All Members, Winter Residents, Family and Friends,
Good Day! Here we are already heading into the middle of June! Just think 2025 is almost ½ over already. So I ask this question, what difference have you made so far this year? Who have you invited to church? Have you increased your giving by $5.00 a week like President Bardon had suggested at the end of 2024? For some of you have you started coming back or going to church anywhere? Time is moving forward and we only have so much time here on our journey through this life. What is the legacy you are leaving? What are you doing for people to remember you by when you are called home to be with the Lord? If we, the church, you and me do not make some serious changes, intentional changes the Church will continue to decline. Learn to forgive, encourage one another, don’t rip each other down. Be part of the solution not part of the problem. We need everyone to be all in as we continue to move forward and look forward to the next 50 years!
As I believe I said last week I read 95% of a book by one of my favorite authors, Jonathan Cahn. The book is “The Return Of The Gods.” In this book he challenges us to examine the possibility that the perhaps ancient entitites known as the “gods” have returned to ur world creating the deep divisions and rejection of the long standing teaching of the Church. He offers notes for every chapter for you to follow up on his references. Jonathan David Cahn (born 1959) is an American Messianic rabbi, author, and novelist known for his debut novel The Harbinger. He is the founder and leader of the Beth Israel Worship Center in Wayne, New Jersey. His ministry weaves together contemporary American politics with right-wing Christian beliefs and the text of the Christian Bible. His writings have drawn criticism because of his conservative theological thought and Biblical teaching. His writings engage you to think about where you are in your walk with the Trinity and how Scriptures affect your daily lives. This and all his other books are available online at your favorite retailer.
Thank you to so many of you who encouraged, congratulated and or gave a rememberance toe Kylie, Kate and Klaire Pepper upon their Confirmation. This Sunday the Pepper family will be the first to commune together at the table of our Lord.
This coming Sunday is “Trinity Sunday”. The one Sunday a year that we truly focus on God reveal to us in the Three Persons of the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is the one Sunday that one of the three Ecumenical Creeds that we do not normally speak, the “Athenasian” is spoken as our confession of faith following the sermon. We normally speak and confess the “Apostles Creed” on non-Communion Sundays. We normally speak and confess the “Nicene Creed” on Communion Sunday. The Athenasian Creed is much longer and has so much richness in explaining the Holy Trinity. The creed uses the term “catholic faith.”
I believe that it needs to be noted that the word “catholic” (with a lower case “c”) simply means “universal.” So, (using the Nicene Creed as an example), when we say, “I believe in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church,” we are saying that we believe that there is only “one” true church. We are saying that we believe this one true church has been made “holy,” by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross for our forgiveness. We then go on to add that this one, holy church is a “catholic” or “universal” church. That is, this one, holy church exists everywhere that people believe what is stated in this creed. So, the word “catholic” (small “c”) as used in our creeds has NOTHING to do with the Roman Catholic (upper case “C”) church.
The word “catholic” was a part of our baptismal creed hundreds of years before the Roman Catholic branch of the Christian church ever existed. (They took the name “catholic” to try to indicate that they were the “universal” church as opposed to the Eastern branch of the church that took the name “orthodox” to try to indicate that they were the “correct” church.)
The bottom line: In saying we believe in the holy catholic church, we are simply using the same words used since the beginning of Christianity. We are not making any claims to any affiliation with the Roman Catholic Church. It needs to be noted that the word “catholic” (with a lower case “c”) simply means “universal.” So, (using the Nicene Creed as an example), when we say, “I believe in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church,” we are saying that we believe that there is only “one” true church. We are saying that we believe this one true church has been made “holy,” by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross for our forgiveness.
We then go on to add that this one, holy church is a “catholic” or “universal” church. That is, this one, holy church exists everywhere that people believe what is stated in this creed. So, the word “catholic” (small “c”) as used in our creeds has NOTHING to do with the Roman Catholic (upper case “C”) church.
The word “catholic” was a part of our baptismal creed hundreds of years before the Roman Catholic branch of the Christian church ever existed. (They took the name “catholic” to try to indicate that they were the “universal” church as opposed to the Eastern branch of the church that took the name “orthodox” to try to indicate that they were the “correct” church.)
The bottom line: In saying we believe in the holy catholic church, we are simply using the same words used since the beginning of Christianity. We are not making any claims to any affiliation with the Roman Catholic Church.
Since our service on Sunday is different than usual in some instances, I have provided the service for next Sunday for those of you who may be watching on Facebook. I have also attached my sermon.
Have a great week and make it great for somone else as well!