Good Morning Trinity,
I pray you are all having a wonderful week. It’s obvious that the summer season is on its way. One of the signs of the coming season is the arrival of afternoon storms which will soon come and can pack quite a punch. I’m always amused that when we have a beautiful day and we have so many, we refer to them as a chamber of commerce day. But when the storms roll in and the lightning strikes, we refer to that as an act of God. Here is your scripture reading and devotion for the week.
In January 1984 we decided to move from Western New York and the cold weather to Florida and the sunny south. The decision to move south was an easy decision to make because we wouldn’t have to put up with the winter weather of the frozen north. The decision was also a difficult one because we were going to be leaving family and many friends behind. Many of these friends were as important to us as family because the relationships had been cultivated over many years and many situations.
I remember all the get-togethers we had before we left and the many times I heard someone say, “you’ll be back.” I guess after 33 years our friends have decided that the move did work out and we aren’t moving back. Not only are we not moving back but over these 33 years there have been changes to our lives, not only for Shirley and I but also for the friends we left behind. Time and distance have made it difficult to share our lives as we used to do with them. It seems kind of harsh to say but, we have all moved on. We stay in touch but things are not what they used to be because we don’t share as often as we did when we lived in the same area.
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. When in reality, because of a busy life and new people around them, regardless of what the romantic says, it makes the memory grow weaker. It’s tough to keep a relationship alive when time is not spent together. When interests are not shared both parties can move in different directions and the closeness once enjoyed can be lost.
Today’s reading from Revelation is about the church at Ephesus who has left its first love. They are a church who does all the right things such as laboring for the cause of Christ, which would include much community outreach. They see evil and are not afraid to call it like it is. On the outside they appear to be the church that everyone including themselves expect it to be. But Jesus sees something different in them because where we see the surface, He sees the heart.
Who the Church of Ephesus wanted to be, overshadowed the true reason or purpose. They had left their true love and had been all about the work and nothing about the relationship. The mission came between the church and the relationship the church had with the Lord. Absence does not make the heart grow fonder where the Lord is concerned. The relationship we have with the Lord has to be first in our lives and be the driving force in our work for the community. Don’t let your relationship with Christ Jesus become like one with a friend of the past. Keep it fresh, keep it strong, keep it daily.
God Bless,
Pastor Dave
Announcements:
Wednesday – 6:30pm Family Night Season Finale in the Annex. Great fun for everyone.
Thursday – 9:00 – 12 noon VBS workday – Please, please if you can help with coloring, painting, cutting out crafts it would be appreciated – meeting in the education building
Saturday – 9:00am VBS Meeting at Pastor Dave and Shirley’s house – 32659 Coldwater Creek Loop, Wesley Chapel
Sunday – 8:30am Trinity’s Traditional Service – Come and enjoy great traditional worship – bring your friends
Sunday – 9:00am Sunday School for those attending the Contemporary Service
Sunday – 9:00am Sunday School for Kids and Youth
Sunday – 9:45am Sunday School for those who attended the Traditional Service
Sunday – 10:30am Trinity’s Contemporary Service – Come and enjoy great contemporary worship – bring a friend
Office closed Monday for Memorial Day
