April 16, 2026

Love Equals Law?

“Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”

Romans 13:10

            We are wrapping up this week’s reflections about being a neighbor in a Christian sense. This morning’s verse comes from Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. On several occasions previously we have discussed the origin of this letter. Unlike the majority of his letter’s, this epistle was written to a church that Paul had never visited. He longed to go there, and eventually would, but at the time he wrote this he had no in-person relationship with them. As such, Paul shares with them an in-depth view of his theology.

            In the section of the letter that contains the above verse, Paul is discussing how to live in the Roman society. This was a bit tricky for the fledgling church as they had to balance themselves between the ordinances of the Roman Empire, the Law of the Jewish faith (many of them were Jews) and the teaching of Christ. Paul advises them to obey the Roman authorities. When it comes to the Jewish laws and the teachings of Christ, Paul has a simple solution. To his way of thinking the majority of the Ten Commandments, which was the basis of the Law, boiled down to following Christ’s instruction to, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

            Paul’s advice, written centuries ago still applies to our situation as Christians today. We move and exist in a society of laws and codes. But we do not need to get bogged down in struggle to understand how those regulations jive with our belief system. While we may not be balancing love against the Law as the Romans were, we still can use the same theory. If what we do each days fulfills Jesus’ decree that we love our neighbor as ourselves, we cannot get too far from living out God’s teachings. May it be so for us today!

Peace,

Pastor Chuck  

April 15, 2026

Neighborly Advice

“Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house – too much of you and they will hate you.”

Proverbs 25:17

“If anyone loudly blesses their neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse.”

Proverbs 27:14

            So, we continue this week’s subject of neighbors by reflecting on two verses from Proverbs about dealing with neighbors. There are twenty-one references to neighbors in Proverbs. Much of what is found there reads like a primer on how to get along in community. This morning’s verses deal with intriguing advice on how to keep a good relationship with those who live in close proximity to you. Proverbs 25:17 might fall under the category, too much of a good thing. You may have a good relationship with your neighbor. You may even be close friends. But even a good rapport can suffer from over exposure. Think about your favorite meal for instance. My wife makes great cheesy, chicken enchiladas, but if I was forced to eat them every night, I would get sick of them. The author of this Proverb recognizes this fact. If you are under your neighbor’s feet too often, they will come to dislike you.

            Proverbs 27:14 deals with a similar subject. In this verse one neighbor loudly blesses (greets?) their neighbor early in the morning. While the idea of the blessing itself may seem innocuous or even positive at first blush, it is the timing that is off. Many people do not wish to be disturbed first thing in the morning, even if it is positive greeting. Perhaps it would be a good idea to hold off your blessing until the folks next door have had their first (or second) cup of coffee.

            Of course, when we speak of neighbors in a spiritual sense, we often cast the geographical net wide to include the expanse of humanity. But, in a practical sense, being a good neighbor, and having good neighbors, can be very important to our well-being. In my adult life I have lived in many places. There have been times, such as now, when the good neighbors outweigh the troublesome ones. There have been other times when difficult, perhaps even destructive neighbors, have made life uncomfortable.

            So, while it is fun to be humorous about being a good neighbor, it is also important. How we treat the people we live near is a direct reflection on our character. We may not be close friends with them; we need to be respectful of them even as we wish to be respected. And if we can expand the concept of neighbor from a geographic concept to a spiritual reality, perhaps we can be part of the solution to the problems that plague our communities, our culture, and our world!

Peace,

Pastor Chuck

April 14, 2026

A Nice Visit!

“’In that day each of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and fig tree,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”

Zechariah 3:10

I thought it might be fun to continue our focus on neighbors to our Devotionals for a few days. I found this verse about sharing fellowship with neighbors in the writings of the Old Testament prophet Zechariah. To give this verse some context we should discuss what happens just prior to this day of fellowship. Zechariah was written in the time following the exile. The remanent of the people of Israel had now returned to their homeland and begun to rebuild their community. Being more specific, this section describes how the high priest Joshua (not Moses’ assistant Joshua) being clad in clean garments as a sign of purity and righteousness. There will be other signs at that time denoting Joshua and his associate’s acceptance by the Lord. It is on the day that this occurs that the people are encouraged to invite their neighbors to join them under their vine and fig tree.

The image of the vine is what attracted me to this verse. Quite a few years ago had a co-worker who had come to the US from Portugal. One day I had reason to go to his home to pick up a car that he was driving. While I was there, he showed around his home, and he was quite proud of the extensive grape vine that he had been growing on a trellis he had constructed over his driveway. As I got to know him better, I came to understand that the grapevine and the wine he made from his homegrown grapes carried a larger significance. They were a sign of hospitality and friendship in his culture. A good neighbor would invite his friends to join him in the shade of his trellis and enjoy a glass of wine together.

I wonder how our society, and our world might be different if we followed the example set in Zechariah and lived out under Tony’s grapevine. What if we invited people to sit under our vines, or around out fire pit, and get to know each other on a deeper basis. Perhaps we might realize that our differences are not as great as we imagine. Instead, we would find ways in which we are so much alike on a human level. If we to use the word “neighbor” not just a geographic designation but as a definition of all humanity as our neighbors on this planet we might be able to set aside conflict and really establish a deeper, lasting time of peace for all. That is what Jesus expects of us when he commands us to, “love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt. 22:39b) May it be so for us today!

Peace,

Pastor Chuck

April 13, 2026

The Sin Du Jour

“This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Romans 3: 22-24

            The works of Paul are sometimes a bit convoluted and wordy. These three verses from Romans could be more concise. I believe what Paul has written here could be summed up in this manner. We all are sinners, but if we have faith in Christ, we will be redeemed through Christ. The tripping point in the concept for some is the idea that we are all sinners. Some people have a difficult time coming to grips that, yes, they are sinners. Perhaps they get hung up on what is considered a sin. Is it one of the seven deadly ones? Probably not, our failings may not be egregious enough to warrant capital punishment. Often, they are more subtle, less destructive, but still sinful enough to warrant the seeking of forgiveness.

            During the summer following my second year of seminary I spent each Sunday serving as a supply preacher. Over the course of 13 weeks, I had the opportunity to preach at seven different churches in my area. Each week I would prepare a worship bulletin for the coming Sunday. This draft bulletin would include prayers, Scripture selections, and the title of the sermon. One week I noticed that the prayer of confession I had submitted was not in the bulletin. I asked the church administrative assistant about the omission. She told me they only had a prayer of confession on Sundays they served Holy Communion. She said the congregation was not comfortable with confessing their sins each week. How interesting!

            It is not an indictment of us as Christians to state that we all sin in greater or smaller ways each day. Perhaps it is something we said or did? It may be something we left undone or unsaid? But, at the end of the day may it be enough for us to take a moment and thank the Lord for the forgiveness we have been given, even if we have not fully recognized it or perhaps earned it. No matter what our sin du jour might be on this day, please know that the Lord loves us enough to forgive us if we seek to live out our faith to the best of our ability. May it be so for us today!

Peace,

Pastor Chuck