Word from the Pastor

Word from the Pastor

April 2007

The Gift of Easter

            We have once again come to the place in our orbit around the Sun where the days are now longer than the nights, the air is warming, and the wind has begun to blow.  In Santa Maria, we recognize that as Springtime.  Spring is a wonderful time of year.  Even though our rains have been less than we would have liked, their affect is visible around us.  The hills are green.  The poppies are blooming all around, as well as other wildflowers.  What a wonderful reminder of the resurrection for those of us in the northern hemisphere.

            Easter falls on the eighth of this month.  Each year as we celebrate Jesus’ victory over death on our behalf we are reminded that we no longer have to fear our worst enemy.  What a marvelous gift God has given us!  Death holds no sway over us anymore.  Yes, all of us who do not see the Lord’s return will face it.  We are required to pass through that veil no matter how strong our faith might be. 

    Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57, “‘O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?’  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

            Christ has the victory over death, taking away its sting by fulfilling the law.  That is pure good news for those of us who have faith in Him.  However, for those who turn their back on faith, it is not good news.  I read a news article just the other day in which the reporter seemed a bit befuddled that the pope, in a sermon delivered in a suburb of Rome, declared, " Hell is a place where sinneres really do urn in an everlasting fire, and not just a relighous symbol designed to galvanize the faithful" (The New York Times as quoted on FoxNews.com).

            The world, in turning its back on God, has also turned its back on all the teachings of the Bible and the faith to believe the truth it presents.  There is a willingness to believe in heaven because that sounds pleasant and comforting, but hell is another story.  It is seen as a myth that was fabricated to keep the church in power.  And as much as the church probably did abuse the “hell card” to wield and keep power in the middle ages, it is still nonetheless a genuine place.  The church didn’t just make it up.  God revealed its existence to us through the Bible’s writers, who wrote not “by the will of man,” but “as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).  Therefore, Heaven and Hell are real places in which real people will spend eternity, either in God’s presence or totally separated from Him.  And Easter – its actuality and by faith in its actuality – is the deciding factor.

            As a pastor, one of the great privileges I have is to be with people near the ends of their lives.  In the church, it is a very joyful experience, because people who have the assurance of what was purchased for them know that they have to experience death in order to experience eternity.  It is a little frightening only from the standpoint that it is something that they will only experience once, and have nothing on this side of the grave to which they can compare it.

            But I have also been involved in the aftermath of the lives of unbelievers and their unbelieving families.  They are frantic at the loss of their loved one, because to them, life is all they are assured of.  The gospel is not good news for their departed loved one, because it is clear that they were not people who believed in Christ, and the implications are obvious.

            This is why Easter should be such a reminder to us that we should be sharing the truth of the loving sacrifice of Christ and the gift of eternal life with Him with those whom God has placed into our lives, and especially with those whom we love.  Just as Jesus gave us the greatest gift we could imagine at the cross, the greatest gift we can give others is the knowledge that the gift exists.  Then the Holy Spirit begins the work.

            This Easter Sunday, I encourage you to share with someone about the gift of Easter.  It is the most loving thing you will ever do.  And then invite them to come with you to church to celebrate it with us.

Be blessed,

Dave

Word from the Pastor

March 2007

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

Psalm 89:14 ESV

            John Nance Garner, sometimes known as Cactus Jack, was FDR’s vice president from 1933-1941.  He is quoted as saying the office of vice president wasn’t worth a “warm bucket of spit” in an interview with reporters.  As of the writing of this article, I find myself in the midst of a similar experience:  I am serving as an alternate juror for a misdemeanor trial here in Santa Maria Superior Court.  I have to be there for the entire trial, take notes and listen carefully to all the evidence presented, and when it comes to making a decision on the outcome of the trial, I am summarily dismissed, and will have no part (unless of course there is an emergency for one of the other jurors). 

            However, there are some very interesting things that are coming to light for me while I am observing in the courtroom.  I am constantly being reminded about the place of justice in the eyes of God.  I did a brief search and found that the word “justice” is found well over 150 times in the Bible.  It is a principle that is at the very heart of who God is. 

            In the verse above we see that righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s throne.  What this means is that His universal reign is founded upon His perfect righteousness.  This in turn, because of the entrance of sin into the world, automatically requires the need for His perfect justice to deal with that sin to reverse its effect. 

            I have also found the demeanor of the judge who is presiding over the trial a very apt picture of God.  As he does his job, he has been very kind, very clear and thorough in his direction to everyone involved in the courtroom, and very much in charge of all that is going on.  I found myself reminded of the “sons of God” gathering before the throne of God in the book of Job, and Satan’s attempt to destroy Job.  He could only do what God, the righteous judge, allowed him to do. 

            The presiding judge in the courtroom in which I am serving allows and disallows questions and testimony according to the prevailing rules of justice in the land.  There can be nothing said or done in the courtroom that enters into the record that falls outside of the judge’s control or that is outside the established law of the land. 

            Our righteous Judge not only obeys the laws and principles of justice, but established them Himself.  What a comfort that is for those of us who are in Christ.  We know that we have not only been pardoned, but we have been justified – declared to be as if we never committed any infraction against righteousness.  That is better than an acquittal, which says that there was evidence against us, but just not quite enough to convict us.  Justification says that we never, ever sinned, and that it is impossible for us to do something that would count us as if we had broken the law.

            If you happen to drive past the courthouse in Santa Maria, think about the righteousness and justice of God, and thank Him that He has imparted His righteousness to you, and in fact has caused you to become His righteousness. 

            I guess my warm-bucket-of-spit job as an alternate juror has given me more to chew on than I originally thought it might.  I hope it has for you as well.

Be blessed –

Dave

Word from the Pastor

February 2007

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.
And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

Isaiah 60:1-3 (ESV)

            We used to sing a song with our girls when they were little that was drawn from this passage.  It went like this:

Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory,

Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory,

Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory,

Children of the Lord.

The Lord reminded me of verse 1 of this passage just as service was beginning on the last Sunday of January.  At first I wasn’t sure exactly what it was He wanted to say to the congregation by this.  I assumed it had something to do with arising to worship, because His glory was present with us.  As the service progressed, however, it became clearer.  He reminded me of the John Hancock building in Chicago.  It is a steel and glass structure that looms high over the city, eclipsed in height only by the Sears Tower.  It is certainly among the tallest buildings in the world.  The building itself is an architectural beauty.  It slowly tapers all the way to the top floor, where it is crowned with two immense radio towers.  All in all, its 100 stories stretch 1,127 feet into the Midwestern sky, plus the height of the radio towers (over 300 feet apiece).  As I mentioned to those of you who were there that morning, it is an awesome building to see, but with its glass exterior, when the sun hits it, it truly shines.

            Now, we are grand architectural marvels.  We are so because we are created in the image of God.  We have so many attributes that separate us from the rest of creation, because we bear the mark of the divine on our beings.  But because of sin, we do not shine with God’s glory.  The Bible tells us that we “have all sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).  But when God redeems us, the light of His love shines brightly upon us.  We bask in the warmth of its rays, and when we do, we shine.  We are reflecting the glory of God.

            As I said before, all of you who were in church that Sunday heard me say these things.  But God has a reason for us to shine.  This reason is what I found out when I opened my Bible and looked at the rest of the passage that was directly connected to this verse.  God is telling us to arise and shine because thick darkness shall cover the earth and its peoples:  thick darkness, penetrating darkness, darkness like that which was poured out in the ninth plague upon Egypt – a darkness that could be felt (Ex. 10:21). 

            The darkness is the preponderance of sin that is blatant and open and flaunted in the face of God.  The old expression says, “They did it right in front of God and everybody.”  This brazenness is accompanied by darkness.  It is spiritual night.  It is unending night.

            This is why God wants us to stand up, not only as those who were created in His image, for that is all of humanity.  He wants us to stand up that we might reflect His glory for the world to see.  He wants the world to see “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2Co 4:4b).  And when we arise, it is not to draw attention to ourselves, but to God.  Paul says, as he goes on in his second letter to the Corinthian church, “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.  For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2Co 4:5-6).  We arise and shine so that people will see Jesus.

            And who is it that will do all they can to escape the palpable darkness in which they are trapped to get to the light of God’s glory?  Whole nations of people, ethnic groups and tribes and tongues will come.  Kings and leaders and officials and leaders will come.  They will be drawn out of the darkness and into the light.  For some it might be too bright.  They would rather stay in the shadow of darkness than let the light reveal to them their depravity.  But there are those whom the Spirit of God has convinced that they can no longer stand the darkness.  They don’t care about what anyone but God sees in them, and they want to get it changed.  They want to be able to arise so that they too can reflect the glory of God.  They desire that God will continue to clean their hearts so that their outward appearance will serve only to reflect Him for the sake of others who are still in darkness.

            God is calling us to arise, folks.  We needn’t worry about offending the eyes of those in darkness with a light that makes them uncomfortable.  Those who are made uncomfortable will simply look away.  But those who are sick and tired of stumbling around over things they can’t see in the darkness will welcome the light.

            Jesus said to the dead daughter of Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”  She did, and for the rest of her life she was known as the girl who was dead, but upon whom the glory of God had risen upon and brought her back to life.  She shone, reflecting God’s glory.  We were once dead in our trespasses and sins, but when the glory of God came upon us, we were awakened from the dead.  Jesus now says to us, “Arise.”

Word from the Pastor

January 2007

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”  Revelation 21:5

            In the now classic family movie Mary Poppins, the story begins with Bert, the jack-of-all-trades, playing a one man band for whatever his listeners will contribute.  As he sings his song about each person he meets in the crowd, all of a sudden the wind comes up, and it is coming from a different direction.  Immediately Bert knows that something new, fresh, and wonderful is about to take place.  Someone beloved and familiar is reentering his life, and each time that fresh new wind blows, he knows that good things are in store.

            We encounter a new wind each year as the calendar rolls over, but the wind usually is coming in from the same quarter.  However, this year, as we are all well aware, God is sending the wind of His Spirit in a new a fresh way.  It is all so familiar, yet mysteriously and refreshingly different.

            We begin our year in anticipation of a new and fresh start with a new and fresh name in a new and fresh place to worship.  The richness of our relationship with the Lord and His goodness to this congregation over twenty-four years, blended with the anticipation of new and wonderful things to come cause our emotions to run the gamut.  The emotion often depends upon the view we choose to dwell on.

            As with all changes, there is stress that occurs.  It is easy to fall into a hearkening back to the way it was before.  But as we see the new opportunities that are before us in the new year, it is exciting to look ahead to all the exciting things God has in store for us.

            Will we still be the same when we get out onto South Bradley Road?  Of course we will.  Much will be the same.  At the same time, much will also be different.  Our new surroundings will also bring about the need to do some things differently than we have been accustomed to. 

            Our new neighborhood gives us an opportunity to do outreach that we haven’t been able to in our current location.  We will be able to increase our level of both in house and outside ministries that our current property prohibits us from doing.  The sky is the limit on the possibilities that God has set before us.

            As I am writing this article to you, it occurs to me that as we wait for moving day, we all need to be in deep and serious prayer about what God would have us do.  Let’s all be praying for these next several weeks that He will make it abundantly clear how we are to proceed with new ministries, knowing which ones are for now and which ones to wait to implement.

            New ministries will mean new calls to you for your participation in serving.  It will mean that we get to be blessed by God as He touches afresh hearts and lives with His grace and glory.  It will mean that the kingdom of God will make an impact in our community.  It will mean that our faith will grow.  It will mean we get to participate with God in the business of drawing His lost sheep into His fold.

            Great joy!  Great anticipation!  Great hope!  Great opportunity!  What could be more exciting in the life of a group of followers of Jesus Christ?  God said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”  Isn’t it great to be a part of the newness that He is bringing?  We all get to be remade, reflecting the image of Christ a little more all the time.  That’s something I don’t want to miss out on!  How about you?

Be Blessed,

Dave

Word from the Pastor

December 2006

The Anchor Holds

Coming to the close of another year, it is hard to find words to express the myriad of feelings that are evoked.  We’ve soared through Thanksgiving and are pressing hard into Advent.  So many things are familiar and yet there is so much that is not.  But thanks be to God, the Bible reminds us that Jesus, who came as a tiny baby; who lived and taught; who freely gave His life on our behalf; who rose again triumphant over death and hell; who ascended into heaven and who will return again – He is the same yesterday and today and forever Hebrews 13:8). 

This is such a comfort when the stresses of life come crashing in.  It is said that stress comes as a result of change – the more changes, the more stress.  But in the sea of change that foams and rages around us, we have an unchanging and unmovable rock.  Elsewhere in Hebrews it speaks to us regarding the unchanging nature of God’s promise to us.

For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.”  And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.  For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.  So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.  We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.  Hebrews 6:13-20 (ESV)

The anchor to which we are inseparably tethered is the unchanging Jesus.  No matter how the storms of life batter us, we are locked on to Him.

As with all vessels at anchor, there are times when we are simply floating with slack in the anchor rope.  However, this is the exception to the rule.  Most times the anchor line is taught, and often it seems as if the vessel of life is straining to break free.  But the anchor holds fast.  And the place it is held fast is in the very presence of God. 

Change tries to pull us free.  Stress and endless activity tries to pull us free.  But the anchor holds. 

Remind yourself of this often during this hurried and harried time of year.  The peace and assurance this brings will help you enjoy your Christmas that much more, knowing that no matter how the torrents assail you, you will not and cannot be set adrift.  The anchor holds!

Be Blessed,

Dave

P.S.  Have a merry Christmas!

Word from the Pastor

April 2007

The Gift of Easter

            We have once again come to the place in our orbit around the Sun where the days are now longer than the nights, the air is warming, and the wind has begun to blow.  In Santa Maria, we recognize that as Springtime.  Spring is a wonderful time of year.  Even though our rains have been less than we would have liked, their affect is visible around us.  The hills are green.  The poppies are blooming all around, as well as other wildflowers.  What a wonderful reminder of the resurrection for those of us in the northern hemisphere.

            Easter falls on the eighth of this month.  Each year as we celebrate Jesus’ victory over death on our behalf we are reminded that we no longer have to fear our worst enemy.  What a marvelous gift God has given us!  Death holds no sway over us anymore.  Yes, all of us who do not see the Lord’s return will face it.  We are required to pass through that veil no matter how strong our faith might be. 

    Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57, “‘O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?’  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

            Christ has the victory over death, taking away its sting by fulfilling the law.  That is pure good news for those of us who have faith in Him.  However, for those who turn their back on faith, it is not good news.  I read a news article just the other day in which the reporter seemed a bit befuddled that the pope, in a sermon delivered in a suburb of Rome, declared, “Hell is a place where sinners really do burn in an everlasting fire, and not just a religious symbol designed to galvanize the faithful” (The New York Times as quoted on FoxNews.com).

            The world, in turning its back on God, has also turned its back on all the teachings of the Bible and the faith to believe the truth it presents.  There is a willingness to believe in heaven because that sounds pleasant and comforting, but hell is another story.  It is seen as a myth that was fabricated to keep the church in power.  And as much as the church probably did abuse the “hell card” to wield and keep power in the middle ages, it is still nonetheless a genuine place.  The church didn’t just make it up.  God revealed its existence to us through the Bible’s writers, who wrote not “by the will of man,” but “as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).  Therefore, Heaven and Hell are real places in which real people will spend eternity, either in God’s presence or totally separated from Him.  And Easter – its actuality and by faith in its actuality – is the deciding factor.

            As a pastor, one of the great privileges I have is to be with people near the ends of their lives.  In the church, it is a very joyful experience, because people who have the assurance of what was purchased for them know that they have to experience death in order to experience eternity.  It is a little frightening only from the standpoint that it is something that they will only experience once, and have nothing on this side of the grave to which they can compare it.

            But I have also been involved in the aftermath of the lives of unbelievers and their unbelieving families.  They are frantic at the loss of their loved one, because to them, life is all they are assured of.  The gospel is not good news for their departed loved one, because it is clear that they were not people who believed in Christ, and the implications are obvious.

            This is why Easter should be such a reminder to us that we should be sharing the truth of the loving sacrifice of Christ and the gift of eternal life with Him with those whom God has placed into our lives, and especially with those whom we love.  Just as Jesus gave us the greatest gift we could imagine at the cross, the greatest gift we can give others is the knowledge that the gift exists.  Then the Holy Spirit begins the work.

            This Easter Sunday, I encourage you to share with someone about the gift of Easter.  It is the most loving thing you will ever do.  And then invite them to come with you to church to celebrate it with us.

Be blessed,

Word from the Pastor

March 2007

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

Psalm 89:14 ESV

            John Nance Garner, sometimes known as Cactus Jack, was FDR’s vice president from 1933-1941.  He is quoted as saying the office of vice president wasn’t worth a “warm bucket of spit” in an interview with reporters.  As of the writing of this article, I find myself in the midst of a similar experience:  I am serving as an alternate juror for a misdemeanor trial here in Santa Maria Superior Court.  I have to be there for the entire trial, take notes and listen carefully to all the evidence presented, and when it comes to making a decision on the outcome of the trial, I am summarily dismissed, and will have no part (unless of course there is an emergency for one of the other jurors). 

            However, there are some very interesting things that are coming to light for me while I am observing in the courtroom.  I am constantly being reminded about the place of justice in the eyes of God.  I did a brief search and found that the word “justice” is found well over 150 times in the Bible.  It is a principle that is at the very heart of who God is. 

            In the verse above we see that righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s throne.  What this means is that His universal reign is founded upon His perfect righteousness.  This in turn, because of the entrance of sin into the world, automatically requires the need for His perfect justice to deal with that sin to reverse its effect. 

            I have also found the demeanor of the judge who is presiding over the trial a very apt picture of God.  As he does his job, he has been very kind, very clear and thorough in his direction to everyone involved in the courtroom, and very much in charge of all that is going on.  I found myself reminded of the “sons of God” gathering before the throne of God in the book of Job, and Satan’s attempt to destroy Job.  He could only do what God, the righteous judge, allowed him to do. 

            The presiding judge in the courtroom in which I am serving allows and disallows questions and testimony according to the prevailing rules of justice in the land.  There can be nothing said or done in the courtroom that enters into the record that falls outside of the judge’s control or that is outside the established law of the land. 

            Our righteous Judge not only obeys the laws and principles of justice, but established them Himself.  What a comfort that is for those of us who are in Christ.  We know that we have not only been pardoned, but we have been justified – declared to be as if we never committed any infraction against righteousness.  That is better than an acquittal, which says that there was evidence against us, but just not quite enough to convict us.  Justification says that we never, ever sinned, and that it is impossible for us to do something that would count us as if we had broken the law.

            If you happen to drive past the courthouse in Santa Maria, think about the righteousness and justice of God, and thank Him that He has imparted His righteousness to you, and in fact has caused you to become His righteousness. 

            I guess my warm-bucket-of-spit job as an alternate juror has given me more to chew on than I originally thought it might.  I hope it has for you as well.

Be blessed –

Dave

Word from the Pastor

February 2007

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.
And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

Isaiah 60:1-3 (ESV)

            We used to sing a song with our girls when they were little that was drawn from this passage.  It went like this:

Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory,

Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory,

Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory,

Children of the Lord.

The Lord reminded me of verse 1 of this passage just as service was beginning on the last Sunday of January.  At first I wasn’t sure exactly what it was He wanted to say to the congregation by this.  I assumed it had something to do with arising to worship, because His glory was present with us.  As the service progressed, however, it became clearer.  He reminded me of the John Hancock building in Chicago.  It is a steel and glass structure that looms high over the city, eclipsed in height only by the Sears Tower.  It is certainly among the tallest buildings in the world.  The building itself is an architectural beauty.  It slowly tapers all the way to the top floor, where it is crowned with two immense radio towers.  All in all, its 100 stories stretch 1,127 feet into the Midwestern sky, plus the height of the radio towers (over 300 feet apiece).  As I mentioned to those of you who were there that morning, it is an awesome building to see, but with its glass exterior, when the sun hits it, it truly shines.

            Now, we are grand architectural marvels.  We are so because we are created in the image of God.  We have so many attributes that separate us from the rest of creation, because we bear the mark of the divine on our beings.  But because of sin, we do not shine with God’s glory.  The Bible tells us that we “have all sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).  But when God redeems us, the light of His love shines brightly upon us.  We bask in the warmth of its rays, and when we do, we shine.  We are reflecting the glory of God.

            As I said before, all of you who were in church that Sunday heard me say these things.  But God has a reason for us to shine.  This reason is what I found out when I opened my Bible and looked at the rest of the passage that was directly connected to this verse.  God is telling us to arise and shine because thick darkness shall cover the earth and its peoples:  thick darkness, penetrating darkness, darkness like that which was poured out in the ninth plague upon Egypt – a darkness that could be felt (Ex. 10:21). 

            The darkness is the preponderance of sin that is blatant and open and flaunted in the face of God.  The old expression says, “They did it right in front of God and everybody.”  This brazenness is accompanied by darkness.  It is spiritual night.  It is unending night.

            This is why God wants us to stand up, not only as those who were created in His image, for that is all of humanity.  He wants us to stand up that we might reflect His glory for the world to see.  He wants the world to see “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2Co 4:4b).  And when we arise, it is not to draw attention to ourselves, but to God.  Paul says, as he goes on in his second letter to the Corinthian church, “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.  For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2Co 4:5-6).  We arise and shine so that people will see Jesus.

            And who is it that will do all they can to escape the palpable darkness in which they are trapped to get to the light of God’s glory?  Whole nations of people, ethnic groups and tribes and tongues will come.  Kings and leaders and officials and leaders will come.  They will be drawn out of the darkness and into the light.  For some it might be too bright.  They would rather stay in the shadow of darkness than let the light reveal to them their depravity.  But there are those whom the Spirit of God has convinced that they can no longer stand the darkness.  They don’t care about what anyone but God sees in them, and they want to get it changed.  They want to be able to arise so that they too can reflect the glory of God.  They desire that God will continue to clean their hearts so that their outward appearance will serve only to reflect Him for the sake of others who are still in darkness.

            God is calling us to arise, folks.  We needn’t worry about offending the eyes of those in darkness with a light that makes them uncomfortable.  Those who are made uncomfortable will simply look away.  But those who are sick and tired of stumbling around over things they can’t see in the darkness will welcome the light.

            Jesus said to the dead daughter of Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”  She did, and for the rest of her life she was known as the girl who was dead, but upon whom the glory of God had risen upon and brought her back to life.  She shone, reflecting God’s glory.  We were once dead in our trespasses and sins, but when the glory of God came upon us, we were awakened from the dead.  Jesus now says to us, “Arise.”