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Pastor’s Corner – November 2019
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (Col. 2:6–7)
Rev. David Garrison
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Pastor’s Corner – October 2019
But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain… And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Cor. 15:13–14, 17–19)
Rev. David Garrison
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Church Picnic – Sunday, Sept 15 @ 5PM
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Pastor’s Corner – September 2019
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. (1 Tim. 6:10)
My parents raised me to believe that there are three things you don’t talk about in polite company: religion, politics and money. We can’t (and probably shouldn’t) avoid talking about that first one in church, and while this usually hasn’t kept me from talking about the other two, but every time I do, I hesitate…particularly when it comes to talking about money. Especially when it comes to preaching about money. Not only do I not like preaching about money, I’ve never met a church member who likes or wants to hear sermons on money. As someone once told Bob Mills after a sermon, “Now you’ve gone from preaching to meddling.”
However, there are two truths about money that I think ensures it’s worthy of our time and attention on a Sunday morning. First, the reality is that everyone is always talking or thinking about money. As Carey Nieuwhof writes, “People talk about it, argue about it, and try to make their plans around it. Almost everyone in your church and community thinks about money daily and talks about it daily. They may even struggle with it daily. It’s just that few people step up to help them with it” (underlined reference links can be found in the online version of this article). If it gets that much of our mental energy and time, isn’t it something we should seek biblical guidance regarding?
Which leads us to the second truth: Did you know that the Bible talks about money more than any other subject? As an article at crosswalk.com points out, “It is worth noting that money is such an important topic in the Bible that it is the main subject of nearly half of the parables Jesus told. In addition, one in every seven verses in the New Testament deals with this topic. The Bible offers 500 verses on prayer, fewer than 500 verses on faith, and more than 2,000 verses on money.” As the article states, “Why such an emphasis on money and possessions? There is a fundamental connection between our spiritual lives and how we think about and handle money.”
So for the next six weeks, beginning September 8, we’re going to be talking about money. We’ll spend the first three weeks talking about the connection between our spiritual lives and our focus on money and the second three weeks understanding what the Bible says about why and how our giving to the Lord is an important part of our growth as disciples of Jesus Christ. While certainly a subject no one wants to talk or hear sermons about, I think we’ll find a way to a deeper, richer life in Christ as a result.
But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. (1 Tim. 6:11)
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
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Pastor’s Corner – August 2019
“Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” (James 3:18)
Summer doesn’t officially end for another month and a half, and given that we live in central Virginia, it won’t begin to feel like fall until sometime in October, but with kids going back to school in just a few weeks, it seems like fall is already here. And with the fall comes the harvest season. In our summer sermon series, Do Something, we’ve seen that James uses the image of the harvest a lot throughout his letter.
I’ve been amazed at the way the flowers and plants in our yard have absolutely blossomed and exploded this year. As much as we’d like to take credit, this isn’t really because of anything my wife and I have done. Someone else put these plants in the ground long before we moved in, and last year’s incredible rainfall nourished the soil richly over the winter and into the spring. We put a lot of effort into weeding and mulching early on, but haven’t done a good job keeping up with it.
“What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.” (1 Cor. 3:5–9)
Such it is with our spiritual lives. Often we find that spiritual growth happens, regardless of what we do or don’t do. But some simple truths are still central. First, you harvest what you plant. Second, while the seeds grow naturally, there are things we can do to encourage their growth, such as watering, weeding and fertilizing that create an environment conducive to their flourishing.
Much of what we seek to do here at Northminster is help you with those two aspects of your walk with the Lord – planting seeds of faith and spiritual growth, and cultivating the soil of your heart and soul to nourish those seeds. As we head into the harvest season, be on the lookout for opportunities to check the health of the soil of your soul as well as opportunities to “do something” with the growth that God has been doing in you. If there is a particular way you’d like some help in your spiritual growth, be sure to let one of our elders or me know.
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
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