church

I’ll Meet you at the Hymnbook!

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Ephesians 4:4-6 NKJV

Sadly the hymn book seems to have vanished from most of our churches. I understand that with new ways of preserving information that books in general are becoming scarce. I also heartily agree that simply being old, doesn’t make a song more biblical and some of the hymns could deservedly be forgotten. However, the great redeeming quality of the hymn book is that it is the one place where we all meet. Black, White, Hispanic, wealthy and poor, young and old, we often go to our own little corners to worship. Yet, surprisingly, I have found in our nursing home services that, like it or not we usually sing each other’s songs! Onward Christian Soldiers, meet at the Mighty Fortress Lutherans sing about. He’s got the Whole World in His Hands is joyfully sung with nary a dark face in the meeting and during my visit to a large African-American church in Philadelphia , I found they delighted singing “What a friend we have in Jesus.” written by a very white Joseph Scriven for his mother back in Ireland. How God may choose to bring unity among the next generation, I can’t imagine, but for now dear brothers and sisters, “I’ll meet you at the hymnbook!”

Making New Connections

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” 1 Corinthians 12:20-21

One of the greatest challenges that many people face today is isolation. We as a society find ourselves separated by age, wealth, education and race. Sadly, this kind of segmentation is common even in the church. Our church announcements end up sounding something like this,

“The eyebrows will be meeting in room 112b on Wednesday nights, the feet are having a luncheon at noon on Saturday, and a short-term mission trip for the toes and fingers will be leaving next Sunday afternoon.”

This sort of dissection of the body of Christ seems completely natural to us because that is what we have experienced everywhere else all our lives. And though some of these specialized get-togethers are sometimes helpful, the dangers of isolation and segmentation are nowhere more pronounced than among the elderly who often find themselves in long-term care. And even in long-term care facilities the specialization that drives further isolation has been accelerating over the last ten or fifteen years. For example, those with memory issues are locked in their own ward, others no longer able to walk are placed in a separate wing, and the list goes on. Worst of all is that these people are not only isolated, but they are also usually soon forgotten by family, friends and neighbors, and even by the church. The parts of the body of Christ that God had designed to be connected to them don’t miss them because they are busy meeting with the other toes and fingers on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Today God is calling the church to do more than hold worship conferences, youth rallies and women’s conventions. God’s heart is to go out into the highways and byways, which includes the long-term care facilities in our community. For those who sense God’s calling, I am making a short book called, “New Frontiers in Nursing Home Ministry,” available for free in its Kindle format all this week.

The Great Commission Has Not expired!

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments 
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

The pastor has tattoos and preaches in flipflops, the music is too loud, and the crowd is too big. are just a few of the items on the laundry list of reasons people today give to turn down an invitation to church. Ironically, the list we heard thirty years ago was, all they sing is old hymns, you have to wear a shirt and tie, the pastor is boring, and only a few old people go there. The church has faced pushback, ridicule, and even outright persecution, in every generation. It may feel discouraging, pointless, or old-fashioned to continue presenting the claims of Christ and asking people to make a decision to follow Him. But the presence of opposition in no way invalidates the necessity of continuing to do the job that Jesus gave us to do.

The Great Commission has no expiration date, and even in this age of an AI Jesus and slick marketing, a simple, person to person, gospel message is still the most effective way to lead a person to Jesus Christ. It isn’t hopeless, someone else’s job, or a forgone conclusion that the church will fail. God’s word, honestly and fearlessly spoken, still has power. But we don’t need to start knocking on doors or even begin preaching on street corners to reach lost souls. God will put individuals in our path or will arrange for us to be in theirs. Our only job is to tell people about God and share what He has done in our life. Keep inviting anyone who will listen to come to Jesus and keep believing that what the Holy Spirit has done for 2,000 years, He will continue to do till Jesus returns!