Hope this finds you all well. Thank you for being you, and for being a part of our family here at HBIC. It is my prayer that you continue to be a blessing to the world around you as you live, work, and serve to help make our Father’s kingdom come.
So one of the most formative books in my faith was A.W. Tozer’s Knowledge of the Holy. One of my favorite parts of this book is when Tozer sums up humans as the sum of our parts, and our character as the sum of our traits. By this Tozer meant that our traits and qualities are not constant; we can see this as we look at the wide spectrum of people in general, or even within our own selves.
God, on the other hand, is not like us. God is God. God is not made or created. God’s substance is indivisible. God has no parts. As Tozer further points out, “All of God does all that God does; He does not divide Himself to perform a work, but works in the total unity of His being.” So God’s attributes are not parts of who God is; they are simply who God is. God is not part love, part mercy, part grace, and part compassion. God is all love, all mercy, all grace, all compassion and more…all at the same time.
It is important to remember this, as we study the Old Testament. We must no longer see a God of the Old Testament and a God of the New Testament. We worship one God. God has no parts. All of God does, all that God does. The God who loved David is the same God who loves you. The God who was simply being God by loving David is the same God who is just being God when loving you.
This past Sunday, we continued our After God’s Own Heart: Lessons from the Life of David series. In the story of David finally bringing the Ark to Jerusalem, we learned that God is always worthy of our worship. God is worthy of worship because God gifts grace to those who do not follow Him and His ways. Followers of God can honor God by being obedient. God honors His people by making it possible for all people to have a place in the kingdom.
This Sunday, I am very excited for Pastor Lynda to bring the message, as we continue our walk with David. We will journey with David to Ziklag. David was “a man after God’s own heart”, but he also spent time in the wilderness, seemingly following his own way rather than following God’s leadership. Though he experienced loss, he also experienced God’s grace there. To help prepare for this week’s service together, please take time to read and pray through 1 Samuel 27-28:2, 29-30. In reading, I pray you can think of times God has guided you back to Him. We hope also to see you on Sunday as we learn how David’s journey to Ziklag can help us grow in our journeys of trusting God and following Him.
On Sunday during our services this week, we will be participating in Communion together. Communion is a holy practice began by Jesus. It invites us to first examine our hearts and to seek reconciliation with God and with our sisters and brothers. It reminds us of the work Christ has done in freely giving His body and blood for us. And it calls us to celebrate that the blood shed on Calvary’s tree is greater than the blood that flows in our veins, for Christ died and rose again so that we could be family with God and members of one another.
In our practice of communion here at HBIC, we rotate between serving in the seats, up front, and partaking in a large circle around the sanctuary. This week, communion will be in the circle. We will welcome our school-aged children back into to sanctuary to participate. I love celebrating communion this way because of the physical reminder that we have faith together, we walk this road together, and we are children of God and family with God…together.
This past Sunday night, we celebrated our church’s diversity and multiculturalism through our Mosaics Meal. I want to thank the Mosaics Committee for hosting such a wonderful event. I also want to thank all of our volunteers who worked so lovingly to ensure we had a wonderful night. This isn’t the only way we celebrate our diversity and multiculturalism, but it certainly is the most delicious. Thank you to everyone who participated!! Your presence and conversation, your meal and your hearts, your joy and your food, all made the night great.
I am very grateful for our community of faith that God continues to build and strengthen here at HBIC. The Spirit is at work in us and among us. So, thank you for letting God live and move in you to help us be a faithful light to our city and in our region.
God bless and take care.
In Christ,
Pastor Hank (Psalm 23)
P: (717) 561-2170, ext. 104
E: pastorhank@harrisburgbic.org