springfield church of the brethren – Springfield Church of the Brethren

Hark the Herald Angels Sing

Writers can be a sensitive bunch, even when they are famous leaders of the church. One of these was Charles Wesley. Most people know him from church history as a founder of the Methodist movement, but what you may not know is he also wrote over 6,000 hymns. He was always happy when people published his hymns because it helped them to spread, but he had one request, never, under any circumstances change the words. Wesley seemed to think his words were just fine and didn’t need any help, and for the most part he was probably right. 6,000+ hymns should have thought him a thing or two about writing. One of his close associates, his dear friend, evangelist George Whitefield, broke Wesley’s rule once and for that we can all be grateful.

Wesley wrote: “Hark how all the welkin rings.” Welkin is an old English word that means the vault of heaven. Whitefield changed the lyric to the first line of the song we know and love. “Hark how all the welkin rings” was changed to “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and the rest, as they say, is history.

Angels play an important part in the Christmas story. From Gabriel appearing to Zechariah preparing him for the birth of John the Baptist, and then appearing to Mary and telling her about God’s plan to make her the mother of the Messiah. From there he went to Joseph in a dream explaining that the fantastic story Mary was telling, was the truth. Later, Gabriel also warned Joseph to take Jesus to Egypt to save him from the wrath of Herod, and then warning the Magi not to return to Herod for the same reason. The word “angel” means Messenger and they were clearly living out their life’s purpose on that day.

Of course, the most amazing appearance of the angels in this story was probably when the angel went to the shepherds shining with the glory of the Lord on the night of Jesus birth, giving them the good news and telling them what to look for, followed by the coming of the heavenly host saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
These messengers brought good news of great joy for all people. It was Good News then and it still is today.

Consider these words from the third verse of the hymn:

Hail the heaven born Prince of Peace
Hail the Sun of Righteousness
Light and life to all He brings
Risen with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
born that men no more may die
born to raise the sons of earth
born to give them second birth.

What a beautiful picture of the coming of Christ. He was born to give us peace with God. He is a shining example of perfect righteousness. As John wrote He is light and in that light is the life of all men. He came to heal the nations. He laid aside the glory of heaven to live with us here, so that we could place our faith in Him. He was born to lay down His life and in the process defeat the greatest enemy, death itself. He was born so we could be born again and receive eternal life. Christmas is a wonderful time of the year, but Wesley’s song reminds us, the purpose of Christmas is Good Friday, and the purpose of Good Friday is Easter. Jesus is God’s greatest gift. Glory to the newborn King.

Advent Week 2: O Little Town of Bethlehem

The Christmas Hymn O Little Town of Bethlehem was written in 1865 by Philip Brooks, a pastor from Boston and Philadelphia. He wrote the hymn after traveling to the Holy Land and worshipping at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Standing so close to where Jesus was born, hearing hymn after hymn of praise on Christmas Eve, inspired him so much that when he arrived back in the states he wrote the poem that would become this classic hymn and had a friend set it to music, for the children to sing at his church.

The song imagines a tranquil setting, with people asleep in a night that is utterly still. Yet while the people were sleeping, God was at work. An everlasting light was shining. The One who said let there be light, three long days before He created the sources of light, was bringing the light of the world into the world. John chapter 1 tells us the story of the light. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made. Without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood it”. The people sleeping just off those dark streets didn’t even notice. They didn’t see the light, but if they had seen it would they have understood? God changed the entire course of history, while the people slept. The One people had been praying for at least a thousand years had come, and they were caught unaware.

Maybe it was because they had waited such a long time for their long awaited King, but when He came there was no room for Him. His mother birthed Him in a stable because there was nowhere else available. The prophets foretold it. He would be born of a virgin, from the line of Judah, in the city of David, the little town of Bethlehem. Somehow they missed it. Let’s make sure we don’t.

Now to be sure, the lyrics of the song are not Scripture. They’re a poem written by a man of God, inspired by a once in a lifetime trip to the place where his Savior was born. It’s doubtful things were still, in Bethlehem that first Christmas night. People were forced to come there from all over the world to be counted. There was likely a whole lot going on that night. Enough that the birth of one little boy might easily have been overlooked, and maybe that’s a lesson for us. In the midst of all of our preparations, do we end up missing the baby? In the dark streets of life, do we miss the ever- lasting light? Brothers and sisters, we need to be aware. Yes Jesus has come, and for that we praise Him, but He has also promised to come again. 20 centuries have passed, and once again, the streets are dark and many seem to be asleep. The length of time between the first and second coming is not a sign of a broken promise. It’s the sign that a loving and graceful God is patiently waiting for people to come into the light.

The light is coming. Don’t miss it. Philip Brooks finished the first verse of his song with a reminder for us all. The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight. Jesus is the answer to all that we face in this world. He is the source of all of our hope and He is big enough to overcome our biggest fear. Jesus came on Christmas, and He’s coming again.

Be ready.

Advent Week 1: Joy to the World

If you went to church in England up until the early 1700s, you wouldn’t have needed a hymnal. The church sang almost exclusively from the book of Psalms. This is the world Isaac Watts was born into, but he wanted something more. He wanted hymns that reflected New Testament thought, so he started writing his own. He wrote 750 hymns over the course of his life, including, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, O God Our Help in Ages Past and the hymn we’re about to look at, Joy to the World. Today it’s hard to imagine the church without these hymns, but in his time, Watts and his hymns were really controversial. Change has always been hard for the church, but can you imagine singing praises in church without mentioning Jesus?

Joy to the World is really the brainchild of three different men. Around the time Isaac Watts was writing his hymns, George Frederick Handel was writing his masterpiece, The Messiah, which features the Hallelujah Chorus. About a century later, the composer Lowell Mason took Isaac Watts’ lyrics and set them to the tune of a portion of the Messiah and gave us the song we know today.

Think about those lyrics:

Joy to the World; the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King!
Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing.

It’s a proclamation of Joy. After thousands of years of expectation, the promise had been kept. The Messiah was here. This is a song of celebration. The promised King, the long awaited King has stepped out of heaven and into human history. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. Jesus was here it was time to receive Him. Of course, we know when He came to be born in Bethlehem, there was no room for him. The people had waited so long and yet they were unprepared to receive Him. Singing this song, in a way asks the question, is there room in your heart for Him? Christmas is a time to celebrate because Jesus is here. He came to our rescue, defeated sin and death and the grave and made the way for us to receive eternal life. This should bring joy not just to our lives but to the world.

It’s for this reason that we get the line which is our theme for the advent season. And heaven and nature sing. There is joy that Jesus came, but there is also anticipation because He is coming again. The Bible says Creation waits in eager expectation for the Sons of God to be revealed. There will come a time when the effects of sin will be removed, and all creation, heaven and nature will be redeemed and made whole. Jesus came to save us and He is coming again to redeem all of creation. Heaven and nature will sing rejoicing over being made new. Let every heart prepare him room. Let earth receive her king.

Joy to the world.

Christmas Gifts

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” That’s the start of a very familiar Christmas song and it’s true, Christmas is a wonderful time. There’s the trees, the family gatherings, the meals, and of course, the gifts. I must confess, and this may sound a little shocking coming from a pastor, but I love Christmas gifts. Right now, the most spiritual among you may want to take me aside and say, “You know pastor, the good book says it’s more blessed to give than to receive.” For the record, I know that and the I like the giving even more. There is just something so special about searching out and finding that gift that touches a heart, and really shows you care. I just love it, but all of this begs a question. Why do we give gifts at Christmas?

After all for the most part, it’s not your birthday. Why do we give gifts? Well I think it comes down to two things. First, we might be commemorating the gifts of the magi. You might know them as the three kings, though there were probably many more than three of them and it is somewhat doubtful that they were kings. The word Magi comes from the same word from which we get the word “magician.” They were most likely astrologers, people who believe you can predict the future from looking at the alignment of the stars and planets. One day they saw a new star. That got their attention and they followed it, likely for as much as two years. When they arrived, they found the Christ child and worshipped him. They also brought him gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. Those gifts were very valuable, but there’s more. Think about it. Gold is a gift for a king. Frankincense was a kind of incense used in worship, so you might say it was a gift for a God. Myrrh was a spice used in the preparation of dead bodies. Put them together and what do you have? Gifts for a King who is also God who came to die. They show us who Jesus is and what he came to do.

Beyond this, there was a practical application. Joseph would soon receive a warning in a dream, take the child and flee to Egypt. Herod, the current king, perceived Jesus, the new born king as a threat, and was planning on killing Jesus. As a result, Joseph would have to move his young family to a foreign land almost instantaneously. With very little in the way of resources, how would he pull off such a move? Well the journey was quite possibly made affordable because someone gave him gold, frankincense and myrrh. This is definitely one of the reasons why we give gifts, but there is another much simpler reason. We give gifts to commemorate the greatest gift ever given. The gift of Jesus Christ, who came to take away the sin of the world, save us from our sins and give us eternal life. If you have not already received that gift, please receive Him this year. Just pray and ask Him to forgive you and ask Him into your heart to be your Lord and Savior. If you need more information on this, we are here for you.

One last thing. There are some people in our world for whom this is not the most wonderful time of the year. Maybe they’re grieving or hurting. Maybe they’re lonely and just need a friend. This Christmas, why not be the gift? Go to them and help and bless them. Invite them in. Show kindness. Be a blessing.

May you have a wonderful and blessed Christmas,

Pastor Dave and your friends at Springfield Church of the Brethren

Fall Is Here

It’s officially Autumn. It’s the time when our Lord shows another facet of His amazing creativity, as the greens of Summer give way to the reds and oranges and yellows and browns creating some of the most amazing vistas imaginable. We are blessed to live in a truly beautiful world.

Of course, Fall is a busy time here at Springfield. Our Trunk or Treat event is coming up on October 27. This is a time when we can bless the children of our community with a safer alternative to trick or treating, as we open our doors (and our trunks) to them with plenty of treats as well as games and other ways to let the community know we are a church who cares. But it gets better, after Trunk or Treat, people can stay and be a part of our Chili Cook-off and Pie Contest, with more games, and lots of delicious food. It’s a chance for us to get to know our community and share in some good old fashioned Fall fun and fellowship.

Then just a few weeks later we will be joining with our brothers and sisters from Springfield Mennonite Church to prepare thanksgiving meals to share with people living in the hotels in our community. This will occur on Saturday, November 17 in our fellowship hall and we will take all the help we can get.

Finally, we’re moving toward Thanksgiving and our Thanksgiving Eve service, which we will be sharing with First Church of the Brethren, Quakertown. This should be a wonderful service with people from both churches bringing their gifts and talents to the Worship of our Lord. It will be held on Wednesday November 21, at 7:00 p.m. This will be a great way to prepare our hearts for the holidays. Yes there is a lot going on at Springfield this Fall. Why not come and be a part of it? Our regular services are at 10:00 a.m. every Sunday morning, preceded by Sunday School at 9:00 a.m.

Love Feast

You might see that term and wonder, “What on earth is that?” Well it’s sort of like a communion service, but it’s a little more involved. You see way back in our history someone went back to John 13, a passage on the last supper, and saw there was more than just bread and cup. As the evening starts, Jesus is celebrating the Passover with His disciples. Now in those days it was customary to wash ones feet as they entered a home. This may have had something to do with the fact that most walked everywhere they went on dirt and stone streets in sandals. They shared these streets with animals, so, as you an imagine, feet were often covered with filth by the end of the day. Further, if the home owner was in a position to have servants, the responsibility of foot washing generally went to the servants, and if there were multiple servants, the washing of feet fell to the servant of lowest rank.

Well in the upper room there were no servants, and so Jesus began to prepare to be the washer of feet. Now this was way out of order, at least in the minds of the people in the room that night. Jesus at the very least was the rabbi, the highest ranking person in the room and beside this, the disciples were beginning to realize he was more than a rabbi, but rather the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus was the last person who should have been washing feet in the room.

Finally Peter objected. He understood that their roles should be reversed and it is then that Jesus tipped his cards, so to speak, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Ah, there’s a lesson here, and there was. Jesus was trying to show these followers of His that no one is too important to serve others. This would be a vital lesson for them, because they would soon be the leaders of the church. And so Jesus washed their feet, all of them, including Judas who would soon betray Jesus to death. Yes, knowing that this would happen, Jesus still served Judas.

Jesus sums up His lesson this way:

“13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master,nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”

It is for this reason that foot washing is a part of our love feast service. Is it uncomfortable? Yes to some degree, but it is so meaningful. It teaches us two vital lessons for life in this world. That we need to humble ourselves and serve and that we also sometimes need to humble ourselves and allow ourselves to be served.

In addition, we share a simple meal, as we contemplate what Jesus has done for us, before the evening culminates with Holy Communion. This service shows us both our part in Jesus’ death as He died for OUR sins, but then it also reminds us that we also share in His resurrection. This is a beautiful and powerful service that serves to unites us as the body of Christ in the blessed hope Jesus bought for us with His blood. We do the service twice a year, and if you get the chance, you really should check it out.

Join Us for a New Bible Study Later this Month

I was reading David Jeremiah’s new book, 31 Days to Happiness, which by the way will be one of the resources we will use in our study of the book of Ecclesiastes in a few weeks. In the chapter I am reading right now, Jeremiah is writing about the easy way versus the right way and he shares some insights into the way Jesus was tempted in the desert. Satan made three proposals to Jesus:

“If you want food (Jesus had been fasting for 40 days), just turn these stones into bread.”

“If you want fame, just leap from this temple , into the arms of angels.”

“If you want followers, just bow down to me.”

The devil knew exactly where Jesus was going, but he suggested the wrong ways to get there.

Yes, Jesus wanted food, but he needed fasting, not fast food.

Yes, Jesus wanted fame, but through the way of the cross, not ways that were crass.

Yes, Jesus wanted followers, but through victory over sin, not by giving sin the victory. 

The testing of Jesus was all about convenience versus commitment.

Which are you seeking? Join us as we start this study, later this month. We meet at the church, 920 Passer Rd. Coopersburg, PA Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m.

Some Days I Have the Best Job

The reason is simple. I get to create stuff that will help and bless others. Case in point. This Friday, my church will be doing our one day arts day VBS. We don’t quite have everything we need to do a full week of Bible school (YET!) so instead we have this one day, creative bonanza where the kids come in and make art, have fun and learn about Jesus all day. It is a lot of fun. Our theme this year is the New Creature workshop. In the morning we’ll look at what it means to be a new creature in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) while we paint interesting creatures as a reminder. Then in the afternoon we’ll look at one of the great benefits of being a new creature in Christ, the fruit of the Spirit. Nine evidences that the spirit of the Living God is living and active in the life of every believer. I wanted to create a way to help the students learn this powerful verse. So with the help of an unknown rapper named AMOS AMOK (He might sound familiar) I made this video. It was a lot of fun and I really think it might be helpful to a lot of churches. If you’re in another church and you think this might be useful, feel free to download it and use it. I’m sure AMOS won’t mind.

Trying New Things

There’s an old saying, “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got.” It’s true of most of life and it’s true of churches, at least to some degree. Now before I go any further, this is not a complaint. We have a love of great things going for us at Springfield. This is an amazing group of people who I love with all my heart. I am extremely pleased with this congregation and I’m proud (can I say that) to be their pastor. They are open and loving and there’s one more thing…

They’re open to trying new things. Now there’s nothing wrong with tradition and there are some traditions that are worth their weight in gold, but we are also tasked with taking the unchanging message of the Gospel to an ever changing world, and in order to do that, sometimes we have to try new things.

Last night we sponsored a comedy show by Brad Stine and people were blessed. We’re little short on children to do a vacation Bible school, so rather than just saying we don’t have enough children to do a traditional VBS, we looked at who we do have and rethought what VBS could be. Now we offer a one day Art Day VBS for our community. We make art, teach the Bible, and all the other great things people associate with VBS and it works.

We also started doing paint parties at our church as a way of welcoming the community, and in September we will be offering a unique art/storytelling program called Pictures of Jesus. In my heart, I know we’re just scratching the surface, but we’re trying to create an environment of empowerment where people can use their gifts to try new things to the glory of God. If you have a skill or a talent that you want to use for a greater purpose, this might be the right church for you. Come on in and check us out.

Why Brad Stine?

I can’t believe this, but in a little over a month, my church is going to be welcoming internationally known comedian Brad Stine. Yes, my little country church in Pennsylvania is going to be welcoming someone who has appeared in large venues all over the world. To say I’m excited about this would be a pretty profound understatement, but maybe not for the reason you think.

I’m a huge fan of his comedy, but that’s not why we’re doing this.

It’s not because it’s a feather in our cap to bring a guy like this in. Oh we’re excited to have him, and we’re pleased to bring him in, we’re grateful that he is willing to come to smaller churches like ours, but that’s not why we’re bringing him in.

I’m sure it’s going to be entertaining, because this guy is HILARIOUS, and I know everyone who comes is in for a real treat, but even that’s not why we’re bringing him in.

No, we’re bringing Brad Stine to our church because in the midst of what is going to be a hilariously great night, is the fact that this is going to be an excellent presentation of the truth that sets people free, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So come and join us on July 15 at 6:00 p.m. and invite a friend, or two or ten. I really believe that this will be a great night for everyone and for some it will be life changing.

So please join us on July 15.

Here’s a little sample of Brad at work.