Seeing the Invisible

Our daily devotional is a re-post with permission from Words Of Hope. Come view our website at www.clintonave.org.

Seeing the Invisible

By Jen Petersen on August 8, 2023

Read: Hebrews 11:1-3

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (v. 1)

Planting a garden is an act of hope. When I plant a seed in my garden, I don’t know if we’ll get heavy rain and the seed will be flooded away, or if we’ll have too much heat when the plant is young and it will be scorched, or if the weather will be just perfect for growth.

I also don’t know what will happen to me in the time it takes that seed to grow. I trust that I’ll be around to see it bear fruit. And yet I still plant the seeds. I trust that the rhythms that God breathed into life at creation will continue and that this tiny seed will produce new life.

Our faith in God is also an act of hope. We don’t see God face to face, but we see the evidence of his work in our midst. It’s obvious that everything in the world is not the way God intended it to be, but we can see the rhythms and designs of creation in the world around us.

We see brokenness, but we also see God’s care for us in the love of those around us. We may not see it, but we trust that God is working to reconcile everything back to himself (Col. 1:20). We believe this because God’s Word tells us it’s so. Faith is trusting that God’s Word is true and that God will keep his promises.

As you pray, ask God to help you have faith in him.

Sabbath Is For God

Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2023 Blog #32

August 6, 2023

Vacation Blogs 1 of 4

Sabbath Is For God

Each year I spend my summer vacation in August through the first Sunday of September. I really love this time away. It is my sabbath. I always find it to be refreshing and it recharges my energy. After such a time away I am once more ready and able to lead the busy fall schedule. I find this downtime very helpful in keeping myself from getting overwhelmed and, ultimately, burned out.

I believe that there is a reason that God mandated that we take a sabbath. Sabbath is good for us. Jesus himself said that the Sabbath was created by God to benefit humans. It is not to be a burden to us, but a joy. I think that it is a pity that so few people in our culture honor the Sabbath. It is good for us.

There are two aspects to the Sabbath requirement. The first is to do no work. The second is to dedicate the day to God. It is far too easy to get so wrapped up in our work that we neglect to take a Sabbath. It is just as easy to take a Sabbath day and dedicate it to our own leisure and to forget about God. For us to take a proper Sabbath, we must put aside work as well as to honor God.

Yesterday, I sat in the First Reformed Church in Wynantskill and had the chance to truly honor God. It is hard for ministers to really worship and honor God each Sunday as we scurry around to prepare and lead worship. It is a rare pleasure to sit and worship and honor God. I did this, and will continue to be a congregational worshiper during my vacation. It is quite energizing to hear someone else preach from a new perspective than the one I bring.

By the standards of Orthodox Judaism, my Sabbath really is not one at all. I started the day by cooking food; a violation if I was Orthodox and Jewish. I also drove my car, yet another violation. It reminds me of being in Jerusalem at the Western Wall during the Sabbath. One member of our group kept a written diary of our trip. She was asked to stop writing as writing is considered “work.” I began to take a picture of the Western Wall and was also asked not to do so. This is considered “work” also, even though photography is a hobby for me, not work.

My Sabbath also would not live up to my mother’s definition of Sabbath when I was in Grammar school. My sister and I were not allowed to go out and play on Sunday. We were to stay inside and read our Bibles. She felt that she was rather liberal in Sabbath. We were allowed to read our Bibles anywhere in the house. When she was a child she had to stay in her room to read her Bible each Sunday.

No, I don’t do Sabbath to my mother’s extent nor do I live up to the expectations of Orthodox Judaism. Yet, I found my Sabbath to be very refreshing. I did not work. I sat in the pew and worshipped. I enjoyed more time to simply “be” with God, family and friends.

Sabbath is good. I hope that anyone who reads this or listens to my podcast who does not honor the Sabbath will begin honoring it. The joy and refreshment that we experience will be ours.

#ReformedChurchInAmerica                                 #PastorMarkAuthor            

#BergenCounty                                                        #BergenfieldNJ

#Vacation                                                                  #Sabbath

#HonoringGod                                                          #Worship

To read more of Pastor Mark’s writings, please look at his website:

www.pastormarkauthor.com

Pastor Mark Cast

In this episode, Pastor Mark talks about new leadership taking over a mission that he has been a part of for years and celebrates passing the torch.

PastorMarkCast passing the torch. In this episode, Pastor Mark talks about new leadership taking over a mission that he has been a part of for years and celebrates passing the

Pastor Mark is a Christian Pastor, author, blogger, and sometimes background actor. He brings all of his years of life experience to ask spiritual questions about the ordinary events of life.

Go to this link to hear the podcast: https://rss.com/podcasts/pastormarkchat/1058409/

Passing The Torch; What’s Next?

Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2023 Blog #31

July 31, 2023

Passing The Torch; What’s Next?

For five or six years now our congregation, in conjunction with the UCC congregation in the nearby town of Cresskill, has been doing a lunch program for day laborers in our town. This originally was funded by a Lilly grant but now depends on donations from the congregations as well as outside donations. Our rhythm has always been that we make lunches on Wednesday and distribute them on Thursdays. My Spanish is far from fluent but it is better than the other volunteers, so our distribution was dependent on me, and one other volunteer from the Cresskill congregation. This changed in January, and again last week.

In January, our procedure changed as Ivan Gil came to our congregation with the mission of beginning a Spanish-speaking congregation, nested within our congregation. He joined me in distributing these lunches and our interactions with the day-laborers deepened because of his Spanish fluency. Increasingly, I found myself holding the boxes of lunches as he did the talking.

This past week I received a “demotion” from box carrier to “chauffeur.” Two of the young men from the fledgling Spanish-speaking worshiping group joined Ivan and I in the distribution. Now three people were able to interact and invite these laborers to join this small group of worshipers. One of these young men held the box of lunches. My job was simply to drive around and offer encouragement. I wonder how long this trio will want me to be part of this group. Clearly they will be able to do without me when the new volunteers are familiar with the routine. In terms of this project, I may become obsolete.

So, should I feel hurt that I can be replaced? Should my ego be wounded by these three taking over a task that I have been such a part of for so many years? Or should this be a celebration that a new generation of leaders is rising up with language skills that I do not possess?  I prefer this “passing of the torch” to be a celebration of new, young, leadership.

When the day comes when I am not needed on this project I know that God will give me some other job to do. What will it be? I do not have a clue but I know that God will not keep me idol for long. With the surrendering of this mission, I am quite confident that God has another mission in mind for me. At the right time, God will tell me.

The book of the Bible, Ecclesiastes, tells us that “for everything there is a season.” When one season ends, another begins. We do God and our neighbors, a dis-service if we try to hang onto tasks and projects after we are no longer functional. Sometimes it is best to let go and start new adventures as God directs us.

Do we trust God to give us something new to do? If so, we can easily let go of what we are doing. If we have no such trust in God, then letting go is difficult to do. Our egos will tell us to hold on long after it is good for us to let go.

Do you trust God? If so, be willing to “pass the torch” at the right time and pick up a new torch, also at the right time. If we trust God and are resilient, we will do great things to bless our community and honor God.

Theological Reflections From A New Cell Phone

Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2023 Blog #30

July 24, 2023

Theological Reflections From A New Cell Phone

I am usually the last person I know to update my technology. I was the last person I know who got cable and among the last to get a cell phone. I remember that it took a while for me to learn how to use it. I confess that probably the first two dozen calls that I received on a cell phone were not answered. I couldn’t figure out how to do that.

Well, that was about twenty years ago and I am now on my fifth cell phone. It took me several years to figure out my fourth phone and I really liked it but I dropped it on hard surfaces too many times and it was starting to show problems. It was getting difficult to enter my password to use the phone. When I pushed the button for a number, a different number was entered. After two weeks I realized that it was time to upgrade once more. This week I got my newest cell phone. I am trying to get used to it.

So far I am doing quite well with the phone. After a few hours I was able to figure out how to take pictures, text, and even make a phone call. I am still dealing with pop-ups requesting that I download and install aps that I have never heard of and don’t know if they are good or bad for me. It only took me two hours to figure out how to access my Facebook account from the phone, but I got there. I’m still trying to figure out why text messages seem to “archive” when I am trying to read them but I’m sure that this learning will come.

It is never easy to have change in our lives or to learn to do new things. We easily get used to patterns, for better or worse. Nevertheless, even though change is difficult progress is good. One of the things that we do to have successful lives is to turn the changes of life into progress.

Sometimes we as Christians, as well as congregations, have difficulty making the changes necessary to have progress in new contexts and amid new societal contexts. We don’t like change, but it is a part of our lives. Do we find the grace to make that stressful change into beneficial progress.

What do you need to change in your life to be a better Christian? What do we need to change as congregations to make us more in line with our neighborhoods and neighbors? These changes won’t be easy but when we see progress we will be happy that we did change. Let each of us and each of our congregations ask God what we need to change and be courageous when we start those changes. We will be better people and God will be glorified when we do this.

#ReformedChurchInAmerica                                 #PastorMarkAuthor            

#BergenCounty                                                        #BergenfieldNJ

#Change                                                                    #Progress

#Improvement                                                          #Santification

To read more of Pastor Mark’s writings, please look at his website:

www.pastormarkauthor.com

Where Have You Left Your DNA?

Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2023 Blog #29

July 17, 2023

Where Have You Left Your DNA?

Those of us in the North Jersey area have been inundated with one news story during this weekend. The story was the arrest of an architect from Long Island who has been accused of being the “Gilgo Beach Killer.” This has been a case that has haunted this area since the disappearance of a woman in 1996. Ultimately the bodies of 11 women were found in this area and the man who was arrested has now been charged with 6 murders.

How law enforcement officers came to identify the suspect and arrest him is rather complex story of pain-staking and methodical police work. I listened to a press conference by the Suffolk County Executive who announced the arrest and described some of the investigative procedures that were undertaken. I was amazed at the persistent hard labor that the law enforcement officials performed. One piece of evidence was crucial and led to the arrest. Police obtained the suspects DNA where matched DNA from hair left on several of the victims. The suspect had left a DNA trail wherever he went.

Don’t we all leave such a DNA trail as we walk through life? Wherever we go and whatever we do we leave our DNA. We leave our mark. Where do we leave it? What have we been doing in these places? My grandmother and other older women in my childhood neighborhood. told the young people on the block many things. Among them:

  1. No matter where you go, someone is always watching you. Behave yourself!
  2. God knows what you are doing. Always do the right thing.
  3. Don’t go anywhere you wouldn’t want to be found dead in.
  4. Act so that people will want you to come back.

Yes, we leave our DNA wherever we go. Where have we left our DNA? Have we left it comforting a troubled child? Have we left it building a house for a family in need? Have we left it encouraging someone who was depressed? Will we be remembered for being the customer who spread joy and peace? Is our DNA sitting in a place where we fed needy, hungry people?

We leave a legacy of the places we go and the things that we do. Let us leave a good legacy and a good trail.

#ReformedChurchInAmerica                                 #PastorMarkAuthor            

#BergenCounty                                                        #BergenfieldNJ

#Legacy                                                                     #DNA

#Deeds                                                                      #Scrutiny

To read more of Pastor Mark’s writings, please look at his website:

www.pastormarkauthor.com

Pastor Mark Cast

PastorMarkCast

In this episode Pastor Mark asks the question “Where have you left your DNA?” We do leave our mark wherever we go.

Pastor Mark is a Christian Pastor, author, blogger, and sometimes background actor. He brings all of his years of life experience to ask spiritual questions about the ordinary events of life.

Go to this link to hear the podcast: https://rss.com/podcasts/pastormarkchat/1040302/

The Theology of the Cape May Light House

Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2023 Blog #28

July 10, 2023

The Theology of the Cape May Light House

I spent a wonderful Independence Day down the Jersey Shore. Specifically I was in Wildwood and I also visited the Cape May light house. This lighthouse is part of a New Jersey State park and has been guiding ships since it was made operational in 1859. This lighthouse is actually the third lighthouse to sit on the site. The first two, built earlier in the 1800’s were the victims of beach erosion. The current light house, like the two before it, has one purpose, to guide ships away from the potential danger along the coast.

I once read that runway lights at airports were conceived of by modeling light houses. Pilots, like sailors, need lights to guide their passages and keep them out of dangerous terrain. I liken these to reflective posts along highways to keep drivers on the road. In every context of life, we need guidelines to keep us from danger. What are your guidelines?

I have been told by people older than myself, who have a longer view of history, that prior to World War II, our nation frequently used religious faith as the guideline to actions. People in that era would frequently ask, “what does God want me to do?” In the post-World War II era there was a shift in thinking toward the question “what makes me feel good?” In short, we shifted from divinity to humanism.

Certainly, I believe that the shift in philosophies is reflected in our cultural behavior. Just compare how politicians who grew up pre-World War II presented themselves compared to how our current ones do. Is it my imagination or have manners and social graces declined with this change of philosophy from pleasing God to pleasing ourselves?

The pre-World War II America certainly was not perfect and had flaws of its own but I suggest that if we return to letting faith, and God’s written word guide us, we shall have a more civil and classier nation. If every day we woke up more concerned with what God desired of us than our own desires, how much improved would our behavior be?

People who practice faith are now a minority in our nation. But there are many of us who still strive to live faithfully. It is time for us who are faithful to set the badly needed example. To we act as people who ask “what does God expect from us before we think, speak, or act?

Without the faithful lighting the lighthouse, people will follow other lights to guide them. I believe that our communities will benefit if we again shine bright light to guide people toward better, more Godly, ways of living. Will you join me in constructing a tall light house and making sure that it stays lit?

#ReformedChurchInAmerica                                 #PastorMarkAuthor            

#BergenCounty                                                        #BergenfieldNJ

#Lighthouses                                                            #Guidance

#Behavior                                                                  #Godliness

To read more of Pastor Mark’s writings, please look at his website:

www.pastormarkauthor.com