This Sunday we will look at the qualifications and assurances that God gives us to help and encourage us in our selection of Elders. Although the list of qualifications seems exhaustive, we will try to look at it in a way that doesn’t leave us exhausted.

As 2019 draws to a close and as we prepare to enter into a new decade, this is a perfect opportunity to pause and reflect: what would you like to see happen in 2020?  Psalm 145 gives some amazing words as we prepare for a new year.  Reminders to draw near to God in thought, in word, and in actions.

Ordinary people sometimes discover amazing things. A man bought an old $4 painting at a flea market in Adamstown, Pennsylvania thinking the frame could be fixed and reused. When he removed the canvas, he saw a folded paper stuffed in it. He opened the document and couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw a first edition printing of the Declaration of Independence, dated 1776. Would you tell anyone?

In 520 BC, Zechariah spoke a to a post-exilic nation that had returned to their homes but had not yet fully returned to God.  We live in a post-Christian culture that needs a Zechariah to call us to fully return to the Lord today.

“Someone has recently pondered what the first Christmas might have been if wise women had come from the east instead of wise men. They would have asked for directions, made it to Bethlehem on time, helped with the delivery, cleaned up the stable, made a decent meal, and brought some practical gifts.”  Where do you turn when the unexpected becomes your reality?