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| 166 59th Street, Niagara Falls, New York 14304 -3812 ( 716 ) 283 - 5744(Office), (716) 283-5744(Fax) |
| Bacon Memorial Pastor's Page | ||
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May 2008 “One of God's Means of Grace ” In our Monday evening and Wednesday morning Bible Studies we are discovering things we weren't aware of. Such as , The Unpardonable Sin. We have looked at a succinct view of the places and ways the Twelve Apostles lived and died. We have looked at Herod's Temple, where Jesus worshiped, and where he chased the moneychangers out. When we read, and accept the Word God tell us, as in Isaiah 55:10, 11, ...so shall the Word which comes from my mouth prevail; it shall not return to me fruitless without accomplishing my purpose or succeeding in the task I gave it. It is estimated that every year 300,000 new books are published worldwide. A torrent of printing, yet the Bible remains the best seller. Most of us would never ignore paper money lying on the ground. Yet we often ignore the Bible, which is filled with God's precious promises. When time permits, or we are motivated, many of us gladly exercise through a variety of ways. As we take care of the body, so we need to care for the soul. A few years ago, Stephen May discovered a treasure while teaching literature at the University of North Colorado. In the library he discovered 150 boxes of letters, manuscripts, journals, outlines, and notes given to the school by James A. Michener. No one had taken the time to peruse the material from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, and create a biography. This may be the story of the Bible in our homes. One solution is to hear the Word read and preached on Sunday mornings. Another way is to consider joining a Bible study, or prayerfully consider leading a Bible study from your home. Someone once wrote:
God bless you members and friends of Bacon Memorial Presbyterian Church. Grace and peace be abundantly added to you. Rev. Robert W. Peck Th.D. |
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April 2008 “My Observations” The Bacon Memorial Church Family is a loving, welcoming congregation of people who love the Lord, and each other. The conversation on Sunday mornings, both before worship and following worship is positive proof of this fact. However, I am also reminded of my observation of Holy Scripture regarding worship. Above the door when we enter the sanctuary is a sign which states, “ Silence , This is none other than the House of God.” The Bible speaks clearly that we are to enter into the presence of the Lord with reverence. The Old Testament Hebrew word for worship is shaha, it means to “bow down, acknowledge Divine perfections.” In the New Testament, the word used most frequently for worship is proskuneo , a word meaning “the act of homage or reverence. I was very impressed a number of years ago when I worshiped at a Presbyterian church east of Toronto, as I observed people entering the church, they quietly took their seat, bowed their heads and prayed. This was followed by an acknowledgment of others around them in worship. There was a spirit of worship, which pervaded the sanctuary, which permitted others to prepare their hearts for worship. Psalm 46 was a Psalm set to music for worship in the Temple of Jerusalem. The author, a son of Korah, wrote, “Be silent, relax and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” We all remember those words of Jesus during Holy Week, when He entered the Temple, “It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer.” God desires that we be kind, respectful and loving toward others. This applies to our worship of God as well. Fellowship should be reserved to that period of time following worship. A time when we munch on sweets and fellowship with each other. I read on a church bulletin once, Enter to talk with God about people. Leave to talk with people about God. That is similar to what part of Psalm 92 says, “I will praise you O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all your marvelous works.” (Vs. 1) The greatest single activity of the church is the worship of God. Charles Wesley wrote about worship as an adoration of Almighty God, when he wrote: lost in wonder, love and praise. I have rambled on long enough, sharing my observations with you. Thanks for your presence in worship. See you Sunday, to hear the organ music, the choir, the reading of God's Word, and the message, which God will share with us. Rev. Robert W. Peck, Th.D.
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March 2008 STRIVING FOR WHAT? Permit me to share with you some of my observations as we journey through Lent 2008. Our Monday evening Bible Study has been a success. On the average we have eight men and six ladies, studying the Letter of James together. If you cannot make Monday evenings, I am interested in meeting with you as well. Talk to me, and lets work out a time together. We have four of our youth in Confirmation Class. On Sunday, February 17 th we had a larger number of children for Sunday school than normal. This combined with “Bring a Friend Sunday” gave us eighty in church that morning. We have received four new members into the church, which is a delight to us all. We witnessed the Baptism of Raselyn Louise Hewitt and the men of the church have worked over our heating system, which gives us improved heat in the building. God has been with us on Sundays as we journey through Lent, hearing the Gospel, and learning about the life of Jesus, as He faced the cross for all of us. We have seen our Lord as He confronted the Devil, as He talked with a ruler of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, and the reassurance that we shall never thirst because He is our eternal fountain. During 2007 a report came out of Singapore that the young people of China had been striving for four “C's.” The C's were: Cash in the bank; Career for the future; Condominium to live in; and Credit card to travel with. However, now they have added one more “C.” This C is Connectivity to be tuned in. Agur, the writer of Proverb 30, asked to be tuned into God for two “G's.” Those G's are grace and g oodness . Agur didn't want to fall into a trap of his own making. A trap of corrupt principles, practices, and affections which were not acceptable to God. The question for us, as we travel through Lent, is what are you and I striving for? Come back to Bacon, and together let us strive to please God, build up the Body of Christ, and find the joy of serving the Lord together. There are so many possibilities which lie ahead for our church, our community, our families, and our individual lives. Together we will find the way. As God tells us in Psalm 84:11, “The Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” The well-known English preacher, Spurgeon said it this way: “Let us celebrate together, Lift our voice in one accord, Singing of the grace and mercy And the goodness of the Lord” Grace and peace be abundantly added to you. Yours in Christ, |
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February 2008 “Growing In Grace” Can you believe it? Lent is here already. Everything is early this year. Easter is on the 23 rd of March. Of course, we can't do anything about it, except to move forward, and prepare our hearts. We begin Lent on Wednesday evening February 6 th with the Imposition of Ashes. This reminds us again that we are dust. Our lives are frail, and can be cut off at anytime. We must always be prepared to meet the Lord. We will also celebrate Holy Communion on Ash Wednesday, reminding ourselves of the reason Jesus died for us. The purpose of Lent is for self-examination. A period of six weeks to find time to be alone with God daily. A period of time to ascertain where our lives need change, and with the Lord's help to make those changes. The changes may be spiritual, ethical, and/or moral, but the change to the positive brings a closer walk with the Lord. All are aimed at being a better disciple of Christ, and a happier person. C. S. Lewis once wrote: Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. During this period of Lent we can choose to submit our wills to God each day, asking Him to give us strength to live for Christ and for others. As God works in us, we will grow in grace and in love for God's people. My prayers are with you daily. May you find this period of time, called Lent, to be spiritually enlightening for you. A period of growing in God's love and grace. Yours in Christ, |
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January 2008 “ God's Servants” Luke 1:38 Mystified and afraid following the angel's message, Mary replied, “I am God's servant. Let it be as you have spoken.” As Mary agreed to be the bearer of the Messiah, the Light of the world, so too, we are called to bear Christ into the dark corners of human life. The lighting of the Christ Candle reminds us that CHRIST IS HERE. Now, we contemplate, How can I bear the light of Christ to my corner of the world? As we seek, God gives the answer. MERRY CHRISTMAS. As your Interim Pastor, I call everyone to commit your life to Christ with me for a Happy New year. The happiness, which I speak of, is the joy of the Lord, which is our strength (Neh). Each of us in the 2008 need to dedicate our lives to the Lord of glory, who came as a Babe in Bethlehem, our Immanuel, God with us. Touch a life for Christ each week of the New Year, and pray the Holy Spirit will lead them to enter the doors of Bacon Memorial Church, and find love, peace, and unity among God's people. May our church reflect the words over our front door: WELCOME HOME TO BACON. Pray with me, that our church will truly be a spiritual home for our members and friends, as well as those lives we touch. Pray with me, that we as a family of believers will grow spiritually, numerically, programmatically, and financially to God's praise and glory. Mark Adams shares a beautiful Christmas story, one that I hope we can each personally carry into the New Year. Little Jeffy had done something wrong, and grandfather was punishing him with time-out in his playpen. But Jeffy's cries and begs finally got to his grandfather, Please get me out. Grandfather knowing the punishment was right, felt such a deep love for his grandson chose to be both just and loving. Grandfather got into the crib with Jeffy. In this way he shared his grandson's punishment and at the same time offers him love and comfort. Will you join me, as we climb into the dark, hurting world of people's lives, and share with them Christ and the Church? Lets begin a New Year, with a New Commitment. Yours in Christ, |
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December 2007 Advent Preparation Friends, here we are once again at the beginning of our Advent journey to Bethlehem. The Gospel for our Advent journey will be taken from Matthew each week. As Messianic hope was set forth in the coming of a Messiah throughout the Old Testament times, the Gospel brings us the reality of His coming into our world. The Promised One would be known as The Son of David, who would be great in the lives of those who follow Him. However, Jesus was cautious about people calling Him Christ, or Messiah, as He walked this earth. He did this because of the expectations connected to the name. No one expected the Messiah to come by the way of the cross. A quick overview of each Sunday in Advent looks like this: December 2: Prepare for the times of the Lord=s unknown return. From Matthew 24:36-44, Jesus explicitly tells His followers that His return will be without warning. A Greek work in verse 36 is translated "hidden." In other words, the exact time of Christ's return is hidden from human understanding. December 9: John calls for repentance, for One more powerful is coming. Our Gospel will be Matthew 3:1-12. The Greek uses a word here, which originates in the Old Testament, meaning Aturning to God as His people. December 16: Exploring the identities and relationships between the Baptizer and the Messiah. Our text will be Matthew 11:2-11. The inquiry was for the sake of Jesus= disciples and the crowd, and as an assurance to John. December 23: Mary is found pregnant, than an angel visits Joseph. Take from Matthew 1:18-25, we will explore what this means to us. Though engaged, Mary becomes pregnant by the Holy Spirit. The angel assists Joseph in understanding what kind of action is needed. Join us each Sunday for worship, as we explore from the depths of our spirits, and the truth of God's Word, to have this long awaited Messiah. In truth, God continues to break unannounced into our world. What experiences, and voices do you recognize as belonging to our Savior? Happy Journey. Rev. Dr. Robert W. Peck
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November, 2007 Rev. Dr. Robert W. Peck |
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