Pastor's Corner
God Sent His Son into the World PDF Print E-mail
Written by Pastor Jim Keatley   
Tuesday, 22 December 2009 15:44

There were three significant people or groups of people we know of, who met Joseph and Mary and the infant Jesus.  One group was the shepherds. By the nature of their work they were poor, dirty, uneducated and not warmly received in Jewish social circles.  Most people would not have even thought to invite them to a birthday party, but God sent them a special invitation to witness the birth of His Son and their Savior, Jesus Christ.  A second group was the Magi.  In contrast with the shepherds, they were wealthy, well educated, the embodiment of the wisdom of the age, and they would have been highly sought-out to be included in all the “right” social circles.  Even so, we should be surprised that God invited them to the party because they were not Jewish ... they were Gentiles.

 

God invited the shepherds and the Magi because He loves Jews and Gentiles ... the rich and the poor ... the educated and uneducated ... and everyone in-between.  One thing the shepherds and Magi had in common was that they both received a supernatural announcement of Jesus’ birth, a supernatural invitation to come and see the new-born King, and supernatural directions to find Jesus.  All of this came to the Magi by way of a special star, and to the shepherds by an angel of the Lord.

 

There is a third person who was told that he would see the Savior ... a man named Simeon.  He was Jewish, he was righteous, he was devout, and he was looking for the consolation of Israel [Messiah].  Although the Lord revealed to him that he would see the Messiah before he died, he was given no supernatural sign when Jesus was born.  He received no announcement of Jesus’ birth ... no invitation to come and see ... and he received no directions as to where to find Him.

 

How then did Simeon see Jesus?  He was simply being faithful to walk with God through all the routines of everyday life.  In his faithfulness to follow the Lord in everyday life, God prompted him [he was led by the Spirit] to go to the temple courts and he just “happened” to bump into Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus as His parents were taking Him to the temple to be circumcised.  We would all like to have supernatural announcements and guidance as the shepherds and the Magi did.  But most of the time God reveals Himself to us as He did to Simeon ... we see Him in everyday events and relationships when we are faithful to the Lord and walking in His Spirit.

 

May the Lord reveal Himself anew to you this Christmas season through family, friends, worship and fellowship with other believers, through loving service and acts of kindness, and through His Word, as you walk with Him in faithfulness and in the fullness of His Spirit.

 

A Merry and Blessed Christmas to you all,

Pastor Jim
 
My thoughts on the Lakewood Police massacre PDF Print E-mail
Written by Pastor Jim Keatley   
Wednesday, 09 December 2009 13:58

It seemed like a typical quiet Sunday morning ... November 29, 2009. Christians were getting ready to attend church ... and four police officers were just coming on duty, gearing up for their day over a cup of coffee in a coffee bar.  Then, without any warning or provocation a man walked into the store and ambushed these Lakewood police officers, executing them in cold blood.  It was a horrific murder that shocked the community, our state, the nation and police officers across the nation and in Canada.  Citizens, police and news reporters used words like “incomprehensible,” “senseless,” “inconceivable.”  One local news commentator who always has something to say about everything was visibly moved and at a loss for words. With emotions mixed with pain, shock, frustration and anger he asked, “What in the world is going on?”  People struggle to comprehend such evil.  It shatters our worldview where we just don’t believe that such raw inhumanity is possible.

 

Yes there have been many heartless crimes that inflicted suffering and death on innocent victims ... there have been holocausts and genocides where tens of millions have been murdered.  And every life is precious beyond measure.  But somehow it hits you harder when it happens in your own back yard.  And it seems even more appalling when the victims are not just law-abiding citizens, but law-enforcing officers who put their lives on the line to protect us citizens from violence and the criminal element.  It would be heart-breaking if they died in the line of duty actually confronting criminals in a shootout ... it is sickening to think someone would walk up and assassinate police officers just because they are police officers and represent the law.

 

With this horrendous crime so fresh on our minds and still weighing on our hearts, perhaps we have seen and felt the impact of a bit of the evil that can reign in sinful man.  For 2,000 years ago a Man was brutally killed because He represented God and His law and His righteousness.  Jesus had done no wrong, no sin, no mistake, no misstep.  As no other human being could claim, Jesus was truly innocent. Jesus was good, kind, loving caring, compassionate ... He was perfect, holy and sinless.  He upheld a higher standard than local law, He upheld the law of God.  His very life was convicting because His righteousness exposed man’s unrighteousness.  He came to do more than protect us from evil, He came to save us from our own sin.  And yet He was betrayed (ambushed), scourged and crucified.

 

The shocking evil we have seen that would execute police officers because they represented the law of man is just a glimpse of the evil that led men to crucify Christ because He was God and came to save us.  Thankfully, few people manifest their sin with the degree of evil seen in the murderer of these police officers ... but it is a reminder that we are all sinners and we all need the Savior, Jesus Christ. It is a reminder that there is a lost world out there that needs to hear of the Savior who died for them.

 

Yesterday the four slain officers were honored at a memorial service. They were honored by the sheer number of police that came to remember them (20,000). They were honored by the fact that police came from across the nation. They were honored by the presence of Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers. They were honored by the miles-long procession of police cars and motorcycles with lights flashing and the miles of citizens lining the streets of the procession. They were honored by the salutes, the flags, the hand-made signs of appreciation. They were honored by hands over hearts. They were honored by the words spoken at their memorial service.  They were honored because they chose to put their lives at risk daily to be our first line of protection against crime and violence.

 

May we find ways daily to honor Jesus Christ because He chose to take our sins upon Himself and lay down His life so that we could be forgiven and be given eternal life with Him.  Honor Him in worship. Honor Him in praise. Honor Him with thanksgivings. Honor him gifts of money and service. Honor Him by standing up for Him and His righteousness in a world that is going a different way. Honor Him by obedience. Honor Him by prayer. Honor Him by trusting Him. Honor Him by remembering that He died for you. In everything honor Him.

 

It was moving to see 20,000 police officers from across the country and hundreds of Royal Canadian Mounted Police all standing shoulder-to-shoulder in heart-felt solidarity behind their fallen comrades. Such unity is so rare it made us all take notice!  And it made me dream and pray for such heart-felt, shoulder-to-shoulder unity among all Christians as we stand up for our risen Savior in this world.  Surely the world would take notice of such unity!  Jesus prayed:

 

I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.  [Jn. 17:20-21]

 

Remember Jesus ... honor Jesus ... until He comes.

 

God bless you in Christ,

Pastor Jim
 
God's Providential Care PDF Print E-mail
Written by Pastor Jim Keatley   
Monday, 16 November 2009 11:35

 

Peter writes, “... humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God ... casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you” [1 Pe. 5:6a, 7]  Peter is not just saying that God has caring, compassionate and concerned feelings toward you ... but that as our heavenly Father, He cares in a way that compels Him to be active in providing for your needs.  See Matt. 6:25-33; Ro. 8:32; Phil. 4:13, 19; Isa. 41:10; Ps. 37:23-24, 50:15, 55:22.

 

We look forward and see or anticipate needs, troubles or difficulties in our lives ... and we become anxious because of them.  God “looks forward” and provides for those various needs.  That is what is often referred to as God’s providence.  He sees our needs before we do and provides for them in His perfect timing.

 

One evening a young man was walking in the fog in his beloved land of Scotland. He was struggling with God and searching for answers. He heard a voice calling to him. He believed it was God. He stopped and fell to his knees in prayer. When he stood to his feet, he realized that one more step and he would have fallen off a steep cliff to his death. This young man later went on to pastor the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. Eventually, he was called to be the chaplain of the U.S. Senate. His name – Dr. Peter Marshall. [From: Battlefields & Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from the Civil War, by Terry Tuley, p. 69]

 

God’s care is not often this dramatic, but it is very real.  His care is usually woven into the fabric of every day circumstances or “coincidences.”  And as we look for His hand in our lives we will become more aware of His faithful care ... and that will cultivate thankfulness.  Look for His providential care in your life today and give Him thanks.

 

Pastor Jim

 
 
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