Pastor Quinn • February 4, 2024

A Time to Pause

A survey says about half of Americans report they're usually trying to do two or more things at once. But just about one tenth of Americans said the fast pace of their lives was harming their health. Another survey says 60% of U.S. adults reported they at least sometimes feel to busy to enjoy life. We need rest for our bodies & minds. Martin Luther is quoted as saying "Work, work, from morning until night. In fact, I have so much to do today that I shall spend the first 3 hours in prayer!". We need rest for our souls, too. Yet only 22% of Americans attend church every week. 50% never or seldom attend. 45% of "Scripture-reading" Americans read Scripture seldom or never. 8% read it "several times a year". Isn't it obvious that we all desperately need a time to pause? God knows that! That's why he came up with the concept of "Sabbath" (a Hebrew word that means "rest"). In the Old Testament, God's people had particular times when God told them they had to physically rest and be refreshed by spiritual blessings - to focus on the ultimate rest the Savior would bring. Today we want to see the incredible blessings God still wants to give us through his gift of rest.

May 31, 2026
Without the resurrection of Jesus, death would appear permanent. No one would have come back from the dead to explain what happens after death. Jesus told his disciples what would happen. But they were slow to believe the Easter truth. God ensured that his people had witnesses to assure that Jesus did not remain dead. He lives, and it makes a difference! I too shall live. Death has become a pathway into paradise. Jesus has already made me spiritually alive by giving me faith in his resurrection. In every possible way, Jesus takes me from death to life.
By Pastor Zahn May 24, 2026
When the disciples were distressed about Jesus ascending into heaven, he assured them, “It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7). That Advocate is the Holy Spirit. If Jesus had stayed in the grave, the Holy Spirit would have had no reason to enter the lives of disciples. But Jesus lives, and it makes a difference. The Spirit provides faith and purpose for life.  Pentecost, the celebration of the special arrival of the Holy Spirit, is the third great festival of the Church, along with the Nativity and the Resurrection. Pentecost closes the fifty-day period after Easter and ends the festival half of the church year. The Church dresses in red on this day to commemorate the tongues of fire that marked the Spirit’s gift as well as the blood of the martyrs.
By Pastor Quinn May 10, 2026
Without the resurrection of Jesus, I would be tempted to live only for myself. After all, I have to be in good shape before I can be of help to anyone else, right? I think I know what’s right for me, and I can identify when other people are standing in the way of my self-improvement. If Jesus is dead, I don’t have to worry about what he said or what he thinks. But he lives, and it makes a difference. He takes care of my basic needs. He promises to do more for me than I can imagine. He puts people into my life so I can help them. Now I live for him.
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