February 29

Today is Monday, February 29.      It is a date that only comes along every four years.    You see,  2016 is a year that has 366 days and not the usual 365 days.   This is a “leap year” as we put it.   While February normally only has 28 days, every four years (including this year of  2016) it has 29 days.    That means that this day and 24 hours is “extra time” so lets make good use of it.    It is easy for many of us to view each day in a “ho hum” or “same old same old” sort of way.   Yet, every four years we encounter February 29 and it reminds us that each day has a specialness about it.     In Psalm 118:24, we hear this well known verse of scripture that says:

²⁴ This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

While I know that humans are the ones that create an extra day every four years on the calendar,  I also know and believe that it is the Lord God who creates only only a February 29 but each and every day.   And you know what?     While there are things about this day that will be similar to every other day, there will be something about this day that will be unique to its self. 

Today  is an extra day for you that we call February 29.    How will you use this day to love God and love others?   How will you use this day to honor and glorify Him?    It is something to consider not just when the calendar reads February 29, but every day.  Have a joy-filled day and a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   O God, thank you for the gift of this day and this life.  Give me eyes to see and a spirit to discern how I can use the gift of this day wisely.  Remind me, Lord, that there will be never again be a day 

Old Lighthouses

It seems like I have always loved lighthouses.    I have had the chance to see them in a number of different locales.  Of course, I have seen the lighthouses that dot the North Carolina and South Carolina coast.  I have also seen lighthouses along eastern seaboard states like Maine and Massachusetts.   There are a couple of lighthouses along the coast of the Carolinas that brings sad feelings to me when I see them.  First, there is the lighthouse on Baldhead Island near Southport, NC.    You can see it from the harbor at Southport.    That lighthouse does not show a light anymore.   It simply stands there only serving the purpose of being a local landmark.  Secondly, there is a lighthouse located on Hilton Head Island,SC.    Ann and I have visited the Hilton Head Island lighthouse and have even climbed all the way to the top.   Like the lighthouse built at Baldhead Island, the Hilton Head Island lighthouse does not shine a light.    A matter of fact,the Hilton Head Island lighthouse never has been a working lighthouse.  It was built by Hilton Head Island developers as a landmark and conversation piece for visitors.      It is sad when a lighthouse only serves the purpose of being a landmark or local conversation piece.    They were meant to shine a light that guides ships as they navigate the dangerous Carolina waters.   I recently read again these words of Jesus  from Matthew 5: 14-16 that say:

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorifyyour Father in heaven.

Like a lighthouse, we are meant to serve a purpose: to be the light of Christ in the world.     Perhaps some of us once showed the light of Christ, and (like the old lighthouse at Baldhead Island)  we have lost our usefulness.  Another possibility is that we (like the Hilton Head lighthouse) look like a lighthouse when indeed we are not.    There are so many people in our world today whose lives are filled with darkness and gloom.  Oh, how our world needs  to know the light of the love that is found in Jesus Christ   Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   O God, we give you thanks for sending your son, Christ Jesus, into the world.  Through the power of your Holy Spirit, help us to show the light of his love in the world we live;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

A Stain that Does Not Wash Away

Last week, millions of Christians worshipped in their respective churches to begin the season of Lent.    They came together on a day called Ash Wednesday where  a pastor or priest placed ashes on their forehead.    As we study the scriptures, we see that ashes are a common symbol of repentance for the people of God.    I suspect by now that the dark stain of those ashes on their foreheads has been long washed away.  While that might be the case,  the  dark stains of our heart do not so easily wash away.   Even the priciest soaps or lotions cannot wash away  stains of our heart like envy, lies, and the like.  As the old hymn says,  “What can wash away all my sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

Lent is a time of the Christian year when we look inwardly at ourselves.  In light of the glory of Christ, we surely discover that we are all sorely lacking to be the people God has called us to be.    I invite you to let Lent be more than any other date on the calendar, even the church calendar.    Let Lent this year be a time of purging yourself of those sins that cling so closely that you might be drawn closer to Christ and look a little more like Christ Jesus.      Have a holy Lent, and a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall  

Prayer:   O God, we have failed miserably and often in being the people you have called us to be.  Through the grace that is only found in simple faith in you,  forgive us and make us more like you;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.  

The Super Bowl and the Power of One

I have been thinking in these days about the power of one.  One letter, that is.    There have been many people focused on the Super Bowl in  recent days with our own Carolina Panthers in the big game.    The phrase “Super Bowl” brings all kind of thoughts and images to our mind.  However if you add one letter to the phrase “Super Bowl” it becomes “Supper Bowl” and it provokes a totally  different set of thoughts and images.   

The only miracle of Jesus that is found in all 4 gospels is the story of the feeding of the five thousand.  John’s gospel adds a little detail in John 6  that the other gospels do not mention and that detail is that the food that Jesus uses to feed the five thousand was contributed by a young boy.   Perhaps the boy was a boy scout who was practicing the scout motto to “be prepared” or perhaps the lad who  a mother who always wanted to make sure her son had food to eat.    For whatever reason, this boy had some bread and fishes that he gladly gave to Jesus.    In that simple act of that single boy, thousands of people had their stomachs  filled.  Thanks to the glorious work of Christ Jesus and the generous gift of one boy, supper bowls of many were filled that day.  Oh, the power of one.  The power of the gifts of one  when placed in the hands of our one and only Savior, Christ Jesus. 

Each and every day, we have the opportunity to see the power of one.    Our gift of one smile, one call, or one kindness can make a great difference in the lives of those around us especially when we do it in the name of Christ Jesus.    Have a great and glorious week.  -  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:  O God, we confess that sometimes we see ourselves as insignificant in the world in which we live.    Give us faith and trust to know what wondrous things we can do when we place ourselves and our gifts in your hands;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Holidays and Holy Days

The calendar is filled with  many special days through the year.  The months of November and December are filled with special days like Thanksgiving, Christmas,and New Years Eve.    January has the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and February has Valentines Day and Presidents Day.   I got to thinking about these special days the other day.   We call the Martin Luther King Jr. Day a federal holiday as we will Presidents Day.  Have you ever noticed that if you take the word “holiday” and divide up the word you have “holi day”?

It got me thinking about holidays and holy days.   Is there a difference in the two?    My suspicion is that most of us are good at observing holidays, but I am not sure if we are good at making a day a “holy day”. 

When I was a boy, I learned the Ten Commandments.  We find them in both Exodus and Deuteronomy.  One of those Ten Commandments states to :

Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy. 

When I was young, it was thought that we keep the Sabbath Day holy by stores being closed and going to church on that day.    I recall some who believed that you should not go to the movies on Sunday and that children should not play on Sunday. 

What does it mean today to keep not only  the Sabbath Day holy but those holy days like Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter?   What things should we do or not do  to make a day holy?     I am not sure I know the answer, but I certainly believe that it is important to ask the question.     Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   Living and loving God, this is a day that you have given us whether we call it a holiday, holy day, or just a day.    Whatever I do on this day, help me to do it in a way that honors and glorifies your holy name;   through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.