Dear First Pres,
Last Thursday, as you were receiving the FPC Weekly in your inbox, I was on my way up to the Sequoia National Forest to spend a few days with the Vaccaro clan to celebrate my parents’ 60th wedding anniversary. We originally hoped for a large all-family gathering at their house, but as the pandemic persisted, that didn’t seem wise. So, a camping trip became our consolation prize. It was a smaller group than we originally intended, but it was wonderful. On Friday night, with generator power, we projected the video my brother made for their 50th anniversary on some propped up Costco tables. And, like most old family videos, it stirred up some emotion in me. Mostly it stirred gratitude - gratitude for my parents’ faithfulness to Christ, to each other, to their children and grandchildren, to their church, and to their community. God has used their faithfulness to make a lasting Kingdom impact on me and so many others.
Faithfulness matters. We would be lost if it weren’t for God’s faithfulness to His promises. Psalm 36:5 says, “Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.” Psalm 86:15 - “But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness.” God the Father’s faithfulness to fulfill His promise of salvation, Jesus’ faithfulness to give His life as a ransom, the Holy Spirit’s faithfulness to transform us in Christ is our only hope. God’s faithfulness really matters.
And so does yours. In what ways has Christ called you to be faithful? In your love of neighbor? In your work? In your marriage? In your financial stewardship? In your service? In your ministry? In your church? Proverbs 3:3 says, “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.”
During worship this last week, Allan Knepper encouraged us to hold on to Christ … to hold on like our lives depend on it. It was a wonderful exhortation. And the good news is that in Christ, God is holding on to us forever.
Beloved of God, may we be people, in Christ, who let love and faithfulness never leave us. Our faithfulness matters. God uses it to make a lasting Kingdom impact in our relationships, our city and world.
Blessings,
Jeremy
P.S. Don’t forget to consider a worship pod. Invite a few others to come and worship safely with you on Sunday mornings.
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