Pastor's article
October is a month we begin to enjoy cooler weather, football, the start of the Christmas season (at least according to Hobby Lobby) and of course the end of the month-Reformation Day! I am sure you thought I was going to say Halloween, but it is also Reformation Day. I know over the years many churches have tried to replace Halloween with Fall Festivals or like our church Pumpkin Patch, but Reformation Day is not some new idea created by a church rather it is a significant day in Church history.
October 31 is the day before All Saints Day. November 1 or All Saints Day is the day on which the church honored and remembered both known and unknown saints who obtained heaven. It is believed by many scholars this goes back to May of 609 AD when Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon at Rome. Some suggest the date was moved because of the Celtic Festival of Samhain. This festival signaled the end of harvest, and some believed on October 31 the dead moved from the boundary between living and the dead, allowing spirits to return to earth. Costumes were worn to ward off any of the evil spirits. Pope Gregory III in the 8 th century then moved All Saints Day to the day after this pagan holiday. This is why we know it today as, All Hallows Eve, or Halloween.
Reformation Day is critical to our own history. This is the day in 1517 that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis 1 to the door at Wittenburg Church. Martin Luther was appalled how far the church had moved from its Biblical teachings. The Catholic Church was taking part in many unbelievable actions, the most appalling, selling indulgences. Indulgences were the selling by the church of a “free pass” on sin. This
was a win-win for the church and the people. The people bought indulgences, so the church made great amounts of money, and the people were resolved of their sin. Martin Luther believed that we are saved by grace alone through faith in Christ
alone. Therefore, he saw the corruption of the church misleading people and distorting the importance of the real gospel message. Luther thought by posting his 95 Thesis on the night before a large gathering at the church on All Saints Day, the church would recognize its failure and change. Instead, Martin Luther was kicked out of the church.
So, what difference does this make to us? It shows that, one person can be used by God and change everything. As we continue in our sermon series “The Next Great Adventure” we see in the Book of Acts, the beginning of the church and how First Baptist’s future is also driven by God’s Word.
We will be having our Pumpkin Patch event this year on October 31-Reformation Day. As we see people come and get their free candy, don’t look at it merely as us taking part in a corrupt holiday. Look at it as a Reformation Day for our culture. When you bring candy, work a booth, or tell someone else about our Pumpkin Patch-you are in essence telling culture we need to reevaluate our culture’s values. Our culture has lost its way but our being a part of culture is important. If we want culture to change, we must be willing to point out it’s as well as our own failures and how the good news of the Gospel is important.
Some may suggest by us celebrating “Halloween” we are endorsing what it stands for. I suggest that by us bringing people to church we change its entire meaning. So, the question might be, shouldn’t we preach the gospel that night? Of course, but the gospel is preached by our lives as well as on Sunday morning. So, when people come to get their free candy, say “Jesus loves me and Jesus loves you.” Let them see that we are not the church where our people just wear masks-as hypocrites do. Let them see, our failures, our sin is the reason the Gospel is so important. The Gospel changes lives and that is not by something we buy or obtain by our own effort rather it is a free gift by faith alone. Halloween is more than free candy; it is the day we celebrate the real free gift-the gift of our salvation.
In Christ,
Brother Alan
1 https://www.luther.de/en/95thesen.html
MUSIC MINISTER's article
I was watching The Price is Right the other day, and I couldn't help but notice how wild the energy is. People are jumping up and down, screaming at the top of their lungs, hugging complete strangers. Honestly, they are overly excited! Watching all that chaos led me to wonder: What is one of the craziest reactions to someone’s name being called on that show?
Turns out, one of the wildest reactions was actually no reaction at all because the contestant wasn't even there.
Right before her name was announced to a roaring studio audience, she had slipped away to use the restroom. When Bob Barker shouted her name, she was completely oblivious, sitting down the hall while her life-changing moment was happening without her. She only made it to the stage because a friend who realized she was missing ran down the hallway, banged on the restroom door, and yelled, "Get out here! They called your name!"
That friend didn't just stop her from missing out; she gave her the exact push she needed to step right onto that stage. Without someone to step in, redirect her, and urge her forward, she would have completely missed her blessing.
We saw a vivid picture of that exact same truth at our recent Youth Paintball event. Out on the paintball field, you quickly realize you can't survive on your own. Your vision is limited, the field is chaotic, and it’s easy to get cornered. The key to winning isn't just shooting fast, but rather, it’s having teammates behind you shouting, "Watch your back!" or "Don't go down that path!" But just as importantly, it’s also having a teammate call out, "Go, go, go! You've got this!" You need people you trust to keep you safe from unseen danger, but also to push you into the action when it's time to move.
That field strategy is one of the main lessons we continually try to teach our youth: Real friendship goes both ways.
On one hand, it means having the courage to speak up and redirect each other. If we see a friend heading down a dangerous path or making choices that Jesus wouldn't approve of, true love doesn't stay silent while they walk into trouble. We want our young people to know how to step in gently and steer their friends back to Christ. But on the flip side, real friendship also means being the person who cheers you on to step out of your comfort zone. God calls us into big, bold things, and sometimes we hesitate or hide where it's safe because we feel nervous or unprepared. We need friends who will bang on the door, pull us out of our shell, and remind us that God is calling us to something bigger.
Jesus wants our hearts. He wants us to put Him first. HE WANTS US! Just that thought alone makes me want to jump for joy! But we were never meant to walk this faith journey alone.
In our own daily lives, it is far too easy to wander off or stay stuck in our comfort zones. We get distracted, weighed down by the daily grind, or drift into our own quiet corners. Isolated, unaware, and stepping away from what God is doing. We need friends who will call out our blind spots when life gets chaotic, but we also need brothers and sisters in Christ who will grab us by the hand and say, "Hey, look over here, Jesus is calling your name. Don't be afraid to step out!"
Galatians 6:2 tells us to "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."
I want to encourage you to build a community where we keep each other alert, stay connected, redirect one another from danger, and boldly push each other toward every blessing God has in store so no one misses out on His grace, His calling, and His joy.
Much love Yall,
Tyler
Children's Minister's article
I teach the 5th and 6th Grade Sunday School class. For the last few years, it has been made up of mostly girls. But this year, I have inherited BOYS! God's word never changes but the teaching methods that best fit the range between 5th and 6th grade boys and girls sure do! Recently we talked about how Jesus welcomed the children to come to him even though just before that, his disciples had tried to "shoo" the kids and parents away, thinking Jesus' time was much too important to bother with children. (Mark 10:13-16)
We started with some "how would you handle" situation cards. One was what would you do if "A teacher who once hurt your feelings asks for volunteers to clean up?" Another was what would you do if "A sibling asks for help, but you're busy playing a video game?" A third one asked what would you do if "A classmate who doesn't usually hang out with you and your friends asks to sit at your group's table?"
The boys were quick to minimize the needs in favor of doing whatever they wanted instead. In each scenario, they put their own desires over the needs of the other person. Well…OK, yeah, that's pretty typical 10-year-old behavior. And I agree, to an extent… But, these were boys who have been in church, being taught God's word, for most if not all of their ten years. Wouldn't you think by now that they would have a little compassion, a little impulse to put others needs above their own?
I don't think it takes a deep dive into motives or parenting or education to figure out why these boys answered the way they did. Look back at the disciples. They had been WITH JESUS and yet they still assigned worth to people…Person A is not as important as Person B. It's a worldly attitude perpetuated by human selfishness. We just naturally put our own wants and ideas of worth above the needs of others or those who we have judged as less than. And it takes godly intervention to reverse and repair those attitudes and actions.
Now, please don't mistake my intent here! Our church does a great job of treating all groups of people with worth. I believe we, as a body of believers, spend money and resources very equally on children, teens, elderly, men, women, without placing one group over the other. Everyone needs to know Jesus and our church lives that out in our mission and practice!
But what about you and me, individually? Do we sometimes get a little selfish with our own time, our own comfort, our own talents and resources? Do we sometimes determine someone as "less deserving" like the disciples or "less important" like the boys in Sunday School? Do we sometimes justify our lack of charity with, "but I just don't want to…?"
In Mark 10:15, Jesus told his disciples, "Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Jesus was basically saying, see those ones who you have decided are less important, less worthy, not deserving of my time…you need to be more like them. You need to be open, accepting, generous, humble…and most concerned about seeking after God rather than your own comforts or conceptions.
With Pumpkin Patch at the end of this month, I'm on the hunt for volunteers. Pumpkin Patch is probably the event in our church year that draws the most varied of visitors. Folks who would not come to a church service will often bring their children or grandchildren to play some games and get some free candy.
Do you think if we had Jesus sitting in the middle of Pumpkin Patch as our special guest, the disciples would stop some of those folks at the gate or tell them they needed to go to the back of the line so the more important people could see Jesus first? Would we?
I hope that we can all see Pumpkin Patch as an opportunity to serve both God and others. I hope we can come together and welcome every person that enters the gate as Jesus sees them – sinners in need of a Savior – just like us.
If you'd like to know more about Pumpkin Patch, want to help in the planning or work on the day of the event, we are meeting immediately after Worship Service on Sunday, October 4 in the Conference Room. I'm excited to see what you will bring to the table as you seek to serve God without reservations!
In Christ,
Marie Dittmar
