August 2017
A Message from Tim A Waterfall of Forgiveness Once, Dawn and I went to Colorado to a small town named Ouray. Just outside Ouray is Box Canyon, a waterfall enclosed inside a rock chamber. As one descends to the base of the falls, the roar of the water is deafening. The water falling over thousands of years has smoothed the surface of the rock. After falling through the crevices, the water continues down the flow of the river, carrying everything in the water with it. Dawn and I went to the top of the falls for a different perspective. While watching, I noticed a twig floating towards the waterfall. One moment it was there, the next it had disappeared in the rapids of the current, plummeting through the chamber of rocks to the froth below. I looked down the river to see if I could locate the twig, but it had long since flowed downriver, impossible to find. Forever. "For Christ came into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him." (John 3:17) Two thousand years ago, a waterfall of forgiveness began to smooth the brokenness of creation. The sins of the world flowed toward the cross and then plummeted, sent downriver to where no one could find them. Even today, the waters of baptism continue to flow with the sins of the saved toward a waterfall of forgiveness, plunging . . . gone . . . forever. Believing in our forgiveness is difficult, for we know all too well the twigs and the leaves that float in our lives. However, to accept our forgiveness is testimony to the greatness of God, and reason to stop searching downriver remembering sins that God has forgotten long ago. How beautiful the saving act of Jesus was, and continues to be. May we say a prayer of thanksgiving as we watch our sins, our past, our life's twigs and leaves, float down the river toward the waterfall, ... the waterfall of the cross. The waterfall of forgiveness.
Connected Action Wednesday, August 30, is the church wide Fall Kickoff Event. Please mark on your calendar. Join the activities and discover what the church has to offer all ages with opportunities for learning, discipling, and fellowship. Sunday, November 12, is scheduled to be Commitment Sunday. Watch for more information concerning Stewardship in the weeks to come.