June 5, 2026
Dear church family,
Last weekend, I had the privilege of officiating one wedding and attending another. At the wedding I officiated, I wore my smiley face tie, in which the words “Jesus Loves You” make up the circle around the smiley face. You’ve seen it many times on Sunday mornings over the last few years. A young woman, who I did not know, asked me about the tie and I informed her that I am a smiley face Jesus kind of guy. She gave me an odd look, but I like to think so, anyways.
This week, however, I am going to veer a bit away from the smiley faces and focus a bit on the wrath of God in my sermon. It will be the first of several weeks that will be drawn from the Letter to the Romans in the Bible. While I prefer to mostly focus on the lighter and more uplifting passages in the Bible – the smiley face parts – one must acknowledge there are plenty of times when the people mess up and God gets upset. To put it in theological terms, the people sin and then face the wrath of God. And when we talk about “the people,” we really mean you and me.
Much as we might wish it to be, life is not all smiley faces. We all know that. To acknowledge it is to start taking back control and working our way back to that bright yellow tie and the more happy parts of our faith and our lives. So… no happy face tie this weekend, but soon! (My next wedding is June 20 and I have just the tie picked out, already!)
However, all is not doom and gloom! This summer, starting this Sunday, Mary Ann is going to lead us in a couple of special and fun songs at the opening of the worship service that are very likely to bring a few good memories and invoke some smiles. You won’t want to miss it!
In other news….
- Sunday marks the start of the 9thmonth of Spark! We’ll be starting a new study on the book of Ephesians. If this ministry was a person, it would just be starting to pull himself up and stand along the side of the couch! I hope you will join me in continuing to pray for this ministry to blossom and grow.
- Don’t forget to please turn in your pledges to Penny. An email, a note or just a verbal comment are all welcome.
- I’m excited to share with you that your pastor (i.e., me) has just entered into a new training program. I will be working with a ministry coach on a regular basis, for one year, starting this month. While it is unlikely that I will be stronger than a locomotive or faster than a speeding bullet when the program is complete, I do hope to pick up some new tips and ideas. Thank you to the Session which has agreed to pay for this training, which is $1,500 for the year.
- Don’t forget that the last Saturday & Sunday in June will be the deacons’ cereal collection. On Saturday, June 27, they will be collecting at the Kroger at Long Lake & Livernois. And you can bring your cereal to church on the following day. I thank God for the efforts of our deacons and their many food ministries.
That’s it from here. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday!
Pastor Dan