From Matthew

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.

15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV) 

Devotional Thought

 1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalms 19:1 (NIV)

Scripture 11/28/20200

 The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. - Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)

1st Sunday of Advent

 Today begins the Season of Advent, it is a special time for my family and I hope for your homes and hearts. Part of the process of Advent is preparing our hearts and recognizing that we are waiting for the coming Messiah.

For the Church it is a great time of Holy Anticipation, seeing the fulfillment of the Prophet Isiah. During the Season of Advent, we celebrate that The Christ has come. However, the truth is we are still waiting for The Christ to come again and with that return comes all of His promises all that he has promised to fulfill not just in our hearts by redeeming us but also in completing His Kingdom.

This Advent let us turn our attention to what The Christ is doing in redeeming mankind. What does Advent mean to us individually, how has The Christ met your hopes and expectations, and how are His promises manifested in your lives.

Fix your eyes on God Himself, we can never understand who we are until we understand who God is because in that revelation of God through The Christ Child and King we understand who we really are.

Isiah 9:6 - For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

Come thou long expected Jesus,

Born to set Thy people free

from our fears and sins release us.

Let us find our rest in Thee.

Israels strength and consolation

the hope of all the earth Thou art

Dear desire of every nation

The joy of every longing heart.

Leaving riches without number

born within a cattle stall

this, the everlasting wonder:

Christ was born the Lord of all.

May God richly bless your homes and manifest His love, mercy, and grace in wonderful and unexpected ways this Christmas Season! He came as a Child in a Manager, He is returning as the Righteous King of all Nations.

I love each and every one of you, and there is not thing you can do to change that.

In Christ Love

Today's Scripture 11/27/2022

 3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.

4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

1 Peter 3:3-4 (NIV)

todays scripture

 It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. Romans 13:11

A Thanksgiving Scripture

 A late Thanksgiving thought.

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.  Psalm 107:1 (NIV)

scripture for today

 9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,  Colossians 1:9 (NIV)

my moms thought

 I was reflecting on things I have heard in life during this holiday season.  My mother during her last few months of life started sharing her wisdoms more frequently.  One that seems more important now than at that time, at least to me is this:  "Mark, you need to be spiritual.  But remember religion is not necessarily spiritual, religion is something else.  See, you can not have religion without being spiritual also, but you can have spirituality without having religion, remember that."

Those words seem to be right on point for me in this time of divisiveness inside the Christian religion. 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NOVEMBER 16, 2022

To the Faithful of the Reformed Catholic Church and all People of Goodwill:

Today, the United States Senate passed out of committee to the floor for a full vote on the Respect for Marriage Act which will advance the cause of enshrining marriage equality into federal law.

 

We thank God for this affirmation of the human dignity and sacred worth of all families, especially to all in the LGBTQ+ community who live under the threat of having their basic rights taken away.

 

The Reformed Catholic Church acknowledges that while this is not a perfect bill that will be voted on, it is a major step in the right direction of inclusivity.   We support this bill in so far as it does not dimmish other rights, beliefs, and moral standards.

 

As a church community, the Reformed Catholic Church pledges to continue the work of sharing the unconditional love of Christ with all who seek it. Time and time again, our community serves those who seek to have their marriage blessed, their child baptized, or their loved one remembered when they have been rejected elsewhere.

 

The failure of the larger Church to even acknowledge the contributions and devotion to the faith of the LGBTQIA+ community is as wounding to itself as it is to those affected. From the first to last breath, the clergy of the Reformed Catholic Church is called to serve and provide for all her God’s children, especially the marginalized.

 

Let us continue our work to advance God’s Kingdom by sharing the true love of Christ, which breaks down the walls of prejudice, injustice, and division.

 

Peace in Christ,

 

The Bishops & Board of Directors of the Reformed Catholic Church  

From my past, applies still

 Something my now 40 yr old son asked me when I first started taking him to church at seven years old. He asked why we went to church and why was everyone so quiet when I keep saying we are celebrate the life of some guy that saved everybody. Why isn’t there cake and ice cream and cheering and happiness? Why does everyone look sad or like they just got in trouble? Good question I still wonder about this every time I attend one of those large churches steeped in tradition and ritual and all sorts of pomp. Where is the cheering, the cake and ice cream the chatting about how we have been saved?