Blog: May 2023

Faith is a common theme throughout the Bible. We may not find the word faith on every page; however, in nearly every description of what God expects of His people, there is at least an indication of faith. Throughout Scripture, we read that faith is the means by which God is pleased with His people as they chose to trust Him. Hebrews 11 emphasizes the significance of faith by unpacking how God has been saving His people through faith from the beginning. From creation to the first family and on and on throughout the lives of individuals, ...

On May 19, Pastor Tim Keller entered into the radiant presence of Jesus.  I’ve often referred to Keller’s writings—he’s been a helpful guide for interpreting both Scripture and culture.  In 2020 he pub­lished a short book entitled, On Death. Here are some key points: Our death-denying, medicine-driven modern culture “is the worst in history at preparing its members for the only inevit­ability—death” (p. 11). While our today’s secular culture gives us little to help us deal with the looming fact of death, “the Christian faith has some ...

The Gospels record dozens of descriptions of the works that Jesus did. We learn about how He served, saved, and showed His power in miraculous ways for the sake of revealing His divine authority to His disciples and others. Yet even with all the astounding works of Jesus that are described through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the Gospels still don’t contain the whole of all that Jesus did. In fact, John concludes his Gospel by declaring, “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if every one of them were written down, I ...

If you’re a Christian, and if Goshen is your church, God intends for you to be active in the life of our church serving others and being served—building others up and being encouraged in your faith.  It is not his will for any of us to just “attend,” or that we just come and listen and go.  That is not how the body of Christ functions. Having spiritual gifts (as all believers do, 1 Cor 12:7) yet not using them to serve one another is like having muscles but never exer­cising them—you become weak and unwell; failure to thrive.  By con­trast, ...

“I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene, and wonder how he could love me, a sinner, condemned, unclean.” These words from Charles Hutchinson Gabriel’s classic hymn “My Savior’s Love” have been sung and treasured for more than a century. When Gabriel first released this song in a 1905 hymnbook, it served as a reminder to the church of the deep love of God, His work through Christ, His presence in all circumstances, and their cause for celebration and amazement. In all the rich truths of the five stanzas of this great hymn, the ...

My mother left this world and entered Jesus’ presence in 2012.  I’d like to re-share a Mother’s Day tribute to her that I wrote in 2011: Grace Constance (“Connie”) Sjolund was born a “PK”—pastor’s kid.  Her mom was an artist (painter) and home­maker, and her dad pastored First Swedish Baptist Church of Minneapolis (now Bethlehem Baptist) from 1928 to 1948.  Mom came to faith in Christ at a young age and grew up in the church.  She met her future husband in the 1940s in the church’s “young people’s group” (Ken Nelson, a Wisconsin farm boy ...

The GBC Softball Season begins on Tuesday, May 16, at Elam United Methodist Church - 1073 Smithbridge Rd, Glen Mills, PA 19342. Game time is 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 16th Monday, May 22nd Wednesday, May 24th* Tuesday, May 30th Monday, June 5th Wednesday, June 7th Tuesday, June 20th Monday, June 26th Wednesday, July 5th Questions?  Contact Tom Buddenhagen.   *ELCA, at Clayton Park - 3173 Garnet Mine Rd, Garnet Valley, PA 19060

In Psalm 73:2-3, Asaph, a worship leader of God’s people, tells how he nearly came to ruin:  “But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped.  For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” We may be tempted to think of envy as a “minor sin,” but it’s perilous.  “Envy makes the bones rot” (Proverbs 14:30), and it undermines reverence for God (23:17).  Jesus lumps envy in with sins like adultery and murder (Mark 7:21).  Those who follow the way of envy “will not inherit the kingdom of ...