Newsletter

Tuesday, December 5.

We are commanded to persevere in prayer, and Scripture assures us God will answer. And while it may at times seem as if He’s ignoring us, that is not the case. Our heavenly Father, who loves us perfectly and knows all things fully, will certainly provide what is best when we ask Him. Oftentimes, unanswered prayer is not about God’s unwillingness to respond but has to do with requests made with wrong motives or limited perspective. We should keep three things in mind:   

First, we must make wise requests. When we ask according to God’s will, we have confidence that He’ll answer our requests (1 John 5:15-16). The purpose of prayer is not to manipulate God but to submit ourselves to His desires. 

Second, we should examine our motives. When we request something for purely selfish reasons without regard to God’s desires, we should not expect Him to answer (James 4:3).

Third, we are to trust God’s perspective. Man sees glimpses only of the immediate future, but God can see everything at once. He’s not slow about answering our petitions, because His timing is perfect (2 Peter 3:8-9). 

Never give up on prayer, but as you present your requests, ask the Lord to reveal if you’re hindering His answer in some way. Remember, prayer is about His will, not ours.

Memory Verse: James 4:3.

“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” Martin Luther

Tuesday, December 1.

People go to great lengths to ensure that their property and wealth are bequeathed according to their wishes. But there is a much more valuable gift we can give others, “the wisdom that leads to salvation” (2 Timothy 3:15).

Our most vital asset is the knowledge we’ve accumulated about our faith, especially the body of biblical truth regarding salvation. Although personal faith cannot be given to someone else, we can inform others about Jesus’ redeeming work on the cross. And we can also model a life that is committed to Him.  

However, before we can pass down the principles of faith to others, biblical salvation must be a reality in our own life. Many people pick and choose religious philosophies to guide their life, but self-serving religion can never save. Only those whose faith is based on scriptural truth can face the end of life with confidence about eternal security. That’s because they know God’s Son died on the cross to pay the penalty for their sins. 

Have you trusted Jesus as your personal Savior? Do you want to die confident and hopeful? The greatest legacy we can leave is not money or belongings but the truth that changes lives. Begin today to influence future generations by bringing them the good news. 

Memory verse: 2 Timothy 3:15.

“Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” Mother Teresa

SERMON BY THE REVEREND AMOS MCCARTHY

1ST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

NOVEMBER 29, 2020.

Title: Jesus: The Hope of Glory”

Text: Luke 2:19-20.

Scripture Reading: Luke 2:15-20.

The story is told of how a man approached a little league baseball game one afternoon. He asked a boy in the dugout what the score was. The boy responded, “Eighteen to nothing. We’re behind.” “Boy,” said the spectator, “I’ll bet you’re discouraged.” “Why should I be discouraged?” replied the little boy. “We haven’t even gotten up to bat yet!” The little boy expressed hope in the midst of certain defeat.

Our text this morning presents Jesus as a child who would bring hope into the world. Just as God is love, righteousness, truth, life, and light, so also his nature is hope.  His hopeful nature is illustrated by his plan of salvation. God sent Jesus Christ into the world. “God so loved the world… (John 3:16). Titus 2:11 puts it this way, “The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.”  Christ was born a Jew, but he was the Son of Man. While Jesus was born a Jew, he came to atone for all men. Through Jesus’ birth, all people receive eternal life. This is the reason why Christians celebrate his birth. It is a season that takes us into the birth of a Savior: Our hope of glory. The season of Advent is a time for reflection and confirmation. As we begin this season, let us consider some of the divine attributes that Jesus Christ brings to us: Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy. For the next four Sundays, we will hear messages about these attributes. This morning, let us learn together the nature of God, Hope. How can we develop this divine attribute of Jesus? God’s hope for glory is in the salvation of sinners and in their becoming like Jesus Christ in character. As long as Jesus is, there is hope. 

Our text describes an event. The events of this night marked the fulfilling of a long-awaited hope in Israel. Let us go much deeper into the meaning of their hope, and I trust you will see that to the studious and faithful Jew, the coming of their Messiah in just the fashion that He came, could and should have been as much an end or a fulfilling of their hope, as His final coming in glory will be the end and fulfilling of our hope. This leaves us with the question, “What is hope?”

There are two words used in the New Testament that are translated as ‘hope’ in English. One has to do with trust; usually in a person. But the one most used in the New Testament has to do with an expectation, or an anticipation, and is usually associated with pleasure. The most obvious illustration that comes to my mind during this season, is a child on Christmas Eve. A child wants a PS5. The child can’t wait for Christmas morning. He does not sleep well. It is not anxiety but expectations of finding a PS5 among the gifts beautifully wrap under the Christmas tree. This is the sort of hope that I’m talking about today. It is not a yearning for an uncertain thing, but a confident anticipation and expectation of something that will indeed, come. So certain is the believer that the thing will eventually come, that he can almost see it, though it may be far off. 

The next thing about hope that I want you to see, is that the kind of hope I’m talking about is always looking forward to the answer to, or the cure for, that which is not desirable. The hope, or anticipation, longs for the light that will dispel the darkness, the healing that will eliminate the pain, the safety at the end of a perilous journey; that thing or that event or that person that will finally come and make sense of it all. 

The theme of hope is a welcome one when we are faced with some of the things that life can throw at us. When we are filled with fear (fear of contracting a virus or fear of an uncertain future), we need the hope of God’s presence, power and promises. When we are faced with pain or illness, we need the hope that God is aware of what is going on in our lives. When a bad and difficult situation goes on for a long time, we need the hope of knowing that God is able to overcome the evil that has besieged us in his time. When it seems the world has lost its mind and has become hostile to God and everything good, then we need the hope of knowing that God is still in control and is the ultimate victor. How do we do this?

This can be done by believing in Jesus.  This can be done by trusting in Jesus. It is important to note that believing or hoping in Christ brings joy and peace. This has to do with our hope in the future. The future is as bright as the person and promises of God.

If you are a professed believer in Christ and in His shed blood for your salvation, placing your trust back into the passing, failing things of this world is a doubly dangerous thing to do. It is a hindrance to your continued fellowship with the Father, and it will eventually bring you disappointment and failure.  Please remember, Christian, that the Bible says, “Whoever believes in HIM will not be disappointed. Let Him be your hope; the One in Whom you trust. He is entirely trustworthy.

In our text, the shepherds set very outstanding examples of hope. Looking at verse 15 of Luke 2 it reads, “And it came about when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds began saying to one another, ‘Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us”.  These shepherds were part of a generation that had read all the Messianic prophecies about Jesus coming.  These shepherds wanted to see what Isaiah talked about. In prophesying of the Messiah’s arrival on the scene, Isaiah had said, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light” (9:2). So the anticipation of these lowly shepherds had been primed by centuries of expectation, and the sudden appearance of a host of angels, lighting up the night sky by their reflection of God’s own glory, and as one voice announcing Messiah’s birth was like throwing a lighted torch into an open powder keg. 

Can you believe that these shepherds left their sheeps, not thinking about the danger of being eaten by lions? It would be like a surgeon abandoning the operating table. A soldier on the base perimeter leaving his post.  It was something unimaginable. This was not disloyalty by these shepherds, but a reflection of the magnitude of the angel message. The magnitude of this message moves us to forget the worries of an uncertain future, the anxiety of how we could survive in this difficulty, and place our hope in God.

A magazine narrates a story  how researchers performed an experiment to see the effect hope has on those undergoing hardship. Two sets of laboratory rats were placed in separate tubs of water. The researchers left one set in the water and found that within an hour they had all drowned. The other rats were periodically lifted out of the water and then returned. When that happened, the second set of rats swam for over 24 hours. Why? Not because they were given a rest, but because they suddenly had hope!

Those animals somehow hoped that if they could stay afloat just a little longer, someone would reach down and rescue them. If hope holds such power for unthinking rodents, how much greater should its effect be on our lives. 

Hope cannot be forced. It is the product of faith and love. May the God of hope fill you all with peace, love, and joy in believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. God bless you all. 

SERMON BY THE REVEREND AMOS MCCARTHY

17TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

SEPTEMBER 27, 2020.

Title: “Where is your Soul’s virtue of Moral Courage?”

Text: “Have not I commanded you?Be strong and courageous;  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go,” (Joshua 1:9 NIV).

Scripture Reading: Joshua 1:1-9.

One of the most gifted speakers in church history was John Chrysostom.  The name comes from a Greek word meaning “golden tongued.” John was sent from Antioch to what was then Constantinople where he preached fearlessly in the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. His denunciation of the lavish extravagance of the rich and ruling class and his condemnation of excess infuriated many, including Empress Eudoxia who arranged for him to be exiled.

When he was told of his fate, Chrysostom responded: “What can I fear? Will it be death? But you know that Christ is my life, and that I shall gain by death. Will it be exile? But the earth and all its fullness is the Lord’s. Will it be the loss of wealth? But we brought nothing into the world, and can carry nothing out. Thus all the terrors of the world are contemptible in my eyes, and I smile at all its good things. Poverty I do not fear. Riches I do not sigh for. Death I do not shrink from.” 

Far too many today are more worried about what people think than about what God thinks. The desire not to offend others (which is not a bad thing in itself) is often elevated to be the most important thing. As a result, many shrink from taking the steps needed to get involved with others. One of the programs initiated here at church focused on getting involved with people as a major step in good neighboring.  Getting involved with people has been a difficult decision for many of us. Psalm 94:16 raises the interrogative, “Who will rise up for me against evil doers? Who shall stand up for me against workers of iniquity?  What do we need to motivate us to get involved with others? What do we need to live out our faith? You see church, Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us there is a time to be silent and there is a time to speak. When the time came for Amos to speak against social injustice and oppression, God put his hands on Amos reminding him that the time to be silent is over. God begins a conversation: the time is over to allow oppressive force to dominate; the time is over to wonder if the God of justice and peace is still alive; the time is over. 

God starts a conversation: In the midst of man using God’s Word to justify inhumanity against man. In the midst of all the violence and senseless loss of lives, God starts a conversation. In the midst of suffering of many who can afford a meal a day, God starts a conversation. What do we need to be part of this conversation?   Courage is what we need. Learn with me this morning as we look at moral courage as a virtue of the soul.

To begin with, let us understand what courage is.  Courage is one of the cardinal virtues. A virtue is a quality that adorns the soul through the practice of a good habit. Courage is one of the four cardinal virtues (wisdom, courage, temperance, justice), so called because they are foundational – they were identified by the Greeks through philosophical reflection and they are all found throughout the Bible, (Shaffer, 20).  Courage is another word for fortitude or strength or bravery.  How does courage relate to us?

Our text this morning narrates the story of the genesis of Joshua’s leadership of Israel after the prophet Moses died.  Joshua the son of Nun took over.  God’s plan for Joshua and Israel was to be prosperous as a nation. In this process, decisions had to be made and bonds had to be forged.  These needed courage to be accomplished.

Daniel 3 tells us how Daniel displayed this virtue in the face of imminent death.  It was the aspect of his soul that made him cried out, “Our God is able.” Courage is the virtue which adorns the irascible aspect of our souls.  It is that fight or flight impulse in us when danger is upon us or when we see a good that is not easy to obtain.  That impulse is given to us by God naturally to avoid pain and to preserve ourselves.  When fear arises in us because of some perceived danger, we react to it.  But because of the confusion of our souls, we do not always react well.  We might cower and withdraw when we should fight or draw near, we might fight when we really should withdraw.

Courage is that virtue enabling us to act despite our fear and to do the right thing, to be ready even to fall in the battle.  Courage does not make us suffer pointlessly, but for a great good we perceive through hope to be attainable.

We all know courage, we have exercised it. If you are a student, making the move to a new life on your own, to a new city, the blank page when you must write an essay, the facing of exams for the first time!; if you have launched yourself on a new career.  If you have travelled and if you have moved to distant places, it takes courage.

The Bible is full of passages of God telling us to have courage.  One is the quote we heard this morning from Joshua: “Be strong and of good courage; be not frightened nor dismayed; for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua had recently taken over the leadership of Israel when Moses died. He hesitates before going across Jordan and into the promised Land. He is afraid on different levels.  We know he was afraid because God does not speak without purpose, and tells him to have courage not once but three times!  Joshua probably wondered, can I be a leader? What sort of dangers will we face? So many uncertainties? He is afraid.  I remember before going to seminary in Ghana, I needed the courage. I didn’t have the money to leave. I was afraid of leaving behind my young daughter.  God minister to my heart to read the passage we read this morning and when I did, I felt immediately physically and spiritually strengthened.  There was a recovery of joy, the release of energy and excitement about the coming adventure – yes, of course! God will be with me, all things are possible with Him!

We need courage to live out our faith, to witness about our faith to others, and to seek out God. When we confess our faith, in a group of people who are non-believers, it is not physical harm that we fear, but there can be fear that we will be rejected by the crowd, or simply thought to be foolish.  And yet as we exercise that courage, we find ourselves emboldened.  Sometimes people react differently than we expected, it can draw out a latent, hidden faith in others.  I know it was important to me, in the years when I was outside the Church, for people in my midst to admit they were Christians, it helped awaken my hidden faith. To speak to that person, whom I respect, believes?Moral courage is also tested in our speaking out when other voices are silent to unjust oppression.  The courage to be a voice in the face of corruption or abuse in a work environment, even when it can cost us our job.  The courage to put to an end an abusive relationship or to call another person to account regardless of the consequences.  Moral courage is needed to speak against something society thinks is acceptable morally, but when we understand it to be contrary to Scripture.The virtue of courage is not given to Christians so that we can avoid being harmed, it is not given to us to preserve our lives at all cost, but it is to enable us to be vulnerable in acts of love, to pour out our lives as a living sacrifice, to be steadfast in the face of persecution, to be able to walk in the way of love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:2)  God bless you all!