| A Midweek Message for Hello people of St. Paul, Sending all of you peace beyond understanding and hope that is only found in Jesus Christ in a time of so much uncertainty. Know that through Christ there is always hope. in the Peace of Jesus Christ, Rev Aaron Baughman M Div Interim Pastor A Few Quick Announcements: Email Scam Please be aware that someone has been trying to scam members of the congregation. If you receive an email from a member asking for a favor or for help, please do not respond to these emails. Some of these emails look like they are from Rev. Aaron but now some look like they are from congregation members as well. DO NOT reply to these emails, please call the church if you are in question about an email that you received. |
 Alas for you who desire the day of the Lord! Why do you want the day of the Lord? It is darkness, not light; as if someone fled from a lion, and was met by a bear; or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall, and was bitten by a snake. Is not the day of the Lord darkness, not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?Excerpt from Amos 5 I will never forget the first week of the pandemic. I sat down to talk with some of my neighbors (at a distance) about what was going on and one of them turned to me and said, “Well Aaron, you’re a pastor, what do you think? Is this the wrath of God?” At first, I thought he was joking but it became clear to me that he was not. He went on to say that he thought a pandemic was exactly what our world needed. He thought maybe it would stop all the needless consumption, busyness, and waste.Well, to be honest there have been moments in life when I have had a similar prayer, but Amos reminds us that a day of reckoning, or the wrath of God, is not something anyone should wish for. Amos says, “Why do you want the day of the Lord? It is darkness, not light.” For us Chrisitans, the day of the Lord is a confusing concept. We understand the Day of the Lord to be a day when Jesus returns and everything is made right, but the Old Testament understands the Day of the Lord as a time when the Isrelites were conquered by another nation, or a time of a great famine, or a time of horrible natural disaster. So which is it? Well it’s both. Even Jesus warns in Matthew 24 that the day of the Lord will come like the day that Noah entered the ark. The point is, God’s wrath (or the Day of the Lord) is not something anyone should wish for, but Christ can shine through times that might feel like God’s wrath. So how should one answer when asked if this is the wrath of God or The day of the Lord? Well Matthew 25:13 puts it best, “Keep awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Leave prophecy to the prophets. Instead focus your heart on Christ and on the hope that Christ brings. -Rev Aaron Baughman |