The Epistle

Letters & News from Bethany Presbyterian Church

748 NW 5th Street  Grants Pass, OR 97526

(541) 476-3684

 bethanypresbyterian@yahoo.com

 Volume 31, Number 5                                                                                                                                                May 2008

                               Dear Friends,

 

                              Our family just came back from a vacation in Mexico and we had a great time.  One of  

                              the things that caught our eyes were the unusual, like the Iguanas that sometimes perched

                              frozen like statues on the cement and grass surrounding the modern buildings of Cancun. 

                              These slow moving, ancient relics from the past seemed out of place with the up to date

                             décor of our lovely resort and the bustling traffic that sped past them, but there they were

                             in all their prehistoric glory. 

 

 

The thought occurred to me that in the world that God has made things are constantly in a state of change.  Our modern world sometimes bustles past us and we find ourselves running to catch up.  Then God surprises us by preserving something from the past to show us that there are things in life that remain constant and move by very slowly.  At times we may even feel like ancient relics from the past, the world leaving us hastily in the dust.  We stand still watching it go by, and we wonder what we can do to be relevant to modern society.  The rest of the world has changed, but our basic Christian message is still the same after centuries of progress.  Yet we believe there are some things from the past that are worth holding on to, in fact, are purposely preserved by God.  Not all things change.  To the contrary the scriptures tell us “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever.” (Hebrews 13:8)  There are no irrelevant relics from the past.  All things that God has created have their purpose, including those who question their own sense of worth.  If you can’t keep up with all that is changing about you, consider what God is preserving within you. Stand there in all your glory.  Proclaim what has been given to you.  Don’t expect everything to remain the same, because it will not.  God is also a God of change.  There are many references to the new things that God is doing.  But God will always remain the same.  That will never change.  The things that God chooses to preserve will be kept in your hearts, vibrant and alive and every once in awhile someone who is taking a moment to stop and listen or observe will notice and be amazed.

 

May God preserve in all of us the things that are holy and acceptable.

 

Peace,

Pastor Steve

steverparker@bethanypres.org