Message Reflection - Gary Keith

Doing Justly – what does that look like? On Sunday I covered a familiar story that Jesus told called the Parable of the Good Samaritan. As we are learning what it means to do justly we saw that Jesus taught this is not about earning our salvation it is about responding to the love he has given us by putting our love for him into action.

We also learned that doing justly is about the need not the person that it starts with a feeling in our gut, that we get personally involved and that it will cost us something.  Think about your own life and the times you have act justly – what was that like? Did you have to apply these principles that Jesus taught? What was the result? I’d love to hear your stories of doing justly – let’s learn and experience life together!!

-Pastor Gary

This Weekend's Message: Doing Justly: No Distinctions Allowed

Doing Justly: No Distinctions Allowed
Luke 10:25-37
I love to watch people. It’s fun for me when I’m out with Miriam and we are walking Victoria Gardens to observe people. I like to see what people are wearing, who they are with and wonder what their life is about. What is their story? What are their values? What experiences have they had that makes them the people they are today. Of course all of this is pure speculation but the down side is that it can cause me to be judgmental. They never know it but in my mind I’ve made distinctions. And these distinctions are filtered through my own life and beliefs and experiences.

I think many of us, without even thinking, make distinctions when it comes to people. I guess the question we need to answer is whether this is a good thing for those who call themselves Christians. If in the process of making distinctions with people, will that cause us to act differently toward them? This week as we continue our series called “Love in Action” we will look at the words of Jesus and see what he says about what it means to love others by doing justly and how making distinctions can hinder what God calls us to do. I hope to see you Sunday.

Pastor Gary

This Weekend's Message:

What Does God Really Want?
Micah 6:6-8

This week starts a new nine-week series called “Love in Action.” Usually when we hear the word love thoughts of romance or thoughts of a good friend and companion who is always there come to mind. Or maybe it’s a movie that you think of when you think of love. I still remember that famous line in a movie called “Love Story.” Ryan O’Neal said to the love of his life, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” I remember hearing people in the theatre say, “Aw, that is so right” when that line hit the movie screen. But I think today we all know that love means just the opposite.

With all the ideas about love out there what is love really? God has much to say about love and you might be surprised to know that it involves action. What does it mean to put love into action? Come this week as we begin to find out.

Pastor Gary

This Weekend's Message Sept 11th

Where were you when you heard the news of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001? Depending on your age you may have been a teenager or a young adult but most likely you will not forget the circumstances surrounding that day in your life. As we think about that Tuesday morning 10 years ago we are reminded not only of the tragedy but also of the actions of hundreds of our countrymen. I will never forget the New York Firefighters who rushed into those burning buildings – the heroes who in the course of their duty to save life lost their own.

Now ten years later the rubble has been cleared away, the ashes washed clean by rain; but as a people we have been changed forever. How have we changed and what do we need to remember 10 years later. This Sunday we will explore three things that we must never forget in light of 9/11. 

We hope you will join us this weekend for a special service remembering September 11th.

Heart Condition
Proverbs 4:20-27
If I asked you to take your finger and point to yourself, where would you point? Most of us, I think, would not point to our heads. That’s interesting isn’t it? In spite of the great importance of good thinking, we instinctively know that what is most essential about us is not our brain. I’ve never heard anyone say to the person they love: “I give you all of my brain.” But I’ve also never heard someone say, “I dedicate my full bladder to you for the rest of my life’ or “I pledge to you my lungs.” In fact there is only one body part that we refer to when we talk of love or dedication or devotion; and that body part is the heart. When we talk about that aspect of ourselves that is most central to whom we are and what we want to bring to life, we speak of the heart. 

In saying this, of course, we don’t mean our myocardial muscle. No, in the Bible the heart is the center of the person, the control center of life. And the condition of that heart directs and dictates the kind of life we will live. What is the condition of your “heart?” This week we are going to look at some essentials to keep the condition of our hearts (not the muscle) healthy.

I hope to see you Sunday!
Gary Keith, Lead Pastor