PASTOR'S CORNER

  John 16:16-24   One of the most natural questions in the world is to ask how joy relates to sorrow in our lives.   The Psalmist wrote, “Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalm 30:4-5.  Do Christians have a new kind of experience on this side of the cross,  which the psalmists did not have on that side of the cross?  The Apostle Paul’s testified in the New Testament that he found joy together with his suffering. “as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.” 2 Cor 6:10  We know the Old Testament writers pointed to the Messiah, the Saviour; and the New Testament writers reveal He is here, and redemption has been made through the Son of God.  The Scriptures are not silent when it comes to ...

  John 14:12-31   As Jesus continues this time alone with His disciple, we see that a period of leaving is always a painful time of life.   Leaving means: loss, and that stings , whether that be the death of a loved one, or you’re sending your child off to college, or kindergarten, or you’ve lost your health, or your job.  All of these kinds of events, all of these leaving events, they bring uncertainty, they bring vulnerability, they bring pain into our life.  When you’re separated or you leave something, it hurts. And you know that grief comes along with that.   But nothing makes the heart feel better than knowing that help is on the way; especially when you are alone, or you feel that you are all alone.   There is a sense of peace, joy, and a calmness , that overtakes the heart when help is on the way, or when what was leaving returns back.  For example:  The sound of sirens as they approach your burning house, a dist...