On Sunday I was had the honor of dedicating my six day old daughter, Clara Marie. Infant dedication is a formal acknowledgement of the role of the parents in teaching a child about the love of God, and the role of the local church in demonstrating and reinforcing our collective faith. It was an emotional ceremony for me to perform, and a bit humorous one as well because I was making statements for the father of the child as the pastor of the church that I myself in turn had to respond to. Trying to adjust the pronouns from "you" to "we, us" was a hoot as well. My thanks to the people of First Baptist of Franklin, I know that they will be the extended family that Clara needs, and I trust that the mercy and grace of God will take the seeds of faith planted within her heart and cause them to grow as they have in my life and the life of my wife Nicole as well.
To watch the video, click on the link below:
Dedication ceremony for Clara Marie
This blog serves as an outreach for Pastor Randy Powell of the First Baptist Church of Franklin, PA. Feel free to ask questions or send me an e-mail at pastorpowell@hotmail.com
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Sermon Video: Reflections on her birth - various texts
This week's events necessitated a one week hiatus from our study of Titus because it marked the arrival of my daughter, Clara Marie. My wife Nicole and I give thanks to God for her safe delivery and Nicole's health through the birthing process as well. There were people praying from Pennsylvania to Michigan, all of whom have our gratitude.
This message focuses on three passages of Scripture that spoke to me as I pondered the experiences of the past week: Luke 13:34, which speaks of God's willingness to help people, but mankind's reluctance to accept it. I thought of this verse as Nicole went through labor, for I could do nothing to take that pain away, nor nothing to help ease it beyond emotional support. I wanted to help, and Nicole would have been glad to accept it, but I was powerless to do so. God has the power to transform the life of each and every person on the planet, it is mankind's stubborn rebellion that holds the grace of God at bay. The second passage, Hebrews 12:2 speaks of Jesus' ability to look beyond the agony of the cross to the glory that lay in his victory at the resurrection. In a similar way, mothers going through the labor of childbirth take comfort in knowing that their trial and tribulation will result in new life, joy exists on the other side of pain. The last passage, Ecclesiastes 11:5, speaks of the mystery of the wonder of human life, of God's amazing hand of creation that forms a distinct human being within the mother's womb. Witnessing my daughter's birth, I felt the awe of God's creative power, of his ability to turn a biological process in a wondrous gift.
To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video
This message focuses on three passages of Scripture that spoke to me as I pondered the experiences of the past week: Luke 13:34, which speaks of God's willingness to help people, but mankind's reluctance to accept it. I thought of this verse as Nicole went through labor, for I could do nothing to take that pain away, nor nothing to help ease it beyond emotional support. I wanted to help, and Nicole would have been glad to accept it, but I was powerless to do so. God has the power to transform the life of each and every person on the planet, it is mankind's stubborn rebellion that holds the grace of God at bay. The second passage, Hebrews 12:2 speaks of Jesus' ability to look beyond the agony of the cross to the glory that lay in his victory at the resurrection. In a similar way, mothers going through the labor of childbirth take comfort in knowing that their trial and tribulation will result in new life, joy exists on the other side of pain. The last passage, Ecclesiastes 11:5, speaks of the mystery of the wonder of human life, of God's amazing hand of creation that forms a distinct human being within the mother's womb. Witnessing my daughter's birth, I felt the awe of God's creative power, of his ability to turn a biological process in a wondrous gift.
To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video
Sermon Video: "resting on the hope of eternal life" - Titus 1:1-4
In this introductory message for an ongoing series that will cover the Apostle Paul's letter to his protege Titus, the background information concerning this book of the Bible is briefly explored prior to focusing on the greeting of Paul to Titus which speaks of Paul's role as a servant of Jesus Christ for the sake of the faith, knowledge, truth, and godliness of God's elect which is predicated upon the hope of eternal life. The certainty that Christian's can have, regarding life after death, is not based upon experience or logic, but rather rest wholly, and yet completely soundly, upon the character of God. The resurrection of Jesus Christ proved the power of God to overcome death, but it is the faithfulness of God which gives us hope that his promises to us will certainly come true. Christ walked the road from death to new life, we can trust his word that if we place our hope in him, we will follow in due time. The implications of this truth are profound and varied for Christians, offering us perspective for life now and taking away the universal and ancient fear of death and replacing it with hope in the word of God.
To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video
To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Sermon Video: "Train a child" - Proverbs 22:6
In light of the impending birth of our first child, I decided to utilize the text of Proverbs 22:6 to talk about parenting as it relates to Christian families and the Church. The Bible does not contain extensive discussion of parenting techniques or theories, instead focusing on the need for children to obey their parents and allowing the narratives of those whose lives play out in the Bible to teach us. This proverb, like all proverbs, is not a promise or guarantee, but rather a pearl of wisdom that shows us the proper way to live. Children need training, that much is obvious, in an ideal situation it will be done by both mom and dad, working together in harmony with the help of grandparents, other relatives, neighbors, teachers, and the church. That this is the ideal situation is beyond doubt, but many families are working with far less than the ideal. The task, however, remains, children need to be taught. The Church can be a tremendous asset to broken families, and even intact ones, to reinforce and support their efforts to raise moral children of character who honor and love God. This is one of the fundamental tasks of the Church, and a sacred duty of its people.
The phrase, "in the way he should go" could be translated literally from the Hebrew as, "according to his way", it reminds us that children are unique creations of God, each one with talents and interests that ought to be encouraged. Educators have realized that children learn in a variety of ways and have adjusted their techniques accordingly, parents could use this same advice, especially when dealing with multiple children who need to be treated fairly, not equally, because they are not the same. Thus parents need to be flexible when training their children, but that isn't the same thing as leaving the decision making up to them. Children live in the moment, parents must look toward the future.
Beyond efforts to teach children, whether it be skills, academics, or morality, is the important truth that the most effective thing we can do to teach the next generation to love God is to show them that we do. When we model our faith, with sincerity and devoid of hypocrisy, it has a far greater impact than mere words, when we live out our faith every day, our children will see its value in us and be far more likely to embrace faith for themselves. This is a task for parents, and one that the church can also help with by providing positive role models of adults living by faith. The more relationships a child has with an adult that exemplifies faith, hope, and love, the better.
Lastly, the proverb ends with a word of hope for worried parents. We know that some kids will wander away from their upbringing in the Church. We know that some will not embrace faith as we do, but the best possible thing for every parent and every child is to instill the love of God within them while they are young. No matter what happens later in life, if we have done our duty for them in the beginning, we can have hope that its impact upon them will remain.
To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video
The phrase, "in the way he should go" could be translated literally from the Hebrew as, "according to his way", it reminds us that children are unique creations of God, each one with talents and interests that ought to be encouraged. Educators have realized that children learn in a variety of ways and have adjusted their techniques accordingly, parents could use this same advice, especially when dealing with multiple children who need to be treated fairly, not equally, because they are not the same. Thus parents need to be flexible when training their children, but that isn't the same thing as leaving the decision making up to them. Children live in the moment, parents must look toward the future.
Beyond efforts to teach children, whether it be skills, academics, or morality, is the important truth that the most effective thing we can do to teach the next generation to love God is to show them that we do. When we model our faith, with sincerity and devoid of hypocrisy, it has a far greater impact than mere words, when we live out our faith every day, our children will see its value in us and be far more likely to embrace faith for themselves. This is a task for parents, and one that the church can also help with by providing positive role models of adults living by faith. The more relationships a child has with an adult that exemplifies faith, hope, and love, the better.
Lastly, the proverb ends with a word of hope for worried parents. We know that some kids will wander away from their upbringing in the Church. We know that some will not embrace faith as we do, but the best possible thing for every parent and every child is to instill the love of God within them while they are young. No matter what happens later in life, if we have done our duty for them in the beginning, we can have hope that its impact upon them will remain.
To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Sermon Video: "Let us rejoice and be glad" - Revelation 19:6-9
This text was chosen for our Easter worship service because the event that it talks about, the future "wedding of the Lamb" is actually the long-awaited victory party for the triumph of Jesus' resurrection. The Apostle John's vision of the Last Days includes a vast multitude which gathers to rejoice and praise God because the reunion of God with his people is finally to come about. The symbolic wedding of Christ with his bride, the Church, demonstrates the complete removal of the barrier of sin that once stood between humanity and God, as such it is a time of joy that is has no parallel in our world, a world where all victories are only temporary or partial. It was the resurrection of Jesus, following his willing sacrifice on the Cross, that sealed this victory and guaranteed that all those who put their trust in him will one day not only be at the wedding, but be among the great multitude that collectively constitute the bride of Christ. The question then for us all is simple: will we be invited to this wedding to take our place in the family of God, or not? The means of securing an invitation are equally simple: put your trust and hope in Jesus; he died to pay for your sins, he was resurrected open the way for us to new life after death. Let us rejoice and be glad.
To watch the video, click on the link below:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)