6-25-2025

Good Morning All,

        Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10; “Two people are better than one because together they have a good reward for their hard work.  If one falls, the other can help his friend get up. But how tragic it is for the one who is all alone when he falls. There is no one to help him get up.”

     Do you remember the song by Bill Withers called “Lean on Me?”  It came out in the early 19070’s.  It was a song that spoke of a person who needs someone to lean on; someone to help you with the burdens of life.  This was one of many songs of that style.  Simon and Garfunkel had “Bridge over Troubled Waters”, the Hollies sang “He ain’t heavy, he’s, my Brother.”  All singing the same thought; we need other people.

     When God created man in His image, man was designed to do three things.  First, man was to live in God’s Presence and worship and praise God and to be God’s helper here on earth.  Second, man was to take care of God’s creation.  The third thing man was designed to do was to be a companion with his fellow man. 

     Of course, sin destroyed all of these.  Man, no longer lived in God’s Presence rather man sought out his own selfish desires and destroyed whatever stood in his way whether it was another man or part of creation.  It is no accident that the next story after Adam and Eve sin that we read about Cain killing Abel.  Sin destroyed man’s relationship with man as well.

      Yet Jesus came to the world to restore it and to reconcile it back to God. We, as redeemed children of God, are restored to God’s kingdom and reign; just not completely.  We live in the time of “now but not yet.” We are now fully children of God; just not yet fully glorified.  Until that time, we are here, waiting for the full restoration, we are to bring the Gospel of Jesus- the total forgiveness of sins- to the whole world.

    One of the most effective ways of doing this is by helping other people.  Jesus frees us from the shackles of sin so we are free to begin to live our life the way God intended us to live.  We try and sometimes we fail but God’s grace gives us the power to get up and try again and again.  So, we struggle on in life but we know that with God’s grace our struggle is a little easier if we face it with our family and friends at our side.  They are there to be God’s voice of comfort and re-assurance, they are God’s hands to hold us tight and they are God’s shoulders for us to cry on.  Sometimes we cry and sometimes we are the shoulders but we go through it together.  We are God’s redeemed children; we are the Church, the body of Christ called to do his work here on earth and given the grace to face each day.  In the end, we have heaven; but until that day we have God’s promise and we have each other.  So go ahead and lean on your brother or sister because tomorrow they will lean on you.   Through both, we receive our strength from Christ.

Dearest Lord Jesus, as we go through this life in a sinful world, we ask that you give us the strength to allow our brothers and sisters to lean on us as they receive the blessing of your comfort and peace.  Be with all our brothers and sisters who face incredible struggles in their lives and give them the certainty of their salvation and the comfort and love of their fellow Christians.  In your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret