It's that time of the year again. The dreaded Christmas shopping season. Thanksgiving is over and we all probably need to loosen the old belt a notch or two after that food fest, but too often we get tied up in the hustle and bustle of this time of year that we forget what its all about. Most people see these next few weeks as a time to buy as much "stuff" as they can to give that "stuff" to others who expect all of the same "stuff". Now there's nothing wrong with getting a new laptop or PS3 or even a big ol' TV (side note, if anyone is looking for gift ideas for me, any of those 3 things will do), But really these next few weeks should be spent remembering what this season is really about... and we all know what that is right? ...If you said Egg Nog and Fake Plastic Trees, you would be wrong... Jesus is the reason why we all get so worked up right about now. God, in his amazing love for us sent his Son to earth to live lives like ours. I imagine the conversation went a bit like this: God: Hey Jesus, get off of facebook and come here Jesus: Aww man, (click, click, click,) Whats up Dad? God: It's time for you to head on down to earth and visit our family. Jesus: umm....I guess I could do that... I mean it could be a good time... God:... Jesus: wait is there something I should know? God: um... no its all good...just get packed. Now I think we all know thats just a joke , but Jesus came down here knowing what had to be done. He had to live the life of a human in order to fulfill the sacrifice that we require. Christ had to die for our sins, but it would all have meant nothing had he not lived like we live, and suffered like we suffer. So while we are enjoying the hot cocoa, the lights, and the presents...and while we are suffering through seeing extended family who still feel the need to pinch our cheeks, remember Christ, the reason for the season. Remember that he came down from heaven, a perfect amazing place, to come here to earth to live our lives and suffer the embarrassment of being human. And while we are celebrating His holy birth, let us not forget what that birth will lead to in the spring...Christ's love poured out for us on that old, splintered wooden cross... oh yeah and his amazing victory when we beat the daylights out of death and the devil when he rose back up after three days. Have a great Christmas and a blessed New Year. Much Love, Sean 1 Comment "When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory" -1 Corinthians 15:54 This past week, students at Geneva High School have received a tough lesson in the finite nature of life this week. A young man, friend and acquaintance to many in the High School Youth Group, tried to take his own life. Given how fresh this pain is in many young peoples lives, I don't want to turn this into too much of a lesson, but I do feel it is important to mention a few things concerning the topic of death and suicide. First and foremost, when those we love die, we feel a deep sadness and loss, both of which are very natural emotions given the circumstances, however it is important to remember, as followers of Christ, we know that those who believe in Him have eternal life. This is not a future-tense statement, but a very solid real-time happening. We HAVE Eternal-Life from the One who had no sin but took our sin upon Himself. We can take comfort in the knowledge that those we love that we have lost are joining in the greatest party we will ever know, the celebration of believers in Heaven, with the greatest host ever, God Himself. Some people wonder what happens to those who take their own lives. This is a difficult situation to fully understand, and no matter what anyone might say,even me, no one can be 100% positive of the destination of anyone's soul. With that said however some believe that the when the Bible tells us we need to confess any and all sins before we can receive God's forgiveness. Most often those people will cite this verse: " If we confess our sins, God, Who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."-1 John 1:9 Which on the surface makes total sense, We sin, We ask for forgiveness, God forgives. But what about suicide, since in committing the act, people are unable to ask for forgiveness, what happens to them. In this instance it is important to remember that our God is a merciful God, able to do all things, including forgiving those who are unable to ask for forgiveness. The Bible very clearly states there is one "unpardonable sin". We find this in Matthew 12:31-32: "I tell you that any sinful thing you do or say can be forgiven. Even if you speak against the Son of Man, you can be forgiven. But if you speak against the Holy Spirit, you can never be forgiven, either in this life or in the life to come." and also in Mark 3: 28-30: "I promise you that any of the sinful things you say or do can be forgiven, no matter how terrible those things are.But if you speak against the Holy Spirit, you can never be forgiven. That sin will be held against you forever. Jesus said this because the people were saying that he had an evil spirit in him. " I personally feel that this is a solid verse for the topic of suicide. Taking a life, even our own is obviously a sinful act, however just like all other sins, God who is full of Mercy and Grace, promises to forgive us our sins. That is why Jesus died on the cross, to cover the sins of all people, all the time, and in all places. Our sins are forgiven even before we commit them, because Christ took each and every sin upon himself that blessed Friday in the spring. To anyone struggling with the loss of a friend or loved one to suicide, take comfort in Christ's love for all of his creation. While the loss is unquestionably heart-breaking, we know that through Christ all things are possible. We also know that God will never give us more struggles in life than we can handle. If you or anyone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please refer them to someone who can be of assistance. If you are thinking about suicide and think no one cares, please know, without a single doubt that I love you, God loves you, and that others love you as well, and would be deeply saddened to lose you. If you need to talk, call the church office and we can listen to you and help you through this difficult situation in love, if no one is there, you can call me directly at 630-740-3098 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and I will do all I can to help you. God loves us and has a plan and purpose for all of us remember that. always. If you have lost someone, use this as an opportunity to let those you love know just that, that you love them. Share the love Christ has for us with others. Take comfort in God's power of forgiveness and his absolute Mercy and Grace when it comes to all of us. And finally remember that you are loved. You are all in my thoughts and prayers. I pray God's richest blessings on all of you and that he grant you the peace that goes beyond all of our understanding in this difficult time. Blessings and Love, Sean McAdams For those of you at Bible Class this morning (high school that is), you might remember Dan bringing up a question about Gen. 6:3 where it says " 3 Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal ; his days will be a hundred and twenty years." The question was more or less are there people who lived longer than this (yes) and why did God say it and how was it directed... God said this in Gen. 6 which deals with what is going on before the great flood.Really what we need to recognize here is that God was not speaking of a time limit on every man's life from that moment forward, what He was saying is "I'm God, and I'm sick of people treating me like trash. I'm giving all you sinners 120 years to get your act together or else your all goners." (very, very loosely paraphrased) God gave mankind 120 years to start to bring Him back into their lives otherwise the floods would come. Noah spent that time building the arc for himself and his family and a boatload (no pun intended) of animals. He also preached to others about what God was planning to do. He did this to help them be spared God's wrath. No one listened to Noah however ( probably because he built a huge stinkin' boat in the middle of a desert) and God stayed true to his word. After 120 years he sent the flood and spared Noah and his family. The rest of the world, however, were goners. Hope this clears up what we talked about this morning. Great question Dan! Footnotes: Well, The Bears are off to a Terrible Start this year after losing to the Packers last night, but at least we still have youth group on Sunday Nights to keep us positive! Thanks to all of the youth who came out to youth Group last night for the debut of our new "movie screen". Maybe next time the movie will be a bit better. The high School Bible Study for the fall/ winter is going to be The Bible in "a bit more than 90" days. We will read 5 pages from a standard NIV Bible every day until we finish the entire Bible. Every Sunday morning will be a time for discussion, questions, interesting thoughts, and anything else that you have gotten from your reading in the past week. If you have any questions, Let Sean know. We have added a Third information meeting for the national youth gathering next summer. The meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 9th at 6:30 pm at St. Marks. If you have any questions, please call Sean. Tonight was the first information meeting for the National Youth Gathering. The forms passed out at the meeting are now available in the "Youth Gathering 2010" Section here on the website. Confirmation dates have been set as well. The Mandatory Parents meeting will be held on Thursday, October 1st at 7:00 pm. Information on the Confirmation Program as well as forms for Confirmation are available for download in the "Confirmation" section. Have a Great first few days of school everyone! Laser Tag was a great time last night. We had 12 youth come out, and for those of you who did, I hope ( and assume based on your energy levels) that you had fun. This Wednesday and next Wednesday are the Information meetings for the trip next summer to New Orleans for the National Youth Gathering. If you plan on attending this trip you NEED to be at one of these meetings. Let me know if you have any questions, otherwise, I will see you at 6:30 this Wednesday or next. Bible study will start up again on the 13th of September at 9:30 am in the youth room. We will spend the first few months of the year studying the Bible start to finish. While this may seem like a huge task, it won't be and we'll have a lot of fun doing it. Come one come all. Thats about all I have for now, check back later for more updates! Peace out, Sean Here are some upcoming events: Sunday, August 23rd - St. Mark's Church Picnic - 1:00 pm @ Wheeler Park Sunday, August 23rd- Senior High School Youth Night - Laser Tag - 5:15pm-8:45pm - Meet @ St. Mark's Wednesday, August 26th- National Youth Gathering Info Meeting- 6:30pm in the Santuary Wednesday, September 2nd- National Youth Gathering Info Meeting- 6:30pm in the Fellowship Hall This is the first, official, shiny, new youth group blog. Here I will be posting text Bible Studies, thoughts about youth events, questions and answers from youth, and pretty much anything else that might be cool to read. Sit tight, strap in, cause its about to go down. |
