Pastor's Corner: WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?

  Justice, or Mercy? Jonah 1:10-17 Introduction : The story is told of a mother who approached Napoleon, begging for mercy, seeking a pardon for her son. The emperor replied that the young man had committed a certain offense twice and justice demanded death…  "But I don't ask for justice," the mother explained. "I plead for mercy."  "But your son does not deserve mercy," Napoleon replied.  "Sir," the woman cried, "it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all I ask."  "Well, then," the emperor said, "I will have mercy." And he spared the woman's son.          Mercy . We’ll see as we get further into this book that Jonah’s heart was hard toward the pagan Ninevites, he was focused on their evil and wanted only justice for them—in the form of the wrath of God Almighty. In fact, when they later repent and are spared by God, he says that is why he didn’t want to go, he knew that if they...

  The Path to a Godly Legacy Deuteronomy 6:4-9          Fathers’ Day—I like the summary of one little boy explaining the day to his friend: “ It’s just like Mother’s Day, only you don’t spend as much for the present! ” It is a day for remembering and appreciating fathers, and also for encouraging men to embrace the role that God has given them. It is a relationship that for better or for worse impacts the lives of children. We are thankful for the young father's in our church who are dedicated to leading their families and training their children in the way of the Lord. We are thankful for the legacy of past generations that have impacted the lives of many of you.  For some who did not have a father who was present and involved in their lives (or for those who feel they failed at it) it may be a day of mixed emotions. There's a Spanish story of a father and son who had become estranged. The son ran away, and the father set off to find h...

  Nothing is Hidden from God ( or, “The Fallacy of off-the-Grid Christians”) Jonah 1:7-10 Introduction : It is good to be gathered as the church in a single service once again. Still, we are thankful for the technology that has been so essential over this past year. We have been live streaming our services for a while now.   Our church has a FaceBook page and a website where we can post information. We’ve been able during the pandemic to have prayer meeting and Bible study on Zoom. Technology is and has been a blessing, but it is no substitute for being together. Truly, technology can be addicting. We are always connected. Some people use Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and the like to let you know what they are thinking or doing minute-by-minute. My life is really not that interesting! Most of you have smart phones, right? Like some of you, when I was young, Maxwell Smart was talking into his shoe phone, and Captain Kirk’s communicator was basically a flip phone! Our phone...

  God is Present in the Storm Jonah 1:3b-6 Introduction : We occasionally get some pretty powerful storms in the mid-Atlantic area, I guess Sandy was the last one that gave a pretty direct hit? On the Maine coast, where we spent the last ten years, strong Nor’easters are pretty common. Have you ever been in the path of a storm that actually scared you with its power? Maybe a hurricane, or a tornado? Perhaps a storm at sea—or extreme turbulence on a flight? If you look around on the airplane, and the flight attendant looks happy and calm, you take that as a good sign right?   If they look worried, then, not so good.   The pilot comes on and talks, always sounds like he is sitting at his desk in an office—and that tends to instill confidence. Our text today pictures a storm at sea—one so dreadful that it terrifies the experienced crew—and leaves them in despair for their very lives . They recognized their need for divine intervention! They were afraid for their lives. R...