To Love and To Serve

It will soon be 2025; that is hard to believe. It seems as if 2024 has just flown by, even though I know that it hasn’t. For me it was a hard year; I lost both of my remaining grandparents and others whom I loved and cared for. I would say that we should hope for a great 2025, and I do hope it is great, but I know there will be some difficulties as well. There are challenges every year, no matter how wonderful it is. This is life as we know it, at least. That said, there were also many joys for me in 2024, for instance— I’m no longer pre-diabetic, yippee! There were some wonderful experiences including getting to go to Hawaii for the first time. I was blessed this year, and I know and pray that 2025 will have joyful experiences as well. This combination of Joys and Concerns, like our prayers on Sunday, represent the duality of life we live every day.

One could look at this and feel disappointment that sorrows are sure to happen, but you could also look at it and feel hope that even though there are challenges, you know there will be celebrations at some point as well. Maybe one could describe this as a glass have empty or half full type of scenario, but with our faith in Christ, this changes in an important way. The disciples had to witness the death of Christ on the cross. For them this was the most difficult thing they would see in their lives. What they did not realize, however, is that it would lead to the resurrection of Christ, and the most amazing moments of their lives. If this act was just the death and resurrection of Christ, then it might just be an extreme example of the seesaw of life that we live, but it was more. Christ defeated death and sin, not just for himself, but for all of us. The life and salvation of Christ is one we share through him. This means that even though we will experience both joy and sorrow in life, the seesaw will eventually stop for eternity on the joy side of things, with a joy so grand we can’t even imagine it. This is the good news.

I don’t know what will happen in 2025, or 2026, or each year after that. I do know that when it is our final year on this earth, we will be with Christ. When the world itself ends, we will still be in God’s glory, and nothing, no event in this coming year or the next, can take that away from us. I pray that all of us have more joys that sorrows in 2025, and that we remember what is truly important and see the blessings God has placed in our lives. In this way may it be a Happy New Year for all of us as we walk this road of life together.


Peace, Blessings, & Happy New Year!
Pastor Brian

Many of you know that the church is still taking care of the giant and beautiful oak tree that fell down by the gazebo. We have given the go ahead to let anyone who wants to, take any amount of it that they want for fire wood or anything else. I think it would be good to point out that I can’t think of a better Valentine’s Day present that a good hefty piece of oak. Perhaps not, unless you valentine is a wood worker, but it was worth a try. Interestingly enough as I write this, someone is already taking part of the tree, thankfully. There is probably enough wood there to heat a home or two for the entire winter. I hope others will take advantage and take some wood for themselves as well, because I like the idea of little-by-little people coming to help in a large project. It shows what can be done when many people come together to work on something.

The church in all of its forms has always been about people coming together. From John baptizing people at the river, to the Sermon on the Mount, people have gathered to experience Christ and the Holy Spirit. Yes, God does talk to us as individuals, but when Jesus started his ministry, the first thing he did was to gather a group of Disciples together. Even the existence of God is in a multitude in the form of the Trinity. We learn in Genesis that it is not good for man to be alone and we know that wherever two or three are gathered in Christ’s name, the Spirit is there also. From this I think it is clear that we are meant to be with others in our life and in our faith.

There are often problems we encounter that seem too big to possibly handle or overcome, kind of like the giant oak tree in the back of the church. Perhaps, however, we were never meant to overcome these things alone. We of course have God with us always, but God has also placed people in our lives to help us and care for us. Big difficulties are not usually taken on all at once, but slowly piece by piece, with others helping us in the process. Every little way in which we help others might not seem very significant at the time, but together it all adds up to the love of God working in the world, which can accomplish great things. Never doubt the calling we have to do God’s work in the world, whether it is simply giving a hug, or taking a few pieces of an oak tree, it all comes together, as we do every Sunday, into something larger than ourselves.

Peace and Blessings,
Pastor Brian

My wife and I just got back from a trip to New Orleans. We were there for Mardi Gras, which is actually a season and not a day. Mardi Gras runs from Epiphany in January until the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Most of us are probably more familiar with Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras day, the final day of the season, but there are festivities and parades during this entire time. We also might tend to think of Mardi Gras as something that involves a lot of drinking and partying, and yes, I’m sure there is much of that on Fat Tuesday, but for the rest of the season many of the parades are very family oriented and community centered events. Many of the “Krews”, or groups in charge of the various parades, are also charity organizations that raise money for different causes in the community. So, far from the images of reckless abandon that are probably mostly tourists, the season actually represents celebration and support of the local communities involved.

One of the best parts of the larger parade we saw were all the kids that were involved. There were of course the kids that were on the side of the parade route hoping to get thrown beads and kids toys from the floats, but more impressively were all the kids involved in the parade. There were probably a dozen high schools and middle schools represented with everything from dance troops, to color guards, to marching bands etc. There were certainly some terrific horn players and drummers in those bands, and you could tell that these kids had been practicing quite a lot for this event. Not only were their performances great, but the truly wonderful thing were the smiles on their faces and the clear joy in the hearts as they got to perform. What a wonderful tradition this is every year, and it is clear to me that the actual meaning of Mardi Gras is not partying, but instead celebration of community.

It might seem a bit odd that one of my favorite things about this trip was seeing joy in others, but we all know that can be a wonderful thing in life. Ask a grandparent what one of their favorite things is, and they will probably tell you that they love seeing a smile on their grandchild’s face. So often in our hyper consumer culture we see joy as something that is achieved by acquiring something or some experience for ourselves. We might find joy, from a gift we receive, or a nice meal, or a new car. Although those things can bring joy, maybe helping others and seeing happiness in others is better than any joy that can be bought in a store. We see in the ministry of Jesus his emphasis on helping others. Not only did he do this, but he instructed others to do the same. In these actions there are of course the blessings received by those cared for by Christ and the disciples, but the act of caring for others and seeing the difference it makes, can in itself be a joy and blessing. I hope all of us can experience this in our life, and in doing so experience a community of God, a community of joy, just like the joy I witnessed during the Mardi Gras parade.

Peace and Blessings,
Pastor Brian

It has been quite a week, to say the least. As many of you know the building that my wife’s store is in partially collapsed on Monday. It is a little bit ironic that the scripture from the Sunday before dealt with God not giving more that we can handle, and this coming Sunday’s scripture is from the book of Joshua, the very book where the walls of Jericho come tumbling down. If my life is indeed mirroring scripture, then we better have some fire extinguishers ready for Pentecost. As difficult as the building situation is, it wasn’t the most difficult thing of my week. The most difficult events were saying goodbye to Conner during the funeral I had performed the day before, and then learning of Roger Saddler’s death only a few days later. Walls can be fixed, but people whom we lose can’t be brought back for any price, not in this life at least.

Contemplating all of these events has made me think about several topics. Of course, there is the fact that I had better realize what is truly important in life, and it is not a building or any “thing” of this earth, but rather the people and relationships we have. Yet, do we realize how precious they are, and how precious all people are in God’s eyes? How often do we get mad at people and say hurtful things? It probably happens more than we would like to admit both with strangers and people we love. How often do we sit and stare at our phones when we are in the presence of others? When people are gone, we would give anything to talk to them again, and yet there are so many times we ignored the opportunity for conversation. How often do we hug our loved ones and tell them that we love them? I’m going to go with— not enough.

I’m not saying any of these things to pass judgment or make anyone feel guilty, as I’m just as likely as anyone else to not fully appreciate the gifts God has given me in the form of others. These are just the things I think about in the midst of a stressful week, and in the midst of loss of those I cared for. In this season of Lent, we are called to become closer to God. Perhaps part of that can be done by becoming closer to each other, as we are all created in God’s image. Let thoughts of anger, jealousy, annoyance, or any other emotion we might have towards someone flow away from us, washed away by God’s grace. Let us instead focus on love, compassion, forgiveness, and all other things that bring us closer together. In this way all of our lives will mirror the gospel and ministry of Christ. That said, you might want to still keep the fire extinguisher ready.

Peace and Blessings,
Pastor Brian

Many of you know that at the end of March, the building that houses my wife’s business had a major issue, and a wall partially collapsed. For the last 30 days, I have been working constantly with contractors and doing some of the work myself. The good news is that as I write this, the repair construction is officially complete. By the time you read this hopefully we will have completed our final inspection, and my wife will be on the way to opening her store again. In between now and the store reopening, however, there is the little matter of cleaning the store and getting it ready for the public. Although she tarped most of her merchandise with plastic, there is still dust everywhere and almost every surface will need to be cleaned. It does seem like a very daunting task, but as one of her employees said, it’s just like eating an elephant, you do it by taking one bite at a time.

This is true of many things in life—you accomplish them by taking one day, or one step at a time. When we see a difficult thing before us, be it a task, or a loss, or a medical issue, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. Questions come to mind about how we can possibly accomplish or make it through such a monumental event. I feel that this is what the Disciples must have felt after the crucifixion of Christ. How could they continue on? Even after they came to see and believe in the risen Christ, he would later ascend and again I’m sure they wondered how they could possibly lead the church without him. Yet, lead they did. Through their work the church grew day by day and year after year. It spread the Good News far and wide so that in the present day there are over 2.4 billion Christians in every part of the globe. Even though I’m sure it seemed daunting at the time, through their faith and work, we now have the church of the present.

Of course, the early followers of Christ had God to guide them and help them in their endeavors, which partially explains their success. But do we not also have God with us in our lives? Matthew 28:20 reminds us that Christ is always with us, no matter what. So, the next time that you find yourself in an overwhelming situation, keep two things in mind. First, Rome was not built in a day, and perseverance and great accomplishments are comprised of many small moments strung together. The second thing is that Christ is always with us to support and guide us in life. This support can help us in even the most difficult of times. So, take your time, let your faith guide you, and know that you can handle whatever is before you.

Peace and Blessings,
Pastor Brian

My wife and I just got back from a trip to Ireland. This was a place that was on our bucket list and we feel very fortunate that we were able to go. I can tell you that it is a beautiful country, there is green everywhere you look and there are so many places that have breathtaking views. I know that there are also many beautiful places in the United States, but there are just so many all packed together in Ireland. In addition, Ireland has many areas that look similar to the way it did hundreds of years ago. There are no billboards, most of the power lines and utilities are underground, and many of the buildings are historic, by our standards at least.

Sometimes we as people become obsessed with the new. Think of the packaging that always promises “New and Improved”. Less often do you see advertising suggesting that a product has always been the same and never changes. I can say that traveling around rural Ireland, I was glad that things were not new and improved. There was comfort in seeing the beauty of lands filled with fields and stone walls that were many hundreds of years, if not thousands of years old, and had not changed much in the meantime. Sitting in a pub that had been serving people relativity the same thing for the last 200 years was peaceful, as was the traditional Irish music that was played there. New is not always better, and sometimes things are done a certain way for a reason. In summary, things that are consistent and stable can provide a great deal of peace and comfort as well.

When I think of what is the most constant and stable thing I know, that would be God. We believe that God has been present since the beginning of time, if not before. Despite the many changes that have occurred over the many centuries that we have come to know God, God has not changed. God has no need to advertise “new features”, as God has always had all of the features we need. In times of difficultly and strife, this consistency is a comfort to me and when the world is changing in ways I can’t even keep track of, the timelessness of God is something that provides peace. Perhaps you are someone who is completely comfortable with whatever track or direction our community, nation, or world is headed, but if you find it worrying, know you are not alone. You should also know also that God is always with us, no matter what. There is no change in the world that can separate us from God or God’s love. I find this gives me peace and comfort just like a view of the beautiful hills of Ireland, and I pray it provides you the same.

Peace and Blessings,
Pastor Brian

As I write this, Israel and Iran are currently in a ceasefire. I pray that this continues as more conflict will of course bring more suffering to all involved. War always causes suffering. Regardless of the victor, many will suffer and many will lose their life in the process. Every person who dies in war has family and friends that will always mourn their loss. I know that some will say that war is sometimes necessary. I won’t pretend that I have the authority to determine the morality of every conflict that the world has been in, but what I will say is that war is not actually necessary. Defending against violence and oppression can seem necessary, and perhaps it is, but war always involves an initial aggressor, and that aggressor can make the decision not to choose violence. I do understand for instance that WWII for the United States was about responding to the violence of Axis powers. However, if Germany had chosen not to invade Poland, and Japan had not had expansionist ideals, how many millions of people would have been able to keep their lives?

This is the thing: war ultimately involves someone or some group of people determining that what they want is more important than the lives of others. War might even have its beginnings at the point that people make decisions and postures that greatly threaten others, unconcerned with the safety and security of their neighbor. Instead, what if we all valued each other more than anything else in the world, what might happen then? I know of one person who lived his life that way, and that was Jesus. The most important things to Jesus were all of us. Even people he disagreed with, even people that society had written off, Jesus loved. This is perhaps one of the hardest things that we are called to as disciples. We are called to turn the other cheek, to love our enemies, and to even feed our enemies. These are tough things when it comes down to it, and I struggle with these things as much as the next person. Not only is this difficult now, but it was difficult in the time of Jesus. The call to all-encompassing peace that Jesus made would have seemed crazy to many in his time.

Yet, who is the crazy one, us or Jesus? Time and time again humanity chooses violence and death. What has that gained us? WWI was supposed to be the war to end all wars. Obviously, that was not the case. If we as God’s creation continue to choose war over peace, then we will continue to have suffering, unending suffering. I wish that the world would follow Jesus, I wish that everyone would choose peace, but that is unlikely to happen in my lifetime. There will seemingly always be people who choose violence. I wish that were not the case, but I have seen little to suggest otherwise. This doesn’t mean that all is lost. Each of us can choose how we live our lives, and we as individuals can make decisions to work towards more peaceful interactions with those we come into contact. We also never know how our work affects the world and how much people working together can create change as well. If you had asked me several days ago if a ceasefire between Israel and Iran was likely, I would have said no, and yet here we are.

As Paul said, we hope for things that are not yet seen. I hope always and pray for a more peaceful world, a world that allows everyone to know comfort and safety. Even though this might seem like an impossibility, any progress we make towards that is a little bit more of God’s Kingdom that enters our world, and that is always worth working towards.

Blessings,
Pastor Brian

Each day that I drive to work I come down highway 35 towards Beavercreek from downtown, and drive that way in the opposite direction on the way home. Each day recently I passed a bridge twice, once coming in and once going home. On this bridge there are colorful balloons, stuffed animals, and banners covering most of the fences that are on either side of the bridge. At first one might think that this is some sort of joyous celebration, but for those who know what it is about, it is anything but that. It is a memorial to Hershall Creachbaum, a 7-year-old boy in east Dayton who was recently found dead. From what has been reported, it appears that he had been falsely reported missing for weeks by his stepfather and mother. The community had been looking for him in earnest, only to find out that he died weeks before, and that the stepfather had been moving the remains around to hide them. It is unclear if Hershall died from natural causes, neglect, or was murdered. Hopefully further answers will found following the ongoing investigation.

It is touching that the rest of the community came together to remember and honor Hershall in this bridge memorial, although for me it is a daily reminder of the sadness and evil that exists in the world. We are currently finishing up our book study that deals with the origin of Satan. It would be convenient to blame events such as this on a divine being of evil. It gives us the opportunity to have some understanding of why such a thing can happen under God’s watch. Some people believe in the Devil, and some do not, and I respect all views of faith in this matter. That said, the main responsibility in all of this is not God or the Devil even, but likely Hershall’s stepfather and mother. So much of what I see as evil in the world does not come from God, but rather comes from us. When we fail to follow Christ’s commands of love of others, we create a hell on earth, and turn away from God’s Kingdom. All one needs to do is look at the suffering in any war zone, and know that we are responsible, as the Prince of Peace is certainly not directing us in these affairs.

As sad as all of this is, it still gives me hope that so many in the community have come out to lift up Hershall’s life and demonstrate their love. Even though there are those who would choose violence, hate, and oppression over kindness, love, and liberation, there are many more who would choose the latter. In hope we remember this, and know that although we have the power to commit evil and destruction, we also have the power to do good and create beauty around us. It is for these reasons that it is so important for not only us to follow Christ’s teaching of compassion, but to instill these values in the next generation. I hope that each day more and more people choose love, and in doing so we will usher in God’s Kingdom and a beautiful future where all children like Hershall are loved and cared for.

With blessings,
Pastor Brian

I’m sure many of you scroll through news on your phone to see what is going on in the world, as I do on a regular basis. Most of the time I regret this decision, as there are so many tragedies occurring at any given time. From children killed in war zones overseas to children killed in our own churches here at home, there is so very much to grieve. I am reminded not only of current tragedies, but of those from the past as well. It is hard for me to believe, but 20 years ago on August 29th was the tragedy of hurricane Katrina. I can still vividly remember the news from then, and praying for all the people in its path. I was in seminary in 2005, and I know that many on campus were focused on this disaster and what could be done to help in its aftermath. After the hurricane had come through, there were 1,392 fatalities and destruction beyond what many imagined possible. It of course affected New Orleans worst of all, and to this day there are still parts of the city that have not fully recovered.

As I was thinking about all of this, I began to focus on the word tragedy itself. We of course know this word to mean an event that causes great suffering, destruction, or distress. It, however, also has a long history as a word and a genre, harkening back to Ancient Greece and its tragic poems and plays. One such motif from that time is the idea of the “tragic hero” present in many Greek pieces of literature. This hero was someone who was basically good and usually of an elevated place in society, however, they suffered from a fatal flaw that would bring about their downfall. A classic example of this is Oedipus, from the play Oedipus Rex, who is a great and powerful king and yet brings about his own downfall through his hubris. What does this have to do with the modern world, though, and modern tragedies? Well, perhaps we can see ourselves, that is humanity, on any scale be it a city or the world itself, as a tragic hero. God has certainly given us such wonderful things. God has given us creation itself, love and companionship, our very lives. Certainly, humanity has the capacity through these gifts to live out a wonderful life full of joy and happiness. Yet, is that what we see when we look through the news on our phones?

Even though we are the children of God and are given so much, we suffer from fatal flaws that cause our downfall. These flaws are many—hubris, greed, revenge, hated, and so on. Many of the tragedies of our current time can be tied to one of these flaws. Our downfall as a community is often caused not by some outside force that humanity can’t control, but of choices made by people influenced by the flaws listed above. Even in the case of hurricane Katrina, much of the death and destruction was from choices made about infrastructure in the previous decades that prioritized cost and expediency over the safety of people. Is it no wonder that these are the very things that Christ warned us about during his ministry? He lived his life and taught us to live our lives with qualities such as peace, humility, charity, and kindness.

We can clearly see what happens when we do not live out these qualities in the world, but let us not lose hope. The tragedies in our lives and in the world are not the end of all things. We see in Christ a new beginning and a new world with so many possibilities that are beyond our comprehension. Let us learn from the tragedies of the world as audiences of tragic plays did long ago, and with this knowledge may we all work to usher in Christ’s Kingdom, where we will know tragedy no longer.

Peace & Blessings,
Pastor Brian