Monday, January 31, 2017
 
1st Corinthians 2:1 - 5
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
 
I get tongue twisted. Believe it or not, I struggle with the right words to say. And yes, I am not normally eloquent of speech and I do not always have the right words to say.
 
For which I say, “Thank God.”  You see, the words that I normally speak come from a sinful human nature that does not want to honor God nor lift Him up. My human nature does not want to bring “God to the table” in our conversations and life. It is only by means of the power of the Holy Spirit that I come declaring and proclaiming “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”
 
When I speak from the classroom, from the pulpit, and even in day to day life, I speak the truth of God and the wisdom of God. It is because of the Spirit of God who lives in me through Baptism and faith.
 
And when you speak, do not rely on your own wisdom and intellect. They will fall short every time. Trust the Spirit of God who lives in you. He will never fail to give to you the right words to speak every time. And every time you speak from the Spirit of God, His Word will not fail, it will always hit the mark, and it will always uplift and strengthen. Let’s pray.
 
Father God, give us the words to say that lift You up and edify one another. We pray this in Jesus’ name. And all God’s children say...

​Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:2)
 
When you read the letters from St. Paul to the churches, he always started with a greeting much like this one from the letter to the Ephesians. Each letter has its’ variation on the same theme. So what is Paul trying to say?
 
“Hello, Church.”
 
And that is what I’m saying to you. “Hello Church. And the peace of God be upon you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
 
It is good to be with you. Shari and I are very pleased to be among you, to partner with you as servants of the Servant of the Father. We are both looking forward to getting to know y’all so that our ministry with you will be moving in the same direction for the same reason.
 
And what reason is that? We are to bring the light and life of Jesus Christ to the people of Huntsville and surrounding areas. We, through faith in Christ and His salvation, have the power of the Holy Spirit living in us. We will do mighty things for Jesus and we will build the Kingdom of God as we follow the direction and will of the Father.
 
You’ll hear more on that in the weeks and months ahead. So for this month, I want to say, “Hello, Church.”
 
Pastor Robert