A note from the Pastor

First Century

In one of the opening scenes of Season One from the television show

The Chosen, a beggar on the streets of Capernaum asks a passerby if he is the Messiah? His hope was the Messiah would come to save him and all of the Hebrew people.

The hope of the people in first century Palestine was that the Messiah would come to save the people. The political and economic oppression that they endured from the Roman occupation was too much to bear. They needed someone to save them, so The Messiah, the Anointed One, was on their minds.

The problem they had was that the Messiah they were looking for missed their bigger problem. The Hebrew people’s oppression wasn’t from political and economic hardships, it was from oppression of their souls. They need a savior from their sin.

 
 

Twenty-first Century

Sometimes I think that we are looking for the same thing as the Hebrew people of the first century. If only we could get back to the way things were before COVID, everything would be all right. We are looking for relief from our economic hardships. If we just had more money each month everything would be OK. Or if only our government leaders (either on the left or on the right) would make correct decisions, then our everyday problems would be solved but like the Hebrews of the first century, we are looking in the wrong place. It is our souls that are in need of a savior.
 

The Messiah

Jesus is the Savior that can repair our souls. He is the one who corrects our deep-seated soul needs. My prayer is that this Advent Season, you may pause long enough to address your soul’s needs. That you would turn to the Scriptures, to the Psalms, and let God’s Word fulfill your need for Jesus. It is a daily process and something that we all need.

I will be praying for you as you seek God in the midst of this Advent Season.

Have a great rest of the week and hope to see you on Sunday!

 

Pastor Tim

P.S. (Let me encourage you to “binge-watch Jesus,” through the television show, The Chosen. Here is a link on YouTube where you can watch Episodes 1 & 2 of season One: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6sHNLmYbAM&t=1800s)

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