail and subject to temptation. We need help resisting temptation and we need eyes to see where we should flee temptation. Here, we can pray that we’d be sensitive to God’s Holy Spirit’s leading and direction.
“ And deliver us from evil.” A more accurate translation is “deliver us from the Evil One.” This is a recognition of the fact that the enemy of our souls and his minions are a reality. It’s a cry to God for protection. The devil is much more powerful than us, but he doesn’t hold a candle to God. God is able to protect us; he wants us to ask him to do so.

Dear Members and Friends of the East Barre Congregational Church,

When I pulled into the church yard last Tuesday evening, I saw four or five cars parked there and assumed the choir was meeting for rehearsal. When I found the front doors locked, I thought, “That’s strange, must be someone nearby is having a party and using the church parking lot for overflow.” I had no idea how right I was, but I never suspected the party was taking place at our home on Donahue Road! What a delightful and thoroughly enjoyable surprise! Bobbie was speechless when you arrived and I came home to a party in progress at my own home. Bobbie and I want to thank you all for such a great expression of love and appreciation. The money tree you pulled together for us for some landscaping (do you really think we need landscaping?) was wonderful and very generous!

Reflecting on it the next day, I got choked up before God for His grace and love to us through you. God has made us in His image, to represent Him here on earth and extend his glory throughout the land. We reflect His image more closely when we put His love and joy on display before each other, and so encourage one another in our faith. The beautiful thing about God, though, is that His beauty is contagious. The more we know God and reflect God’s attributes – His love, His grace, His mercy, His care – the more others around us learn about God from us.

Let’s continue to put the glory of God on display through acts of love and service in His name, that those around us may see God in us more and more as we honor Him with our lives.

Pleased to be serving you in Jesus name,

Pastor Tim

Why has the historic Christian church always placed such an emphasis on God’s word, the bible? Why is it that whenever we look at spiritual awakenings in history, we find a devotion to God’s word at the center?

Consider the early church, which Luke describes for us in Acts 2. The first thing he notes about them is that “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching…” (vs. 42). The “apostles’ teaching” is the word of God. It’s what we now call the New Testament. And Luke finishes his summary of the early church in verse 47, where he writes that “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Where the Word of God is proclaimed, there will the Spirit of God be present and active. Where devotion to God’s word goes deep, there will the Spirit of God bring revival!

We know God through His word, and God’s word itself testifies to the importance God lays on His word. For example, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth by his speech. The refrain in Genesis 1 is “and God said…” God created by his word. Later, the author of Hebrews summarized God’s activity this way: “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways [this is the Old Testament], but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:1-3a) We know about God through His word, the bible.
And we know God intimately through His Son, Jesus, who John in his gospel describes as the “Word become flesh.” (John 1:14)

God uses His word to shape us into the image of His Son. I’ll never forget listening to the responses of the candidate for pastor at our old church (where I was not the pastor). His every answer pointed us to some portion of the Word of God for direction. This was a man steeped in the word of God. This was a man who just “leaked God’s word” and you could see the effect it had on him. There was no pride; just a humble appreciation for who God is and what God has done for us all, accompanied by a desire that the world would know and be blessed by the good news of the gospel.

For your summer reading, why not pick up a copy of a new translation of the bible. We have copies of “The Message”, by Eugene Peterson, which you can borrow from the church. Or try a different version and read through the New Testament. Let’s ingest God’s word and let it shape us. Maybe we’ll begin leaking it ourselves, and be blessed to watch the Spirit of God begin revival in our midst!

Dear Members and Friends of the East Barre Congregational Church,

I think it was near the end of February that I first noticed a difference. While still in the clutches of this long, cold winter -- which has denied us the usual mercy of a January thaw -- it seemed that Spring came early inside our church. Barb Fantoni hadn’t yet set up the Lenten Garden in the front of the sanctuary, but Spring has seemed to come early inside our four walls.

I’m talking about the growing sense of excitement and enthusiasm for God I’ve begun to notice among us. It’s a deeper appreciation for what God has done, a delight in what God is doing in our midst now, and a healthy anticipation of what God will do in the future. I’ve heard it in the hymns that are sung with a little more strength. I’ve felt it in the din and laughter that bounces off the walls of our warm sanctuary while we pass the Peace of Christ during our worship service. I’ve seen it in the sparkle in our eyes as we greet one another after the service.

I could speculate as to what has helped lift us up in the midst of this icy, dark winter. Perhaps it’s talk of the movie “The Passion of the Christ” that’s in the air. Or maybe it’s the increased devotion to God in prayer and bible reading that some of us are enjoying. And it may be it’s the encouragement in the faith that so many of us are receiving from our participation in the ALPHA course. It could be any of these; they are all good things. But I think the bottom line is this: I think God is blessing us with a movement of His Spirit in our midst. God always shows up when his people gather to worship Jesus; but sometimes he makes his presence more noticeable, and we’re blessed.

We were made to enjoy a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ; it gives God pleasure when we seek him and prove our love for him day by day. As we approach Easter, let’s “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews12:2) God delights when we give him the attention he deserves; may we also delight in the blessings of his presence in our midst!

In service to Jesus,

Pastor Tim

After Jesus fed the 5000 by multiplying the five small barley loaves of bread and the two fish, John records for us in his gospel that Jesus declared, “I AM the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”

The Jews who lived in Jesus’ day would not have missed his point. They were very familiar with the story of the miraculous feeding in the wilderness that God had done for their forefathers when they came up out of captivity in Egypt. God provided them with manna, bread from heaven. Jesus compares himself to the manna of heaven when he says just a few verses later, “I AM the living bread that came down from heaven.”

But in what sense do we “feed” on that kind of bread? How do we ingest this “living bread that came down from heaven”? John answers that question for us in the beginning of his gospel where he writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John goes on to say that Jesus is the Word of God come in the flesh. We ingest the “living bread” of Jesus by reading, studying, and meditating on God’s word on a regular basis. It is food for our soul, or “spiritual food,” as the apostle Paul calls it in his first letter to the Corinthians.

When the writers of the devotional guide, “Our Daily Bread” came up with a title for the guide, they borrowed the phrase from the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.” At the same time, they made a connection to our “spiritual food” that we need to ingest on a regular basis. That spiritual food is the Word of God, who came to us in the flesh, and declared that his words would satisfy our souls. Let us continue in our devotion to the Word of God and to Jesus, the bread of heaven. When we do so, Jesus has promised to satisfy our souls.

Dear Members and Friends of the East Barre Congregational Church,

Our modular home arrived last Tuesday and since I’m the general contractor on the project, I’m taking this week and next week off to help make sure all the necessary work gets done so we can move in sometime soon. I am amazed at how many different people with different skill sets it takes to build a house. I’ve had to hire and work with an excavator, a foundation contractor, a well driller, a plumber, an electrician, a painter, carpenters, sheetrockers, a propane contractor, and several others. It’s a wonder to see it all coming together!

I think the work of the church is a little like a building project. It takes many different people with different skill sets to do the work of the church. Each one of us has unique gifts and abilities given to us by God, and God calls us to use them to serve one another. What are your gifts? What are you able to do and what do you enjoy doing? Is it teaching or helping to lead the worship service? Are you gifted in music, in administration, or in working with children and spreading the love of Jesus to them? Some of us can do many of these things, but, like a building project, the work of the church isn’t done as well if one person tries to do everything.

In Romans chapter 12, and again in 1st Corinthians chapter 12, Paul says the church is like a body. Just as the body has many parts and each part has its own special function which serves the body, so too, the church has many parts; we each are part of the body and have our own special function to serve the greater body. In each of these two chapters (Romans 12 and 1st Corinthians 12), Paul also lists various spiritual gifts. These lists are not exhaustive lists of the way God gifts us, but they’re good to look at and ask ourselves in what way each of us is uniquely gifted to serve the church. Bobbie and I have the gifts of teaching, leadership, and hospitality. These are things we can do and things we enjoy doing.

You may feel like you don’t know what gifts you have. Read and pray through Romans 12 and 1st Corinthians 12, asking God to show you the way He has gifted you. Ask friends who know you to give you their perspective. And then think about how you can try to serve the church and have your gifts confirmed. The church is a forgiving place, so what better place to try it out!

Some of you have driven by our house and have seen that it’s a pretty good size. When we designed it, we were thinking about being able to exercise our gift of hospitality. Our plan for the house has been that it will be a place where we can have lots of people in for meals, meetings, fellowship, bible studies, etc. And also big enough for us to accommodate visiting pastors or missionaries, or others who need a place to stay for a time (as we ourselves have had need this past month!). We can’t wait to invite you in for a meal!

In service to Jesus,

Pastor Tim

“ The one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the person who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” -- Matthew 13:23

Do you remember the parable of the soils? That’s the parable the above verse is taken from. Jesus said that the seed in the parable of the soils represents the Word of God. The soil represents the condition of our hearts and the good soil represents the person who “hears the word and understands it.” That person bears much fruit for the kingdom of God.

What if instead of the above, Matthew 13:23 came to you in the following form?
“ qui vero in terra bona seminatus est hic est qui audit verbum et intellegit et fructum adfert et facit aliud quidem centum aliud autem sexaginta porro aliud triginta.”

Most of us can’t read Latin, but that’s the Latin translation of Matthew 13:23. The church father Jerome translated the bible from the original languages into Latin about 1600 years ago, so that it could be “heard and understood” by the people of his day. Today, we have many English translations available to us, and I thank God for that, because it’s hard to “hear the word and understand it” when you don’t understand the language!

What translation of the bible do you have? I like the King James Version when I’m reading the Psalms, but most of the rest of it is hard to understand. Here’s the above verse in the early 17th century English of the King James Version:

“ He that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
The way we speak has changed some in 400 years -- that's when the King James Version was translated so that the word of God could be “heard and understood” by the people of that day.
Most of the time, I personally use the New International Version, which is a good modern translation of the bible (there are several good ones). But if I don’t understand what a passage is saying, I’ll pull out a different translation and see if it does a better job expressing it.

A few Sundays ago, one of our members returned to me a copy of “The Message”, which is a modern translation of the New Testament. She told me that she loved it and now she understood a lot more what the bible meant. Reading a different translation of the bible helped her to “hear and understand” the word of God!

The church has purchased several copies of “The Message” and they’re yours to borrow. Ask me if you’d like to borrow a copy. May God help us all “hear and understand” the word of God better and so bear much fruit for the Kingdom of God.

Dear Members and Friends of the East Barre Congregational Church,

If there’s one word that could sum up our lives these past three months, I think that word would be “change.” Our life has been full of change. We’ve changed where we live (from a house of 12 years to an apartment) and changed jobs (even careers!); we’ve obviously changed churches and our kids have changed from their familiar surroundings where everything and everyone was known, to a place where they need to begin anew. And we expect more change, since, as some of you know, we’ve purchased land less than a mile from the church on Donahue Road and plan to build a house.
Change is hard, but God can and does use change to grow us and cause us to rely more clearly on Him, especially when God is the one initiating the change!

With our coming, maybe some of you have been challenged with the changes that a new pastor brings. I’m sure I don’t do everything the way it’s been done and maybe it has (or will!) ruffle your feathers a little. Please be patient! Life together as a church always means adjusting to each other.
As we reach out to those in our community and more people begin to join us in worshipping Jesus, we should expect more change. We should expect change because they’ll surely bring new ideas and perspectives on our life together. And, as I’ve said, life together always means adjusting to each other.

With change, sometimes will come the feeling of conflict. I want to encourage you that change (and even conflict) is nothing to be afraid of. God uses change to shape and mold us – his goal is to change us, each and every one, more nearly into the image of his Son, Jesus. Let’s be settled on the solid rock of Jesus Christ, who is “the same yesterday, today, and forever.” When we’re standing in his grace, we’re resting in his unfailing love and no change to our circumstances can change that.

In service to Jesus,

Pastor Tim Sargent

“ Be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Romans 12:2

God uses his written Word (the Bible) to teach us and to shape us for good. The Bible is trustworthy and true – people have forever tried to poke holes in it, but it has stood the test of time and can stand up to serious questioning. As a matter of fact, God encourages us to see if what He says in His Word is true. God encourages us to ask questions. Here are some tips for letting the Bible shape us for good. It’s all about asking questions and letting the text of the Bible (what’s actually said) guide us in what God is telling us about Himself, ourselves, and the world around us.

We’ve begun studying the book of Exodus together at 9:00AM on Sundays. (You’re welcome to join us!) I’ve been introducing a Bible study method called the Inductive Study method. It can be used to gain understanding on any given passage you’re reading, and is summarized by the following three steps. It’s all about asking questions.

Step 1: Observation. What are the facts about the passage? Ask Who, What, When, and Where questions. Who is writing, who are they writing to, who are they writing about? When was it written? What is happening in the passage? Where does it take place?

Step 2: Interpretation. What does the passage mean? What is the main point the author is trying to get across? Ask Why and How questions. How does this passage fit in its context (the surrounding chapters)? Why did the author include the details they did? How do the various parts of the passage relate to one another? Why did the author write this passage (what’s its purpose)? How does the passage relate to the rest of the Bible? And most importantly, what can we learn about God from this passage?

Step 3: Application. What difference should this passage make to me in my life? In this step, we apply what we learned in Step 2 to our lives and allow God’s Word to bring change in our lives. Good questions to ask in this step are: How do our lives relate to the lives of the people in the passage or the people to whom and for whom this passage was originally written? What’s the same about their lives and our lives? How did they respond to their situation? Were they commended for their response? If so, it may be good to imitate them. Are their any commands in the passage? How can we obey the commands? What’s one thing I can begin to do this week as a result of reading this passage?

These steps make up what’s called an “Inductive” approach to Bible study. It’s “inductive”, because we’re allowing the Bible to lead us in what we will take away from the Bible. Allowing the text of the passage in the Bible to control our thinking will help keep us from jumping to our own conclusions and straying from what God’s sure Word actually teaches us.

The degree to which we spend asking questions when we read God’s Word will dictate the degree to which God’s Word makes a difference in our lives.

Naturally, there’s a place for simply reading the Bible without asking such a large battery of questions; we might simply read the Bible to gain familiarity with the flow of the Bible. And many times, such a full battery of questions is best carried out in the context of a small group (8-12 people) who are together asking the questions of a passage.

May the Holy Spirit lead us into all truth (John 16:13), as we allow God to shape us by His Word!

Bobbie and the kids and I are so excited about coming to be a part of the church and community in East Barre! We were amazed and delighted at your unanimous decision to extend a call to us and can’t wait to get started. We felt loved and honored as well, and trust that our heavenly Father has more good things for all of us in the church as we join in service together to keep the gospel of Jesus Christ on display in our little corner of the world.

We thank God for Bill Hill-Alto’s ministry in your midst helping you keep Christ on display during this interim period.

Our hope is that Christ himself will be formed in each one of us in the church and that our community in East Barre and the surrounding area will know the love of God in Christ through the church. God is generous and full of grace. It’s been my prayer that He would use the church to bless the socks off the community – that the world might know the generosity and grace of our heavenly Father, that they might “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8). We can start by asking God to shape us, change us, and fill us with the power that comes in the Holy Spirit, so that we’ll be up to the task.

As for us, we have much to learn! About you, the community, the needs, the talents, the desires. We are eager to get to know you and have you get to know us. As most of you know, Bobbie and I have three children: Abigail, Emily, and Jonathan, ages 11, 9, and 5. We love hiking and camping and generally things outdoors. We also love music and having people into our home. We want to make getting to know you, and you us, a top priority as we begin our ministry.

Please don’t hesitate to call the church and ask for a visit or just drop in for a visit. We’ll let you know where we live as soon as we find out! I’m writing this March 26th and we still don’t know – please pray! As soon as we’re moved into the area, I’ll be working out of the church office pretty much full-time and will be found there when I’m not out making pastoral calls or otherwise getting out and about the town.

Easter will soon be upon us! The snow is melting and the mud will soon dry out. As the creation all around us bursts into song and new life after a long and cold winter, allow it to be a picture of the new life God has for us in Christ because of Easter!