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Published: 17 January 2019

I think it was Mark Twain who once quipped that “the more he got to know humans, the more he liked his dog.”  Most of our frustrations in life probably come from humans.  Washing machines can be frustrating but they can be replaced.  You can’t go to the store and pick up a new human to replace the one that is causing you problems.  Conversely, most of our greatest joys in life have also probably come from humans.  Relationship, laughter, joy, a shared meal, an adventure that ended well, a joke told…all these things are sourced in humanity.  In spite of that, there are those who would go further than Mark Twain and actually suggest that all the great problems of the earth are the result of humans and that the earth would be better off without us!  This tension was well expressed by Blaise Pascal when he wrote, “Humans are the glory and the shame of the universe.”  True enough.  But, God loves us.  He made us in His image to be partakers of His Divine nature.  Our value to Him is far greater than we know.  The cross reminds us of the extent of His love and the Word reminds us again and again why His love is so strong.  If we depart from or suppress the love of God for humans, we will descend into a pit of evil that has many manifestations.  Abortion is only one symptom of a failure to embrace the value God has placed upon human beings, there are many more.  This coming Sunday is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, I hope you’ll join us for a reminder of what it means to be “Pro-life” and pro-human.

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Published: 04 January 2019

Once upon a time, in a land far from Jerusalem, the Great King of the Universe sent some ambassadors with a message of good will.  The King’s Son had been rejected, tortured and crucified in Jerusalem, but on the third day He was raised from the dead.  The Son’s death and victory over death made it possible for the enemies of the King to join His family.  A pardon would be granted anyone who would receive His Son!   It’s an offer that seems too good to be true…except that it is.  Some of the people in this far off land decided to receive the Son so the King made them His sons too.  He blessed them with His Spirit, and provided their every need so they could truly say they had everything they really needed.  These people were not “top of the line,” they were needy and broken but the Spirit of the Great King kept comforting them and giving them life.  Sometimes they didn’t love each other well.  Sometimes they disobeyed the King’s directives.  Sometimes they were hurt and filled with grief.  The Son of the Great King had promised many years earlier that He would build up an assembly of people for the glory of His Father.  He did this faithfully with love and tenderness.  The Son is smart and builds very wisely—in spite of the materials He has to work with.  In one little out of the way town a group of these “sons” decided to band together for the glory of the Father.  They decided to name themselves after the place where the Son of the Great King gave His life for them…a place called Calvary.  Their story is not the whole story, it’s just a small part of a really BIG story.  But, even though it is a small part, it matters to the Great King.  And because it matters to Him, their story continues and will continue for a very long time.  The most important part of this whole story is how the King made His love known through His Son.  When you really understand what the Great King did, you’ll want to praise Him forever and ever.