Shippensburg First Church Of God Blog Site: Two Ways... SFCOG Update for 11/05

Sunday is Coming!

Robert Frost Wrote,

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.”

“The Road Not Taken”

Did you know, Frost wrote this poem as a joke for a friend who was often indecisive about which route to take when the two went walking. Contrary to popular assumption, Frost never intended for one road to be seen as the “correct” choice. He was reflecting on uncertainty and indecision, and the thought that both options could be equally good. This poem also reminds us that we may never know where the “other road” goes in life, and often we don’t get a second chance to find out.

This weekend we will consider Psalm 1, which is a much older poem that contrasts two very different roads: the Way of the Righteous -vs- the Way of the Wicked.

Psalm 1

1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,

2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his Law day and night.

3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.

4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

These two ways are not at all alike! One way leads to safety, while the other leads to destruction… but the GOOD NEWS is that if we find ourselves on the “wrong road” in life, we do get second chances through Jesus!

As we consider the “Way of Righteousness” we will see that Jesus made a way, and Jesus himself is the Way!

In John 14:6-7 Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Jesus guides us in the way of Righteousness. The New Testament reveals that Jesus is the Word of God in human form, and so our prayer life must be shaped by meditating on Jesus and His Word. The words of the Psalms remain true— we must delight in the law of the Lord and follow Jesus in the Way of Righteousness.

Throughout our “Prayer Styles” series, we’ve seen that prayer takes many forms. This Sunday we will consider how we can meditate on the words of Scripture “day and night” as we practice “Praying the Scriptures.” Sometimes we may be tempted to think of Bible Study and Prayer as two separate practices. The Bible itself reveals that they are most effective when they go hand in hand. One informs the other:

We read scripture, and scripture reads us.

When we “hide God’s word in our hearts” (Psalm 119:11), it prompts us throughout the day to follow Jesus and live according to His law—this is prayer in action, and leads us on the Way of Righteousness.

This Sunday

Don’t forget to Set your Clocks Back!
Get Connected Class – 9:45 in room 206. Learn more about our Care Groups and Sunday School classes!
Congregational Meeting -- 6:00 pm in the Sanctuary. Join us to hear exciting updates about Cross Roads Station, the annual budget presentation, and participate in elections. Agendas have been emailed to you, and can be found in your church mailboxes.

Upcoming Events

We will be having two sessions of Grief Share’s “Surviving the Holidays” ministry. This one-time event is designed to support individuals who are facing these holidays without loved-ones who have passed away. The dates are November 2 (tonight) and December 4, and both sessions will cover the same material. More information can be found in the Gathering Place. Please call the church office to pre-register (717-532-8421).

Our Church Bonfire is this Saturday, November 4 at 5:00 pm. This will be held at Winsome Farm in Newville and there will be something for everyone, including food, activities, and contests. For more information, see the sign-up sheets in your Sunday School class, the Gathering Place or the children’s ministry area.

On November 12, at 2:00 on a Sunday Afternoon, we will be having a “Kitchen Shower” to provide furnishings for the new Kitchen at Cross Roads Station. You can help us prepare our new kitchen by taking a “raindrop” from the umbrella located in the Gathering Place. There are many different items in different price ranges that need to be purchased to stock the kitchen. Thank you to everyone who has already participated!

Christmas Preparations

Keep packing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child so we can reach our goal of 600! We currently have around 250. National Collection Week will be November 13-20. Our shoeboxes will be dedicated during our worship on November 19.

Our annual Christmas Market will be held on December 2 from 4:00-8:00 in connection with the Shippensburg Christmas Parade.

Prayer Updates

Pastor Gary will hopefully be heading home today. He shared that he feels like he is gaining and making progress, and continues to feel the love, support, and prayer of our church family. Continue to pray for strength and healing.

Joyce Hornbaker completed her Radiation Treatments, praise the Lord with her, and continue to remember all the many others in our church family who are facing cancer as well.

THANK YOU!

I truly appreciate the gifts, cards, words of encouragement, and prayers that have been shared with me during Pastor Appreciation Month! It is a joy and privilege to serve as your pastor and to minister to our community together!

Praying for you all,

Pastor Rodney Bistline

Shippensburg First Church of God

seniorpastorbistline@shipfcog.org