Pastor's Column 1/18/2026

PASTOR’S COLUMN

¹¹ “And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12  The night is nearly over, the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” Romans  13:11-12, NIV

“3^rd Sunday – Alert!”

Part of being human is to become distracted and unfocused at times. While this may be one of our frailties, we should be thankful we serve a God who “does not slumber nor sleep.” Now God does prescribe rest for all of His creation. We see this in the concept of Sabbath: A time   to disengage from personal preoccupations and to receive replenishment of body and spirit, in reverence and devotion to God. This is necessary and expected of we who honor our relationship with God. But also, we are called to remain “alert,” (awakened) to the challenges and conflicts in our present world. We are called to meet these changes with a moral conscience and ethical demands. God did not create us to “fall asleep” when the lives and souls of the people around us, and with whom we must live peaceably, are being harmed by reprehensible and cruel forces. God has given us prophetic voices to speak this truth, and to work relentlessly toward “peace among all people of goodwill.” The voices God sends never remain absolutely silent. Some 97 years after his birth – and nearly 58 years since his martyr’s death, the prophetic voice of Martin Luther  King, Jr. can still be heard. Dr, King like the 8^th Century B.C. prophets, and in some sense the Apostle Paul, passionately reminded people  that they must “wake up” because the night of wrong and unjust behavior must concede to the daylight. Dr. King said, “The long night of injustice is [coming] to an end.” He urged people that all must remain vigilant, awake, and alert. In this present time we must heed the sacred words that speak to our lives! Be alert, “It is midnight in America.”  - M. L.  King