25 December 2018 - Luke 2:1-11

At Keene UCC, my mother read Luke two, one to eleven

The background and the arrival of Jesus from heaven

A census for the empire, Caesar Augustus did decree

Everyone returned to their hometown, per verse three

So to Bethlehem, Joseph and his fiancé Mary did travel

From Nazareth in Galilee, on roads made just of gravel

There were no rooms, so in a manger Jesus was born

He was wrapped in cloths, no crown our King did adorn

Shepherds were watching over their flocks that night

And the glory of the Lord around the angel was bright

The shepherds were terrified at the extraordinary sight

But the angel said not to be afraid, verse ten does cite

For the angel was bringing good news and great joy

The long awaited Messiah was actually the baby boy

"In the town of David a Saviour has been born to you”

Little did the shepherds know everything He would do

Christ humbled himself as a human in a lowly manger

To most at the time, He was just the son of a a stranger

But He came to show the world the right way to live

And then gave his life so our sins God would forgive

To follow the example of Jesus Christ the servant king

We should humble ourselves as a sign of worshiping

Remembering the humbling that Jesus did not deserve

We should have no complaints no matter how we serve

14 October 2018 - ENCS

About waiting in Genesis, Pastor Josh did today continue 

Warning us of unforeseen consequences from what we do

In chapter sixteen, her servant Hagar to Abram Sarai gave

Once she was pregnant, with contempt Hagar did behave

Sarai blamed Abram even though she was actually at fault

Playing the victim mentality comes from the enemy’s assault

And for judgement from God, Sarai unfortunately did call

Abram told her to take care of things, clearly poor protocol

To the Lord for guidance, neither Abram nor Sarai did turn 

Arrogance seeps in with bad leadership, always a concern

Scared, Hagar fled for her life and ended up in the desert

The angel found her, as God does not want anyone hurt

Hagar told God that she fleeing from Sarai, her mistress

The angel said “return and submit”, causing her distress

We must also obey the Lord, as it is for our own benefit

He knows the master plan and so to Him we must submit

To submit means to place under someone’s leadership

God knows our heart and troubles through our life trip

But since He is looking after us, we can walk in peace

Through the universe, His sovereignty does not cease

Per Hebrews, from the love of money we should be free

For God will provide more blessings, it is clear to see

Since the Lord is our helper, we have nothing to fear

He will deliver us into freedom and glory we did hear

7 October 2018

Pastor Josh started by saying how difficult it is to wait

In today’s culture even more so, as queues we hate

He linked this to Abram and Sarai in Genesis sixteen

For so many years, the promised child was not seen

Have a baby with the servant Hagar, Sarai did say

We know now that making compromises is not okay

Abram should have pushed back and not proceeded

That is where friends with perspective are oft needed

Abram taking Hagar as his second wife was adultery

Although in those days, a solution many would agree

We must also be careful not to follow worldly trends

Rather we should rely on God and God-fearing friends

We can learn from Jesus' temptation, per Matthew four

The devil even challenged God’s power in Jesus’ core

Jesus stayed true to God’s word and did not God test

We should do likewise and worship God above the rest

The fastest way is not always the best, Pastor Josh said 

It is far more important to get the foundation right instead

Sometimes God wants us to feel the pressure and to wait

After the test, God’s presence we can better appreciate

God knows all of our works and love, Hebrews six saith

To inherit the promises, we need both patience and faith

Abram’s story shows how hard it is to combine the two

But it is never too late with God, as He will come through

To make this work, others help us with the perspective

And thus ensure that our own worldview is not defective

We should not lead our lives based on our own abilities

For with God and the Spirit, there are infinite possibilities

And if we allow the Spirit to lead and show us the way

We can easily overcome earthly challenges every day

And thanks to the Spirit, we always wait with someone

Following God’s plan on earth until our time is done

2 December 2018 - ENCS

Pastor Joey started a new series entitled “A Star is Born”

From our multiyear study of Genesis we have been torn

“For unto us a child is born..” per Isaiah nine verse six

The role of internal and external government do not mix

To internal values, external rules and guidelines can lead

But a good governor is what each government does need

Jesus was sent to put God’s government into our hearts

God’s wisdom is what the Wonderful Counsellor imparts

The Lord's wisdom has been proven over many a century

As in First Corinthians one verse twenty five we can see

God's wisdom is also sacred, per Matthew two verse ten

Gold, frankincense, and myrrh were brought by wise men

Beyond our concept of time, His wisdom is transcendent

That is one of the reasons that to earth Christ was sent

In a feeding trough or manger, baby Jesus was placed

Akin to His role in our sinful lives, making them chaste

4 November 2018 - ENCS

On circumcision in Genesis seventeen, Pastor Joey did speak today

Per verse nine, in every covenant with God, we have a role to play

This concept of participation is referred to in Romans chapter four

Faith allows us to face problems, knowing God’s power is even more

Per verse ten and God’s covenant, male circumcision is a key part

But per Jeremiah four and Deuteronomy ten, this refers to the heart

Until we are ready by denying self, God’s promises He will not fulfill

Our life’s direction will change dramatically once we follow His will

Undergoing circumcision is a permanent sign, per verse eleven

It is a sign of the covenant between man and our God in heaven

In the same way that a physical circumcision does not disappear

A spiritual one ensures our relationship with God is always near

Uncircumcised people would be ostracised, per verse fourteen

Each of us can turn away, although consequences will be seen

We must make the personal choice in our heart as God will see

Our faith and relationship with God determine our place in eternity

30 September 2018 - ENCS

The sermon “The Power of Worship” was delivered by Calvin Hong

Who talked about seeing a waterfall that was scary and very strong

But once Calvin went under the water he felt refreshed completely

Worship also brings refreshment and healing, sometimes discreetly

In Psalm thirty four, David said the Lord he would bless all the time

Both in good times and when challenging obstacles he had to climb

For when we are weakest, God makes us strong via the Holy Ghost

And then in complete humility, we can give thanks and of God boast

Magnifying something means giving it focus and thus highest priority

Seek first the Lord and his righteousness, as per Matthew thirty three

Sacrificing and giving all to our Lord God in heaven is worship’s heart

For what we believe, not what we do, is what in His eyes set us apart

In Matthew six from verse nine Jesus taught His disciples how to pray 

Always starting by giving praise to God the Abba Father, He did say

And when we pray to God, He will hear our call and then will respond

God knows our daily needs because with us He has a special bond

In Mark twenty five, a woman reached out and touched Jesus’ cloak

She immediately recovered due to the faith she had and did invoke

Jesus told the woman to go in peace and from her suffering be freed

The same power is available to each one of us when we are in need

Per Hebrews eleven, faith is what is hoped for with evidence not seen

When we hear the Word of God and act in ways that do not contravene

We reap rewards if we step out of our comfort zone and pay the price

Even if our reputation and some relationships we may have to sacrifice

When we worship earnestly and then in all that we do we give our best

Per Psalm one hundred, with thanksgiving we enter His gates blessed

We should never stop believing in God for breakthroughs and healing

For both individual and corporate prayer God finds extremely appealing

26 August 2018 - ENCS

To the end of Genesis fifteen Pastor Joey took us today

It contains the fourth “behold” in the chapter he did say

Like Abraham, we should have a long term perspective

For God’s covenants last for much longer than we live

This means we should think about the future generations

What we do today can often have long term implications

Similarly, it is for future generations that we should build

And of course training them so that they are aptly skilled

For the foundations of the future are put in place today

By what we do, we don’t do, and of course how we pray

Per the last two verses, our boundaries we should know

God promises a delightful inheritance that to us will flow

When we understand God’s covenant and long term view

Our values will change and we will know what best to do