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A Wonderful Witness - Mark 14:3-9 By Pastor Lee Hemen February 8, 2026 AM What kind of impact does our Christianity have on others? If we were suddenly taken, would those we come into contact daily miss us because of our witness? We believe that faith in Jesus changes people, correct? Yet, has our faith changed us to the point whereby we make any kind of spiritual impact on those around us? I am not talking about being a good worker, showing up on time, being kind or studious because even very ungodly people can do these things quite well. Do people actually see and hear Jesus in our attitude and our actions? Paul wrote that “Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.” (2 Corinthians 9:13 NIV) Would others say we are a wonderful witness for our Lord? There are some stories in the Bible that grab a hold of y...

Psalm 85 – Peace Pastor Lee Hemen December 8, 2024 In our world today, many feel we need peace more than during any time, yet this has been true since human history has begun. One of the names people like most for Jesus is Prince of Peace. However, what we think we need and what Jesus provides is often misunderstood by what we think we need. The Psalmist was concerned for his nation, Israel. There is an idea that this Psalm was written early after the Hebrews returned from Babylonian exile. Israel was able to return after God allowed them to come back to the Promised Land. The Bible recounts how after the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire the exiled Hebrews were permitted by the Persians to return to Judah. According to the biblical Book of Ezra, construction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem began. The Psalmist wanted his nation to be safe, secure, and at peace. READ: Psalm 85 I like Christmas. The decorations, the carols, and the joy that seems to surround the whole season. It’s like...

The Joy of a Father’s Heart By Pastor Lee Hemen December 12, 2021 I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart; I will enter His courts with praise! I will say this is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice for He has made me glad! The JOY of the Lord is my strength; it has to be especially now. This is both the happiest day and the saddest day of my life! But as you can see, I think I will focus on the happier part! Oh Lord, my Yahweh thank You for being the Lord You are. Thank You for my daughter, Miriam and of course Yoseph! A father knows this day will come but he never realizes just how fast it does come. Your daughter is one day playing with your beard, learning to walk, learning the Psalms and singing them sweetly around the house, and the next… she has growing into a fine young woman! Can it be that she is fourteen now? They grow up so fast! This last year she has learned to cook, sew, keep a household, and to manage affairs well like a good Jewish woman should. Just...

God Hears Us When We Call to Him! -- Psalm 86:1-13 By Pastor Lee Hemen April 26, 2020 I can remember my mother asking me, “Young man, did you hear what I said?” Of course no matter if I did or not the correct answer was always “yes”. Being distracted is the profession of teenage boys and unfocused believers. It is good to know therefore that God is never distracted and always hears us when we call to him. David, in this Psalm, was crying out to the Lord and if we just read what David says we might think that perhaps God had been distracted. The reason we would think this is because we often are distracted ourselves in how we talk with God, listen to him, and how we follow through with what he asks. David comes to the Lord asking that God hear him when he calls to him, let’s discover what this means… READ: Psalm 86:1-13 It is a curious thing but when we all of sudden need help we are often willing to humble ourselves in order to get a quick response thinking that we can perhaps fool God...

We Can Confidently Trust In the Lord! -- Psalm 25:1-14 By Pastor Lee Hemen April 19, 2020 There are certain poets that I like; most are those who tell stories. Robert Service was called “The Bard of the Yukon” because he wrote a lot of poems about the north like “The Cremation of Sam McGee” or “The Shooting of Dan McGrew”. I also like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow who wrote such poems as “The Landlord’s Tale, Paul Revere’s Ride” but of course one of my favorites is “There Was A Little Girl”: “There was a little girl, Who had a little curl, Right in the middle of her forehead. When she was good, She was very good indeed, But when she was bad she was horrid.” David from the Bible is also one of my favorite poets. He wrote many of the Psalms. One of my favorite Psalms is the one we will look at today. David boldly turned to the Lord for divine instruction and forgiveness from his sin. David knew he could because of God’s grace for Israel. This psalm is a meditation on the character of God th...

Unity among God’s people is precious! – Psalm 133:1-3 By Pastor Lee Hemen March 22, 2020 There is nothing better than seeing a family that loves one another. As I was at the local park last summer I watched as a young family came down to the park to play. It was precious to see them play, laugh, and just be a family. In a world where we are now being encouraged to distance ourselves socially because of COVID-19 and some because they can’t seem to live without their online social networking it is good to experience the unity among God’s people and just how precious it is. David as Israel’s king I am sure often felt cut off from being able to just be himself. Like our President who gets negative response no matter what he seems to do, David felt the isolation of his office as Israel’s king. Yet in the midst of his loneliness and isolation he knew that unity among God’s people is precious! Let see what David wrote… READ: Psalm 133:1-3 As we face the days ahead as a church with what is go...

Christ’s presence in his church! – Ephesians 3:14-21 By Pastor Lee Hemen March 1, 2020 There are things in this world that are hard to comprehend completely. The love we have for our children, the joy of seeing something beautiful in God’s creation, or the smells that linger in our minds that bring back memories: Aftershave, baking bread, the fresh smell of spring rain. We could explain them scientifically but that kind of lessens their impact. Their presence is enough to make us wonder. As believers we can become so comfortable with the presence of Jesus we begin to neglect what this means. It is easy to do. We no longer think about how our smart phones, TVs, computers, microwaves or other devices we enjoy work. So not giving a second thought to a loving savior who died for us seems to be almost normal. Paul did not suffer from such familiarity. He wrote the Ephesians about the wonder of Christ’s presence in his church, let’s see how… READ: Ephesians 3:14-21 Paul knew that because of ...

4th Sunday of Advent - The love of God fulfilled – Luke 2:1-20 By Pastor Lee Hemen December 22, 2019 There are certain dates in life that stand out. I remember my parents and grandparents talking about what they were doing when Pearl Harbor was bombed. I remember watching the first American go into space and when we landed on the moon. I also remember when terrorists flew passenger jets into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. On a happier note, I also remember the day I was married, when we brought our daughter home, and when my grandchildren were born. Is it any wonder then that as believers we should remember the birth of Jesus? On the fourth Sunday of Advent we pause as Christians remembering the day Jesus was born. Before we pass out presents, drink the hot cider, or eat the first candy canes of Christmas perhaps we would do well to stop and remember why there is Christmas. It’s the day the love of God was fulfilled! Let’s see how… READ: Luke 2:1-20 We disc...

Mercy! -- Matthew 9:9-13 By Pastor Lee Hemen September 1, 2019 When the great Puritan preacher Thomas Hooker (1586-1647) was on his deathbed, a friend tried to console him by saying, “Brother Hooker, you are going to receive your reward.” “No, no!” he breathed. “I go to receive mercy!” What is this mercy Hooker longed to receive? God’s mercy is found in every act of Jesus, his every kindness, and especially in the unmerited favor we find when we come to him as Savior and Lord. It is sacrificial in its very nature. We set aside ourselves, our desires, and our needs to give everything to another just as Jesus did when he willingly sacrificed himself for our sins. Here we find Matthew a tax collector who others felt did not deserve God’s favor finding it in the unlikely place. Matthew finds mercy. Let’s see how… READ: Matthew 9:9-13 In our pride we think we know it all or have all the answers but we do not. In fact we discover that… I. Mercy is found in submission! (Vv. 9) As Jesus went o...

Lepers gotta love ‘em! – Matthew 8:1-4 By Pastor Lee Hemen June 30, 2019 There are folks in our lives that are just tough to love. You know what I mean; those who have nothing good to say about anyone else, those who are constantly jealous over others and what they have or do, or those folks who constantly gripe about almost everyone and anything. Then there are those folks who just have to gain attention by constantly gripping over their latest ailment, sickness, or hypochondria. It can be difficult to be around such folks in life and they can become or be seen as the “lepers” of our day and age. In Jesus’ day there were skin ailments that were often seen as leprosy but actually were not, however, I believe that Jesus and his followers knew the difference between minor skin diseases and actual leprosy. After Jesus was finished speaking to the crowds he heads back down the hillside and meets up with a man who is a leper. How Jesus interacts with and has compassion on him displays for u...