Quote from Forum Archives on December 27, 2001, 2:11 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

This is the time of the week when my brother in Christ, Larry
Davies, writes his weekly column entitled Sowing Seeds of Faith.
You may recall that we were in the midst of a multipart series
recently about leading the choir.

Today, Larry begins another series about waiting for the
Messiah. To hear the end of Larry's story, you'll have to wait.
But to read the accounts in scripture, you can do that now - then
you'll be able to accurately determine the conclusion of Larry's
story (was I supposed to jump the story, Larry)? 🙂

The Messiah has been foretold by prophets. His coming has been
long awaited. I hope YOU haven't missed it. Larry's message
contains references to both the Old Testament scriptures and New
Testament fulfillment of scriptures, so maybe you already know
where this is going!

Anyway, I look forward to "The Rest of the Story", but meanwhile,
I already have the words of scripture. Many are already written
on my heart, but I can go to the Bible any time to refresh my
memory, and also to gain new insights into what God is saying to
me. I have several Bibles in my home - some in my basement
software lab, others at my bedside table, and I have many online
resources. At the very least, each of you also has the same
online resources available. You can read the Bible any time at
bible.gospelcom.net or bible.crosswalk.com/.

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

Reply-to: "Sowing Seeds of Faith..." <sowseeds@nesbeonline.com>
Subject: "Turning Points: A Church, The Messiah... Wait! Why?"

"Breaking the Peanut Butter Habit: Following God's Recipe for a
Better Life" is already getting rave reviews. At least that's
what my mother said. Anyway, it's now available for immediate
shipping. Don't wait any longer. The charge card glitch is fixed
and the price is discounted. Check it out now by clicking here:
www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/peanbutt.htm

Sowing Seeds of Faith

"Turning Points: A Church, The Messiah Wait! Why?" Larry
Davies

Every Sunday for nearly three years Walter had a routine. Just
before 10:00 AM he would open the doors to Epworth and prepare
the church for worship. If the weather was cold, he would build
a fire in the old wood stove. If it was hot he would open all
the windows and distribute the hand fans with a picture of Jesus
on one side and an ad for a local funeral home on the other.

Next, Walter would open the Bible located on top of the wooden
pulpit and read the selected scripture for that week. Then it
would be time for prayer. Often there were folks in the
community included on Walter's list. The latest national nd
world news would be mentioned. But always, Walter ended every
prayer with a plea for God to remember and bless his beloved
church.

Every Sunday, Walter had a routine but what makes this story so
unique is that with very few exceptions, Walter began and ended
the Sunday morning worship service alone. Alone? Why? Many
years ago, Epworth church was built on land donated by a
neighboring farmer but if for any reason they stopped meeting
regularly, if Walter stopped opening the church doors every
Sunday the property would revert to the original owners
Epworth church would cease to exist.

So what is the big deal? If Walter is the only one bothering to
attend, let him go somewhere else or stay at home. Why not face
the inevitable and allow Epworth to quietly disappear? What harm
would it do? For Walter, it was a big deal. God had a divine
purpose for his life and for the church he loved. But for now,
Walter must be patient, be faithfuland wait? Wait for what?

"To wait" is not one of my favorite verbs. I define wait as
"waste" as in waste of time. I become frustrated just
waiting in line at a grocery store. I bought a new computer
because it claimed to be faster with less waiting time. So,
according to my definition of wait, Walter was wasting his time
at Epworth, refusing to face reality by waiting for something to
happen that would never happen.

Walter waited. Not me! I would move on. So would most of
you. Yet, you and I, in our impatience and lack of faith would
have missed the miracle of Epworth church!

In another time: For nearly eight hundred years, prophets
foretold the coming of the Messiah.

"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah are only a small village in
Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you" (Micah 5:2)

"All right then, the Lord himself will choose the
sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give
birth to a son and will call him Immanuel - God is with us."
(Isaiah 7:14)

"But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten
that we might have peace. He was whipped and we were healed!"
(Isaiah 53:5)

But for eight hundred long years the people of God
waited. Generations were born, grew up, lived and died never
knowing or seeing the promised Messiah of God. What were they
waiting for? No one really knew. Yet, to fully value the
significance of Christmas we must understand why "waiting" is
such a necessary part of serving God.

In Luke, a man named Simeon who is described as righteous and
devout spent most of his time in the temple waiting: "He was
filled with the Holy Spirit and he eagerly expected the Messiah
to come" (2:25) Day after day, year after year, Simeon was
faithful in his task. Why?

In the same part of Luke, there was also a prophet named
Anna. She became a idow at an early age and spent most of her
adult life waiting: "She was now eighty-four years old. She
never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshipping
God with fasting and prayer." (2:37)

What were Anna and Simeon waiting for? For that, you too must
waituntil next week. The answer will help you understand
what happened at Epworth church and appreciate the meaning of
Christ's birth. In the meantime, read the second chapter of Luke
and have a blessed New Year.

Sowing Seeds of Faith... Weekly devotions with ATTITUDE, humor,
great stories and a down-to-earth Bible study.

Would you like to receive weekly prayer needs from around the
world? Click here: www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/sign-up.htm

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

This mailing proudly powered by Subscribe Me(TM) Professional -
Enterprise Edition www.subscribemepro.com

=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Send your FREE holiday greetings online!
greetings.yahoo.com