Trinity United Methodist Church

Do you have a passion for music?   The NightLights Praise Band is a great place to share your interests and talents.   Contact the church office for more information.

On October 13, Trinity United Methodist Church in Orange will hold its Thursday NightLights service in Taylor Park, across the street from the church (143 West Main Street, Orange, VA). The service, which will include special live music and a message of acceptance and hope, will begin at 7 p.m. Visitors may wish to bring a chair. In case of inclement weather, the service will be held in the church sanctuary.

   I tell you, the NightLights praise band is really helping me get into the mood of worship and praise.   What a blessing it is to see their gifts offered up to God and to be part of a great thing growing at our church.   Last night we talked about hearing the Word of God.   A really great parable from Jesus on this subject is the parable of the Sower and the Seeds (Matthew Chapter 13).    As Jesus explains the parable, He tells us of the different types of people that hear the Word of God.   For some, the Word goes in one ear and out of the other.   The second group hears the Word, and is uplifted, but are not rooted in it.   When outside forces (the world) confront the Word, these people are unable to withstand it.   The third group hears the Word, celebrates with joy, but then the things of the world overtake their mind, and the Word is lost.   The fourth and final group are prepared in their hearts to receive the Word, they absorb it, and it produces something in them that is shared with the world.   One of the seldom talked about aspects of this parable is the grace with which the Word is spread.   The Word of God is for EVERYONE, no matter where you fall in your heart.   This is our God.   He sows seeds of love in us, no matter who we are, where we are, or what we have been.   We can start as unbelievers and be changed forever.  I believe we are called to sow those seeds fo love in the world with the same great abandon, without measure or judgement.   Next week we will talk about 'Reaping what you sow'.   I can't wait!

Shine the Light,

Greg

    How do I hear the voice of God?  How do I know it is Him?  How do I sort out all the junk in my head from the voice of God?   Wow, where do we start?   How about a little common sense.   If you really want to hear something in particular, what do you do to help focus you on that particular thing?   I try to turn down all the other noises so they don't interfere.   TV, music, radio, and other people all generate potential interference from the hearing God.   The Bible tells us to get into prayer, or a two way conversation with God.   In most cases, prayer is quiet time with God.    The second hurdle to overcome is all the baggage we try to bring with us into prayer.   If you are consumed with all the bad things (or even all the good things) going on in your life, you may not be receptive to God if His voice is trying to tell you to focus on something else.    I think a really good help in hearing God's voice and differentiating it from other junk is to understand God's language.    The only way I know to do that is to learn about God by reading and/or hearing His Word.   It really helps to understand the types of things God will talk to you about, and what kinds of things He has done, and is still doing.   The Bible says that God is inside us.    I believe that is where most of the communication is going to be.   One last thing is to remember to LISTEN.   Spend some time just LISTENING.    God will speak to you through all kinds of mediums, after all the Creator has everything at His disposal.   You may hear God through circumstances, events, music, song, other people, or a still, small voice welling up inside you.   When you pursue Him, He will make it plain to you.  

Go, listen, learn.

Greg

    Dream like Joseph!  What a challenge that is.   Our last discussion dealt with the long hard trail Joseph had to endure to realize his dream.    His own brothers sold him into slavery.  His new master's wife got him thrown into prison.   A lot of people use the story of Joseph to demonstrate forgiveness.   I also believe it demonstrates the perseverance we need to realize our dreams.   God is certainly capable of snapping his fingers and changing our life, but is that the best thing for us?   Throughout this story in Genesis, people around Joseph see him as something special, clearly with God.   What do you think those traits were?  Why was it so clear?  Did Joseph have a 'I Love God' shirt or hat?  Did he send messages with scriptural quotes to his fellow prison mates?  No, it appears to me that Joseph demonstrated compassion and understanding even when he was being persecuted.   I see myself as Joseph, sometimes bragging a little too much, sometimes going through tough things that are way beyond my control.   The real challenge is to believe, like Joseph, that God is always in charge, God is always with us, and any dream that glorifies God will be fulfilled!   Joseph suffered 13 years of slavery and prison to later glorify God during his time, and even until today.   Are you ready to dream with God?   Are you ready to accept that the trail may be long and hard, but that the reward is unbelievably worth it?  I hope so!

Love God. Love your neighbor.

Greg

   Grace - it's a church word used over and over.   What does it mean to you?  What does it mean for you?  In our discussions at NightLights we are scratching the surface of this unimaginable concept.    Some would define Grace as 'unmerited favor'.   I think it is something much deeper and much more powerful.   I know that the things that I do, or don't do, have no effect on the way that God loves me.    I know that He loved me before I learned who He is.   I know that since acknowledging Him and beginning to follow Him, that my perspective on life has totally changed!  God loves me and you no matter what.   I like what Phillip Yancey said in his book - What's So Amazing About Grace?; "Nothing you can do will make God love you more.  Nothing you can do will make God love you less"   Chew on that for a while.  It actually takes a bit of the pressure off.  But, what happens after you commit your life to Jesus and accept this Grace?  It becomes a powerful force in YOUR life and the way YOU live.   It sure is easier to love your neighbor if you can overlook the good and the bad, and focus on the relationship to your fellow man.   Sounds simple, it's a little harder in practice.   WITH GOD'S HELP YOU CAN DO ANYTHING.   Do you want to?

Love and Peace,

Greg 

NightLights begins anew as a family!   We are starting a REVOLUTION!  Last night, we discovered in ACTS chapter 2 what the early church looked like.   The closeness, the shared love and caring, and the teamwork are all amplified in this book.   Just as in the time that Jesus walked the earth, our modern day church has drifted to glorify man made things, rather than golorify God.    We are looking really hard at how Jesus intended His church to be built.   In order for us to know what He wants, we need to read, pray, and discover.   We will realize a deeper church family through a deeper personal relationship with God.   We also have to be open to sharing with each other on a deeper level.   It's all about LOVING EACH OTHER, to the extent that we don't withhold anything: emotions, caring, hurts, celebrations, time, effort, and resource.   God has given us a wonderful how-to book called The Bible.   God has given each of us a special gift designed to glorify Him.   In ACTS chapter 4, we found that Peter and John did and said astonishing things, yet they were common, uneducated men.   It was evident that they were with Jesus.   The combined gifts and resources of us all make up the perfect combination to lift each other up, and to Glorify God.  It is why we are here.   Do you want to be part of this REVOLUTION?

Love and Peace,

Greg

Lee Strobel's "The Case for Christ" examines this critical question. Strobel is a reporter for the Chicago Tribune who starting out trying to refute Jesus and who he said he was. He wanted to examine the evidence and convey to readers the "truth" about the most famous man in all history. 

He did original research and sought after translations and historical evidence (after all, he was a police reporter and crime was his beat).  He interviewed theologians and atheists to get to the bottom of the Christ enigma.

What he found startled him. And the questions he asked are the same ones we should be asking. Why? Because if Jesus really was who he said he was, then the results have an impact on my life. And yours. 

Did a historical Jesus really exist? Or is that a fable?

If he really existed, did he really do the miracles that are recorded about him? Or is that just Christian propaganda?

Did he really die as a substitute for our sins as he said he did? Or was that just some lame excuse for martyrdom?

Most importantly, did he really rise up after being dead for three days and say that his death was the sacrifice needed to substitute for our deaths? Or is that just some scheme the church put together to control the behavior of its adherents?

These are pretty important questions. And, mostly, people just gloss over these questions --  either rejecting the answers or blindly accepting what's given to them. 

Hardly ever do we get a chance to examine the evidence and hear from the experts in a learning forum. Come to NightLights on Thursdays to hear what you may have never had a chance to hear before. 

One of the differences between the NightLights set up and a traditional sanctuary layout is that the worship leaders are dispersed among the audience.

In traditional services, the congregation is observing what is going on and the worship leaders are sometimes above the congregation as though the preacher and choir are speaking down them. In the NightLights set up, it is almost like all attending are a part of the worship team. And, yet, it doesn't feel like it should be uncomfortable for new comers.

The size and layout of our sanctuary forces this layout but it works very well. Because the drum kit is electronic, it can be placed almost anywhere without being so loud in one place. In fact, the bass, percussion, and other instruments can be distributed around the sanctuary and, because they are electronic, they can be mixed together and amplified through the central speaker system. Best of all, the pastor talks from a small podium which is set way out front very close to the first pew. Taking the message off the altar feels more initimate and involves the congregation.

This is a very good set up for NightLights because the sermon will sometimes involve a discussion. The pastor and the congregation will engage in back and forth dialogue and the result will be a deep dive immersion into Scripture and spiritual issues. 

We had a good rehearsal gathering last night for NightLights. We have some kinks to work out but I think everyone was glad they came.

The next rehearsal gathering is on March 11.