It was a cold Saturday, so breakfast was pushed back to 9:30AM with the ride following around 10:25 AM. I wanted to thank Nelson, Jo, Bryce, Sandy and Mike for driving in just to have breakfast with once more for this year. You all are the best!! Rick J, Carl, Robert, Ted, and myself went on the Berks county Blitz. It ended up being about 115 miles of riding. There were no get-offs, spills, or crashes; and only 1 U-turn. We saw a lot of farmland and some nice country but some riders weren't crazy about that short stretch of stone road. We encountered a large number of pick up trucks which seemed strange until we found out it was hunting season. The sun stayed behind the clouds most of the day, but we made the best of it. Road debris was present, but road temperatures played a larger part with traction than debris. In the end, it was a good ride and some good fun. Thanks all for coming and I look forward to seeing you soon! I will post up the winter lunch dates soon and ask for suggestions then. Take care all.
Scripture Readings for December 2010
Romans 13:11-1411 This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
12 The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.
13 Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy.
14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.
My pastor shared about this Scripture last Sunday for Advent, it was really good. So, I thought I would share it today. The initial question is: "How do you prepare for the coming of Christ?" both now for the Advent season and in the future. This Scripture gives us three commands:
1) Remove your dark deeds
2) Clothe yourself with the armor of right living
3) Clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus
#1 seemed pretty obvious to me and verse 13 talked about it, so I started with #2. This at first seemed strange but I realized that if you live right it protects you. There is nothing for which you can be blamed if you live an upright life. People can accuse you, but if you have done nothing wrong and are living right with God, your innocence protects you. #3 seems complex but not when you apply it to the season. We all know the Christmas carol, "Joy to the World". In the first verse one of the last lines says: "Let every heart prepare Him room". That is something we can take with us!
In verse 11, it says: "time is running out", there are two Greek words for time. The first is "chronos" which deals with minutes, hours, and seconds of time in order, ticking away. From the that word, comes "chronology" and "chronograph watch". The next Greek word for time is "Kairos" which speaks of "a fixed moment or a season of time, measured by memories." For example, Bryan Adams sung of his "Summer of '69", others have memories when they graduated High School and celebrated, A.K.A. Senior week. Others might recall the last Christmas with their grandparents, your first semester in college, etc. Well, "kairos" is the word for time in verse 11. In other words, your chance to experience God this Advent is running out, don't miss it! Be still and quiet, seek God out, wait for Him to speak to the stillness of your heart. God wants to have relationship with you. And, "let every heart prepare Him room". Thank so much all and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
