From Your Pastor

To the First Presbyterian Church family,

We ended last month with celebrating Reformation Sunday, so as we end this month with the prelude to Advent (Christ the King Sunday) I want to go back to the sources! Namely, Scripture and its centrality in the life of the church. This was the rallying cry of the Reformation, and I hope we can use the upcoming liturgical year to reemphasize Scripture and its place in our worship services. I’ve talked about this in past correspondences but here are some links for more on church seasons and the Lectionary

It’s the suggested scripture texts for each Sunday that especially stand out, as each morning’s readings can be united by a common theme (the hope theme of the 1st Sunday of Advent, the resurrection texts of Easter, etc.). There are usually 4 suggested texts – from Hebrew poetry (Psalms, Job, etc., often ideal for our Call to Worship), another O.T. text, a Gospel, and Epistle (letter by Paul, James, etc.). Starting Sunday, we will begin to make sure at least 3 scripture texts are read every morning. I have fond memories of this from my Lutheran days when the pastor would read 3 texts and preach from one of them.

Of course, this is not just to “try something different” (we did this as well 2 years ago) but rather to remember that God’s Word to us is always central. I hope to have more opportunities to write about exciting ministries and initiatives happening around here, but they can and should only happen if they are grounded in the Word of God. I hope every Sunday morning Scripture texts are reaching all of your hearts and touching them in ways above and beyond anything I preach about. The Holy Spirit is the great expositor of Scriptures after all. Of course, I am proud of this congregation that as a Reformed Church we have never lost sight of the Word, but nevertheless I’m hoping this renewed emphasis will continue to serve and challenge our hearts ever more.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

~Rev. Peter Martin

Sunday School

You're invited to join our Adult Sunday School class on discipleship. We study God's Word together and have a lively discussion about becoming a disciple that disciples others. Newcomers are always welcome. The class meets Sundays at 9:30am in the Chapel.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20

From Your Pastor

To the First Presbyterian Norristown family,

It's a busy season, and even in just the next 2 weekends, we will baptize a little one into the congregation, then the following Friday a funeral celebration of her great-grandmother - 95 years of Christ-like witness and nearly fifty of them as a member here at this church! The Sunday after that (October 22) there will be a chance for anyone, inquirer or longtime member, to talk about what we are as a congregation and consider what it means to be a member here.

Of course, in the middle of all of this our thoughts and prayers are turned to Israel. My time in the Holy Land, not just Israel but also West Bank Palestine (that distinction is important, more in a moment) nearly a year ago is looming larger for me than ever. So also is the fact that our conference was called the Mosaic of PEACE. I'm including past resources that could help in understanding my time there and the current events. (Pragmatic note: most of these links are to our church Facebook, which are totally accessible and free to view even if you don't have an account.)

First off, the current conflict is between the Hamas government in the Gaza strip and the nation of Israel. Hamas is a Palestinian fundamentalist Islamic regime that exclusively rules the Gaza strip. Our conference never went there due to lack of safety. Rather, our time was spent in the West Bank state of Palestine, occupied by Israeli troops and with a separate Palestinian government, which includes Christians. One of our after-worship education presentations/discussions was solely devoted to this, and please watch it here for history of Palestine including how Gaza Strip and West Bank came to be. It should also be noted that many ethnic Palestinians are Israeli citizens and some even serve in the Israeli army. Nazareth for example, is an Israeli city with a mostly Palestinian (and Christian!) population. Unfortunately in our country: various politicians, student coalitions, and social justice groups have made a rash of recent comments to the effect of "I stand with Palestine," in one case even with a picture of a Hamas paratrooper! Such tone-deaf and wrong-headed statements completely miss the nuance of distinguishing Hamas, whose paratroopers are responsible for the murder of innocent women and children, from ethnic Palestinian Arabs ➖both those who are Israeli citizens and those in the completely separate West Bank.

It's also worth mentioning the difference of opinion among Bible believing Christians as to what constitutes the people of God now. As believers, we obviously want peace in Israel and Ukraine (and the world!), but an individual Christian's view on people of God and endtimes will affect how one looks at the Gaza/Israel conflict now. Please click here for a video of another presentation on both views of the people of God and the Millennium which hopefully can help. Finally, here are my remarks in a previous from-your-pastor column as I prepared to embark on this Mosaic of Peace conference. This covers the statement by our own denomination that has aged poorly in lieu of recent events and why I spoke and voted against it then, despite my sympathies with the Palestinian people, especially the Christians.

Many of you will not have the time or desire to (re)-read or (re)-watch my old columns and presentations. I get that . . . rather just wanted to give you the opportunity for one more person's humble opinion and past words on this issue. I will save you a click and a reroute elsewhere and reprint some of my words before I left for the Holy Land nearly a year ago. I pray that . . . and all of this . . . has helped.

The church as the manifestation of the Messiah Jesus Christ is working to bring peace right now. And how wonderful that I can both learn a bit about peace in a war-torn land AND that same land is where the Prince of Peace Himself walked. Jesus came to this piece of real estate two thousand years ago to bring peace, and it is needed there and in the world more than ever. I am hoping by seeing where Jesus ministered and bought that grace and peace with His own body and blood it can inspire me to be a better follower of Him and a better agent of His peace . . . peace be with you (and with Israel, Palestine, and the world)! 📜John 14:27

~Pastor Peter Martin