First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Benton KY Join us Christmas Eve for our Candlelight and Carols Worship. 9:00 PM at First Christian Church Benton. 2515 South Main Street. Benton Kentucky

The Race Begins

Many pastors have been preaching the fact that we are all on a journey through Advent, and that we are all going to arrive at the destination on Christmas. As I sit here and review my calendar for the day, let alone the week I cannot figure out how I'm going to get everything accomplished?

As we go to school concerts, Christmas parties, and as we try to complete our work prior to Christmas, the pace begins to quicken. Yes, this Advent journey has begun to go from walking, to a steady pace, and now it feels as we are beginning to run!

When we contemplate the pace of our Advent journey's we must think about the journey that the Magi took in getting to the Messiah, we must think of the distance that they traveled and how long the star shined in the sky as to guide them.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2: 1-2

The distance that the Magi traveled is not really known, but we know that it was a great distance. We know that the Magi were patient and meticulous about their journey to the Christ child. We even know that they did not arrive until well after the birth of Christ, yet the star stayed bright in the sky as to lead them.

Brothers and Sisters, my prayer for all of us this day is that as we journey this Advent is that we take time to slow down and take time to be patient and meticulous as we travel to the manger. Be patient and know that like the star that guided the Magi, God will make sure that the Son shines bright enough and long enough for us to journey slowly and surely.

As we journey we must not let humanities busyness take away the joy of our journey's, we must not let the quickened pace cause us to run so fast that we miss the true meaning of the Christmas journey. So take off those track shoes, slow the pace, be patient and meticulous and arrive at the destination ready to embrace the full meaning of God's love for the world.

One of my favorite scripture passages is from Psalm 46:10 "Be Still and Know That I Am God!" This is my mantra as I journey this Advent, and as I also follow the star that will lead me to the Savior. Beloved: "Be Still and Know He Is God!" and slow down.

Slowing the Pace
Pastor Tim

Pastor Tim's Benton Blog: I Have Nothing

Pastor Tim's Benton Blog: I Have Nothing: By now most of us have heard about the shootings at the elementary school in Newtown Connecticut, and the senseless murders of twenty chi...

I Have Nothing

By now most of us have heard about the shootings at the elementary school in Newtown Connecticut, and the senseless murders of twenty children and six adults. Like most of us, my heart was broken upon learning this news.

Immediately the pastor side of Tim came out and I went to church and opened it up for anybody wanting to pray. I lit the candles, turned up the furnace and prepared to minister to those that might come out. As I sat in our empty sanctuary for three hours, time and thoughts began to ask me: "OK Wise Pastor Man, What Are You Going To Say To People?"

Since yesterday I have watched television, sent Facebook messages, read everything in my office about pastoral guidance in times of crisis. I have read cover to cover: "Why Bad Things Happen To Good People!" Yet everything I can think and learn, just doesn't seen adequate enough. Everything, I pray about, think about, seems to come from the point and status of an outside bystander.

When watching Good Morning America this morning, I was drawn to the Catholic Priest that had been up all night telling parents that their children were dead. He comforted them through the night and when interviewed he fell into the reporters arms weeping, and he stated: "I'm So Very Tired!" Yes, pastors feel, pastors weep, and pastors mourn, even though we have been called to be strong in faith, we at times don't have answers for why things happen.

One of my favorite musical performers is Bluegrass/Country performer Ricky Skagg's, who besides being a gifted musician, is a well spoken and gifted Christian. In times like this I'm drawn to one of his songs titled; "Seven Hillsides." The song is about a pastor who is contemplating his message for seven funerals, and I'm often drawn to this section:

Tomorrow I'll walk up, seven hillsides

Tremble before my flock on seven hillsides

Seven sorrows, seven sons, seven mothers and every one

Will turn to me for the word of God, what does this mean?

And there I'll stand good book in hand,

A shepherd to these precious lambs

What will I say, what will I say, what can I say?

As we mourn for those killed in Newtown Connecticut   we must be strong in our faith in the fact that God sacrificed his Son for our eternal life with him. Yes, Christ paid for the price of my sins, and your sins and the ending to Mr. Skagg's song reminded me of this:

The time has come to keep the faith
For others shattered by their loss.
Remind them of the loving God
Whose son like theirs paid the cost.
To save a sad and wicked world
Through sacrifice our love is heard
And pray that I believe those words.

Brothers and Sisters at these times even well trained and called pastors are sometimes at a loss for words, but I'm reminded of the pain that Christ felt when his Son was crucified for our iniquities. Our only hope that we can latch on to in times such as these is that we are saved through the sacrifice of Jesus. We will see each other again, and I pray that you believe these words, because they are true and are made to give us strength as we hold on tight to God when our hearts our broken.

With tomorrow being the third week of Advent, the week of "Joy", some pastors have thought about modifying their sermons about joy, and I refuse to do this because my faith in the coming of the Christ child is all about "Joy". Scripture tells us that through Jesus Christ, "Joy" cannot ever be taken away from us, so God will not allow it to be taken from us this Advent season.

So you who have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you (John 16:22). This is the promise of Christ for his people.

I Pray and I Believe the Words of God

Pastor Tim

Shout Out Loud and Sing for Joy!

During this time of year we face crowded shopping lines, as well as expectations that need completed before the end of the year. There are tasks that need completed at work, at home and even at church. Often we are so busy that we forget to just stop and raise our arms and shout and scream for joy. 

Brothers and Sisters, Advent is much more than hustle and bustle and spending our time trying to find the right gift for our loved ones. Next Sunday we enter the third week of Advent, the week of joy, the joy that we are one week closer to welcoming our Messiah that is to be born.

This expectant joy was revealed to us long before it was to occur, we were told in Isaiah that our salvation was to come. 

2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." 3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 In that day you will say: "Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. 5 Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. 6 Shout aloud and sing for joy,people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you." Isaiah 12:2-6

Beloved, we are people of God's promise revealed  to us in the birth of the child in the manger. This child that would bring us our Salvation through his birth, life, suffering, death, and resurrection. The promise has been revealed and kept, we only need wait with expectation and the knowledge that Christ is coming. 

Next time you are waiting in the crowded line at the mall, or cut off by another vehicle in traffic, next time you want to curse and complain, while blaming it on Christmas...

1. Stop
2. Give Thanks to the Lord
3. Make His name known
4. Tell others what the Lord has done for you
5. Sing to the Lord, sing His songs to all who will hear
6. Raise your arms to the heavens and shout for joy, because joy has come in the form of the Messiah

People of God Joy comes in the morning, noon ,and at night in the form of a babe come to save the world and to set its people free from bondage. Find some time this week to "Shout Out Loud" and "Sing For Joy", for our God Emmanuel is with us in Joy!

Pastor Tim 

The Escort On The Advent Journey

The Escort On The Advent Journey

Next weekend several of our Marshall County Special Olympians will travelto the State of Kentucky Special Olympics Bowling Tournament, and the weekend will be full of great competition and life changing experiences. They are blessed to have awesome leaders go on the journey with them as to ensure their safety, protection, and well being.

After a full weekend of competition and fellowship, they are usually welcomed home to Marshall County with an escort by the Marshall County Sheriff's Department. I know that this was is an experience that they always remember. 

The same goes for us as we travel on this Advent journey, in the fact that God's Word gives us an escort home to Advent, home to the Messiah promised to come. In the Gospel of Luke in chapter three we see John the Baptist speaking the words of the Prophet Isaiah  ⁴ As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.5 Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low.The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. 6 And all people will see God’s salvation."

We need not be a sports team being led home from a destination, and there is no special fame needed for an escort home. Beloved, we all may take different roads to the Christ Child, but we are to be at peace in the fact that God has given us an escort for our journey. The scriptures are God's personal escort for us that will deliver each and every one of us safely home and into the presence of the Messiah.

Our journeys may not be escorted by blue lights and the sounds of sirens, but we are promised that our escort will make our paths straight, and we will all be escorted to God's wonderful and glorious salvation through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Using God's Word As An Escort To Bethlehem!
Pastor Tim

The Illumination of Hope

Well, Advent begins next Sunday, and I will tell you that I am very ready for the journey that Advent takes us on. Within the last month I have attended two funerals of young people, and it has been a year in which I found myself officiating the funerals of beloved brothers and sisters in Christ. It's cold and rainy outside, its depressing, yet hope is on the way, the light will shine, and hope will be illuminated to the world.

We have witnessed events of devastation on this earth as well as violence locally and around the world, but yet we find ourselves more then ready for the season of Advent. Last week our church talked about Christ's second coming and God's promise to his people in which Christ paid the price for us on the cross. While we wait with joy for "That Great Getting Up Morning", we place our faithfulness and trust in the fact that Christ will return when God is ready. 

While we wait for the sound of glorious trumpets and Christ descending from the clouds, we also gather in expectation of the coming of the Christ Child that Christmas brings. "Yes" I'm more then ready for Advent  and as we gather the first week of Advent (Hope Sunday), I'm needing the true illumination of Christ's shining light to fall on me, to envelop me with it's radiance of love and promise.

And again, Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him." May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 15:12-13).

My prayer is that those of you that have experienced loss, distress, and hopelessness, allow yourselves also to be illumined by the light of hope that the Christ child brings. Bask in God's promises revealed and kept, and let it restore you with the hope that only Jesus Christ can bring.

Let The Son Shine This Christmas
Pastor Tim