Sermon Video: The vanity of conspiring against the will of God - Acts 23:12-35

After having placed the Apostle Paul in protective custody following the riot instigated by his enemies in Jerusalem, the Roman garrison's commander, Claudius Lysias, learns from Paul's nephew that a conspiracy of over 40 men has vowed to murder Paul in the streets after their co-conspirators in the Sanhedrin have used a false pretext to request Paul appear before them.  Upon learning of this disturbing plan, one that includes the blasphemy of using the authority of those who are supposed to represent God to plan a murder, the commander sends Paul away to Caesarea with a strong escort of soldiers.
What do we make of this text?  (1) That the providence of God is not thwarted by the conspiracies of evil men, (2) that while evil thrives in the dark it only takes a little like to begin to counteract it (in this case the courage of Paul's nephew to come forward), and (3) that even if we are the target of an attempt to discredit or destroy us, even if we personally face persecution, that we remain, as was Paul, in the care of Almighty God.

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We need a homeless shelter, and the Church needs to support it

There is an article in today's News Herald/Derrick newspaper about the upcoming zoning hearing in Oil City regarding the transformation of the former fellowship hall of the Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church in Siverly.  The article mentions that the organization trying to create this shelter is Emmaus Haven of Venango County, and that they already operate a facility (6 bed) in Franklin that was renovated by  Mustard Seed Missions of Venango County.  As the President of Mustard Seed Missions, and one of the people who helped organize what became Emmaus Haven, I can confirm from my own experience in these roles and as the pastor of 1st Baptist of Franklin that our county very much remains in need of a homeless shelter.
There are those in our county who believe, erroneously, that we don't have a homeless problem here in our rural county of only 50k people.  They are, unfortunately, wrong in that assessment.  Emmaus Haven has operated the shelter (in cooperation with Venango County Housing) since 2016, and it has been at capacity ever since.  How do I know this?  In addition to reports from the leadership of Emmaus Haven, I have on numerous occasions tried to help a homeless person sitting here in my office, standing on my porch, or calling me on the phone, only to discover that the shelter is currently full.  If someone is telling you that Venango County doesn't have indigenous people suffering from homelessness, in other words, that the only homeless are outsiders (and hence evidently less of our problem), they're wrong, very wrong.  We may not have the chronic homelessness visible on the streets of Pittsburgh, but each day in our county there are individuals, and families, without shelter for the coming night, I know it to be true, they come to me for help.
Which leads to the second half of the equation: our obligation to be a part of meeting this real need.  As followers of Jesus Christ, servants of the kingdom of God, we have a clear and abiding mandate from Jesus to help those in need whenever, and wherever we can.  Each person that we encounter that is in need is a human being made in the image of God, a person of worth beyond measure, and one for whom Jesus Christ was willing to die, just as he was for us.  To turn our backs on the homeless, whether through indifference, racism, or some other reasons to dismiss this need, is to fail to be the Church that God has called us to be.  We may not be able to solve a problem like homelessness, but we had better be a part of the effort to try.
When this new facility in Siverly opens, it will give Emmaus Haven and the County the flexibility it needs to handle both short and medium term housing problems, bringing into play resources that ten years ago would have seemed beyond our reach as a community.  In this we have had willing partners, the hard work of volunteers, and the grace of God.

Do Christians really need to care about those in need?  Read the words of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew, and then get back to me on that one.

Matthew 25:31-46 New International Version (NIV)
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Sermon Video: Joy to the World - Luke 2:8-18

Following the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, angels appear to shepherds in the night, amazing them and sharing the news that a Savior, the Messiah, has been born.  An incredible culmination to the humble narrative of the birth of Jesus, as God chooses shepherds to be the first witnesses and the first bearers of the glad tidings of joy and hope.

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Sermon Video: The Child of Bethlehem - Luke 2:1-7

A journey to Bethlehem by Mary and Joseph culminates in a humble birth for the Messiah in a manger, beginning a life of service and self-sacrifice.

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Sermon Video: The Promise to Abraham fulfilled by Jesus - Luke 1:39-56

Following her incredible encounter with Gabriel, Mary journeys to visit her older cousin Elizabeth, who herself is in the midst of a miraculous, although natural, pregnancy.  When Mary arrives, the Spirit moves both Elizabeth, and John in her womb, to acknowledge the magnitude of what the will of God is beginning to accomplish through the child Mary is bearing.
After Elizabeth's blessing, Mary responds with a humble speech, full of references to the Scriptures and modeled after that of Hannah, which extols the glory and righteousness of God, and ends with an acknowledgement that God is indeed remembering the promise that he made to Abraham to bless all nations through his descendants.  Within one generation of Mary's words, the Gospel of Jesus Christ will be preached even beyond the borders of the Roman Empire, establishing a Church that would grow to encompass more of humanity than any other creed.

To watch the video, click on the link below: