Punishment
When you are tempted to do wrong and you fall into sin, what comes next? If one is wise there will be repentance to God, and to anyone wronged. If one is not wise, any number of events may occur. I am only going to speak of one occurrence regarding punishment in this article.
If you do wrong, God may just let you go on in your sin and your conscience may just have to deal with it as best as possible. There may be no repentance, no forgiveness and no real putting away of the issue. It is something that may hang with you all of your life, unless you are wise and take it to the foot of the cross as Pilgrim did in the story Pilgrim’s Progress written by John Bunyan.
I can easily recall one event from my life that I wish to share with you. That event falls within the carry it with you category. It is a personal story, but I believe that others can learn a bit of a lesson by my opening it up in this fashion.
My first car came to me through the purchase of my Dad’s old one. He made me pay for it, but at a bargain rate. His reasoning was that if I paid him something for it, then I would feel ownership in it and take better care of my first major possession.
He was partially right in his reasoning. I did feel ownership, and I felt the bite of paying for something that was now truly mine. I paid insurance costs on it, and I paid for the gas it used. That made me even more responsible.
Where I fell down, in Dad’s theory, was in the care factor. No, I did not intentionally abuse the vehicle as some may think. I needed the vehicle for school transportation and work. Therefore, I kept it serviced and clean. I kept good tires on it. Normally, I drove with caution. But, it was that driving factor that eventually got me.
My buddy Dale and I decided to take an extra day away from our hectic school schedule. Well, quite honestly, we really skipped a school day.
We used that time to travel to a local lake to check the area out. Since it was early fall, the summer resort area was a bit vacant and we ended up with nothing to do after driving around all morning.
We thought that it would be nice if we had a picnic with our school lunches in the car, so I pulled into a large parking lot to get off of the road and eat.
We listened to the radio as we ate and relaxed. After lunch, we decide to travel elsewhere.
Here is where it gets interesting. Being a bit giddy because we were so free and having so much fun, I popped the car in reverse and intended to thrill my pal by throwing gravel as we flew backward. The next thing that I knew was that I was sitting with my feet up in the air with Dale in the same position beside me.
I had backed right into a steel bollard filled with concrete that was set firmly in place to protect a fire hydrant. The bollard did a fine job protecting that hydrant. The abrupt stop had torn the front seat right off of its moorings. That put our feet up in the air, and we were laying on our backs looking up at the vehicle headliner. The vehicle was damaged, but it remained drivable.
Our plans changed from fun to vehicle repair. It was a quick trip to my friend’s garage where we worked with gusto to restore the car. Repairs were effective, but the damage was slightly noticeable when we completed the project. Of course, I thought that Dad would never notice what had happened as we did such a fine job in repairing it.
That evening, I parked the car in our driveway and prayed for a little dust to settle on it before my Dad got to see it. Wouldn’t you know it, the next morning Dad goes directly outside after having his breakfast and begins to walk around his own car and then walks around mine. I am observing him from our pantry window. He stops in the rear of my car and takes a look. I know now that he knows something happened. I know because he is looking directly at the spot of impact. Remember, the repair is slightly noticeable because the paint was slightly mismatched.
I panic and feel doomed. The world is about to end. This is a man who takes pride in his cars. This is a man who knows about the little scratches. This is a man with killer instinct toward those who abuse cars. Yes, I feel doomed.
Dad walks into the house and says, “Good morning”. I cringe. I wait for the killer instinct to kick in and nothing happens. In fact, Dad never says a thing about it. He did not do so then, and never did so afterward.
My Dad died with that knowledge within him, at the early age of 51. He could not have punished me more, as I always expected that he would spring my error upon me when I least expected it. As I said, that never happened. Now, it could not happen. Dad was gone. Our interactions were terminated.
I never had the courage to bring my mistake up for discussion with my father, so I did not do it. Now, that error on my part was to be between God and me. There simply was nowhere else to go with it.
Why do I bring it up to you? I submit the words of Titus 2: verses 11-14:
“For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from Godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with self-control, right conduct, and devotion to God, while we look forward to that wonderful event when the glory of our great God, and Savior, Jesus Christ will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing what is right.”
What I did that day can be chalked up as youthful adventure, but it was also sin. I deceived my parents, and I defied authority by not being in school. If I had self-control and a bit of right conduct, none of it would have happened.
Do you desire personal peace in your life? Then, you need to surrender to the power of faith. Walk by the power of faith and live in the power of faith, do so that you may avoid error in your life. If you are faithful to the word of God, you will avoid error and be the example that Christ wants you to be to others.
Then, go forth and tell others about the peace that you have found in Jesus Christ and in living a righteous life. You have that peace because you are living right before God.
Live righteously that others may see Christ in you. Share your light that others be attracted to it, so that they may also have the opportunity to live in the peace granted through Christ Jesus, Our Lord. Take the time to show them the pathway.
Come to think about it, maybe my Dad knew exactly what he was doing when he did not punish me as I thought that he would. It seems that I have learned a more lasting lesson to share with others by what he did that day.
By Bill Cerynik
“The Child in Our Hands”
The Council has recently approved the commencement of a church-wide initiative known as “The Child in Our Hands.” Below are excerpts from the leadership manual that give a general overview of the purpose and meaning of the program.
The heart of the church is the Christian faith. The heart of the CIOH initiative is about the Christian faith and passing on that faith from generation to generation. It has a particular focus on children, youth, and families, both in terms of their needs and their giftedness in the life of the church. The CIOH is about the “whole pie” life of the church, not just a piece that might be described as youth or family ministry. It addresses the heart of the life of the church. It assumes that the church exists to make a difference in people’s lives. The CIOH provides a means for congregations to help nurture faith in the home, and therefore, in daily life. It helps homes and congregations work together to face the issues of today. A centerpiece of the church’s ministry is to link the generations with compassion, faith, and hope. The Child in Our Hands promotes evangelism and discipleship that reach out to others through the Holy Spirit one child, one youth, one adult, one relationship, one household at a time- nothing more, nothing less. (Excerpts taken from the CIOH Leadership Manual)
We are excited to be developing this at OSLC, and look forward to many exciting things to come for all ages! Watch for more details to follow. Sound like something you might be interested in helping to develop? If so, contact us for more information or to be part of a planning/brainstorming session.
Nancy Reynolds 973-248-1663
Krislyn Sutherland 973-248-0874
Parish Life
Thank you to everyone who joined in the Advent Activities. A special thanks to Debbie Elefante for organizing our Advent Wreath activity and to all our carolers who entertained the Bloomingdale Nursing Home and many of our shut-ins. I’m sure we will be invited back next year for an encore performance!
In February we will be gathering on Wednesday evenings starting February 16 through March 16 for Lenten Soup Suppers prior to Church. If you wish to bring something for the meal, the signup will be in the Narthex.
PASTOR ROSSMAN'S DISCRETIONARY FUND
As Pastor Rossman reaches out to people in our congregation and community, there are times when he needs emergency cash to help in a situation. A Discretionary Fund provides quick money, easily available to meet an immediate need. A Gift of Love to this fund will make money available for Pastor Rossman's use.
Interfaith Shelter and Community Outreach Program
The Interfaith Shelter Program was created in response to the growing need to provide shelter, meals, assistance and compassion to families without homes. The program mobilizes community resources: churches and synagogues for overnight lodging and congregations for volunteers.
Our local chapter includes churches from Lincoln Park and Pequannock Township and has been expanded to include assistance for people from our communities. A Gift of Love to this program will help end homelessness and promote independence while supplying the support of caring people.
MISSIONARY SUPPORT – STEPHEN DEAL
Stephen Deal is now the Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean. He formally was our missionary in Guatemala, and he is now living in Costa Rica. Our church wants to continue our support of him as he leads the region.
Pastor’s Discretionary Fund $ ______
Interfaith Shelter and
Community Outreach $ ______
Missionary Support
Stephen Deal $ ______
Name______
Please print
From the rafters
Do you know what charisma is? We say a person has charisma if they draw attention by their presence. In the New Testament, Paul says charisma is something given to us by God, something cannot learn or acquire. Read Romans 12: 1-8. Then- find twenty seven gifts of persons who have charisma. Using the first letter of each of these words you will find a very special message just for you because you are a child of God! Hint: Paul can help you find the key, only you can decide how to use the gifts.
T / H / A / T / C / H / A / R / I / T / Y / T / G / E / ES / I / C / R / H / O / V / I / S / I / O / N / N / X / L
I / M / C / E / A / Y / R / H / A / M / L / E / I / H / O
M / A / O / E / R / V / H / C / A / E / T / L / G / O / Q
I / G / M / D / I / V / I / N / E / A / N / A / A / R / U
T / I / F / A / S / A / N / I / C / E / A / T / R / T / E
P / N / O / N / M / S / S / T / F / I / L / P / U / G / N
O / A / R / C / A / L / E / A / D / E / R / M / O / N / T
G / T / T / E / E / A / S / Y / A / M / M / O / C / I / E
I / I / Y / N / N / U / F / N / E / P / O / E / N / R / C
V / O / O / E / N / G / A / G / E / A / B / L / E / U / A
I / N / U / R / T / H / R / I / F / T / Y / B / U / T / R
N / A / T / H / S / T / I / N / G / H / U / M / O / R / B
G / A / H / O / N / E / S / T / R / Y / O / U / S / U / M
O / G / E / N / E / R / O / U / S / Y / C / H / A / N / E
Remember you can…if Peli can!
Peli
It is February. It is the month of love. Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day -- and its patron saint -- is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.