January 15, 2022

Dear Road Church Friends,

The post-Christmas season of Epiphany is dedicated to the spiritual discipline of learning and integrating the lessons of Christmas into our lives. The first encouraging lesson is that “God is always with us.” The angel who announced Jesus’ birth said, “He will be called, Emmanuel, which means, “God is with us.” The final words of Jesus to his disciples in the Gospel of Matthew are, “I will be with you as long as the world lasts.” Furthermore, Jesus has given us his Spirit, empowering us to be his hands and heart in service to the world. My message last Sunday was about letting go of a sectarian “Us against the world” perspective, and cultivate a “God loves the world” perspective. This enables us to be the unifying, compassionate presence of Jesus all the time, everywhere. This is a tall order for the Church, but it is also true that the influence of the Spirit of Jesus is not confined to the Church. Jesus compared the Spirit of God’s presence to the wind. “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound but you cannot tell where it comes from and where it is going.” The sovereign Spirit is everywhere, going about doing Jesus’ work inside and outside the Church everyday. This means that God really does inhabit the space between us. If you ever get discouraged about the state of the world, or when tragedy strikes, remember, the redemptive, comforting, encouraging wind (spirit) of God’s presence is always at our back, and always where it needs to be.

SCRIPTURE: John 3:8                    SERMON:  “GOD IS WITH US”

The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit

HYMN:  “It Is Well with My Soul”   aka. “When Peace Like a River”

GOD HATH NOT PROMISED

God hath not promised skies always blue,

Flower strewn pathways all our lives through;

God hath not promised Sun without rain,

joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

But God hath promised strength for the day,

Rest for the labor, light for the way,

Grace for the trials, help from above,

Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

by Annie Johnson Flint

     May the grace of Jesus, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be yours.

Pastor Norm

Our Sunday morning worship on YouTube: https://youtu.be/9norb3YanNU