Dear Lord,
Let this be a year
that moves us
one step closer
to each other.Let this be a year
that brings us
understanding in our hearts.Let this be a year
that fills us
with a yearning,
burning feeling
for peace with one another
and a oneness, Lord, with you.
© 1996 by Guildeposts, Carmel, NY
Dear Friends in Christ,soon
At times I, too, find myself needing to hear that word of God as offered by another believer. On such occasions, God often blesses me with a word of hope or encouragement similar to those that follow. From a Christian friend: “News From Psalm 37″ –
“Commit thy way unto the Lord” and He will being it to pass. When we pray and believe, we must commit that for which we have prayed to the Lord. We must leave it totally in His hands. Spiritual forces cannot work while earthly forces are active. If we are pulling and tugging on one end of our problem, how can we expect God to be able to do anything from His end?
“Rest in the Lord…” wait patiently for Him. The key to resting in the Lord while waiting for an answer to our needs is patience. God has promised that when we pray and believe ..it shall be done. His promise brings His presence and His presence His power. God knows our needs better than we do. We cannot rest in Him if we are trying to work out our own solutions. If we are His..our problems and needs are also His. Rest in Him, let Him do His work!
“Stand still…” and see the salvation of the Lord (Exodus 14:13). We are not directed to lay down and die in the midst of trouble. When we are in the place where it seems we have no way out…where we cannot back up, or go forward, we are to stand uprightly, ready for action, waiting patiently for God’s command to go forward. He will make a way and give us the victory!
I appreciate those times when I am lifted up from weariness by the word of the Lord as reminded by a friend. As we enter the New Year, may you find such nourishment for your anxious moments and times of trouble. Claim for yourself that Victory that is found in the person of Jesus Christ!
In the Master’s Name,
Pastor Tom
Dear Friends in Christ:
In my many years of ministry, I cannot recall a time when the needs of God’s people have been greater, the spirit of frustration more pronounced, and the evidence of dependency on Him of a more critical nature. While the world seeks peace in Iraq, Israel, the middle east, and other places, the hearts of all too many people cry out as did Jeremiah, the prophet, “There is no peace.”
This, of course, is meant in a more personal way. The peace that the individual person seeks after is quietness of heart, of mind, and of spirit and this is not easily found in the turmoil of the day. People faced with physical ailments, marital difficulties, growing children, job insecurity and a whole list of other concerns can easily suffer from what historians have identified as a “loss-of-nerve.”
Having said these things, am I just another preacher seeking an audience through which to air my views? I hope not! This blessed season calls all of us to think in terms of a special kind of love. My deep concern is to see people become the recipients of the love of the Lord, and of the “…peace of God that passes all understanding.” (Philippians 4:27) By the same token, it is my desire that God’s glory be revealed, and that the Lord Jesus Christ be honored in all lives as He so richly deserves.
Are you a seeker after peace? Have you given your heart and your life over to the care of God, and acknowledged Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord? Trust Him in all things, and listen for His voice, “…My peace I give to you…” (John l4:27). This is His promise to who will believe. May you know the peace of Christ,and enjoy a blessed Advent and Christmas season.
Love in the Master’ Name,
Pastor Tom
Special Thanksgiving Ecumenical Concert: The annual Ecumenical Thanksgiving Concert will be held at St. Thomas R.C. Church in Delmar on November 20th at 7 pm. Several of our choir members will be taking part. Rehearsals are November 6th, 3 to 5 pm at St. Thomas School and on the day of the performance, 3 to 5:30 pm in the church. If you have never enjoyed this event before, don’t let another year go by. It is very special!
Joint Thanksgiving Service: Once again a joint Thanksgiving service involving Unionville, Clarksville, Jerusalem, Onesquethaw and Westerlo Churches is being planned. It will be held at Onesquethaw Church at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, November 22nd. There’s always a special blessing just in being there, and the food pantry benefits from the offering. Don’t miss it!
Dear Servants of Christ:
There is a beautiful hymn that begins with the words: “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.” We have sung it many times, and have felt its drawing power on our lives. Here is a word of a similar nature called “The Grail Prayer.”
I give You my hands to do Your work
I give You my feet to go Your way
I give You my eyes to see as You do
I give You my tongue to speak Your words
I give You my mind that You may think in me
Above all, I give You my heart that You may
love the Father through me and all mankind.
I give You my whole self that You may grow in
me so that, it is You, Lord Jesus, who lives,
and works, and prays in me.
Does not the above prayer offer us a way of honoring and praising our Lord? Is this not a way of thanksgiving? Can our life have a greater purpose than allowing Him to have His way with each of us that we might be His instruments serving Him, and making ourselves available to others in need?
Of course, we realize the difficulty of giving as this prayer suggests. Even here, we are compelled to call upon our Lord and the Holy Spirit to fulfill our mission as His disciples and servants. But we do not lose heart; our God is a mighty God, and when we are led by His Spirit, we can accomplish that which is beyond the power of the natural person.
Do not underestimate Christ’s touch upon your life; He is not wasting His time! He is a Lord of action, and He calls to Himself a people of action. Will you again read the above prayer, and let it be your prayer for this Thanksgiving season?
With you in His service,
Pastor Tom
As Christians, we are called upon to show concern for each other. Jesus proclaimed this with the words of John l3:34:
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
I have heard and spoken this charge of our Lord many times over the years. The concept of love is given much attention in holy scripture, but such action among Christians is not always to be seen. However, when it does occur, it is something that one is not apt to forget. I know, because my family and I have recently been the recipients of such a blessing.
My heart goes out with gratitude and love to the many people who shared in our grief at the time of the death of my precious wife, Pauline. Our church family, as well as others did much to prove the comfort of love in our time of grief.
The service of worship, the words of the Rev. David Corlett, the music, the solo, the song of the choir, along with the many people who were in attendance brought forth the joy that the hour should know. The reception that followed, so elegantly offered was the climax of a day of love. All praise to our Lord and our God!
Pastor Tom & Family
On Sunday, August 28, 2011 our beloved sister in Christ and friend, Pauline Kendall was called home to be with her Savior and Lord. Over the years that she and Pastor Tom have been with us, she has been a tireless helper, an officer in our Women’s Guild, a Sunday School teacher, a choir member, an encourager, a prayer warrior and a vital part of our leadership team. She kept the brass candlesticks and offering plates sparkling and bright, and people looked for her homemade jam at our bake sales. She and Pastor Tom celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary in October last year. They have been an inspiration to all of us.
We cannot help but grieve, still, we remember the statement of St. Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 that our grief should not be like that suffered by those who have no hope. We take comfort in our knowledge that Pauline is now free of all problems, health or otherwise and that we will surely meet again.
Pauline was known to wear a dove pin every Sunday. The following thoughts were offered during a recent Sunday morning service.
Psalm 55:6 Where David writes:
“And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! For then I would fly away, and be at rest.”
Other Biblical References to the Dove
Genesis 8:6-11, after 40 days and 40 nights of rain when God flooded the earth due to man’s disobedience, God’s Word says:
And it came to pass at the end of forty days that Noah had opened the window of the ark which he had made. And he sent forth a raven which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. Also he sent forth a dove from him to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground. But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth; then he put forth his hand and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. And he stayed yet another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. And the dove came in to him in the evening, and lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf, so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.
The dove is a symbol of peace, returning with an olive branch in its beak revealing the end of God’s judgment and the beginning of a new covenant with man.
And what I believe to be the most powerful reference to the dove is found in Matthew 3:16-17:
And Jesus, when he was baptized, went straight up out of the water and lo, the heavens were opened up unto him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lightning upon him. And lo a voice from heaven, saying, “This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
I’ve read three Bible verses with reference to the dove, with three key words: rest, peace and Holy Spirit. And these words from Jesus found in John 14:26-27 summarize these three words:
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Christ gives us his peace, it’s there for the taking. Not all people take it. Pauline Kendall took the peace of Jesus Christ, and it showed. It was real. I’ll forever look at the dove in a special way thanks to that pin she wore every Sunday.
On Aug. 28, that stormy Sunday that will not be soon forgotten by any of us, our congregation suffered a loss when Sharon Stein was lost to the Hurricane Irene flooded Onesquethaw Creek that runs next to her home in Clarksville. Sharon was our organist at one time and ever since has been a good friend and helper to our music program. Her husband, Geoffrey, was scheduled to play his oboe for our special music that morning. We offer our love, sympathy and prayerful concern to Sharon’s family and friends.
From the Altamont Enterprise: Unionville Church helps celebrate 40th anniversary of New Scotland Historical Association
The Unionville (or Union Dutch) Reformed Church at 1134 Delaware Turnpike in Delmar will help the New Scotland Historical Association celebrate its 40th Anniversary with a program open to the public.
On Saturday Sept. 17, there will be historical tours at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The tour will include the church, its history and the stained-glass windows. “Choose your time and learn how a stone church became two churches, and learn about its rich history during 185 years of service to God and community,” said Ethie Moak, publicist for the New Scotland Historical Association.
There are many things and events that catch our attention at this time of year. Graduates remind us of growing older, as do birthdays and anniversaries. We recognize the importance of celebrating such events, as well as the fellowship within our church family in their sharing of church suppers and our church picnic.
We cannot escape that fact that God desires that we enjoy each other. There is little question that our immediate family means a great deal to us, but the life of a Christian can find much love, too, in the family of Christ when properly lived in the Christian Church.
I have learned over the years to appreciate our young people as I have watched them grow to maturity, and have found much satisfaction in sharing life with good friends of our church family. I know that God has richly blessed us as we have learned to love God, and one another. His Spirit dwelling within us can yet do marvelous things in our midst. We need only be faithful to His calling.
Dare we yield ourselves to Him in all things, and let Him have His way in our personal and corporate lives? If we do, I believe that He will yet bless us beyond the measure of our expectations.
Love in Christ,
Pastor Tom
