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September 2008 message from Pastor Vicky Ney
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This was an exciting summer at Springfield Presbyterian!
Once again this summer we shared Sunday services with Emmanuel United Methodist Church. It was a wonderful opportunity to worship and pray with our brothers and sisters down the street! Our sister congregation on Church Mall came to our sanctuary during the month of July; we joined them for August.
Also, during the months of May, June and July we had informal mid-week worship services on Wednesday evenings. We met some new people from our neighborhood, saw a few members who could not make it to church on Sunday mornings, and enjoyed intimate quiet times together in the early evening with hymn sings, scripture, a sermon and prayer.
Whoever said that Presbyterians are the “Frozen Chosen” did not travel with us to the Somerset Patriots’ baseball game on June 24th! Sixteen of us went to the stadium on a gorgeous warm evening and watched a great baseball game along with all of the other fun activities (and food!) at the Somerset ballpark.
We also enjoyed another lovely evening on July 10th for our “Party in the Park.” With chairs and snacks in hand, a group of us traveled to Mindowaskin Park in Westfield for a wonderful evening concert by the Westfield Community Band. Again the weather was perfect! Someone in the group said it was nice that Pastor Vicky ordered these perfect summer evenings for our outings. Once again, she reminded everyone that she is in sales, not management!
Our final summer activity was the “Movie at the Manse” on July 23rd. A good sized group gathered at Pastor Vicky’s house for an afternoon movie, complete with popcorn and goodies.
A Message from the Pastor
What do we do when life becomes difficult or even overwhelming? This is a question that all of us face at one time or another.
This past July, I preached a series of sermons about Bible stories we learned in Sunday School. The last one of the series was about Daniel in the lions’ den. If you remember the story from your childhood, Daniel’s enemies set him up by tricking the king to sign a document outlawing prayer. If Daniel prayed, we would be sent to the lions.
That particular threat was not enough to keep Daniel from praying. For Daniel, when life became difficult, when life felt out of control, Daniel went to the One who is always in control—God. It may not have seemed like God was in control of anything immediately, because, as we all know, Daniel was placed in the lions’ den.
We don’t know what exactly happened in that den. All we’re told in the 6th chapter of Daniel is that the lions’ mouths were shut. Whatever happened, Daniel personally experienced the all-powerful hand of God.
I think the Lord gets great pleasure in taking the most difficult situation in life—those that seem humanly impossible to us—and using it to increase our faith. Please be clear about what I just wrote—I don’t mean for an instant that God sends these impossible situations to us. They come all by themselves! But it becomes a wonderful opportunity for God to get our attention—to remind us that we need to trust in his power and love.
But let’s be truthful—most of us don’t trust God like Daniel did. We are often terrified by the situations we find ourselves in. Our faith in God sometimes seems very weak. So how do we have Daniel’s faith? How do we face a pack of ravenous lions and still trust in God?
It’s been said that God’s prescription for the increase of faith is, “Know me better and you will trust me more.” That’s how Daniel had faith for his moment in the lions’ den. He had spent almost 80 years of his life getting to know God. We saw in the scripture that Daniel set aside regular times each day to spend with God in prayer. Daniel cultivated his relationship with God so that when the ultimate test of his life came, his faith in God was up to it.
Having great faith is not some mystical, magical thing. It comes by simply cultivating a vital, authentic relationship with Jesus Christ in your daily life. That’s how the lions are stopped.
This fall, take the opportunity to cultivate your relationship with God. How do you do that? Start by coming to worship on Sunday mornings. Read your Bible, make definite time during the day to pray and honestly talk with God, increase your knowledge about God by attending a Bible study, or read a book about growing your faith. (more about that in a moment). I know that we all have busy lives and many of you will say “I can’t. I just don’t have the time.” Well—Make the time! Peel back the part of your brain that keeps you mired in reservation and hesitation. Know that you absolutely can seize this year as a definite time for spiritual growth!
Beginning in September, I will have a list of books available for reading your Bible in a year, and other carefully selected books on faith (you may purchase them on your own or through the church office). One Sunday a month, we will have an informal lunch and discussion about one of those books. My sermons on Sunday morning will be about faith building. The Bible study that begins in October will look at the tough questions that are often obstacles to a life of faith. I can guarantee a change in your faith life if you will be willing to take advantage of one or more of these opportunities.
I invite you to know God better so that you will be able to trust Him more.
Pastor Vicky
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