Posts by Pastor Shawn (Page 4)

8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” (Mark 2:8-10) On Sundays, both in the worship service and in the…

Comfort the discouraged. Help the weak. Be patient with everyone… Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in every situation because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:14b, 16-18) As we close out what will be a year that most of us will never forget, I have felt the Spirit challenging me to evaluate all the reasons we have to be hopeful about the coming new year. Here in this passage, as the Apostle Paul moves…

34 “I give you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, so you also must love each other. 35 This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other.” (John 13:34-35 CEB) John Wesley was a pastor and theologian who lived in the 1700s. Many affirm that the Church of the Nazarene grew out of the evangelistic movement originally started by Wesley. In Wesley’s teachings, he often emphasized the idea of…

So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.” (Colossian 3:12-14 from the Message) In the midst of this election week, with votes still…

8 He will swallow up death forever. The LORD God will wipe tears from every face; he will remove his people’s disgrace from off the whole earth, for the LORD has spoken. (Isaiah 25:8 CEB) This passage comes from the Old Testament Lectionary reading for this week. During the tumultuous days we find ourselves in, this verse stands as a good reminder of God’s role and promises in the big picture. First God “will swallow up death forever.” Modern culture…

And everyone, clothe yourselves with humility toward each other. God stands against the proud, but he gives favor to the humble. (1 Peter 5:5b) As I encountered this passage this week, the phrase “God stands against the proud” jumped out at me. I had heard this idea from scripture before. Similar ideas can be found in James 4:6 and Proverbs 3:34. Although a familiar sentiment, this idea seemed jolting this week. It almost seems like the opposite of God’s character…

16 Rejoice always. 17 Pray continually. 18 Give thanks in every situation because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) This passage, and many other scriptures, call the believer to always be in a frame of mind which leads us to praise God. The problem is that we don’t always feel like praise is on our lips, especially when things don’t go the way we expect. Many of you know that the pastoral team lost a friend last…

      I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.       Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. (Psalm 27:13-14) The path I take to the church from my house passes the community roller-skating rink. I noticed a couple of weeks back they changed their reader board to simply say #STILLWAITING. There’s a lot wrapped up in that hash tag, but it has…

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Lamentations 3:22–24 (NRSV)   There’s an old chorus that is running through my head as I type this, the song lyrics are these verses from Lamentations 3 set to music. The refrain begins, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.” In…

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  (Matthew 11:28-30) In our Zoom youth gathering the past couple of weeks we’ve been looking at the twenty-third Psalm. This has caused me to reflect on the biblical notion of rest. In this…

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.” -Deuteronomy 7:9 During this time at home, one project I’ve been working on in the spare moments is to digitize a collection of home video tapes from my parents. These videos chronicle events during my last year of high school, and my years in college primarily. It has…