Rappin’ With Rick

February is the month of love, and we celebrate Valentine’s Day on the 14th because the patron saint of love, young people, and happy marriages died a martyr’s death on that date in 269 AD. Forecasting His own death, Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends”, so it’s not as strange as it may seem to hand out valentines on the day a martyr died.

Yes, February is the month of love, but we didn’t wait till then to begin talking about it We’ve been talking about love for quite some time on Sundays and Wednesdays. We’ve been discussing The Love Chapter on Wednesday nights for the last couple of weeks, and studying the writings of the Apostle of Love for
over two years on Sunday mornings.

One of the most quoted chapters of the Bible, one written by the Apostle Paul, is no doubt I Corinthians 13. It’s found between two chapters on gifts of the Spirit, and as we recently noted in Bible Study, it makes clear that the first fruit of the Spirit is even more important than the gifts.

The Apostle John is often referred to as the Apostle of Love, and for good reason. He’s the author of John 3:16, and he used the word love or loved 100 times in his inspired writings. I know because I counted them. According to my NASV Exhaustive Concordance, love can be found 30 times in his gospel, 36 times in I John, 4 times in II John, 2 times in III John, and 5 times in Revelation. Now let me tell you why I counted them.

Two weeks ago, after my sermon God is Love, Carter met me at the door with a question. “Grandpa, how many times do you think you said love in your sermon?” I had no idea, so he proceeded to tell me
that he and Luke, Anna’s boyfriend, had counted them. The total was 103.

No, that doesn’t make me the new Apostle of Love, or even a saint, but I do hope Carter had it right. “I think they got the point.”

God Bless, Rick

P.S. According to Levi, love was in last week’s sermon 114 times!

If you haven’t read the letter from the Christian HolyLand Foundation on the inside, please do so. We were unaware of this ministry until the letter arrived, and were excited to discover that churches that
share our heritage and beliefs are actively ministering in the Holy Land. And we were especially excited about being able to help them minister to Christians during the current situation in Israel. Due to the financial health of our church, we were able to send $2,500 to help meet this need. Thank you for your faithful stewardship, and for trusting the elders to discern how the Lord would have us spend your tithes
and offerings.

Our current interest in the Holy Land was obviously stimulated by your sending us there. When we returned, I decided to postpone the planned study for Sunday night and share with you archaeological
findings that helped identify the places we visited. We spent a couple of months doing so, and are now ready to begin an epic, around-the-world journey through Christian history.

Our journey will be led by Tim Challies, a Canadian pastor and blogger who is visited by more than 30,000 every day. I have turned to him several times over the years to find out what he thought about something, and have found him to be a solid biblical thinker. When I learned of his epic journey I thought it would make a great Sunday night study, and shared the idea with the class. They liked it, and I ordered
the needed copies of his book. Then I discovered he had a ten-week video series that takes us to the location of the objects of Christian history he highlights in the book, and I bought it.

On Sunday January 7th, at 6:30, we’ll be joining Tim on his epic journey. We’ll begin by going to Jerusalem, and then to Rome. After that we’ll go to twenty-five countries, always looking for objects that stimulate our thoughts about how the church and the message of Christ has gone around the world. We’ll intersperse the videos with articles from his book. Do plan on joining us on a journey that will be very interesting and rewarding.

God Bless, Rick

The headline read “Bethlehem Cancels Christmas.” But try as they may, no one can cancel Christmas. Herod tried to do so by killing all the boys in Bethlehem under two years of age, but even that couldn’t stop the good news of Christ’s birth from spreading throughout the world.

Death that recently came at the hands of terrorists, and continues to come from the resulting war, have brought weeping and great mourning in Ramah, much like that which Jeremiah foretold. And I understand the hesitancy to celebrate in the midst of war. But if there is anything to celebrate, it’s the birth of the only one who can bring life out of death.

Christians now comprise only 10 percent of Bethlehem’s population, but it is still the birthplace of Jesus. To cancel all Christmas celebrations and replace them with protest activities, as the mayor has announced, is to simply let the darkness of sin and death hide the light and joy of Christmas.

When we were in Bethlehem it was easy to see it was a divided city. There are walls and barbed wire that keep Jews out, and Palestinian Christians in. Muslims make up the majority in Bethlehem today, but even
they recognize, and profit from, the sacred sites in the city.

When we placed our hands on the star marking where Jesus was born it was a heart-warming experience. How I wish all who are in Bethlehem and throughout all of Israel could place their hands together on that sacred spot and find the peace that Jesus came to bring.

God Bless, Rick

Giving thanks is obviously not a seasonal thing, but Thanksgiving only comes once a year. And in light of this Thanksgiving, I want to offer thanks for a couple of things for which I am especially thankful.

First of all, I am very thankful for the trip to the holy land you gave me and Marilyn for fifty years of ministry at CCC. As I’ve said before, it was an absolutely amazing trip. I don’t know how it could have been any better, and I trust I’ll be sharing our experiences and the insights we gained for years to come. But as thankful as I am for the opportunity to go there, I am even more thankful that we got home when we did. Jesus said we shouldn’t be frightened when hearing of wars and rumors of wars, but I am certainly grateful we weren’t there when the current war broke out.

The next thing for which I am especially thankful is your giving that has made it possible for us to send special gifts to the missions we support. It has long been our desire to send 25% of the tithes and offerings we receive to missions, and we plan our financial projections accordingly. Your giving, however, has exceeded our expectations for the past several years.

In 2020 we were able to send an additional $10,000 to Haiti to help build a septic system for the school. In 2021 we sent $5,000 to Ati for water treatment systems after learning she was continuing the work of Asian Christian Mission, and an extra $5,000 to Haiti for earthquake relief. Last year we sent Ati $8,000 so she could send fifty students for extensive training to evangelize in their home villages. And just last month we sent Ati $10,000 for more water treatment systems, to provide for more evangelists in Jerwang villages, and to secure teaching material needed for Sunday Schools and youth programs. And we sent $5,000 to Casas por Cristo to help build a facility that will enable them to more efficiently build homes for poor Christians in Guatemala.

As I said, I am very thankful. I am thankful for you, and I am thankful for the privilege of serving in such a loving and giving congregation.

God Bless, Rick

As most are probably aware, Marilyn and I have recently returned from a trip to the holy land the church gave us in recognition of our 50 years of ministry at CCC. We cannot thank you enough for giving us this unexpected opportunity. To walk where Jesus walked, and sail where Paul went on his journeys, was certainly the most amazing thing we’ve ever done.

But, as I mentioned in the first sermon after our return, it was not for us a life changing event. That event took place not when we walked where Jesus walked, but when we invited Him to walk with us through life. Still, many have asked about our favorite, most meaningful parts of the trip, and we certainly did have those.

Both of us felt the time spent in Galilee was the highlight of our trip. Jesus spent more time there than anywhere else while on earth, and we could really visualize Him being there. The area around the Sea of Galilee is less cluttered by development than the cities, and to actually be on the Sea of Galilee, in a wooden boat, is something we’ll never forget.

The most emotional moment for me, however, did take place in a city. But not in a place I had expected. We were in the Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu, which means where the cock crowed. It was built over the high priest’s courtyard where Jesus was taken after His arrest. In the middle of the church was a hole that led down to caves that were used as cisterns and holding cells for prisoners. Standing alone in a cell that Jesus may have been cast into was without a doubt the most emotional moment of the trip for me.

Thank you Jesus, and God Bless.

Rick