SEARCHLIGHT

  DECEMBER 1, 2023 Psalm 23:5 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” On the night before facing the realities of death on the cross, Jesus gathered with His disciples to celebrate the Passover. Here he was, the Lamb of God, the One who would soon shed His blood to atone for the sins of the world, remembered the blood of lambs painted on the doorposts and beams of Israelite homes in Egypt. It was shed blood that saved and liberated God’s people then, as it would be the case following the “Last Supper” of Jesus with his disciples. The night that Jesus celebrated in Jerusalem, His enemies, "Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel," plotted against Him (Acts 4:27b). The disciple Judas Iscariot, who would betray Jesus, was present at the table until the time of Jesus' betrayal drew near. Earlier that same evening the Lord had called His disciples "friends"

  November 30, 2023   Psalm 80:1-2 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock. You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth. Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up Your might and come to save us! "Stir up Your might and come to save us!" We are very familiar with that kind of prayer. Struggling with illness, loss, and grief, or worried about difficulties with family or work, we plead with God in much the same way: "Lord, come to save me!" After King Solomon died, the twelve tribes of Israel were divided into two kingdoms. The northern tribes, including Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh as mentioned in this psalm, formed the kingdom of Israel. The southern kingdom was called Judah. The king of Assyria besieged and conquered the northern kingdom. The Israelites were taken captive and exiled to Assyria. The verses of this psalm is their plea for deliverance. They knew the Shepherd of Israel cared for His people, but now

  November 29, 2023   Psalm 80 Restore us, O God of hosts; let Your face shine, that we may be saved! You brought a vine out of Egypt; You drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land. ... Why then have You broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit? In the Movie and play Sister Act, Mother Superior is afraid of Deloris Van Cartier and for good reason. Deloris is a mess. She needs a sanctuary. Delores is a singer. Her latest audition was after-hours at a seedy joint in south Philly. She didn't get the job. And, to make matters worse, that night, when she left, she took the wrong door and witnessed a murder. Right in front of her, the club owner shoots one of his henchmen for squealing on him to the cops. Now Deloris is a witness, on the run, and needs a sanctuary. The police hide Deloris, the loud-mouth lounge singer, in a convent, much to Mother Superior's chagrin. Because when

  NOVEMBER 28, 2023   EPHESIANS 2: 19-22 you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household,   built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.   In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.   And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. "Built on the Rock, the church shall stand even when steeples are falling; Christ build His church in every land; bells still are chiming and calling, calling the young and old to rest, calling the souls of those distressed, longing for life everlasting.” "We are God's house of living stones, built for His own habitation; He fills our hearts, His humble thrones, granting us life and salvation. Yet to this place, and earthly frame, we come with thanks to praise His name; With all His grace and His favor.&qu

  November 27, 2023   "Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon His throne;  Hark how the heav'nly anthem drowns all music but its own. Awake, my soul, and sing of Him who died for thee, And hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity. "Crown Him the Lord of heav'n, enthroned in worlds above, Crown Him the King to whom is giv'n the wondrous name of Love. Crown Him with many crowns as thrones before Him fall; Crown Him, ye kings, with many crowns, for He is King of all." Although there may be few such rulers in our world today, kings most often come into their kingship because of the death of the previous monarch. We witnessed this with the death of Queen Elizabeth, and the immediate ascending to the throne of her son, Prince Charles in 2022. In other circumstances, as in ancient times, a king might take up his reign after conquering his enemies and taking their territories as his own. Jesus, the "Lamb of God", came into His kin

  November 24, 2023 Titus 1:4 May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior give you grace and peace. Of all the things you could ever wish upon someone, or of all the ways you could ever string words together and form a sentence to offer someone encouragement; these powerful words Paul uses to open his letter to Titus might just top the list. May God give you grace and peace. These words, written long ago, are still a powerful encouragement for you today. Grace – may you find favor with God, even when you don’t deserve it. Peace – may you feel calm today, even in the midst of chaos. Whatever you’re facing today, whatever is on your mind right now, whatever worry, uncertainty, or fear you may have; remember it is no match for the grace and peace of God. Your faith in Jesus Christ is well placed, for he alone is the Savior of the world. The one who gives grace and peace to all who put their trust in him. So today, receive these words, repeat them often, and let them sink down deep into

    November 23, 2023   Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going. Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.   In Ecclesiastes 9:10 King Solomon reminds us, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might." Meanwhile, Colossians 3:23-24 exhorts, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Our lives, as Jesus’ disciples are not a series of random events; they are beautifully arranged to serve a higher purpose. The verses above remind us that God calls us to live with passion and dedication, offering our bes

    NOVEMBER 22, 2023   Every morning I have a regular routine, like most of you do no doubt, my routine is to get up, make a coffee, grab my iPad and go to a news app I have installed. It is different kind of news app from others, it gives the news without spin or conspiracy theories, just facts and statements from all sides. They do not run a story with out checking the facts of a story. The app also has quizzes, and knowledge testers, you get points based on your answers, and faithfulness, every day participation earns you a streak, and you get extra points based on your consistency. The other morning as I was doing my routine, it occurred to me how disciplined I am to do this App every day. The thought went through my mind, are you as disciplined with spiritual things as you are with your App. Have you ever had that little voice inside speak a question like that to you? I am sure we all have come to places in our lives where we have been distracted by other things and these

  November 21, 2023 Psalm 100:4-5 Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His Name! For the LORD is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.   We know that human love can sometimes fail. People who profess love for one another can become unfaithful. Family members argue over politics, faith, or finances and refuse to settle their disagreements. Scripture speaks of the unexpected failure of a mother's love, contrasting that possibility with divine love than cannot fail. God asks His people to consider that shattering loss and then speaks of His comfort: “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast   and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget,    I will not forget you! (Isaiah 49:15). The psalmist in our reading today calls on us to give thanks for the enduring, steadfast love and faithfulness of God. This steadfast love is not based on our accomplishments.

  NOVEMBER 17, 2023 Matthew 7:1-5 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged  and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.   3   “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?   4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?   5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.   Here is something I have noticed, likely you have as well, All of humankind have two things in common. First, we don’t like to be told how to live.   Second, we like to tell others how to live. Jesus knew this when He spoke the words captured in Matthew 7:1-5. However, His words have been twisted by both Christians and non-Christians alike. Either we like to use these verses because we don’t want others telli

    NOVEMBER 16, 2023   1 Timothy 6:1-10 1All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered. 2Those who have believing masters should not show them disrespect just because they are fellow believers. Instead, they should serve them even better because their masters are dear to them as fellow believers and are devoted to the welfare of their slaves. These are the things you are to teach and insist on. 3If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. 6But godliness with contentment is great gai

  NOVEMBER 15, 2023   Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.     Ok, who hasn’t thought of Philippians 4:13 before a big examination, meeting, game, or some other challenge? For many, Philippians 4:13 is quoted more for self-motivation than anything else. I certainly have quoted it this way in my life. Have you? Perhaps a more secular version might sound like, “If we set our mind to it, whatever it is, we’ll accomplish it.” Sure, “through Christ” is in our Bible verse today, but is “through Christ” meant to be understood, as some do, that He is there just to give us strength to accomplish our goals. Does Christ give us strength to do well in a game, or on that examination? Yes. Let’s remember that the original author of this verse, the Apostle Paul was writing, from jail, to the church he helped plant in Philippi. If Paul had the power to do all things, maybe its just me but I would think that “get out of jail” would be at the top of his to-do l