Faith

PASTOR’S CORNER, Rev. Jason Toombs, Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Liberal

The church celebrates the Conversion of St. Paul on the 25th of January.  Paul, originally Saul, was a persecutor of the Church which is founded upon Jesus. He was well versed in the Jewish understanding of God. He says, in his letter to the Philippians, “If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:4b-8a).

PASTOR’S CORNER, Rev. Jason Toombs, Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Liberal

The church celebrates the Confession of St. Peter on the 18th of January.  Peter made his bold confession, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” after Jesus asked, “But who do you say that I am?”  Peter, ever the student desiring to please his master, was the first one to speak, but I’m sure that all of the disciples were thinking along the same lines.

PASTOR’S CORNER, Rev. Jason Toombs, Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Liberal

Friday, the Church remembers the Cappadocian Fathers. “Who,” you might be asking. The Cappadocian Fathers are St. Basil the Great of Caesarea, St. Gregory of Nazianzus, and St. Gregory of Nyssa. These fathers of the faith, whose cities are difficult to pronounce for us, were churchly men who proclaimed the faith when the Church faced persecution within and without.

Emperor Constantine, who declared Christianity an allowed religion within the Roman Empire, called an assembly that met in Nicaea, or Nicea if you prefer, to discuss matters of the faith. This council met in 325 AD and issued the Nicene Creed as a way of proclaiming the true faith amid controversy. There was a presbyter, Arius, who proclaimed that Jesus was not coeternal with the Father.

PASTOR’S CORNER, Elizabeth Morgan, First Church of the Nazarene, Liberal

Job 8:7: "Although your former state was ordinary, your future will be extraordinary."

As we look to 2025 as a year to renew our goals, aspirations, and lives, let us look at these words in the book of Job.

This man went through losing his family, crops, animals, servants, and his own health, but yet he always looked toward God for renewal and deliverance. Even when the devil tried to turn him away from God, Job knew who he served.