Oops, forgot one

Yesterday I wrote about the holiday themed movies that my family watch each year.  My youngest daughter pointed out to me last night that I'd forgot one - "The Preacher's Wife" - starring Denzel Washington and the late Whitney Houston.  The film always reminds me of just what a great singer Whitney Houston was.  And she did it so effortlessly! Anyway, add that film to the list.

Otherwise, Life in Christ will have a communion worship service today at 5 pm and two services tomorrow at 8 and 10:45 am.  Sunday school for all ages and adult Bible class meets at 9:20 am. Come and join us this weekend at LICL!

Movies, movies, movies!

My youngest daughter and her family are staying with us for the holidays.  As she was unpacking their clothes and gear she presents to me a small container.  "What's in here?" I ask.  "Movies, Daddy. It's our tradition!"

So in the next four weeks we'll be watching...

"The Nativity Story," a telling of Joseph and Mary's journey to Bethlehem.

"The Holiday" Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslett trade homes for the holidays.  The swap brings with it unexpected blessings.

"Home Alone" While his family is in Paris, a young boy more than survives while outfoxing a couple of bumbling thieves.  Macaulay Culkin becomes a star!

"National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" I prefer the edited version of this film.  Clark Griswold (played by Chevy Chase) wants to have a good old family Christmas.  The results are disastrous.  

"Love Actually" This is Richard Curtis' best film.  The message is simple - the meaning of Christmas is love.

"A Charlie Brown Christmas" The word, "classic" is often overused.  But not in this case.  This is a classic, the best Christmas program you'll watch this season.  The producers did not want Linus to speak, word for word, the Christmas story found in Luke, chapter two.  Charles M. Schultz dug in his heals and insisted.  I'm glad he did.

Tis the season to be super busy. I hope you'll find the time to sit down with your family and friends and enjoy your favorite Christmas films.  Make sure there's plenty of popcorn!

What is pride?

Define "pride" as the sinful nature to advance one's self.

Nathan R. Pope, "Motivation for Ministry," page 25

The Day Off

Monday is my day off and it was a fun and productive day.

8:30 am - Golf with one of our Deacons, Danny Baker.  We've been playing together for a number of months now (although we did take a summer break - too hot to play golf!) and really enjoy a nine hole course in Glendale.  We've probably played our worst round yesterday and still had a good time.

10:15 am - A quick look-see of the book section at my favorite Savers store. No bargains were to be found.

11:30 am - Doctors appt.  At least no blood was taken this time!

12:30 pm - Lunch while watching an episode of "New Tricks," a British detective show that I've come to rally enjoy.

1:30 pm - Power Nap!

2:00 pm - I spent a couple of hours looking over the Advent texts I'll preach in December and have come up with a tentative sermon series entitled "The News at Advent."  The working titles for each of the texts:

  "You have to hear the bad news to appreciate the good news" - Dec. 6
  "There's more to the news than meets the eye" - Dec. 13
  "The news makes you jump for joy" - Dec. 20
  "The best news of all" - Dec. 24

4 pm - I continued reading a book entitled, "The Girl on the Train," by Paula Hawkins.  This thriller spent months at the top of the New York Times Best Sellers List.  I'm starting to see why.

5:30 pm - My youngest daughter, Katie, her husband, Josh, and their two kids are spending the Thanksgiving holiday with us.  We enjoyed dinner together and playing with the two grandbabies. Josh and I also watched the second half of Monday Night Football, hoping that New England would be beaten by Buffalo.  Didn't happen.

10 pm - Lights out

The Skateboard

What happens when a fellow who hasn't ridden a skate board in 20 years decides to hop on one for old times sake? Join us tomorrow at our Sunday worship services and I'll tell you.  Just promise not to laugh too hard!

Sunday worship takes place at 8 and 10:45 am with Sunday school sandwiched in between.  Or, you can join us this evening at 5 pm.  The Kevin Svec group will be providing the music.

Have a blessed weekend! Hope to see you at LICL!

The Friday Funny Returns!

An energy savvy consumer replaced all the windows in her home.  She had expensive, double insulated, energy efficient window installed.

12 months later, she received a call from the contractor, complaining that the work had been done for a year but she had failed to pay for it.

The consumer replied, "The salesman who sold me those windows told me that in one year they would pay for themselves"

Sermon for Betty Jo Droeg Memorial Service

Betty Jo Droeg Memorial

           

Martin Luther once said that a thankful heart was the greatest form of worship we could offer to God.

           

If that is true, then Betty Jo turned a hospital room into a worship center last Friday, November 13.

            

John Denninger asked if a pastor could go visit Betty Jo at the rehab hospital at Arrowhead.  I was the guy who was contacted.  And I’m glad I was.

           

I’ve made hospital visits to people I did not know.  It’s in those times when you’re not sure what to expect.  How will the person be feeling? Do they want to be visited? Will they want to talk or will I have to carry the conversation along?

           

I quickly discovered, as I talked with Betty Jo, that I had no reason to worry.  She welcomed me warmly and was glad I came.  She shared with me about her physical problems.  She hoped to return home soon.

            

We talked about her husband and what it was like to be a widow.  She spoke about how much she loved her family. 

           

We also talked about some spiritual concerns she had.  We discussed the importance of forgiveness, remembering that as God has forgiven us for the sins we’ve committed, we, too, are to forgive those who have sinned against us.  We remembered the price Jesus paid to be our Savior, dying on the cross to pay the price for our disobedience and faithlessness.  We rejoiced that God’s salvation is free and that everyone who embraces Jesus, by faith, has eternal life.

           

As we wrapped up our conversation I asked her if she wanted me to come back and bring my communion kit and she excitedly said, “Yes.”  I promised to see her again.  I’d planned on visiting this past Thursday.

            

Except that when I called to find out what time I could come as see Betty Jo, the hospital said she’d been discharged.  I thought that was good news! But I soon learned it was anything but good news.

            

Via a text, Middy told me Betty Jo had been discharged so that she could be admitted to Arrowhead Hospital.  Her health was quickly declining.  Could I come over?

           

I did so and it was sad to see how much Betty Jo had slipped in just a week.  Middy told me that she had not always been responsive but when I called out to her, she recognized who I was.  I told her I was sorry that she had to be in the hospital. And I expressed again to her how much I had enjoyed our earlier visit and how wonderful it was that I could share the love of Jesus with her.

            

Then Betty Jo spoke.  Three words.  She said them over and over.  “Thank you, Jesus.  Thank you, Jesus.  Thank you, Jesus.”

           

It was like a litany.  It was a litany of thanksgiving offered to the one most worthy of our thanks and praise, the Lord Jesus Christ.

            

Betty Jo’s response was not unlike a man who we can read about in the Bible – we find him in St. Luke, chapter 17.

            

Verse 11 starts out: “Now on His way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.”  The fact that Jesus was anywhere near the region of Samaria is a huge surprise.  The folks there didn’t like Jewish people.  Jewish people hated Samaritans.  If you were a Jew and traveling from Galilee to Jerusalem, you avoided going anywhere near Samaria.  Why was Jesus so bold?  Here’s why.

            

Listen to verses 12-13: “As He was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met Him.  They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

            

Leprosy, in the time of Jesus, was like having a death sentence placed on your head.  There was no cure for this horrible, disfiguring disease.  The ten men stood at a distance because if you were a leper you were not allowed to come close to anyone.  You lived away from the village, away from family and friends.  You lived until you died.

            

What does Jesus do? He does what He always does for sincere, hurting people.  He answered their prayer.  He told them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”  And as they went, they were cleansed.  Healed.  Free of the horrible disease.

           

All ten men had their prayer answered by Jesus.  But only one came back to thank Him for the miraculous healing that had taken place.  Listen to verses 15 & 16: “One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.  He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him – and he (the man at Jesus’ feet) was a Samaritan.

            

The least likely is the only one who comes back to worship Jesus and to give Him thanks for being made whole again.  And I can just imagine the man, kneeling in the dirt, holding Jesus around His ankles, repeating over and over, “Thank you, Jesus,  Thank you, Jesus.  Thank you, Jesus.”

            

Just like Betty Jo.

            

It was if a floodgate had been opened in that hospital room.  Her thanks to Jesus came cascading over us, leaving Middy in tears and me in awe.

           

It all came out and I believe Betty Jo was thanking Jesus for:

            Salvation…Mark 10:45 – “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

            Forgiveness…Ephesians 1:7 – “In (Christ) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of His grace.”

            Eternal Life…John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

           

I believe Betty Jo was thanking Jesus for His steadfast love, His gifts of grace, His inexhaustible patience and mercy.

            

I also believe that Betty Jo knew exactly how ill she was and that Jesus was truly her only hope, her only comfort in her time of need. 

           

What more can a person say but “Thank you, Jesus.  Thank you, Jesus.  Thank you, Jesus.”

            

After Middy had to leave I stayed for a while longer and I sang some songs about Jesus to Betty Jo.  “Jesus loves me.”  “What a friend we have in Jesus.”  “I am Jesus’ little lamb.”  “My hope is built on nothing less.”  And it was wonderful – she sang with me, she sang with a heart filled with faith in the Lord’s promises.

            

When I left I said to Betty Jo, “I’ll see you later.”  And that is true.

           

I didn’t see her again before she passed into the arms of Jesus.  But I will see her again.

           

I will see Betty Jo on “Judgment Day”, or as I like to call it, “Resurrection Day.”

            

On that day, Jesus will come again, in all His magnificent glory.  All who are dead will be raised to life.  He will judge the living and the dead.  Those that believed in Jesus and trusted Him for forgiveness and eternal life will be gathered up and taken to heaven.  And those who rejected Jesus as Savior will spend an eternity apart from God.

           

So I’ll see Betty Jo again.  We’ll talk.  We’ll hug.  I pray that I’ll see you there too.

We’ll be gathered around the throne of God, offering our worship and praise.

           

And Betty Jo has given me the words to say once I enter those heavenly gates – “Thank you, Jesus.  Thank you, Jesus.  Thank you, Jesus.”  Amen. 

Pastor George Spicer

November 18, 2015