March Leidy's Church March Ministries Highlights Lay Visitor: Pastor's 1st Debbie Caserta Newsletter Column 1 8th Beth Guntz March 2020 15th Miriam Weigner Pulpit Pastor’s Column 22nd Jeff & Debbie Schatz Schedule 3 There’s a verse in Hebrews 12 that’s always been frightening to 29th Jim & Pat Eakins me. It’s verse 15 which reads like this: See to it that no one comes short Pastor to Youth of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes Greeters: & Children 4 trouble, and by it many be defiled. 1st Jim & Genie Smedberg You might be wondering why that particular verse would be of concern 8th Ben & Evangeline Smith Mission Month 5 to me. To answer that question, let me tell you about an incident from my 15th Skip & Donna Smith family’s historical lore. It’s a funny and sad and yet instructive story. 22nd Jeremy & Justine Smith VBS 6 My paternal grandfather’s name was Gus Niederhaus. He was married 29th Thelma Spitzkopf to Flora Silke. She had a brother named Martin Silke, a man we called Uncle Women’s Mutt. The story as I heard it goes like this: Gus and Mutt were out rabbit Usher Captain Coordinator: Roger Jones Ministry 7 hunting. Gus had a favorite dog along to help scare up rabbits. The dog did his job, a rabbit jumped up and zig-zagged away. One of the men shot at it – but I never heard who did the shooting and what happened to the rabbit. What I heard Usher Captains: Jim Kinney, Ron Moyer Movie Nite 11 was how the dog turned and zipped lickety-split in a beeline for home as soon as the gun sounded. Ushers: Larry Cooper, Adam Foote, Dennis Doran, Corbin Hostelley, Rich Kapusta, Brandon Kehs, Consistory 14 After that incident my grandfather and Uncle Mutt didn’t speak to Matt McVaugh, Samuel Murphy, Brian Radcliff, Collin Radcliff, Rock Rau, Glen Tyson, Bill one another for over 20 years. Why? Because Uncle Mutt called the dog an Weigner, Tony Wilwert. SOB for being gun-shy. One must admit being gun shy is not an especially . .and much more! superior quality for a hunting dog! On top of that, technically speaking, The Emergency Committee for March is Ed Schmidt. Uncle Mutt only said what was true in the most basic practical sense! My grandfather, however, took offense that Uncle Mutt would call his dog such a scurrilous name. So Gus and Mutt didn’t speak to one another for over two decades. That’s called a root of bitterness. It is something my family can be prone to. That’s why Hebrews 12:15 is The Newsletter frightening to me. I don’t want to have such a root. I don’t want to be is published monthly by Immanuel Leidy's defiled by such a root, nor cause others to be defiled by it. Church That’s why I’m so glad for the reminder that all of us – even the most sanctified Christian as well as the most decadent pagan and all the folk Say Cheese…. in-between – are fallen, fallible, and finite. While Palm Sunday is a ways off, the preparation Let me remind you why each term listed is important. If you were necessary for one aspect of Palm Sunday is upon us. Each year giving testimony to the FBI about an incident you observed, your fallibility at Leidy’s Church we distribute Prayer Cards with our means that you might misunderstand what actually occurred. So your report children’s pictures and info on them. In order for us to do this, would not be entirely accurate. Your finiteness means that even if you could we need your help (and your pictures). Please submit a picture 273 W. Cherry Lane describe what you saw accurately, you might not have seen all that took place of your child to their Sunday School teacher or the church Souderton, PA 18964 th and, thus, your story would leave out some essential part of it. As a result, your office by March 15 and come on Palm Sunday as we distribute 215-723-8707 report would not be entirely accurate. Your fallenness means that even if you prayer cards. www.leidyschurch.org described with total accuracy what you saw, and that what you saw was the entirety of the picture, still your report might not be accurate because in your fallenness you decided deliberately to make it into a lie rather than the truth. I agree that isn’t a pretty picture of humanity. It is, though, an March 2020 Leidy’s Church Newsletter 16 (Continued on page 2) accurate picture of humanity. As such it is very helpful to each of us if understood and applied properly. To be understood and applied properly, we need to consider this with regard to ourselves The Second Helvetic Confession and others. This month we finish up chapter 13 of this Confession written by Henry Bullinger as a Perhaps the most consistent misapplication of this truth to ourselves involves making private devotional tract when he was expected to die from disease in 1561 . At the request of excuses. Because I’m fallen, fallible, and finite I cannot help what I do. It’s just part of who I am. It’s Frederick III, elector of the Palatinate, he revised it in 1566 as a public document. how I’m wired. We’ve all made that excuse lots of times. The popular maxim to follow your heart is Chapter 13: of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, of the Promises, and of the Spirit and Letter an example of this. No, don’t follow your heart, follow the Lord Jesus and His Word. As the Lord 4) Of the Spirit and the Letter. That same preaching of the gospel is also called by the apostle “the told Jeremiah, The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick. [Jer. 17:9] Or, as spirit” and the “ministry of the spirit” because by faith it becomes effectual and living in the ears, nay Jesus taught His disciples, For from within, out of the heart of men, proceeds the evil thoughts, more, in the hearts of believers through the illumination of the Holy Spirit. For the letter, which is opposed fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting, and wickedness, as well as deceit, to the spirit, signifies everything external, but especially the doctrine of the law which, without the spirit sensuality, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. [Mark 7:21-22] Whew! Jesus wasn’t pulling any and faith, works wrath and provokes sin in the minds of those who do not have a living faith. For this punches that time. reason the apostle calls it “the ministry of death.” In this connection the saying of the apostle is pertinent: How are we to understand properly our fallible finite fallenness? With humility. With “The letter kills, but the spirit gives life.” And false apostles preached a corrupted gospel, having combined repentance. Human beings are wonderful creatures. Each is made in the image of God. We can do it with the law, as if Christ could not save without the law. marvelous things. Hence, we need a healthy dose of humility, and remembering our fallible finite The Sects. Such were the Ebionites said to be, who were descended from Ebion the heretic, fallenness is helpful in that regard. It can be a comfort [not an excuse] when we fail, and a reminder and the Nazarites, who were formerly called Mineans. All these we condemn, while preaching the of what we’re made of in the midst of great success. pure gospel and teaching that believers are justified by the Spirit alone, and not by the law. A more My grandfather should have repented of his anger, been contrite about how he expressed it, detailed exposition of this matter will follow presently under the heading of justification. and sought immediate reconciliation with Uncle Mutt. How about you? How about me? Have we 5) The Teaching of the Gospel Is Not New, but Most Ancient Doctrine. And although the expressed ourselves in a bitter, angry way out of our fallible finite fallenness? teaching of the gospel, compared with the teaching of the Pharisees concerning the law, seemed to We also need to understand and apply this to others. We need to be tender-hearted towards be a new doctrine when first preached by Christ (which Jeremiah also prophesied concerning the others. We need to recognize they labor under the same limitations we do! They too are fallible, New Testament), yet actually it not only was and still is an old doctrine (even today it is called new finite, and fallen. Give them some slack. by the papists when compared with the teaching now received among them), but is the most ancient Here’s how the apostle Paul expresses it to the Ephesians: Be kind to one another, tender- of all in the world. For God predestinated from eternity to save the world through Christ, and he has hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. [Eph. 4:32] It’s pretty disclosed to the world through the gospel this his predestination and eternal counsel. Hence it is easy to be offended. It’s easy to hold on to the hurt and build up a grudge. This is especially the case evident that the religion and teaching of the gospel among all who ever were, are, and will be, is the when someone, in fact, has wronged us or misunderstood us or made fun of us or maligned us.