God said that light should shine out of the darkness. He is the same one who shone in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6, Common English Bible).

In a recent Wednesday Bible study, we focused on Jesus’ statement, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).  When we trust in Jesus, His light shines into our souls. When that happens, we receive a glimpse of God’s glory. When we look into the face of Jesus, we see God.

There is much food for thought in the above verse. We have to ask ourselves, “Do I experience the light of God as a disciple of Jesus? Does the glory of God shine forth from my life?” This reality is not for some but for all who believe in His name. Jesus is like the sun while we are like the moon. The moon has no light of its own. The light we see on the surface of the moon is light from the sun. The light of God that shines in us is the light of Jesus. That means we are reflecting the characteristics of Jesus. When others look at us, they should see Jesus. While our light is blurred compared to the light of Jesus, others should look at us and see something of Jesus. Do they?

Father, I pray that more and more of the light of Jesus will be reflected in my life. Even if my light is dim, I want others to be drawn to Jesus by my words and deeds. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me, for Jesus sake, Amen.

Last Sunday was the first Sunday in Advent. I am always excited when the Christmas Season begins. I love celebrating the birth of our Savior. 

A reminder that Wednesday Bible Study will resume on January 5th when we will begin a study on the person and work of the Holy Spirit.  I have two more sermon’s in the series on faith. On December 5th we will be looking at the relationship between faith and forgiveness. I have preached on this theme before but it bears repeating. Nothing undercuts faith more than an unforgiving spirit. On Dec. 12th the series will conclude with an examination of the relationship between faith and praying/living in Jesus’ name. 

On 12/19 I will do a repeat of a Christmas sermon. I will be doing a first-person sermon speaking for Simeon, an old man who saw the Christ child. 

FCW will enjoy a Christmas tea at Debra Barb’s home on Dec. 1st. 

FCM will enjoy their monthly breakfast on Dec. 7th at 8 AM. All men are invited. 

Our annual Christmas Eve service will involve another first-person repeat: A Shepherd’s Story. What was it like for those shepherds who saw the baby Jesus? 

Our Bowman annual Christmas Dinner at Lil Papa Joe’s will be on Monday, Dec. 13th. All members, visitors, and spouses are invited. It is our chance to say “thank you” to our wonderful congregation. 

The Christmas for Kids program ends on Dec. 5th. Bring children’s gifts to the church or give a check to Jackie. 

Our Christmas Fellowship dinner we be on Dec. 12th following our church service. 

The Main Street Music Hall annual Christmas show will be on Dec. 19th at 3 PM.  This is a wonderful family Christmas show with great music and lots of comedy. The deadline to sign up is 12/12. You can sign up by sending me an email. Presently we have 17 planning to attend. 

If you want to hear some beautiful Christmas music in German the Cole Camp German Choir Christmas program is on Dec. 5th at 7 PM at St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Cole Camp.  Tom and I both enjoy singing with the choir. There is lots of good food to enjoy following the program. 

FYI, our vaccination program is over. Katy Trail vaccinated 83 persons in our church. It was a privilege to provide this service to our community

Happy Advent season to all, 

Pastor Bowman

DAILY DEVOTION, November 29, 2021

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17}.

Paul makes a strange contrast. Of course, the Kingdom of God does not focus on what we eat and drink. Perhaps he means that some Christians give too much attention to food. Having struggled with my weight for years, maybe Paul is speaking to me!

Paul mentions three items that are central to the Kingdom of God. Righteousness, living a life in harmony with the will of God. Living a life characterized by morality. If we live a righteous life two things will follow—first, peace. There is no peace to be found in this life until we are living a righteous life. Disobedience to God never results in peace. What a blessing it is to feel at peace in your heart. Then comes joy. Internal joy comes to those who live a righteous life.

Finally, we are reminded that we cannot live as joyful citizens in the Kingdom of God without the help of the Holy Spirit. We receive the gift of the Holy Spirit when we trust in Jesus. As we live life trusting in the Holy Spirit to guide our way, we experience righteousness, joy, and peace. As Christians, we not only trust in Jesus to save us but we also trust in the Holy Spirit to guide us. If you are experiencing righteousness, joy, and peace, you have the assurance that the Holy Spirit is guiding you. If these attributes are absent in your life . . . what do you think that means?

Father, I thank You for the Gift of the Holy Spirit. Help me to seek His guidance daily. I want to see the fruit of the Spirit in abundance in my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

DAILT DEVOTION, Nov. 25, 2021

Ephesians 1:15-20: ¹⁵ Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, ¹⁶ do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: ¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, ¹⁸ the eyes of your understanding^[a] being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power ²⁰ which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places…

You might expect Paul to simply declare to the Ephesian Christians that they have arrived spiritually and all they need do is just maintain their present level of maturity. But he wants more for them. He wants them to realize the fullness of what they can become in Christ. What about you? Are you satisfied with your present level of Christian maturity, or do you long for more? Paul stretches the meaning of language to tell us what we can receive from Christ. 

First, he prays for the Ephesians and for us that we would possess “a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.” The Ephesians already possess the Holy Spirit who has already imparted to them wisdom and revelation of Him. Paul does not want them to possess something new but more of what they already have. Paul prays that the Ephesians will grow in wisdom, that they will understand more and more of what has been revealed to us in Christ.

We can never rest satisfied in our Christian maturity. Unless you are perfect, there is still room to grow. Paul prays that our spiritual eyes may be opened, that we may see clearly who we are in Christ. Is that your prayer for yourself?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Father, help me not to feel I have arrived in my Christian life. Help me never to think, “I have done enough.” Instead, open my eyes that I may see new ways to serve You. On this Thanksgiving Day, I thank You for saving me and nudging me to grow in wisdom. I want to know more of Your glory. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

DAILY DEVOTION, Nov. 24, 2021

Ephesians 1:15-20: ¹⁵ Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, ¹⁶ do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: ¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, ¹⁸ the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power ²⁰ which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places…

The above quote is lengthy, but it is all one sentence. Paul is delighted with the Ephesian Christians. They are strong in faith and mighty in love. Paul continually thanks God for these mature believers. If I were to try to summarize the nature of a mature church, I could do no better than to use Paul’s words. A mature church is filled with persons who possess a strong faith in Jesus Christ and express love to one another. The two thoughts are connected. If you have a strong faith in Jesus, realizing that He has redeemed you through His sacrifice at Calvary, you will overflow with love for other believers.  The reason for that is simple. God loved you and saved you through His Son when you were lost in sin. Those who have experienced the unmerited, undeserved love of God will extend that love to others. Mature Christians are long on love and short on criticism, judgment, gossip, jealousy, and pettiness as they relate to each other. I need to ask myself, “How am I doing in living up to this verse? More on these verses tomorrow.

Father, I want to be a Christian like the Ephesians. I want to have a strong and unquestioning faith in Jesus and a love for fellow believers. I do not need praise from men.  It is enough for me to know that You regard me as one of Your faithful servants. Amen