Lutheran Church of Providence June, 2019 Newsletter
Pastor’s Corner
When we look at the Old Testament in the Holy Bible we cringe at what they did and how they acted. Often it seems so bizarre that we don’t even look at the Old Testament. We see children being killed or being offered to the pagan god Molech; we see people at war against each other; people lying, stealing and cheating to get ahead; people turning away from the true God and trusting in themselves for all their needs; people forsaking God’s laws and commands and going their own way; and sexually acting out with asherah poles for the immediate pleasure of the participants.
Sadly, we haven’t learned from their mistakes. I see many in our country going down a parallel path that we see in the Old Testament. How horrific this seems to many people but we aren’t changing our ways.
Children today are being killed in large numbers in the womb and now many states have laws that living babies can be killed after coming out of the womb. We justify this by saying it’s a woman’s right to have the baby killed. Is this much different from the Old Testament times?
Lying, stealing, cheating, making false accusations are rampant not only throughout the world but also in our own country and in our government. Getting even and making people pay for sins real and imaginary is the protocol of the day. This is often born out of greed and jealousy. Unfortunately this never stops but just keeps getting bigger and bigger.
As times become more prosperous in the United States as well as other countries we begin to rely on mankind and fall away from God. We even see laws being passed to force us to follow the government and society rather than God Almighty. Churches are being abandoned and people are finding other things to do rather than to sing the praises of God. Living for ourselves rather than God is the direction we are pursuing. The Ten Commandments are being violated regularly and we even justify our rebellion by saying that we’re living is a new era and that God’s laws are out of date. We cheat, lie, steal, murder, bear false witness and lust after what others have.
Our society has also become very sexually oriented. We see people on the ‘red carpet’ with see though clothes and people posing nude for others to view their bodies. We talk about honoring human sexuality but then we treat it with very little honor and respect.
With all the above, and more, going on in our country and in the world, is it any wonder that we have so many problems? In the Old Testament God allowed foreign nations more corrupt than Israel to rise up and conquer God’s people. God was calling His people into repentance in a way that they couldn’t reject. Is this where we are headed as a country? Have we learned from history or do we want to wipe history out and thereby unconsciously repeat history?
As a congregation we need to be a light and a guide to this community. During the summer months we need to reach out and invite others to see who God is and to establish a relationship with Him. We need to be in His Word and learn from our ancestors with the sins and mistakes they made. This summer we need to pray regularly that God has mercy on us and that He restores us to be His people who strive to do His will. Let us be supportive to each other and aim for peace and unity.
Have a blessed summer as I look forward to worshiping with you and loving you as part of God’s family here in Deltona.
In His service,
Pastor Weikart