good news

Breaking News!

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment 
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to proclaim Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, and to set at liberty those who are oppressed. " Luke 4:18 ESV

Whether you turn on the CBS Evening news, The Fox Report or CNN news, it is likely that the headlines are all bad news stories. As the old saying goes, “If it bleeds it leads.” With unimaginable cruelty, unending wars and merciless natural disasters pummeling our airwaves, it is easy to suppose that things have never been so bad. But with the slaughter of worshippers in the temple by Pilate, multitudes of blind, crippled and lepers begging in the streets and the hypocrisy of the religious leaders, in the days of Jesus, it seems that things weren’t really all that much different back then. So, you might think that in His first sermon, Jesus should have denounced the Roman atrocities, demanded fair treatment of slaves or condemned the religious charlatans who held power in Jerusalem. But instead, Jesus went to the ancient prophetic writings of Isaiah and announced to everyone longing for better things, that He had come to proclaim God’s Good News, and that this news was especially for the poor. Why the poor? Were they any more deserving of this message than anyone else? No! Rather this good news for them was like a home cooked meal to a starving man, a storm shelter in a tornado or a Spring thaw after many subzero weeks of Winter.

Sharing this message of Good News with the precious residents of Discovery Villages this past Sunday was a real blessing. I found that God’s word didn’t need to be hyped up, twisted into modern relevancy or updated, for it to bring hope to their hungry hearts. If you are also thirsty for that same good news of Jesus, then I pray that this little message will lift you up today.

God is Still In Control

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments 
“To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” Luke 4:19 ESV

When hearing this scripture which Jesus closed with in His earliest recorded sermon, his hearers must have questioned, “The Lord’s favor?” Nothing has been favorable around here for centuries! First, we were conquered by the Babylonians, then the Greeks and now the Romans. Not only has our land been divided and impoverished, but here in Nazareth we are some of the poorest of all!”

Though we might wonder why they didn’t understand that Jesus was talking about, we are often in the same boat. Seemingly unsolvable problems, health crises and broken relationships leave us wondering where the favor of Lord is in our life. But remember that Jesus began reading one verse earlier.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,” Luke 4:18

Our world, just like that first century world is filled with bad news. with many horrifying headlines. But Jesus came to announce the beginning of something better, especially to the poor. He offered riches that never grow old or lose value. He came to give peace, joy, and kindness, along with gentleness and goodness, just to mention a few priceless things. Then Jesus talked about liberty for captives and sight for the blind. The liberty and vision Jesus gives is a liberty, not from bars and chains, but from sin, and the crushing demands of the world. Next, He came to give a display of God’s love, that even a blind man could see when He died on the Cross. Last of all, Jesus said that He had come to set the oppressed free. Maybe they hoped, that meant the freedom from Roman oppressors, but Jesus meant the greatest liberation of all. That liberty is from the fear of death which lurks on every one of our horizons. By the cross, Jesus defeated death and founded an eternal Kingdom. This Kingdom which Jesus announced 2,000 years ago is here right now and Jesus is the doorway into it. If anyone will put their faith in Him and confess Him as Lord, they can step across the border into a brand-new world. In the Kingdom Jesus came to announce, no matter how things look, God is always in control. And not only is God in control but He also is constantly working everything for good for those who love Him and He is calling us to trust Him because He has called us according to His plan!

How do we choose at the crossroads?

Do You Have Beautiful Feet?

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments 
And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach 
the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! Romans 10:15 KJV

In March of 2020, all of the nursing homes, not only in Florida, but around the nation, closed their doors to visitors. For the next fourteen months those doors remained closed. No one but staff were permitted entry. In order to keep alive some form of communication with residents whom I had ministered to I began a small weekly devotional that I emailed to the activity department of three facilities. By 2021, I found that Rob Keller who I had met at our men’s group, was a graphic artist and was willing to do the layout and artwork to create a more finished publication. Somehow, word of what we were doing spread to Pastor Janice Burnett, who serves the nursing home community in Western New York and so with the Lord’s help and direction, the Sunshine Newsletter was born. While hardly an international sensation, this little newsletter, without funding or advertising is now being shared weekly in 10-11 different facilities in New York, Ohio and Florida. I am also thankful for Barbara Hegreberg of My Life in Our Father’s World and Patty Moore who writes He Said What? for their contributions. All of us according to the verse in Romans now have beautiful feet (though I won’t be posting a photo of mine). As we are now about to enter our third year of publication, I invite you to have beautiful feet too! Our goal is to share the message of the hope and true love that we have found in Jesus Christ. He is brighter than the sunshine of our best days and still shines in our hearts even when it is midnight in our soul. So, if you or someone you know would like to volunteer with writing, distribution, or technical assistance, please let me know in the comments section of today’s post. I will be delighted to send you guidelines and contact information for you to get in touch with us. Have a blessed week everyone and Happy Valentine’s Day!

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