Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. (KJV)

The calendar says it’s a new year, 2021.  But in so many ways, not much has changed.  We are still limited on the places we can go and what we can do.  Masks are still required most places.  It will still be a while before things change drastically.  However, with several types of vaccines and an increase in positive tests, we are moving closer to herd immunity and, perhaps, some sense of normalcy.

Since March, most of us have wanted nothing more than to get back to “normal.”  March 8^th, 2020 was the last time the Summit congregation all worshipped together in one building.  Since then, I have longed to be back together in one place, to resume Bible classes, to have fellowship meals, picnics and retreats. 

What is it that you have missed?  What do you look forward to when the pandemic begins to subside?  As Peggy Noonan wrote in the Wall Street Journal last week, what is “the picture you kept in your head that helped you keep going, that captured what you missed and will have again?” What are you longing to be able to do?  Maybe it is singing in worship without masks.  Maybe it is warmly welcoming visitors back into our assemblies.  Do you long to spend more time serving the Church and the community?  Do you want to spend more time in evangelizing the community? Or do you long to spend time in fellowship with your brothers and sisters? 

Stay focused on what it is you have been missing and longing to be able to do.  Share your thoughts with your brothers and sisters.  Share your thoughts with the Elders.  As a popular song says, “there will be light after dark, someday when we aren’t 6 feet apart.”  I cannot wait to be together again.

The shepherds have chosen the theme of “Seek the Lord” for 2021. This theme is excellent because it stresses that being a Christian is not a passive enterprise; it requires actively seeking God and his will, which is difficult and, occasionally, discouraging. Nevertheless, seeking Yahweh is completely worthwhile. Jesus said that if we seek first his kingdom and righteousness, we do not have to be anxious of having our needs met (Matt 6:33). What does it mean to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness?

When I think of the word “kingdom,” I often imagine the physical domain over which a king rule. However, “kingdom,” here, is not only referencing the spatial domain of God’s authority. Rather, seeking the kingdom involves submitting to God’s authority in obedience to him. We are seeking for God to reign, not only in ourselves but in the hearts of others.

The “righteousness” that we are supposed to seek is inseparable from the kingdom. Earlier in this same sermon, Jesus said that we must have a righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees in order to enter the kingdom. Thus, seeking God’s kingdom is actively practicing righteousness as Jesus describes it in the Sermon on the Mount and as the Apostles describe it in their sermons and letters. In conclusion, we must make God’s kingdom and righteous living our top priority all while hoping for the day when Jesus consummates his kingdom that he inaugurated on the cross and in Acts 2.

What makes you happy?  Every year I take a trip with my son Victor to the beach.  We go to the Florida Gulf Coast.  Our specific destination is the Palmetto Inn and Suites in Panama City Beach.  It has become our favorite destination after visiting many places.  Panama City Beach or PCB has beautiful white sand beaches, and the emerald water is striking.  We always drive to the beach and it is a long drive.  We stop in Northern Alabama on the way down and see the NASA Rocket at the welcome center rest stop on I-65.  After about 9 hours of interstate, we hit US 331 South and drive 3 more hours south to the coast.  About an hour from our destination, we drive over a long bridge and we see open water for the first time and not long after that we reach the ocean.  It is breathtaking when we first see the ocean.  We are soon in our room on the beach with a balcony overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.  We go fishing, walk on the beach, swim in the ocean, play golf and drive go karts.  It is FUN and we are happy.

What makes us happy during our vacation at the beach?  To me it is being in the beauty of God’s creation and the time we spend together, focused on each other.  I leave you with Psalm 37:4-9 (ESV) and desire you to be truly happy.

⁴ Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.

⁶ He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

⁷ Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!

⁸ Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

⁹ For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

This week we prepared a room in anticipation for visitors in the New Year. The carpet was cleaned, the walls were painted, and a bed was brought in. As soon as our preparation was completed our first “visitor”, Ben Buchanan, arrived.

Similarly, to prepare for a great New Year, we need to do a “walk through inspection” of our current life. What must go? What must be repaired? And what must be brought in?

God cannot coexist with evil. In Psalm 5:4 we read: “For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you”. In fact, God’s “eyes are too pure to look on evil” and He “cannot tolerate wrong” (Hab.1:13 NIV).

Now, some of you might have ignored the discipline of the dreaded COVID 2020 year. You might have not altered your spiritual direction one iota. Like Jonah you might have stubbornly continued to walk away from God. If you are not willing to self-correct by implementing immediate self-discipline God might have something special for you.

Jonah 1:17 Now the LORD had PREPARED a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Friend, please do a “walk through inspection” now – avoid being like Jonah.

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.  Philippians 1:3-5

Paul is the most effective gospel preacher the world will ever see.  His labors did more to spread the good news of Jesus across the whole world than anyone in history.  Yet, he could not have done anything without the partnership of other believers.  He was supported by their prayers and by their financial contributions.  Christians supported Paul in preaching to people they would likely never meet on this side of heaven.

The Summit family partners with ministries across the world in the same way the Philippians partnered with Paul.  In this article, I’d like to tell you about one of those ministries, the Iglesia de Cristo in Telica, Nicaragua. 

The town of Telica sits in the shadow of an active volcano and has a population of 26,000.  The church in Telica works tirelessly to see that everyone knows about Jesus.  Led by the minister, Enrique Escobar, the church goes out to the surrounding neighborhoods and nearby towns every Saturday to teach door to door. In November, they hosted a Ladies Day for the community and other churches in the region that attracted more than 50 women.  In December, they held a weeklong campaign that brought 10 preachers from across Nicaragua to carry the gospel to the community.

This church is not letting the pandemic, government suppression, or the economic downturn deter them from faithfully telling the story of Jesus to everyone who will listen.  I am reminded of the difficulties that Paul faced as he carried the gospel across the world.  Our partnership with these faithful Christians feels a lot like that of the Philippians with Paul. 

Summit has been a good partner financially with this ministry.  We can do even better by faithfully praying for this ministry. 

To achieve our 2021 vision, to “Seek the Lord” – the Elders are providing the Summit family with “My Life in Him” by the Jenkins Institute. This is Mon-Fri daily devotional for the entire year (starts Monday 01/04/21).

The study is designed to help us hide our lives in Christ (Col.3:3; Gal.2:20) by storing up His Word in our hearts so that we might not sin against Him (Ps.119:11).

Every Devotional will give us an opportunity to determine where we need to decrease so that Christ may increase. That is, we will “seek the Lord” with our mind, place the resultant truth in our hearts so that the direction of our feet may be towards Him.

How closely is your life currently aligned to Christ?

· Cognitively: Are we experiencing Christ – not just learning about Him (1 John 1:3)? Have you studied God so that you can walk, talk, and think like Him (think of what an Elvis impersonator does to master his craft)?

· Productively: Are we walking righteously in the light or practicing sin (1 Jn.1:7; 3:7-10)?

· Repentantly: Are we walking in cleansing confession or accumulative filth (1 Jn.1:8-2:2)?

· Affectionately: Are we in love with God or the world (1 Jn.2:12-17)?

· Doctrinally: Do we believe Christ is the Son of God and therefore the only way or that there are many roads to Eternal Life (1 Jn.2:22; 4:1-3, 9-10)?

· Anticipatingly: Do we walk in righteousness, eagerly anticipating His 2nd coming or are we (because of current habitual sin) shrinking back in shame (1 Jn.2:28-3:2)?

· Relationally: Do we show our deep love through generous sacrificial love one to another or do we hate (1 Jn.2:9-11; 3:16-18; 4:7-21)?

· Faithfully: Do you know you are saved or is there an “idol” that habitually lures you away from God?

May God bless His church of Christ as we seek to proudly shine from His Summit.

Every now and again I need to pinch myself to know I am not dreaming. I am a blest soul living amongst some of the most faithful and generous people in all His Kingdom.

I can relate to Paul who said: “… your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything”
(1 Thessalonians 1:8 ESV).

As I walk through the Summit Building, I see evidence of your love. In the kitchen are bags packed with food. On the kitchen table are Christmas gifts for a Head Start classroom. In the office are gifts for someone else. In the refrigerator the Lord’s Supper has been prepared for those who would be attending.

Each one of these mentions has a special story. Let us take just the Lord’s Supper bread. It has been baked with love. Then individually placed inside a tiny little packet by a sister whose fine motor skill has been limited by arthritis. So much love! And this has been ongoing for several months!

Our community is aware of our faith, love, and generosity. This morning as I led the “Stress Management Workshop” for our Northern Kentucky Head Start I did not need to introduce myself. Your good works have gone out to everyone. Your thoughtfulness means so much to others. Thank you for being you – faithful & generous members of the churches of Christ.

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is that I get to spend much more time with my family. After this difficult year and its major transitions, the encouragement and support I receive from being with family is much needed. However, I know many of us have family members who are not Christians or who do not live a Christian lifestyle. How are we supposed to interact with these family members?

Before I approach different applications, I need to stress how the gospel should take precedence over our families. Most of the time, being a Christian will mean being a better family member.  We are supposed to obey and honor our parents (Eph 6:1–2), love and submit to our spouses (5:20–33), love our children and not provoke them to wrath (6:4). However, Jesus tells us that there will be times when our faith and our families conflict, in which case, we are supposed to remain loyal to God rather than man. In this respect, he said that he came to bring a sword, not peace, “For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matt 10:35–37; ESV).

Now, how are we supposed to share our faith with our family over the holidays? First, we should try to win them through our conduct. This is how Peter says wives should try to win over their pagan husbands to the gospel (1 Pet 3:1–2). Second, if you want to have a conversation about faith with a family member, try to approach them privately. There was probably a reason Nicodemus waited until night to talk to Jesus alone (John 3:1). In the right context, do not shy away from telling them the gospel truth. They may not be in God’s grace, according to Scripture, and we need to share that with them before it is too late.

But if thou will seek the Lord thy God, Thou shalt find Him!   Deut. 4:29

Summit’s theme for 2021 will be “Seeking the Lord.”  Coming out of a year like this year (2020) has been trying on all of us.  Our theme this year of Fixing our Eyes on Jesus was a great theme to get us through this pandemic.  It has been easy to get discouraged because we cannot worship as a body like we want, singing and small group Bible study, and lack of fellowship on a normal Sunday.  But let’s not lose focus on why we worship, to honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Let’s finish strong, let us not lose focus! Let’s fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.

1 Chron 28:9, David tells his son Solomon if you seek God, you will find Him.  What great advice from a father to his son.  What encouraging words are we leaving for our children?  Are you still studying the Bible and teaching your children? Are you setting examples of seeking and following the Lord?

2 Chron 31:21 tells us if we seek God with all of our heart, we will prosper.  With the pandemic I believe it has slowed down our ability to serve, but the last couple weeks have shown us that Summit still steps up to meet needs when they arise. We have a full pantry, and several families will have a good Christmas with toys and warm clothes thanks to your generosity.  In seeking God, we find that in giving we prosper.  It is more blessed to give than receive. Acts 20:35

Brothers and Sisters, Keeping our eyes on Jesus in 2020 has given us focus through a pandemic.  Let us use 2021 as a year to really seek God through His word and prayer. Let us seek His will in our lives and in our church.  Because I believe with all of my heart that:

 God is a rewarder of those who diligently “SEEK HIM.” Heb 11:6

Have a Merry Christmas and may the new year be blessed as we seek and serve the Lord together.