Ironbridge Church | Pastor’s Corner

Spring is all around me
Winter’s quickly turning green.
The stiffness in my cold old bones
Just wants to dance and sing.
Throw away your heavy coats
And run out in the sun!
Look all ‘round about you folks—
See what the Lord has done!
‘Cause He’s stopped by each new flower
And He’s painted it with care.
Told the birds to spread the word
That spring is everywhere.
He’s planned a picnic in the sky
The blanket’s spread above
Our food will be His sunshine
And our wine will be His love.
He says we’re all invited
That He’s planned it just for you
He’s taken care of all the costs—
A gift from Him to you.
Each little thing that springtime brings
Is given in His love.
And we just want to thank Him
For this picnic planned above.

O.K. poetry lovers, now go out and enjoy the day that God has prepared for us. As the Scriptures tell us, “This is the day which the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)

Today’s Scripture Promise: “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.” (I Corinthians 2:9)

As a follower of Christ, your life story is a part of a much bigger story. Your very existence is a part of God’s redemptive drama that has been playing out since before the beginning of time. We must never lose our sense of wonder and joy at being a part of the drama of the Great Story.

The Lord has created us with five senses and He’s designed wonderful acts of worship that are a feast for all five senses. God doesn’t want the gospel just to be heard—He wants it to be experienced with our eyes, our ears, our sense of smell, and with our sense of touch and taste. Every time a new believer is baptized by immersion, there is a glorious retelling of the gospel story. That’s why Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:19) The new believer is plunged beneath the water, symbolizing the death and burial of Jesus, and when they are raised out of the water—it symbolizes Jesus’ triumph over the grave.

As we gather at the Lord’s Table today, we’re touching and tasting the gospel. The simple act of taking the bread and the juice into our bodies is a powerful retelling of the Great Story.

The woman in Matthew 26 understood the power of drama. “A woman came up to Him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at table.” (Matthew 26:7)

Today, in the Lord’s House, let us retell the Great Story and rejoice together as we experience the drama of the Gospel.

Today’s Scripture Promise: “Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her” (Matthew 26:13)

Today is April fool’s day so it’s spiritually appropriate to wish you a happy Atheists Day. The Scriptures clearly teach that one of the characteristics of a fool is that they deny the existence of God. “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God…’” (Psalm 14:1)

In our highly developed, technologically-advanced culture, there are many who have replaced the God of the Bible with a secular devotion to “science” and “technology” instead. The Creation story of the Bible has been replaced with the atheistic meta-narrative (one story that explains it all) called evolution. Salvation is no longer seen as a personal faith-encounter with a holy God, but rather the redemption of our lives through the improved convenience of the latest gadget or gizmo. The doctrine of original sin has been replaced with an attitude that says any negative behavior is actually the result of a chemical imbalance or a bad gene pool.

Many of those who consider themselves atheists are often very intelligent individuals. Their many years of academic pursuits have convinced them that there is no God. When I think of these people, I’m reminded of what an exasperated Festus said to Paul, “Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you mad.” (Acts 26:24) Or as Romans says, “Professing to be wise, they became fools,” (Romans 1:22)

As followers of Christ, our attitude should be to always be ready to “…make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;” (I Peter 3:15)

Today’s Scripture Promise: “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God…’” (Psalm 14:1)