Wednesday Prayer Meeting Resumes
January 27, 2021February 17, 2021
February 17, 2021
Dear Pine Glen Alliance Church Family,
This last week was a lot of fun for our family. The snow we got in the early part of the week was not only beautiful, but fun! The kids have been spending lots of time outside playing in the snow, and hopefully it sticks around a little longer this time around. I do realize not all of you feel this way about it. Last night at Bible study, Buck told me he still loves me even though I am a fan of the snow J. My advice if you are a snow fan is to enjoy it while you can. It will be gone before we know it.
It is always fun for me as I sit down to write to think about you. When you write letters, you can’t help but think of the person you are writing to, and to tailor the letter to your recipient. As you know, we are a diverse group of people consisting of young, old, and everything in between. We have different personalities and jobs, along with different hobbies, interests and backgrounds. This is the way it should be. Healthy churches will cross the spectrum of diversity, and not be limited to one particular age demographic or some other characteristic.
The Scriptures reminds us that God is calling to Himself a people from every tribe, tongue and nation. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). In all our diversity what brings us together as a church is our common bond of faith. In Christ, all our distinctions and categories break down. Praise God!
As I think about the diverse body of believers that we are, it brings me great joy to know that God is at work in our midst – mightily at work! We often don’t see it, but make no mistake, God is moving in our midst. These last few months have been really hard, and God has pruned us in a big way, but God is at work – saving, sanctifying, and healing us in our brokenness. He is the “God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3) and the greater the need, the more grace He supplies (James 4:6). The trick is to look to Him in faith (Hebrews 12:2), and keep our eyes off the things of the world (Colossians 3:2).
The men’s Bible study Wednesday night was a real blessing. Bill Ammon resumed his study of Galatians and there was plenty of group participation. Bill commented, “The more I study and review, the more I learn” (my paraphrase). What Bill was getting at is the depth and richness of Scripture. Even though we had already worked through these passages back in the fall, there was plenty of new insights to be gleaned and learned.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, get into the word of God! Join one of our bible studies if you can (we hope to offer more soon), but study the Bible on your own in the comfort of your home. Strive to be like the Berean believers in the book of Acts: “they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). What a beautiful testimony. If we are going to know the height and depth and breadth and length of the love of Christ (Ephesians 3:18) and the power of God, then we must expose ourselves to the Word of God.
As has been mentioned, our Annual Meeting is scheduled for March 10th at 7pm. It is very important that you make a point of being there for that meeting.
Another item to make note of is that I will be taking a week of vacation next week (February 8-14th). The Stegeman clan won’t be going anywhere, but I am very much looking forward to some quality time with the family. If you have a need, please contact one of our elders (Randy French 717-994-9814, Todd Knable 717-437-4101, Ray Cavanaugh 717-437-5410) or call Margie at the church office 717-899-7740.
As you know, we live in an unstable, even chaotic world. There are countless people living in fear these days. For many this can be paralyzing and debilitating. But as your pastor, I want you know that you don’t have to live in fear. You don’t have to fear economic problems (like losing your job), you don’t have to fear mass political unrest, you don’t have to fear rising social and racial tensions, and you don’t have to fear Covid-19. In a word, you don’t have to fear anything.
Why is that?
Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” The simple reason we don’t have to fear is because of our great God. If you are “in Christ” and have been born again to a living hope (1 Peter 1:3) that means that the Spirit of Christ is with you. You don’t have to fear because no matter what happens in this chaotic, evil, sin-fraught world, God will take care of you. He will be your help, your shield, and your great defender. Remember that Christ has overcome the world (John 16:33) and that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:35-39). These truths are wonderfully comforting and we need to cling to them, especially during these dark days.
Pine Glen Church family, it is such a joy to be your pastor. I care deeply for you, and “I have no greater joy than to hear that my (spiritual) children are walking in the truth” (3 John 4). My great desire is that you would know the Lord and love the Lord and serve the Lord and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.
In Christ Jesus our blessed Savior,
Pastor Dan
