But
the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of
Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of
them. So the LORD’s anger burned against Israel.
We
were welcomed upon arriving, including by the pastor who called a Marine over
to meet me. Always a pleasure.
The
great wooden cross on the wall made me happy.
I thought
it might have been the high arched ceiling, but I was unable to hear any of the
announcements. Perhaps the mic wasn’t on, but I could hear everyone else.
The
praise worship was amazing: three good, strong leading voices, with excellent
harmony made for enjoyable worship.
I was
pleased to see a friend and especially when her young son came back into the
sanctuary at the end of the service calling what sounded like “Ba,” the name my
grandchildren call me. I enjoyed watching some other little ones also.
The
message was about The Joshua Generation. In a way, the tribes were living on
faith since all but two people had not witnessed the miracles of the Exodus
from Egypt. The miraculous provision of water and food was all they had ever
known, it was normal, not a miracle at all. It’s hard for us to see now how the
miracle of Jericho would not be an overwhelming wake-up call.
Maybe
they were not too different from us in that the everyday miracle of our
existence is all we have ever known and we forget to give God the glory He
deserves. It is easy to judge Israel when we have no mirror.
The
pastor handled loud talk in the narthex and a cell phone going off (his)
splendidly and went on with the message. I was glad we were here for this
message as the pastor will be leaving soon.
I wish
I could have talked to the older Marine we met after the service but maybe God
will lead us back here.
We
were greeted by several people as we entered and then welcomed by the pastor
who introduced Bob to another Marine.
I
noticed large bulletin boards with maps indicating overseas missionaries
supported by the church, so my impression is that mission is high on the list
of priorities.
The
sanctuary seemed spacious with its clean lines and uncluttered appearance. I
was not expecting a contemporary service, and though the music was led by seven
musicians/vocalists, the volume was agreeable.
One
of the announcements was a reminder to the congregation that next week will be
the pastor’s last week at this church. We learned in a later conversation that
he was elected to the position of Superintendent of the Pittsburgh Conference.
In
a pleasant moment, the oldest, youngest, and newest mothers in the congregation
were recognized, then all the moms were invited forward and prayer offered. One
of the Marines made sure I received a Mother’s Day plant on our way out, which
was appreciated.
The
message, entitled “Sin in the Camp – the 1st Crisis!” was part of
the series The Joshua Generation. The pastor spoke about what it would have
been like for the generation that lived under Joshua’s leadership and the
lessons they learned from Achan’s sin of stealing from God. Israel’s
relationship with God was only restored by their repentance and obedience.
Lord, we pray Your blessing on this church in this time of transition and as they move into the future You have planned for them. Amen.
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