Charles Town Presbyterian Church

We have one more week in 2017 and then it is a new year. If your social media streams are anything like mine, you’ve seen plenty of people eager to move on – they have had enough of 2017.

It’s an understandable notion. Our national leadership (and I’m speaking of way more than one person), has been disappointingly caught up in the tired political game-playing that seems to go on without end. Social media has made us more connected but less friendly. The world is teetering on war, with Russia and North Korea flexing muscle in very frightening ways. Sometimes it seems like we all need a nap, like a too-tired toddler, and when we wake up, everything will be just fine.

But we know that’s not the case. Nothing is ever totally fine.

This is why Christmas is such a big deal. Our world has always needed hope. Whether it’s a swamp that needs draining, or an empire that needs toppling, the world has always been a sinful, sorry place in need of hope. We cry out and God responds by sending his one and only son. If God had sent an army, the weak would still be weak. If God had sent a politician…well, we’d have more of the same. Instead, God sends baby Jesus. He is not what anyone expected, as the apostle Paul so ably points out in 1 Corinthians 1:21-25

For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

We live in a confusing world and God has answered that confusion by turning the logic of the world on its head. I don’t know why we assume that God should work according to our plan. God’s plan was to send his son – not in all his glory, but as a humble baby, born in humble circumstances. In so doing, Jesus identifies with us, having been the supreme ruler of the universe now lying in a cattle trough.

We cannot rely on this world to satisfy what we really need. We need God, and the grace and forgiveness that comes only from God. A politician, an army, a good-looking celebrity – these will disappoint.

Only God will satisfy!

Merry Christmas,

Pastor John

One of the most helpful descriptions found in the scriptures is in 1 Corinthians 13, where the apostle Paul writes these words:

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.
Now I know in part; then I shall know fully,
even as I have been fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:12

Paul was writing about the tension that every Christian lives in every single day, the tension between the now and the not yet. Now we belong to Christ, but we are not yet made perfect. That is yet to come. That tension is at work all around us, every day. We see it when we struggle, and we see when we, by the grace of God, live obediently.

That tension also marks the advent season, especially in the final week. We’re almost there, but we’re not there. We’ve finished a great many things: shopping, wrapping, preparing, but it isn’t Christmas yet. Even in the church family we’ve done a great many things: the advent festival, Christmas caroling, and the Christmas joy service – but Christmas is still on the horizon.

Whenever I find myself “in between” (as I like to call it), I find that the best response is to spend more time in prayer. We can’t make time move faster. We can’t make people do things the way we want (not for lack of trying, mind you). We can only wait it out. What better way to wait out the remainder of the advent season than with a little more prayer!

None of us can say that we pray too much. We can all use more prayer. So, if you find yourself stuck feeling like we’re in between, spend a few extra moments in prayer. Pray for your loved ones, for those with special needs, those experiencing loss, for your church – there really is no shortage of things to pray for. And in this advent season, I think it critically important to pray
that we would understand more fully that miracle of Christmas.

Waiting,

Pastor John

Sometimes, life stinks.

I must confess something to you all: Christmas is always a challenging season for me. It is so busy at church and home that many years it goes by so quickly that I feel like I blink and it’s over. For some reason, though, 2017 felt like things had changed regarding the holidays. The advent season started very differently. I found myself really looking forward to Christmas, there was a spring in my step, and a much more positive attitude. I was trying to be more “present” in each part of the season.

And then this week, two people passed away. One of them was a friend from school days, Michael, who was very supportive and helpful when I was having a difficult time a few years ago. The other was David Shue, a member of our congregation, who in just two years, made his presence very known and felt to all of us. Michael and David passed away within a day of each other.

And yet, advent marches on. Life goes on. Sermons need to be written, prayers must be offered, and the sick, infirmed and shut in must be tended to. We must care for our families. We must still answer those obligations and responsibilities that rest on our shoulders. We must still prepare for Christmas.

We must also still seek God. When the unexpected happens, we sometimes want to shake our fist at the sky and tell God what’s what. I imagine when we do that, God laughs to himself at our arrogance.

But we don’t know. Even when we do know that a loved one has died before we were ready, or circumstances are far from ideal, we must trust that God is still in control. We may live life with unanswered questions, but we must still live. Psalm 90 is a wonderful psalm for any of us to read when we need to gain perspective, and in verse 14 we find these encouraging words:

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

May all of us be glad all our days in the remainder of this advent season, and always.

Blessings,

Pastor John

Welcome to Advent!

As we enter this season of preparation, I want to invite you to think about how you are engaged in the church family at CTPC. Here is a list of ministries you can be part of:

Advent Festival. This happens tonight at beginning at 6pm ! We begin with a simple dinner, and then some singing. From there, the adults will move to the sanctuary to decorate for the advent and Christmas season, and the children will do some crafts and activities together.

Homeless Dinners. On the first Saturday of every m onth, w e host a dinner for people who have no home. This is a simple way to help our community, and if you’d like to help of want more information, contact Gary Scott.

Lay Readers. W e have a great list of lay readers for the 11am worship service. Lay readers are those people who assist with readings and prayers in the service. If you would like to be part of that team, please send me an email at jbethard@ctpres.org. I am happy to help train you for this if you are nervous.

Nursery Volunteers. If you are not on the list of nursery volunteers, I want to encourage you to consider doing so. We are always seeking people to help with this important ministry. Our director of children, youth and family ministries, Molly Blue, can give you more information. Send her an email at mrogers@ctpres.org.

Music Ministry. W e are blessed with great vocal and bell choirs. If you’d like to sing or ring, contact Jason Largent, our music director and organist. All are welcome. Even if you play an instrument and want to contribute some special music, Jason would love to talk with you. His email is jslargent@yahoo.com.

Property. W e have a large physical plant, and that means we all must pitch in. We need people willing to help with lawn work, painting, changing light bulbs and a host of other property-related jobs. Please talk to Spencer Wells if you’d like to help keep the church in great shape!

There are much more than just the opportunities I have listed above. Remember, this is OUR church, and all of us need to be engaged with Christ’s work through CTPC. If you have any questions about these ministries, please feel free to contact me.

Blessings,

Pastor John

Thanksgiving is upon us!

Next week we will gather in many ways to celebrate this unique American holiday. Of paramount importance is to give thanks to God for the many blessings in our lives. I hope you can join us on Wednesday at 7pm for our Thanksgiving Eve service, which will give each of us to give thanks to God and to worship together. We will celebrate the Lord’s Supper as part of the service, which is always an appropriate act of Thanksgiving.

I want to share one of the things I am quite thankful for. I have been blessed with a very important lifelong friendship. I have a friend named Michael who is almost exactly one year younger than me (his birthday is two days from mine!). Our families attended the same church through middle school. We played together, skipped worship together, and got in trouble together.

In high school, Michael and I ran in the same group of friends, and later we both attended Penn State. I was a year ahead of Michael, and I remember the night I reconnected with him. We were in his dorm room, and I was being nosy, looking through his cassette tapes (!). He had a stunning collection of Christian music. I said, “Dude, are you a Christian?” For the next three years, we were able to encourage each other as we navigated the challenges of early adulthood amid our new-found faith in Christ.

After a career in teaching spanning more than two decades, Michael and his wife, Cathy, are answering God’s call to serve as missionaries to Swaziland. You can learn more about their work here. Swaziland is a nation that is desperate need of the light of Christ. I urge you to pray for Michael and Cathy as they engage more fully in this work.

I have so much for which to be thankful: My family, my ministry, and of course, my faith in Christ Jesus. This year, though, I am extremely thankful that a man I have considered a brother my whole life, who shares in the grace of our Lord Jesus, has now heard and answered Christ’s call to serve in international missions!

Thanks be to God!

-Pastor John