Charles Town Presbyterian Church

Pastor John has prepared brief devotions for the newsletter during each week of his sabbatical (July 1-September 30). Each passage is a favorite of Pastor John.
August 30

Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

When I was in the process of becoming an ordained Presbyterian minister, one of the requirements was writing an exegesis paper on a predetermined passage. This was considered an ordination exam, and the passage we were assigned that year was Hebrews 12:1-3. Through the process of writing that paper, I fell in love with this passage.

I don’t think there are any Christians who, at some time or another, haven’t felt like giving up. The pressures of this life and our struggles with sin can make it seem and feel as if God is far off; that God is no longer there for us. That desperation is what these three verses are speaking to. They are defined in the second verse as, “every weight” and, “sin which clings so closely.”

Put simply, what this passage is speaking to is willfully letting sin into your life, and the burden of trying to accomplish on your own what Christ has done for you. And the two often go hand in hand. We get caught up in some sin, and once convicted, rather than simply seek forgiveness and grace, we start looking to our own efforts to redeem us. We promise God we’ll stop sinning; we try to do more good things to offset the sin, and on and on the cycle goes until we can no longer stand the pressure. Everything comes crashing down.

As followers of Christ, we dare not stay in that low position. We are reminded that we are not in this alone (surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses), that we are not the first Christian to struggle with sin. The way out is quite simple: Look to Jesus. Other versions translate verse two, “Fix your eyes on Jesus.” Look to him and realize he has gone to the cross for your sin. Look to him and see that he was traded his glory for our shame. Look to him and find the One who bore up under tremendous suffering and punishment. We look at him and we remember he died for us, he saves us, he calls us, and he has forgiven us. His suffering and shame gives us the example and the encouragement we need to help us to press on in the marathon that is this life.

Blessings,

Pastor John

The church mission trip team had a spectacular mission trip to Nicholas County, WV, during the week of 12-16 August. Team members were Russell Low, Steve Bossung, Jeannette Tabb and George Tabb. We were a small team but extremely effective and efficient. Russell Low brought his much in demand skills as an electrician to the table and the rest of us brought our strong backs and enthusiasm.

There is so much need in Nicholas County that it is difficult to know where to start. We worked on three locations.

1. The first location was located outside of Cragsville. Residents needed to have their electrical service upgraded. Russell’s skills came in quite handy there. A new service cable was run from the meter box to a new panel box on the inside of the house. This was not an easy task, but Russell made it look easy. While he was doing that, the rest of us insulated their attic and did major repairs on their deck. Willy helped and suggested ideas that were instrumental in the successful completion of the deck work. We spent the better part of two day there with them. At the end, the group decided to give the family the $600 that the church gave to us to use where needed. It was the right place to put the money as one had just found out that he has colon cancer and had to travel to Morgantown for tests and treatment. They both cried and he said, “I love you guys.”
   
2. The second place we went was a newly installed trailer on Crupper Neck, also near Craigsville. Another group had visited there earlier and had installed a handicapped ramp for access to the home. Our job was to install a metal roof over the porch area of the ramp. Our, work leader, Tim Stewart, did a great job in sharing his vision of how the roof should be constructed and helping us to get the job done in the right way. We spent less than a day there getting the work done.
   
3. The last place we visited was a trailer near Mt. Nebo. The resident had lived there since April without electricity, without water, and with dangerous holes in his flooring. Again, Russell’s skills were greatly needed. He and Greg Flannigan (our work leader) ran a new service cable from the meter box, under the trailer, and to the panel box on the inside. It was a big job that took lots of effort and again Russell’s talents came through. While Russell was involved in his work, Steve repaired the water line into the trailer. Again, it took lots of effort, but Steve did a great job and got the water service restored to the bathroom. While these two jobs were going on, Jeannette and I added new flooring to the hallway and the kitchen area where the floor had fallen through. The resident now has power, water and hot water, and his floors have been repaired. We left it better than we found it. Lots more needs to be done to the place but that will be taken care of in September when another group comes in to tackle the job. After Russell completed his work at the trailer, he also completed some electrical upgrades at the Summersville Presbyterian Church.

I believe we all had a great time except for Steve who got stung by a hornet on his eye on the first day and Jeannette who ended up with poison ivy. Steve got his revenge on the hornets and Jeannette is well on her way to healing up from her poison ivy. Seriously, it was a good time for all of us and I believe we all came away with a sense of just how lucky we all are. It was a pleasure to get to know our fellow church members a little better. Doing something for others that they cannot do for themselves is a significant and positive thing. We all came away tired and dirty but glad we went.

In my opinion, the church should continue our work in the Nicholas and Webster County area next year. Even though we had a small group, we accomplished some significant things and made a positive difference in people’s lives. God be praised for the accomplishments and the differences made.

George E. Tabb, Jr.
Mission Team Member

Pastor John has prepared brief devotions for the newsletter during each week of his sabbatical (July 1-September 30). Each passage is a favorite of Pastor John.
August 23 Isaiah 58:1-12

Isaiah 58:1-12 is a long passage that would take up most of the space available. Please take a moment to read before continuing.

In this prophecy, God is speaking through the prophet, and he is lamenting one critical point: For all their devotion to religious laws, routines, and worship, it has changed their lives very little, if at all. This is reflected clearly in verse 4,

“Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high.”

Can you imagine engaging in spiritual disciplines and worship practices that end up with fighting and brawling?

A few verses later God clearly explains what he wants from those who seek him and worship him:

Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

This prophecy is a reminder that God changes lives. If we called to follow Jesus, if our faith is in him, then his grace ought to bring a transformation to our lives that in turn, brings hope and light to the world. Such a change also has the effect of pointing people to God.

Why do we help the sinner? Because Christ has redeemed us from sin. Why seek to relieve the oppressed? Because we were once oppressed by sin. Why share our bread and our homes? Because every good gift we have is from God, and if we are to be like God, we are to invite others to share in his blessings (cf. James 1:17).

I find this passage to be challenging. It is aspirational, to be sure. It sets a high bar that I never seem to quite reach. But that doesn’t mean I stop trying. If the grace of Christ has indeed changed me, then I need to share that grace with others. The great thing about this passage is that reminds us of the promises for those who share God’s grace with others:

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Blessings,

Pastor John

Pastor John has prepared brief devotions for the newsletter during each week of his sabbatical (July 1-September 30). Each passage is a favorite of Pastor John.
This week: Luke 24:13-35

My favorite moment in the gospels after the resurrection of Jesus is known as the “Emmaus Road” incident described in detail in Luke 24. It is mere days after the death and resurrection of Jesus. A couple of the disciples, probably two who were not part of the Twelve, but of the larger group of disciples, are on their way to Emmaus, which is about seven miles from Jerusalem. Jesus decides to disguise himself and walk with these two disciples.

While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him (24:15,16).

It is unclear why Jesus doesn’t just come right out and say, “Hey, it’s me!” but instead, he learns what they are thinking. He asks what has them so excited, and the two disciples tell Jesus that in recent days a man they thought was the Messiah had come to Jerusalem, and that all signs seemed to point to him being the One. But then, they tell Jesus, he was arrested and put to death. They go on and tell Jesus that the most unbelievable part of all of this is the way some of the women they knew were telling others that Jesus wasn’t in the tomb. At that point, Jesus, whose identity was still hidden from them, decides to walk with them and starts teaching them what the scriptures said about God’s Messiah.

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself (24:27).

When the two men and Jesus get to Emmaus, it’s time to eat, and they implore Jesus (still in disguise) to stay and dine with them. And that’s when the story takes in interesting turn.

When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight (24:30,31)

What I love about this passage is that it teaches us about how God reveals his gospel to us: through the scriptures and through the sacraments. This is one of the reasons the scriptures are so important. This is why frequent celebration of the Lord’s Supper is encouraged – that we would be always learning about and becoming reacquainted with the good news about Jesus Christ.

Friends, may you always find Christ in the Word and at the Table.

Blessings,

Pastor John

Pastor John has prepared brief devotions for the newsletter during each week of his sabbatical (July 1-September 30). Each passage is a favorite of Pastor John.

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:9,10

There is a wonderful reality and simplicity to Galatians 6:9, 10, and it can be summed up in three statements:

1. Don’t get tired of doing good. Do you ever tire of doing the right thing? I know I do. It’s especially easy when we are physically and/or emotionally drained to just not want to stretch ourselves. Doing good is marker of our faith (it tells people we belong to Jesus) and it is also a witness to our faith (it tells people about Jesus).
2. Don’t give up, the reward is worth it. This implies that the work we d for the kingdom is a long process most of the time. This is an important word to hear, as the world we live in has a shorter and shorter attention span and grows more impatient by the day. Making disciples, which is the primary work of the Church, takes a great deal of time. We don’t want faith for a quick fix, we want long-haul discipleship.
3. Treat the people of God like family. If you are a Christian, you are part of a larger family. Those who are in Christ are brothers and sisters to one another. And so, we should live out our faith with one another, and that includes doing good things for one another. The reason Paul includes this command is because the easiest place to serve and love others ought to be the Body of Christ. If we can’t do that for some reason, we have some problems to resolve.

What should not be missed here is the sense that living for Jesus and serving him and his church is going to be hard at times. Some days we will not feel like it. There will be seasons where we want it to be someone else’s problem. When we feel that way, it is important that we do not give up. There will be a reward, a harvest, as Paul puts it, in due time. Stay faithful, my friends!

Blessings,

Pastor John

Pastor John has prepared brief devotions for the newsletter during each week of his sabbatical (July 1-September 30). Each passage is a favorite of Pastor John.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. -Proverbs 3:5,6

I came to faith in Christ when I was sixteen years old. I had gone to church my whole life, went to Sunday School, participated in youth group from seventh grade on, and my family never missed a Sunday. But when I was sixteen, it all finally made sense to me, and I believed.
Almost immediately I was faced with a challenge. I was in my junior year of high school. My peers and I were all thinking about graduation and what comes next. And though I had not been a Christian very long, I knew my faith in Christ was a game changer. I spent years looking for something to help life make sense. I knew when I became a Christian that I had found the answer. Now, though, I wondered what difference my new faith would make in my future.
I was blessed to be mentored early by a Christian who encouraged personal Bible study. So, I read the Bible. It was wonderful! I loved it. It helped me understand who God is and who I was in light of God’s mercy. One thing I learned early on is that you don’t go scripture looking for answers to questions like, “Door A or Door B?” “The two-bedroom condo or the three-bedroom house?” “The Cayman Islands, or the cruise?” The Bible, and for that matter, God, doesn’t work that way.

What you will get is an attitude adjustment, a challenge to a bigger way of thinking. Somehow, in all the places of the Bible I could read, I stumbled on to Proverbs 3:5,6. Like many Christians, this is one of my favorite verses. This verse is not about parts of our lives – our jobs, our spouses, our kids, our choices. No, it is about the whole of our lives. Literally, this verse is saying, “Commit your way – the whole way, every part of who you are – to God. Then you will know where he is leading.” We were not saved in parts; we don’t belong to God in parts. And what we commit to God should not be in parts.

Another way to think about this verse is that life is not made up of parts, life is made up of life. Let God be Lord over that life.

Blessings,

Pastor John Bethard