While most of us would agree that the church is the place to come to connect to God in worship, many others do not understand that the church is also the vehicle which provides opportunities to be in Christian service. The church provides numerous ways to serve because we understand we are all uniquely gifted, and we are all drawn to different types of service. I Peter 4:10-11 explains it well. “And serve each other according to the gift each person has received, as good managers of God’s diverse gifts. Whoever speaks should do so as those who speak God’s word. Whoever serves should do so from the strength that God furnishes. Do this so that in everything God may be honored through Jesus Christ. To him be honor and power forever and always. Amen.” Sometimes we must wait for the right opportunity to serve. This weekend, we will be introducing a new Family Promise Team who has graciously agreed to help us to continue to host Family Promise at our church. They are also thinking about how they can use their gifts to help this ministry continue to thrive within our church. Another opportunity will be opening this spring. We are looking for a team of people who will take on our Meals on Wheels programs serving 45 meals each Tuesday in our county. Our present leaders will be moving this summer and would like to begin to train new leadership now. While their team of kitchen volunteers is already formed, we are looking for a couple of people to plan the menu, shop, and prepare the food on Tuesday along with the volunteers. We already have a team of drivers who do the deliveries. This is an important ministry of St. Andrew's and someone reading this article is probably called to bring leadership to this ministry. God gives us gifts to bless others and some of you are amazing cooks and planners. We need you to answer this call. If you are feeling the nudge of the Holy spirit, please reach out to the pastors and let them know you are interested. God bless and have a good Friday, Pastor Jayne Rideout #Lent #discipleship #service #calling

"The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself with these words, ‘God, I thank you that I’m not like everyone else—crooks, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I give a tenth of everything I receive.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He wouldn’t even lift his eyes to look toward heaven. Rather, he struck his chest and said, ‘God, show mercy to me, a sinner.’" Luke 18:11-13 CEB Lent is the forty days before Easter, which is the time where we seriously examine our lives. Historically, Lent was a time for penance for those who have committed grave sins who had applied for reinstatement into the church. Because it became a season where one dwelt on and lamented over their sins, the season of Lent sometimes takes on a somber and dismal mood. It goes against the grain of everything we seek in our world. Why dwell on the things that bring us down? Focus on those things that build us up. Everyone needs to have healthy self-esteem by focusing on the good points, practicing positive reinforcements, and combating that critical inner voice. Nothing good can come out of facing our mortality and our sin. It can only make things depressing and miserable. And besides, I’m not as bad as that guy. Isn’t that what the Pharisee was saying in the story from Luke? Even the most despicable of people can find someone who is more despicable than they are. So, I’m not the one who needs to examine myself, it’s that other guy. Yet, the whole motive for dwelling on our faults and our sins is not to make us feel so miserable and so worthless but is to allow us to be freed from the things that hinder our relationship with God. It is to remind us that God is not with us simply to console affirm, heal, and love us. God is with us to challenge our illusions and confront our personal idolatries. God is in the business of remodeling and is constantly calling us to reorient ourselves. God knows exactly what you've done, even after years of running and hiding. Even when every impulse we have says “don’t go there.” It’s OK to “go there.” God is big enough to handle it, even though we may not be. For God's not interested in locking you up. No, God wants only to free you up. Free you through forgiveness. May our prayer in everything be "Lord, have your way." Watch this video as a reminder: #Lent #Jesus #freedom

Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” … So they removed the stone. Jesus looked up and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. I know you always hear me. I say this for the benefit of the crowd standing here so that they will believe that you sent me.” Having said this, Jesus shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his feet bound and his hands tied, and his face covered with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.” John 11:39-44 CEB Word got to Jesus that Lazarus, Mary and Martha’s brother, lay dying in the town of Bethany, not too far away, about 30 miles from where Jesus had retreated. By the time, Jesus gets there, Lazarus had died of his illness and had been buried in the tomb for four days. When he does arrive, Jesus startles Martha by saying that their brother Lazarus will rise again. By this time, Martha is not even sure that she wants her brother back. Lazarus has been dead for four days. By this time, her hope and trust in Jesus has turned into hesitancy, discouragement, and cynicism. Yet Jesus commands that the stones, that were laid across the entrance to the tomb be rolled away. We don’t know who the stone-rollers were. Scripture only refers to them as “they.” “So they took away the stone.” Once the stone was rolled away, everyone could see, could experience the glory of God, that Lazarus was alive. They see the glory of God revealed. They see for themselves that power of God’s love, grace, and mercy that extends beyond the laws of our natural world. We all need stone-rollers in our lives. Those who help us out of the depths, the despair, the “tombs’ of their lives. In our lives when we are so filled with doubt, despair, discouragement, hopelessness, we need those persons that roll the stones away in our spirits so that we can see the presence of Christ in our lives, when we are unable to see it ourselves. When we often cannot do so ourselves, we need the stone-rollers in our lives. The stone-rollers in our lives are those that are willing to step in for us to challenge us in our crisis to move the stones that hinder our view of Christ, when sometimes we are not sure we want to move the stones. We all need stone-rollers in our lives. Or to be one for someone else. #Lent #Jesus #hope

This coming Monday, we begin to read the Book of Mark together as a congregation. Each weekday you will receive in your inbox at 6am, an email with the scripture for the day, a commentary written by one of the pastors or a group leader of St. Andrew’s, plus a play list of both Traditional and Contemporary Christian music you can enjoy this Lenten season. If you have never read Mark before, you might be surprised to find it begins with the baptism of Jesus as an adult. There is no birth narrative in this gospel. It also ends differently than the other gospels which you will learn more about on Easter Morning. Of the four gospels, this is the shortest and most concise book. It is also the oldest of the gospels, written around A.D. 65-70. Most scholars believe Mark was written first because Matthew and Luke both contain Mark’s material, almost word for word. It is as if they both had a copy of Mark in front of them as they sat down to write their experiences of Jesus. The Book of Mark is written at a time when there is strong skepticism by both Jews and Gentiles about Jesus and the message of the gospel. This was also a critical time in society as the Christian community was facing the threat of persecution for their beliefs. You can almost feel the author’s urgency to share the life of Jesus and the life a disciple of Jesus can expect. We are hoping you will read through the Book of Mark along with your St. Andrew’s family as both an opportunity to be discipled by the Word of God and to be challenged in this Lenten Season. #Lent #discipleship

“Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Whoever seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door is opened." Matthew 7:7-8 CEB The question goes a few years back, after the Denver Broncos had defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-21 in the AFC Championship Game to earn a trip to Super Bowl 32. A group of Denver players dropped to their knees and thanked God that it was His will that they win this game. That same day, the Green Bay Packers beat the San Francisco 49ers 23-10, meaning they would face the Broncos in the Super Bowl. Reggie White of the Packers in the locker room said that it was the will of God that the Packers were in the Super Bowl. Which brings up the question, if it was God’s will that the Broncos and the Packers were to meet in the big game, then God must have, in His grand scheme of things, a plan as to who would win the Super Bowl? But let’s face it, does God really care who wins the Super Bowl? (by the way, the Broncos won 31-24). Should the outcome of a football game, granted that it is the biggest game of the year, get consideration from God? Is it part of His, pardon the pun, big game plan? I realize that the question of whether God cares or intervenes in football games seems a rather trivial exercise in theology. Yet there is a general undercurrent to this notion that is relevant to all our lives. And the question goes beyond football, in asking whether we can pray for personal victories in our lives. What should we pray for and not pray for? And when we pray for certain things in our lives, can God, in effect, intervene to make those things happen because we prayed in earnest? The Scripture lesson from the Gospel of Matthew today reveals to us in Jesus’ own words, “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be open to you. For everyone who ask receives, he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks the door will be opened.” The message at first glance seems to be that prayer is simply asking earnestly what we need, and God responds to grant that need. Yet God desires a relationship with us, a relationship that is characterized by a loving, understanding bond. A relationship to where we can talk with God as we would talk to a friend, to be honest, genuine, and sincere. That we can talk to God even about the desires of our hearts. That is what this Scripture is conveying to us. The message of Christ’s words in Matthew is that God will not give us whatever we ask for, but He will always give us just what we need. God is a God who wants to listen and talk to us. And give us those things we need that are of eternal and ultimate value. As for the question of the day, does God really care who wins the Super Bowl? I leave with you two great words of wisdom that would be my response. The first word comes from Christ himself in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 6 when He said, “Do not worry saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink” or ‘What shall we wear? For the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and his righteousness…” The second comes from baseball great Yogi Berra who said to an opposing player who came to the plate to bat and made the sign of the cross on his chest – “Why don’t you just let God watch the game.” #prayer #grace

Now Caleb calmed the people before Moses and said, “We must go up and take possession of it, because we are more than able to do it.” But the men who went up with him said, “We can’t go up against the people because they are stronger than we.” … We saw ourselves as grasshoppers, and that’s how we appeared to them.” Numbers 13:30-31, 33 CEB In this story in Number chapter 13, Moses sends a contingent of 12 men to explore the land of Canaan, the land that God had promised the Hebrew people they would possess. Ten of the men came back with a horrifying report. “The people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. The land we explored will devour us. All the people we saw were like giants. We seemed like grasshoppers in our eyes and in theirs.” Yet two of the men, Joshua and Caleb, came back with a different report. “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” Makes you wonder if they visited the same land. How could ten men see a land of giants, while two of God’s faithful saw something different? Unfortunately, the Hebrew people were more swayed by the terrifying report of the ten and refused to go any further into the land that God had promised them. They had a grasshopper mentality. The obstacles they faced seemed like giants to them, insurmountable and frightening. How often in our own lives do we look at our obstacles or challenges and they seem like “giants” to us. In comparison we seem like grasshoppers. A grasshopper mentality looks at limitations, weaknesses, and failings in such a way that one is trapped, terrified to make a move. Yet how often in our lives, those giants of obstacles are in reality “grasshoppers” when we look at them through the eyes of God who gives us hope and strength in our times of need. #faith #hope #strength

Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his. we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:2-3 NIV A 17th century Carmelite monk named Brother Lawrence worked as humble cook in a French monastery and he wrote about his experience in the classic book, “Practicing the Presence of God.” Brother Lawrence was able to turn the most menial of his task such as preparing meals and washing dishes into acts that would praise God. He saw them as opportunities to celebrate his relationship with God. Brother Lawrence prescribed that the key to a friendship with God, is not changing what you do, but changing your attitude toward what you do. He continually prayed to God as he worked. And it changed the way he saw his life. It gave him a purpose. Our reason to worship is to recognize the presence of God in our lives and to bring glory, praise, and thanks to God. “Worship is pulling our affections off our idols and putting them on God.” That is the purpose of worship. To truly be known by our Father in heaven. And by focusing all our attention upon our God even in the routine times of our lives, so that we will intimately know him. “Worship helps us find who we are and why God has placed us here on the earth. When we bow in God's presence with worship, only then are we made complete.” As the book of James 4:8,10 tells us, “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Humble yourself before the Lord and he will lift you up.” Only then will our lives have purpose and meaning even in the everyday tasks of life. Worship is not just Sunday morning but recognizing God’s presence even in the everyday task. #worship #work #calling #purpose

Jeremiah received the Lord’s word: Go down to the potter’s house, and I’ll give you instructions about what to do there. So I went down to the potter’s house; he was working on the potter’s wheel. But the piece he was making was flawed while still in his hands, so the potter started on another, as seemed best to him. Then the Lord’s word came to me: House of Israel, can’t I deal with you like this potter, declares the Lord? - Jeremiah 18:1-6 CEB This passage tells us that the Lord told Jeremiah the prophet to go to the potter’s house. The passage says that the Lord sent him to the potter’s house and there he will be given a message. So, Jeremiah goes, and just sits and watches. The potter takes a lump of clay, a formless glob of earth and water and right before his eyes, a useless lump of useless mud, is made into something useful, quite remarkable. Something of no value, common, is turned into something valuable, worthwhile, beneficial. This is what God wanted Jeremiah to see. Yet the message is for us today as well. We are the clay is in the potter’s hand, in God’s hands. We are to be shaped and molded into something pleasing, worthy, beneficial, useful as well. We are to be shaped into disciples. That is our ambition to achieve as a Christian. In the days of Jeremiah, sculpting clay was not what it was today. Back in Jeremiah’s days, clay was earth, dirt, or mud that was scooped up and mixed with water. The glob had to be softened before it could be fashioned. It had to be mixed with the right amount of water and then sifted to remove any stone or foreign objects that didn’t need to be there. Once refined, the potter would place the clay on a clean floor and begin walking on it, back and forth, over and over until all the air pockets were removed. We can say that this is what we need to do in our own lives. To prepare ourselves for God’s touch in shaping and molding us. To humble ourselves, to be open, to eliminate any rigidity in our lives so that we are malleable enough to be shaped. To open ourselves to God’s touch through Scripture, through worship, through community, through study, through servant hood. To allow ourselves to be used wherever we are in life. There is one point in the Scripture that I hope you noticed. At one point the clay became flawed, spoiled, you could almost say ruined. But the potter squeezed the clay into a new lump and started to re-form it. He was able to take the clay that was marred and still mold it and shape it into a piece of earthenware. No matter what shape your life is in, no matter what flaws you have in your life, no matter what you have done in the past, the divine Potter can shape you. WATCH: As shared in this devotion, in many ways our lives can be likened to clay in the potter's hands. As we trust in the artistry of God, the divine Potter, our lives take shape, and we are transformed into his image. As you watch this video which uses the imagery of a potter working on clay in his workshop, reflect on God's shaping process in your own life. #discipleship #calling #purpose

The  Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Psalm 23:1-3 NLT     Jesus is many times referred to as the Good Shepherd in Scripture. One thing that is significant to know about sheep is that they are easily frightened. And they can panic over the smallest of surprises. Just like us.  Phillip Keller wrote a classic book over 40 years ago entitled “A Shepherd’s Look at Psalm 23.” Keller spent years as a shepherd. This experience made the words of the 23rd Psalm come alive to him. He recounts one episode where a friend came from the city to visit him. He writes, “She had a tiny Pekingese pup along. As she opened the car door the pup jumped out on the grass. Just one glimpse of the unexpected little dog was enough. In terror, over two hundred of my sheep which were resting nearby leaped up and rushed off across the pasture.”   When in danger sheep search for their shepherd’s voice. And the interesting thing about sheep is that they have a keen sense of distinguishing among voices. They will recognize the shepherd’s voice among a multiple of other voices.   So how do we train ourselves to hear the voice of God among the multitude of other voices or leading in our lives?  The same way that sheep learn to understand and trust the voice of the shepherd. By hearing from the shepherd over and over again until they recognize his voice. We must intentionally commit to spend time in our relationship with God. We understand and know God primarily by studying and reflecting on His word as expressed in Scripture. Yet we also understand and know God by humbling ourselves and being open to the Holy Spirit and recognizing its movement in our lives.   God desires that all His creation hear His voice. And where will that voice lead us in this world? That we may have all the fullness of His blessings, of His peace, of His love, of His mercy, of His grace so that like the 23rd Psalm says … that we can be so content that we can lie down in the green pastures.  That we can be lead to the still waters, the waters of rest that can sustain us and not exhaust us.  So that our souls can be restored and even when we have those times when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we are comforted. So we listen, we search, we seek the voice of the shepherd, the Good Shepherd the one who laid down his life for us, the one who so desires that we have life and have it to its fullest.  #Jesus #TheGoodShepherd #sheep #VoiceofGod #prayer

This coming Sunday we will celebrate Epiphany which is 12 days after Christmas day. Technically, it is Saturday, January 6, but we will use it as our focus on Sunday. Traditionally it is also known as Three Kings Day and is most practiced by Orthodox, Catholic, and Anglican Christians. It is an important day to not ignore because of its focus on the visitation of the Magi to see the infant Christ (Matthew 2:1-12) and Jesus’ baptism by his cousin John the Baptist (Matthew 3:13-17.) Both experiences are important in the life of Jesus. On Sunday we will consider the baptism of Jesus and why it was necessary. We will also take time to consider our own baptism and how it impacts our lives daily. We will celebrate our baptisms by making the sign of the cross on our foreheads with water to remember that because we are baptized, the Holy Spirit resides within us leading and guiding us and bringing us comfort and peace when we need it most. The Holy Spirit within us also gives us access to Spiritual Gifts that help us bring the presence of Christ into the world through our good works. Our baptism is important, and we will remember this gift on Sunday. The other focus of Epiphany is the visit of the Three Magi, Wise Men, or Kings depending on your tradition, who seek to find the baby Jesus. God leads them through a star in the sky that guides them to Bethlehem. While it is cool to think about a visit from three foreign kings, it is important to note that these men were Gentiles. Non-Jews that God was speaking to and leading to the baby Jesus. Prior to the birth of Jesus, most Jews saw themselves as God’s people and believed they were the only people God was interested in. These Magi introduce the concept that God loves both Jews and Gentiles. God even speaks to Jews and Gentiles. In fact, much of Jesus’ ministry was about God’s immense love and mercy towards all people. I love all the different traditions and expressions of the Christian faith. It gives us such a well-rounded experience of a faith journey. I love that we can join our Orthodox, Catholic, and Anglican brothers and sisters this weekend in the celebration of Epiphany. I hope you will join us this Sunday as we collectively celebrate our baptism. WATCH: In a culture and age where following Jesus is considered foolish by many, this mini movie as a reminder that those who seek, find, and it's always been the wise who seek what matters most. #Epiphany #EpiphanySunday #ThreeKingsDay #WiseMen #Magi #Baptism #Jesus

My favorite Christmas song is "Mary Did You Know" by Pentatonix, you can listen to their rendition by clicking this link Mary, Did You Know? - YouTube Music . I also love the version of "Mary Did You Know" by Clay Aiken, check out his song here Mary, Did You Know - YouTube Music. You decide which one you like better! As a mom, my love for this song grew after I had my first child. The experience of having a baby gave me a different insight into the experience of Mary, the mother of Jesus, so long ago. This Sunday is odd because it is both Christmas Eve and the fourth Sunday of Advent. That means in the morning we will light the Candle of Joy and in the evening, we will light the center candle, the Christ Candle. The Candle of Joy is especially important this year because we have so little joy in our world as two major battles are occurring simultaneously, the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Gaza Strip. There is so much pain in our world, it is hard to be filled with joy when we know so many people are suffering. That is why the song of Mary, found in Luke 1:46-55 is so important: And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.” This is a song sung by a poor woman who had no power or influence. She was disregarded by her culture, and she had no hope that her life would ever change or improve. Nobody cared about this young girl, yet she believed that the God of her ancestors was going to do a good thing for His people. This is a song of hope when there was no reason to hope. This is a song of joy when life brought no joy. This is a young girl who is filled with the love of God because she realizes God has not forgotten her. May you be filled with God’s love this weekend as we gather on Christmas Eve to celebrate God’s love that came to us in the form of an infant, to bring us hope, love, peace, and joy. As you contemplate God's love that came to us, watch the mini movie "God With Us" by clicking on the video below. #Advent #Emmanuel #GodIsWithUs #hope #love #joy #peace #Christmas

"They entered the house and saw the child with Mary his mother. Falling to their knees, they honored him. Then they opened their treasure chests and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Because they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another route." Matthew 2:11-12 CEB "It’s the most wonderful time of the year!" Those are the messages we hear this time of the year. Be merry, be happy. That is what we are supposed to feel, isn’t it? Only it’s not – not for everyone. Not when there is an empty chair at the table. Not when your body is ravaged with illness. Not when the despair is too much to bear. Not when that special relationship you used to have, is not there anymore. Not when you feel all alone, even in a crowd. Not when you are not sure you can even afford the rent or mortgage, let alone presents. Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright. Yet I really can’t imagine that the first Christmas was that serene, calm, and peaceful. In my mind, I would think that Joseph kept busy keeping track of the animals, shooing them away from his newborn son, and his wife, trying to keep a fit place for mother and child. And I wouldn’t think that it was too quiet with all those animals in there. Then things got worse. For King Herod had gotten word that this baby born in Bethlehem was to be the King of the Jews. This Jesus was a threat. He even sent spies out, the magi, to find this child. Yet Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus had already fled to Egypt. Not a good way for Jesus to begin his earthly life. Yet, it is the most wonderful time of the year, not because we have to be cheery and happy and merry. But because we don’t. We can have heavy spirits, shattered dreams, deep sorrow, broken hearts, and deep wounds. And in all these, God still comes to be with us. God relentlessly pursues us to comfort us, to redeem us, to save us, to give us hope, to grant us peace. Even to the extreme that He came to us as one of us, to experience all the things we experience, the happy times, yet even more importantly the painful times. For God’s love and grace for us is not diminished by the darkness we feel in our lives. And God has given us this great light, and it is a light for which darkness can never, ever overcome. #Advent #Emmanuel #GodIsWithUs #hope #love #joy #peace #Christmas