June 4, 2026
Little Rascals!
“Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Matthew 19:14
“Children should be seen and not heard.”
Old English Proverb
This morning’s devotional verse comes from our Gospel for this coming Sunday. This week we are celebrating, “Children’s Day.” This is a Sunday in June where the children play a leading role in our worship service. The good news is that this means that there will be no sermon this week. (That alone may cause a spike in attendance.) So, I thought I might offer a brief reflection on these oft quoted words spoken by Jesus after the disciples had attempted to shoo the children away from Jesus.
The second verse quoted above is a saying that my father used to offer up at times when one of his offspring might be a bit too boisterous. The origin of this saying reputedly comes from Victorian England, a time when children were expected to be quiet and reserved when adults were present. It seems the disciples held with this axiom as well. When people brought the children to Jesus to be blessed by him, the disciples tried to ward them off. Apparently, they thought Jesus was too busy and important to occupy himself with mere children. Instead, Jesus redirected the disciples by reminding them that the children were also deserving of being part of the kingdom of heaven.
When the subject of children in worship arises, you find many opinions. Some people believe that children can be loud and disruptive at times and so we should offer programs in which they are not in the sanctuary. Others believe that children are important to the vitality and growth of a church and we should seek ways to include them as much as possible. My personal belief is that children of all ages in worship are an indicator of the vitality of a church. The noise they may make is an indication of the joy they can bring to us and to help us have a greater understanding of Jesus’ message about the kingdom of heaven belonging to everyone.
This Sunday we celebrate the children of our church, their families, and the people of our congregation who give of their worship time to help our children grow in their faith. May the Lord continue to bless us with the vitality, faith and spiritual growth that we can witness in the faces of our church children!
Peace,
Pastor Chuck
June 3, 2026
How Long is a Moment?
“Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.”
Proverbs 12:19
The Book of Proverbs is thought to have been written and assembled sometime in the 10th century BC. In other words, a really long time ago. Certainly, many thousands of years before the Federal Trade Commission was founded in 1914. One of the tasks of the FTC is to oversee advertising claims to ensure that they are accurate. Based upon the current track record of the FTC I am not sure that they would have issue with Solomon’s words about lying tongues lasting only a moment. I can think of many instances where lying tongues have endured for longer than a moment. We can all remember Milli Vanilli, right?
So that leads me to the title of today’s devotional. As we seek to define what a moment really is we need to first consider whose timetable we are using as a measuring device. For you or I, a moment may be a few seconds, a minute or two, or perhaps the length of an average sermon? But when we consider the perspective of the Lord a moment might be as along as a human lifetime. Enduring the chaos created by a lying tongue for a lifetime could be a hardship that even the hardiest soul would find difficult to endure.
It seems that, over time, our society has become numb to untruthfulness. We almost expect certain people to lie to us. If you do a quick check of several surveys listing professions that are perceived as untruthful or unethical you find the usual suspects. Elected officials, lobbyists (cannot have one without the other), car salespeople (ouch!), attorneys, and telemarketers (no, I did not apply for that personal loan) are amongst the leaders in the clubhouse of untruthfulness.
As we have noted before, Proverbs gives a nice glimpse into the human condition centuries ago. Lying, cheating, swindling, and unethical behavior happened then too. There are many Proverbs about tampered scales and measurements designed to benefit one person while defrauding another. So, perhaps we should not be surprised when we realize that cannot lease that Toyota Tacoma for $299 per month. (did you read the fine print?)
Instead, we must be wise, discerning, and alert in our dealings with each other in the world. While this may sound jaded or cynical, it is simply how to best protect our interests as we navigate the larger world. But even as we do this we are reminded of the first words of today’s devotional verse, “truthful lips endure forever…” May it be our task on our journey to do our best to be truthful with all others as we seek to hold ourselves to our higher standard than our society may expect of each other. Our reward for our ethical words and actions will endure far beyond a moment, however you define it, stretching even to eternity!
Peace,
Pastor Chuck
June 1, 2026
Two Weeks’ Notice?
“Come and follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.”
Matthew 4:19-20
This morning’s devotional verse is part of the story of Jesus’ calling of the first of his disciples. According to Matthew’s account of the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, things happened with alacrity. He was baptized in the Jordan by John (the Baptist). He was then immediately led into the wilderness to be tempted. After passing the tests of Satan, Jesus returned to Galilee and began to preach saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Mt. 4:17)
Next, we find Jesus strolling beside the Sea of Galilee. There he spots two fishermen, Simon aka Peter and his brother Andrew plying their trade. He calls to them, telling them if they follow him, they will become fishers of men. This must have been a powerful statement as we are told they left their nets and followed him. HMMMM! Next, Jesus comes across another pair of brothers, James and John. They are in a boat with their father, a man named Zebedee, preparing their nets for a day of fishing. Jesus calls these brothers and they immediately leave their boat and their father and follow Jesus.
It is the immediacy of the response of these men that has always struck a chord with me when I have read this passage. Once Jesus called to them, they dropped everything, literally, and went off to follow him. I wonder how poor old Zebedee felt about this. One minute his sons are helping him with the family business, next they are wandering off with some itinerant preacher/carpenter. Who is going to help Zeb launch his boat, cast his nets, and haul in the day’s catch? His kids did not even give him two weeks’ notice! I hope he did not give them a nice severance package.
The suddenness of the young men’s reply is enhanced by their desire to follow this charismatic individual who was offering them a chance to make a difference in their world. There must have been a void in their existence that they felt Jesus could help them fill. No matter how many fish they caught, how successful Zebedee and Sons LLC became, there would still be a desire that they needed to fulfill. They believed that Jesus would offer that life-changing experience that they longed for.
To be a follower of Christ often requires self-sacrifice to some degree. You may not be called to make a career change, but you may have to make some alterations to how you live your life. Those changes may come gradually as you begin to find your way of faith. For some the call to follow Christ carries a bit more urgency. No matter how you have come to where you are on your faith journey, may you continue to grow and evolve in your relationship with the Lord.
Peace,
Pastor Chuck
May 14, 2026
Seeking One’s Own Honor!
“It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to seek one’s own honor.”
Proverbs 25:27
“Let another praise you, and not your own mouth, someone else, and not your own lips.”
Proverbs 27:2
I decided to double up on Proverbs this week. Usually on Thursday I ruminate on the first Scripture reading from the coming Sunday service. But as I will not be here Sunday, I decided to go a different route today. In poking around in Proverbs I found two verses that touch on a similar issue, but from different directions. That subject is vanity, or self-promotion if we were to expand our view a bit.
Our first verse (25:27) starts with a reminder that eating too much of a good thing is not desirable. While the initial taste of honey may be sweet and satisfying, too much of it will give you a stomachache. In the same way, it is not good to attempt to seek praise. It is fine to accept recognition you deserve, but you should not go about prodding others to speak honorably about you or your works.
In that same manner, Proverbs 27:2 reminds that us that worthy praise only comes from another’s mouth. Speaking of our efforts in a way that is self-praising is off-putting and can be viewed as conceited and self-serving. Rather, if someone is moved to speak positively about you, without prompting, you may receive that praise gratefully. However, you should let humility rule the day and not go about broadcasting someone’s else’s praise for you for all to hear.
If we look to the words of Jesus regarding the subject of humility, we will find that he speaks of this character trait several times. Most notable in the Gospel of Matthew he states, “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Mt. 23:12) Those concise words from the Christ are a clear call for us to strive to be humble servants if we wish to follow Christ in a more complete manner.
Being humble and seeking to glorify oneself does not mean that we are to be shrinking violets, or allow ourselves to be ignored or dismissed. As disciples we are expected to speak up when we see injustice and work hard to honor all people. However, even as we do these things we must understand that our efforts are done not to glorify ourselves, but instead to glorify our God and lift up our neighbors and our world. If we are able to humbly serve the Lord the gratification we can enjoy can be found in knowing that we have advanced greater good even as we have honored our Lord. May it be so for us today!
Peace,
Pastor Chuck