5 June 2011 - Keene UCC

At Keene UCC, we heard Dr Gordon Ellis speak
Into 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a he did peek
"Many members, one body" was the title of his sermon
Talking about Asperger's Syndrome is how he begun
We all suffer from a similar affliction, he did say
Focusing on our interests, not in a life-enhancing way
In Corinth, Paul saw this happening quite fast
The church as being destroyed; he was aghast
Different factions and "leaders" were the cause
Even though all should follow Jesus and God's laws

In 1 Corinthians 12, answers were provided by Paul
Using the "one body" metaphor due to the diversity of all
Without diversity, the body would not really work
Parts have to work together or the body goes berserk
This is consistent with what Jesus did fervently pray
That the disciples would be one body, John 17 did say
We must not get fragmented due to our factions
In fact, diversity should be integral in our interactions
For diversity allows us to live out the church's purpose
To be a living example of God's love without making a fuss
Different are all of our individual talents and gifts
But without God's love, this will only lead to rifts

Paul said "I will show you the most excellent way" in verse 31
The focus on love is of course how chapter thirteen is begun
Again, our gifts are nothing without God's love
Per Matthew 22, we are to love our God above
And if in harmony and love we can work together
As the body of Christ, all trials we can weather

5 June 2011 - Matthew 22:36-40

The Pharisees were awed but worried by what they saw
Jesus was asked “which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Words of great wisdom Jesus did then impart
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart”
“And with all your soul and all your mind”
“This is the greatest commandment” he opined
To “love your neighbour as yourself” was number two
These two commandments should dictate all we do

So simple are these words to read
Yet they really are all that we need
For if we love God so completely
Everything else will be plain to see
Our thoughts and actions with God will be aligned
So to others, of course we will be loving and kind
And by doing so, there will be more peace and less stress
So dear God, please accept my all – nothing less

4 June 2011 - Matthew 17:19-20

Jesus’ disciples were frustrated by their inability
To drive out demons, thus affecting their credibility
Jesus’ answer was blunt, as verse twenty sayeth
He said it was “because you have so little faith”
He then went on to say
In an encouraging way
“If you have faith as small as a mustard seed”
“Nothing will be impossible for you”, it is all you need

Dear God, for this timely reminder I thank you
The message is clear though the words are few
Please let that little mustard seed grow
So that by my actions, your glory does show
Let me have the strength and wisdom
To think and act per your kingdom
And let met heart believe so that others may see
That with you, nothing is impossible for me

3 June 2011 - Romans 12:9-13

“Love must be sincere” as Paul said it should
“Hate what is evil, cling to what is good”
“Be devoted to one another in love”
Versus self, “honor one another above”
“Never be lacking in zeal”
“Keep your spiritual fervor” real
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction”
“Faithful in prayer”, act without contradiction
“Share with the Lord’s people who are in need”
“Practice hospitality”, putting word into deed

These verses focus on putting our love into action
Acts which are better than any theme park attraction
Easy as it may be for these words to say
It is hard to apply them every hour, every day
But encouraging are these key words from Paul
Dear God, may I never be lacking in zeal for your call
Let me be joyful, patient, faithful, and caring
And my blessings with others always sharing
If only one phrase from this I should remember
“Cling to what is good” from January through December

2 June 2011 - Psalm 103:1-5

“Praise the Lord, my soul” says Psalm 103 verse one
“All my being, praise His holy name” for what he has done
“And forget not all His benefits” per verse two
Forgiving your sins and healing your diseases too
He “redeems your life from the pit” says verse four
“And crowns you with life and compassion“ evermore
He “satisfies your desires with good things”
So “your youth is renewed like an eagle’s wings"

And when I read all twenty two verses of this psalm
I am left with a mix of awe, thanksgiving, and calm
Awe because of God’s great power and strength
Thanksgiving because of what He has done at length
And on top of those mighty traits and deeds
Calm is knowing that our God so often intercedes
And even when I don’t see it with my own eyes
God’s presence and influence are easy to recognise
Sometimes it is the words that seem to “just appear”
Other times it is when help and support are so near
And when things happen as if by a master plan
God must be responsible because only He can
So dear God, thank you for always being there
And for showing me how much you really care
Please give me the strength to be a good witness
For you deserve my best, nothing less

29 May 2011 - ENCS

Pastor Joey Bonifacio spoke to us today
He used Habakkuk 2:1 to show us the way
For when sense God doesn't seem to make
Remember that His promises He will never break
Instant answers we should not expect
Because God's timing we must respect
With God we need to learn to walk
Time with Him we must enjoy, not balk

Habakkuk was an oracle, many questions he did ask
That true faith will have crises, we cannot mask
But if we don't ask, answers we can not get
So if there is confusion, we should not fret

Per Pastor, "God is predictable" in so many ways
He is good, holy, loving, and faithful all of our days
In other words, we should always know the why
For his motives are pure, that is no lie
But "God is unpredictable" Pastor said then
Especially regarding the how and the when
So it is therefore important to know how to wait
Per Psalm 46:10, "being still" we can not overrate
From Desert Storm there was an added benefit
For thousands of Bibles the Mideast did admit

From the passage Pastor made points four
That really took us to the core
The first had to do with our posture
How we stand matters, that's for sure
It is important that we are active, not passive
For God is worth serving as long as we live
The second focused on being at the right place
Even if things don't go at the expected pace
We need to persevere at whatever we do
Instead of trying our hand at something new
The third was to have the right perspective
In this regard, the Bible has so much to give
We should be reading the Bible every day
On our iphone or in some other way
Understand God's purpose was the last
Knowing what He says now, not just in the past
Sometimes waiting is part of God's plan
Pastor told us of when his pain began
That pain helped him realise his true calling
The waiting was much more than stalling

In summary, to unfold our future we are to God let
Posture, place, perspective, purpose - don't forget!

22 May 2011 - ENCS

Pastor Joshua continued the series “Built to Bless”
Based on Genesis 12 verses one to three no less
The Abrahamic covenant promises a great nation
But there will be hindrances as well as elation
These prevent us from blessing others and leading a blessed life
Whether due to circumstances, people, or even strife
“Overcoming Burnout” was the title of Pastor’s talk
How to avoid weariness on our Christian walk
Pastor shared with us keys numbering three
To help us turn despair into energy and glee

Exodus 18:13-17 he started by reading
Moses was doing what the people were needing
But then came along his father-in-law
Who sure did not like what he saw
He told Moses not to do the work all alone
Why not get other elders to join?
In other words, it is not just what we do
But, in God’s eyes, how we do it too
And if we utilise some TEAMWORK
Our energy levels will start to perk
God cares about both the what and the how
We need others to help us in our walk even now

From Galatians 6 verses 8-9 Pastor then read
Sowing to our own flesh will lead to corruption instead
We should not grow weary of doing good
Never give up, even if we could
LED BY THE SPIRIT we need to be
Doing less doesn’t give us more energy
For true energy comes from our God above
With that, we can then go and share his love
This point was repeated in Romans 8:13-14
If we are Spirit-led, a blessed life will be seen

But trials appear even if we do the right things the right way
Per Hebrews 12, run with perseverance each day
Think of the challenges Abraham and Joseph did face
But on God’s word their strong faith they did base
We should LOOK TO JESUS to avoid being weary
For He remained strong and was never bleary

We should walk by faith and not by sight
Asking for God’s help to do things right
And we can ask God for help with little things
We might be surprised by the strength He brings
In summary, if we want to bless and be blessed
We need teamwork, the Spirit, and Jesus-led rest