Category: Mike’s Monday Message

Christmas Presents and Christmas Presence “You fill me with joy in your presence.” Psalm 16:11 Dear friends, Christmas may be the time of the year when we most focus on presents and presence. The two words sound alike and have similar meanings from a theological viewpoint. With the birth of Jesus, God gave us the best of all…

Advent and Christmas: A time for giving and RECEIVING… “For I received from the Lord what I now pass on to you.” I Corinthians 11:23   Dear friends, We are now in the season of Advent when our thoughts are on giving… we give in many ways: our time, our talents and our material gifts.…

Advent Preparations  “Prepare the way for the Lord…” Matthew 3:3 Dear friends, Advent is a time of preparations… getting ready for the “main event,” Christmas… the birth of Jesus…God with us. Thanks to all who came Saturday to prepare the church in anticipation of our Hanging of the Greens service Sunday morning and thanks to…

Prayers of Thanksgiving “Let us come before him with thanksgiving…” Psalm 95:2 Dear friends, On Thursday, hopefully all of us will pause from our busy lives to offer a prayer of thanksgiving on this “official” day set aside for giving thanks. Know that I am thankful for each of you and offer prayers of thanksgiving…

The Church’s “BUSY” Season “There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven.”   Ecclesiastes 3:1 Dear Friends, I always get a little stressed when the first Sunday of Advent falls in November! That means that somehow on Thanksgiving weekend, we have to get the church decorated for the Hanging of…

Gathering at Old Wappetaw Cemetery Then I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write: blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. They will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” Revelation 14:13 Dear Friends, This Sunday, November 16, at 3:00 we will gather at Old Wappetaw Cemetery for…

November: A Month of Gratitude Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. Psalm 136:1 Dear Friends, While it is true that we offer thanksgiving to God all year, November is the month we “officially” reflect on all the things we have to be thankful for. This Sunday is stewardship dedication Sunday, a time…

God’s Faithfulness “The faithfulness of the Lord endures forever” Psalm 117:2 Dear Friends, This coming Sunday, November 2nd, we will have a service for All Saints and gather at the Lord’s table. All Saints is a time to remember those faithful saints who introduced us to the faith. Having a 35-year connection with New Wappetaw I…

Feeding the Flock “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat…” Matthew 25:35 Dear Friends, Today, on behalf of the nurture team, we mailed notes and Chick-fil-A cards to our college students. When I was in Seminary and we were on a budget, I remember our friends from Yeamans Park Presbyterian would send us ten dollars so…

Faith, Peace, and Gratitude “… He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” Isaiah 61:1 Dear Friends,   Today is a day of gratitude and celebration for the Israeli families of the hostages that have been released. It is also a…