Last week our church lost one of our most faithful members. Emogene Clay was a member of Valley View for over SIXTY years, having joined the church in November of 1958 (Eddie Lee looked it up). Her life and service here sums up the phrase “Long obedience in the same direction.”…I pray we are all able to somehow model Emogene’s faithfulness in our lives.
It’s hard to transition from a heavy movie like that back to everyday life. The walk from the theater to the car was more solemn than normal. My hope is that his life would serve as a reminder that following Christ calls us to live differently, to stand out, and as we saw in 1 Peter Sunday, to remember that this is our calling. Come join us this week as we study 1 Peter 3:13-17, where we will see how our lives can point others to Christ. There is a cost to following Christ, to being his disciples, and yet there is great reward. Our prayer is that all of the South End of Louisville would come to know Christ because of our testimony of faithfulness.
Our theme as a church for the coming year is to Grow into Oaks of Righteousness. Psalm 92 also emphasizes growth like a palm tree and cedar, flourishing that will still “bear fruit in old age.” Psalm 92 was written as a Psalm for the Sabbath, and my encouragement to those in their sabbath years was that sabbath, or rest, doesn’t mean finished. God still has work for all of us to do. Those who are growing and flourishing bear fruit, even in old age. And what is the key in this passage to flourishing and bearing fruit? Verse 13 says, “They are planted in the house of the Lord.”
Shortly after arriving they took him back for emergency surgery. He is a few years younger than I am and has young kids at home, so he asked the doctor, “How serious is this?” Before the doctor could answer, he added this: “I’m a Christian, so I’m not worried about dying. But for the sake of my family should I say goodbye?” And then in our phone call he began quoting at length from Philippians 1, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain… My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account…” He quoted much more to me than what I captured, and it was these verses that he was meditating on while waiting on the doctor’s response, praying that God would allow him to survive for the sake of his family and their progress and joy in the faith.
Seth did me a favor. Until then, I hadn’t realized I was a grumbler, but his rebuke made me aware of a blind spot in my character. I now know to work on it—with God’s help, of course. King Solomon was indeed correct when he said “Faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Proverbs 27:6). Instead of tearing down (e.g. complaining), we can use our tongues—our words—to build up, encourage, worship, pray, and, yes, even to rebuke (2 Timothy 4:2).
I’ve turned to Arnold Schwarzenegger as a source of entertainment, but I never thought I’d use him as a source for the reason why you should go to church. In a recent version of his daily “pump club” email, he said this:
“Research suggests that having more quality social connections decreases your likelihood of heart disease by 30 percent and also reduces your risk of dementia by 50 percent… researchers found that feeling isolated can speed up aging as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.”
If you find yourself being stifled by fear this week and leading up to the election, write out the creed of 1 Peter 2:17, and put it on your mirror or dashboard, or on the back of your phone and repeat it often. “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God, Honor the Emperor.” At the center of this creed is the fear of God, not the fear of man.
There’s something powerful about committing to pray intentionally for someone over the course of a year. That’s why I’m excited about what God will do in our church through a prayer effort Colby launched between our senior adults and students last Sunday. Each student was partnered with a senior adult who committed to pray for them over the next year. I’ve already been encouraged to hear of the connections that have been established in one Sunday across generations in our church.
Ian Hamilton said, “Usefulness to God grows in the soil of self-effacing humility.” Andrew emphasized the importance of humility Sunday, referencing 2 Chronicles 7:14, which says, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Sunday we began the service by calling out challenges we face throughout the week and then calling out Jesus’ name, declaring His name and His power over the struggle. I don’t know about you, but many times I let a struggle or sin linger and fester longer than I should and give it more room than it should have in my life. But spiritual warfare is not complex. All you have to do is stop and call out the name of Jesus. He is there, always nearby, just waiting for us to cry out for him. He’s always working even when we are not aware of how close His presence is.
