13 January 2013 - Ephesians 4:26-27, 31-32

The passage starts "in your anger do not sin"

In Psalm 4:4 these words can also be found in

While angry, do not let the sun go down

If we give the devil a foothold, God will frown

"Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger" per verse 31

Brawling, slander, and malice - there should also be none

"Be kind and compassionate to one another"

Christ forgave us; we should forgive our brother

 

Dear God, my anger has been a major sin

It has allowed the devil's plans to often win

Things get said that cannot be undone

The same holds true for things I have done

Over time, apologies lose their actual value

It becomes hard for others to say "start anew"

 

The unknown poet has some serious thinking to do

So for a while, there will be no more poems to view

When there is such a flaw, it is wrong to write

For I have a very big battle I need to fight

Each of you is so very special to me

God's presence in you is plain to see

6 January 2013 - ENCS

The "Limitless" series was started by Pastor Larry

God's power is immense, our burdens He can carry

We base our understanding of God on what we know

But beyond the edges of the universe He doth go

Our God is infinite, that is what Pastor Larry meant

He is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent

God created everything, per Revelation 1 chapter 8

Psalm 147:5 and Matthew 19:26 also say God is great

We then heard testimonies from Kim and Dr Abi

Nothing is impossible with God, we did hear and see

Pastor then asked what limits God's power in our life

Sin, rejecting God, and unbelief all cause strife

 

We can only hear God's word if sin is gone

Satan knows this, so he is always trying to con

From God, Satan's temptations draw us away

Our moral standards get corrupted to God's dismay

So, per James 5:16, we should confess and pray

And thus be healed and then walk in God's way

 

The Israelites turned back and limited God, per Psalm 78:41

Despite all the miracles over the years that God had done

Don't turn away from God, Hebrews 3:12-13 do implore

By encouraging each other, God can accomplish more

 

Without faith, we can not get blessings from our God

To Matthew's parable of the sower Pastor gave a nod

And if God asks something of us, we should not turn away

For He will give us the power to do that which he does say

Think of Moses in Exodus four verses ten through seventeen

God sent his brother to help speak, from the passage is seen

 

In summary, the core message of Pastor's sermon's that half hour

Instead of looking at our limitations, we should look at His limitless power

16 December 2012 - UCC Keene

To UCC Keene that Sunday we did go

It was very cold but there was no snow

About "The Real Christmas Story" Pastor Ellis did speak

And into Luke two and Matthew two we did peek

They both talk of the birth of Jesus who God sent

But their focus and stories are quite different

Pastor said Christmas was a mere nine days away

He hopes that we can always find time to pray

To think about what Christmas really means, we need to do

For even the biblical accounts have been convoluted too

This in fact should actually not be overly surprising

When we look at the gospels and what they are comprising

About the birth of Jesus Mark is completely silent

John of course has a very theological bent

Matthew and Luke have different versions of Jesus' birth

But of course each message has a distinctive worth

 

Luke's version is the more familiar and known of the two

Giving birth is what Gabriel says Elizabeth and Mary will do

The latter unmarried and the former supposedly too old

But nothing is impossible with God, they were told

Jesus' birth was God's blessing for the poor

John the Baptist's talked of justice and more

Pigeons are are what Mary and Joseph did sacrifice

For the first born son, that was the dedication price

Luke focused on poverty, justice, and humility

God's intervention for the poor was no mystery

But there is no mention of King Herod or the wise men

For that, we must refer to Matthew's gospel again

 

From Joseph's perspective, Matthew the story does tell

Carpenter Joseph handles his moral dilemma very well

For he responds to a heavenly-sent dream

He was to take Mary as his wife, it did seem

Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, or "God saves"

He fulfilled Old Testament prophecies, Matthew raves

Where He was actually born is not exactly clear

But they went to Egypt, for Herod they did fear

Even with the wise men, Matthew never said it was three

That just happened to be the number of gifts we do see

The fact the wise men are foreigners is a clear sign

For Jesus, between Jews and Gentiles there is no line

 

In short, the Nativity scenes that we so oft see

Are a combination of accounts - a made-up story

But that does not matter for each story has a claim

About Jesus, who loves everyone all the same

Luke says He ushers in the Kingdom of God

Matthew gives God's promises to Israel the nod

Either way, Jesus came here so all can be blessed

We can all freely receive His love, there is no test

 

Like the authors, we each have own Christmas meaning

As long as in the centre of it is God's light gleaming

For no matter what our own specific view

That perspective tells us what we should do

About this topic, to conclude, Pastor asked us to pray hard

For the true meaning of Christmas can not be found on a card

31 December 2012 - PLMC

Pastor Lynette spoke at the service watch night

Even while rain and darkness hid the moonlight
She gave the Bible a great big nod

It tells so much about our God

Great is His faithfulness, per Psalm 89 versus 1-4

Psalm 103:8 says He is merciful, gracious, and more

He is eternal, per Deuteronomy 33 verse twenty seven

Jeremiah 23:24 says we can not hide from God in heaven

God is omnipotent, we read in Genesis 18:14

He is wise and invincible, from 1 Timothy 1:17

Hebrews 13:8 says God is changing never

Leviticus 19:2 says He is holy now and forever

John 3:16 tells how much the world God does love

The conclusion is that He is faithful, our God above

30 December 2012 - ENCS

Pastor Mark Chew continued "The Greatest Gift" series today

When shopping we are all keen on free gifts he did say

Per Matthew 10 :8, Jesus told his disciples how to live

He commanded "freely you have received, freely give"

 

But we can only give what we have, Pastor did note

From Acts 3 and Exodus 4:2 he then did quote

What we have may be just what someone else needs

That is why simple actions can turn out to be great deeds

 

Our ability to give is constrained by our supply

But what if our supply was as limitless as the sky?

For as per Philippians four verse nineteen

God will meet all our needs even when unseen

 

If God can get his hands on what He has given to us

He will not only use it but multiply it without a fuss

Remember the story of the five loaves and the two fish

After feeding thousands, the leftovers were many a dish

2 Corinthians 9:10 says that God will supply the seed

And enlarge the harvest to meet everybody's need

 

But to freely receive, we must unlock our heart

Then and only then can God do His part

That is how we receive God's mercy and love

Forgiveness, trust, and life's destiny from above

 

For the nature of God is to give, we can clearly glean

His greatest gift to us is mentioned in John 3:16

He gives to us all the time in so many varied ways

If it pleases His heart, he will give all of our days

24 December 2012 - ENCNY

I attended Morning Star New York this Christmas Eve
From Pastor Adam Burt the sermon we did receive
Once the Christmas hymns were sung and done
We partook of a meaningful and special communion
About Christmas Pastor Adam wants us to remember
Not just the lights and presents that appear in December
Jesus is the one we should remember instead
Although Mary and Joseph did once, Pastor said
He then read from Colossians 2 verses 16 and 17
We should not be judged by what may be seen
Instead, in Christ is where we should find our reality
With His light, through the shadows we clearly see

We should see Jesus in each and every light
When the tree is lit up, everything seems right
Pastor Adam then read from Isaiah nine verse two
They saw light in the darkness, more than just a few
For in the dark, even a small light shows the way
Jesus is the light of world, for all time including today

For many, Christmas is about anticipation
For presents and food there is expectation
Humanity had been waiting 400 years since Malachi
For the Saviour about whom so many did prophesy
When God sent his son Jesus to the earth
Man being reunited with God is of great worth
Yet remember that He will return once again
This was just a foretaste of what will be seen

In gifts we receive, we should also Jesus see
They are all around us, aware we should be
We should never take these gifts for granted
John 3:16 and God's greatest gift Pastor recanted
This gift addressed our greatest need
It allows forgiveness of every sinful deed

I wish a blessed Christmas to each of you
And of course your families and loved ones too

2 December 2012 - ENCS

Pastor Larry began a new series "The Greatest Gift"

With a message and words that will serve to uplift

"Be The Gift" was the sermon's title today

Pastor then proceeded to tell us the way

He said that we are God's gifts to others

We should treat everyone like our brothers

If we are not God's gift, then others we do deprive

For receiving gifts makes us feel valued and alive

Romans 6 : 23 says the wages of sin is death

But God's gift to us is eternal life and breath

We must remember the joy of salvation when depressed

For if we receive God's gift first, He will do the rest

Pastor then referred to Ephesians two verses eight to ten

We are God's workmanship, to do good works Paul did pen

In other words, for each of us God has a unique plan

That has actually been the case since the world began

 

We then heard a powerful testimony from sister Ruby

Psalm 27:10 states that "the Lord will receive me"

For in God's eyes, nobody's life is a waste

By being a gift, the world can be graced

Remember that others will watch what we may do

Acts of kindness should be many, not just a few

He mentioned the New York City policeman's kind act

Buying boots for a homeless man was great, that's a fact

 

Pastor referred to Peter and John in Acts 3 : 1-7

They reached out to the lame man with a gift from heaven

Why was then able to walk after so many lame years

He shared this testimony into many people's ears

Similarly, we should ask the Lord what he wants us to do

So others' physical and emotional lameness can attend to

For if we deal with others showing various forms of love

We are obviously sharing the gift from the Lord above

 

For if we read from verses 6 and 7 of Micah chapter four

God will create a remnant that others can not ignore

He has saved us for a purpose here on this earth

To save nations and people, for great is their worth

Matthew 10:8 says to freely receive and freely give

That, said Pastor, is the right way for us to live

And from verses 37-40 of Matthew chapter twenty five

We can glorify God with our actions while we are alive

In summary, Pastor said to be the gift God wants us to be

Then God's love wil lshine brighter than any Christmas tree