November 2008 message from Pastor Homan: Courage of convictions

Dear Members and Friends of Our Saviour's,

A few weeks ago I had a message which focused upon our need to trust the Lord during this time of uncertainty. Part of my message looked back upon the spiritual foundations that have been part of our heritage in this our United States of America. My favorite quote in that sermon was President James Garfield's words from 1877. His focus was upon the need to have a strong morality guiding our politics.

Since that time, one of our members brought to my attention a testament of faith of our first president, George
Washington. Take a moment to read these words written in 1752:

"O Most Glorious God, in Jesus Christ, my merciful and loving Father. I acknowledge and confess my guilt in the weak and imperfect performance of the duties of this day. I have called on Thee for pardon and forgiveness of my sins, but so coldly and carelessly that my prayers have become my sin, and they stand in need of pardon.

I have sinned against heaven and before Thee in thought, word, and deed. I have condemned Thy majesty and holy laws. I have likewise sinned by omitting what I ought to have done and committing what I ought not. I have rebelled against the light, despising Thy mercies and judgment, and broken my vows and promise. I have neglected the better things. My iniquities are multiplied and my sins are very great. I confess them, O Lord, with shame and sorrow, detestation and loathing and desire to be vile in my own eyes as I have rendered myself vile in Thine. I humbly beseech Thee to be merciful to me in the free pardon of my sins for the sake of Thy dear Son and only Savior Jesus Christ who came to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Thou gavest Thy Son to die for me."

—George Washington: from a 24-page authentic handwritten manuscript book dated April 21-23, 1752. William I. Johnson, George Washington, the Christian (New York: The Abingdon Press, New York and Cincinnati 1919), pp 24-35.

As we think about these words of President Washington, we can go back even further to the foundations of our faith. These foundations have helped to make our nation great. That greatness is often tested. We saw that on September 11, 2001, with an assault on our country. Will we be tested again? Perhaps. This is why we as individuals need to work together to grow in faith in our Lord Jesus and in service to our country.

As we near election day, we can serve by taking time to vote in the national and local election. So, on November 4, exercise your freedom to vote reflecting your courage of convictions. May we remember the words of our hymn, "God Bless our Native Land."

That is our prayer. May God bless us all as a country and as a people of God.

In Christ,

Pastor Brad Homan

October 2008 message from Pastor Homan: Trusting Thee, Lord Jesus

Dear Members and Friends of Our Saviour's,

Words such as "recession" and "depression" have been used recently to describe what could be coming in our economy, both in the U.S. and around the world. In talking to members at a recent evening worship service, many emotions were displayed, especially that of outrage at those who are responsible for leading us to where we are in our financial situation. Even President Bush addressed the nation about the need to act soon so that we don't continue down a treacherous path toward economic destruction. In these dangerous times, how about joining me in thinking in a different direction?

A few years ago I saw the movie October Sky. It is based upon the true story of Homer Hickman, a boy who grew up in Coalwood, a company-owned coal mining town in West Virginia. Everyone in the town seemed destined to work in the mines, and few residents seemed willing to fight that common fate. Homer, however, desired something different. Following the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik, Homer wanted to build rockets and become an astronaut. He fought an uphill battle. Who wanted to embrace an idea that went against the popular thinking of the town? Certainly not Homer's own father, the superintendent of the town's mine, who wanted to see Homer follow in his footsteps.

Homer eventually fought his way out of Coalwood, received his education from Virginia Tech, and became an engineer at NASA, training astronauts. He has since retired and works as a consultant to NASA.

As we continue down some challenging times, popular thinking might be dangerous. In fact, as Kevin Meyers has said, "The problem with popular thinking is that it doesn't require you to think at all." Unfortunately, many people try to live life the easy way. They don't want to do the hard work of thinking. It is easier to do what other people do and hope that they thought it out.

Let's challenge ourselves to think ourselves out of these difficult times and act upon the solid foundation of our faith. At our recent evening service, just over one hour before President Bush addressed our nation, we sang the hymn, "I am trusting Thee, Lord Jesus." Think of how we can continue to grow in trusting our Lord Jesus and we can go forward in confidence in these uncertain times.

Hope we think together this new time in our lives!

Pastor Brad Homan