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As Silent Nights Go By Pastor Lee Hemen December 19, 2020 As silent nights go, it was nothing new; Only noted by a chosen few. The evening breeze blew soft that night, And stars twinkled in heavenly delight.      Shepherds watched their flocks in fields, Covered themselves from the cold to shield. While in a little town in a manger lay, A small baby boy tucked in soft brown hay. Near his crude crib his father knelt, His young mother in wonder felt; Her son so tiny chosen to be, The one who’d come to set captives free. Back in the fields angels sing, Hallelujahs to the Godly king! Born that day in the tiny town, A baby wears a heavenly crown. The shepherds rush to the manger scene, To tell the parents of what they’d seen. The mother wonders at what it meant, About her son that God has sent. How could it be that one so small, Born in a simple manger stall, Could be the savior of all mankind That even wise men would seek to find? And yet the carols we still sing, Of the baby...

God chooses! -- 1 Samuel 16:1-13 By Pastor Lee Hemen January 19, 2020 It can be disconcerting when things we are used to in our life change. Moving, going to a new school, marriage, divorce, a birth, and or a death can all have consequences that can throw us for a loop in life. Most of us do not have obsessive compulsive disorder and do not require everything remain the same and we can accept change but change can still bring about circumstances we do not like. Samuel was God’s chosen prophet and God had just gotten through telling Samuel that Saul, Israel’s mentally and spiritually unstable king, would not be king anymore. In fact God was now asking Samuel to announce to his nation, that mentally-ill king, and an unsuspecting family that God was choosing another king entirely! Needless to say he was not overjoyed at the prospect. In this case change could be life-threatening. In the process we discover God had chosen who would be his messenger and who would be the future king of Israe...

The visitors of Jesus – Matthew 2:1-12 By Pastor Lee Hemen January 6, 2019 A lot of folks were on the road, in the air, or taking trains and buses to go and be with family or friends during the holidays. Wherever they went they became visitors. Benjamin Franklin wrote in his Poor Richard’s Almanac that “Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.” Franklin was usually only enamored with his self and found the company of others, unless they were female, dreary. However, here we discover several wise visitors, a mad king, and a small child. It is interesting how all of these folks came together several thousand years ago and how we are talking about them in our day and age. These visitors of Jesus made an impact on his family; Mary probably pondered their visitation like she did over the other events that occurred around the birth of her baby boy Jesus. Let’s take a look at what the visitors of Jesus meant and how they affect our lives today… READ: Matthew 2:1-12 Some visitors ar...

The kingdom strikes back! - Ephesians 1:15-23 By Pastor Lee Hemen January 8, 2017 Kingdoms come and kingdoms go and the idea of colonialism is nothing new. We find it in the kingdoms of the Vikings, Celts, Saxons, Incas, Aztecs, Sioux, Shoshone, Egyptians, Zulus, Ethiopians, Romans, Greeks, Assyrians, Babylonians, Muslims, Russians, Mongols, Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Great Britain, and the United States. Any group of people, tribe, city state, or nation has always wanted to exert their influence on others whether they like it or not. It is part and parcel of our fallen human nature and Israel was no different. However, what all of these “kingdoms” forget is that the only kingdom that truly matters is the Kingdom of God. It has no boarders, boundaries, or political persuasion. It is founded in the very nature of God and those who are willing to enter into his kingdom become his children. And Paul’s message is one of where God’s kingdom has been established and citizenship brings about...

Micah 5 – The Ruler of Nations will come! By Pastor Lee Hemen November 6, 2016 In the early 1930’s financially strapped Germany was ripe for a charismatic and forceful ruler who seemed to know all the answers and understand the nation’s problems. This is how Hitler and his Brown Shirt movement rose to power; that and he used force, corruption and racism. Some think that America could be ready for such an ungodly ruler if we keep heading in the wrong direction socially, morally, and financially. Most people want leaders who will lead with integrity, devotion, and wisdom. Israel had not had very many leaders with these qualities. There is truth to the saying, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” It is part of a quotation by the historian and moralist Lord Acton (1834–1902). His actual quote was: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.” Of course this is not always the case and Micah’s words tell us of someone who would ...

Confess! – Micah 2 By Pastor Lee Hemen October 16, 2016 All of us have likely heard the truism, “Confession is good for the soul.” It’s an old Scottish proverb but there is a word missing. The proverb actually reads, “Open confession is good for the soul.” Perhaps it supports open and honest confession from one caught in their transgressions or it could come from Catholic guilt. I believe its roots come from Jesus who declared, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32 NIV) King David declared, “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin.” (Psalms 32:5 NIV) Micah teaches us that confession is good for the soul; not just for individuals but for nations and its leaders as well. The Hebrews had forsaken their God, their faith, and their own people for selfish gain. Micah wanted to restore them before ...

Foolish or wise! - Galatians 3:1-5 By Pastor Lee Hemen July 3, 2016 Did you know that at the beginning of the Revolutionary War less than 20% of the population was supportive of our being a free nation no longer ruled by a king? It sounded foolish to many who saw themselves as loyal monarchists and supportive of their king in England who could not have cared less for their security. Yet as those who saw this as a means to throw off the tyranny of a king were able to present their case and as the results of heavy taxation, suppression of free speech, and the confiscation of private property in the name of the king the populace began to see what it meant if they lost their inalienable rights to be free people. Was it foolish or wise? There are those today who would use their political office to suppress the free speech of its citizens; perhaps we need another revolution? Not necessarily a violent one but a political one. There were those who were foolishly returning to the tyranny ...

Hosanna! - Matthew 21:1-11 By Pastor Lee Hemen March 20, 2016 We all get excited about different things. For some it is sporting events where the crowd is worked up over the home team; for others it is rock concerts, musicals or plays while still others get excited about a newly released movie and campout overnight just to be the first in line to purchase a ticket. Whatever the reason we can get excited over different things. But what if you had heard that someone was coming to your town that had the ability to cure disease, raise the dead, walk on water, or turn that water into the finest wine? What if you had heard that this man could be the answer to all your prayers and the fulfillment of prophecy and thousands of years of longing? (And no it is not Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders!) What would your anticipation be like then? Jesus has reached the final days of his earthly ministry and everything from this point on builds to a final crescendo like the final movement of a sympho...

Luke 19:28-44 – Palm Sunday By Pastor Lee Hemen March 29, 2015 AM I was wondering what you thought about peace. You know what I mean, not the peace the world tries to aspire to because that is impossible. I am referring to the peace that passes all understanding that only comes from intimately knowing the ruler of peace. Perhaps you have realized peace does not come from people, places or things. Education, money, or power cannot give you the peace you need or seek. Only the one who died for you can give you peace when all else in life falters, fails, or falls apart. The absence of war, strife, or personal hurt is not the peace He gives. His peace comes by the sword of His truth that pierces the human soul right down to the spiritual bone marrow. The Jews of Jesus’ day were searching for a worldly peace, a solution to their national and personal problems. Just like much of the world today. They had not learned from their history that going to war, throwing out the oppressor, or strivin...