Five years ago, around this time of the year, I was scheduled for prostate removal surgery. It was finally postponed to the beginning of 2022 because doctors found blockages in my arteries which required immediate treatment. Today we are celebrating the 46th anniversary of our church; five years have gone by. I’m sure many things have happened; some of us have lost our loved ones. But certain things remain the same, such as the abiding presence of Jesus Our Lord. He is and will be with us. Another thing that remains constant is your love and faithfulness to the Church of Jesus Christ.

We live in a noisy world. C. S. Lewis calls it the Kingdom of Noise. By noise, I am not only talking about sound, but also about ideas that come from the outside world that swirl in our heads, telling us to be that and to do that. Once I spoke with a man who was dealing with a problem. Interestingly one of the complaints he made was not that he did not receive enough directions but rather he received too much advice from others, telling him what he must and must not do. So, to reduce and if need be, block noise, we must choose whom to speak to and listen to; we need not listen to everyone. In other words, we ought to be quiet: both from talking and hearing.

But there is something else we must do to reduce, and if need be, to block noise: We must be clear with our priorities. We should know what is important and unimportant, and act accordingly. And this is the path that I have discovered to being clear with our priorities: to live simply. Which means living less so we can have more with less. To live simply it is incumbent upon us to know what is and what is not important. I observe those who live simply seem to understand what is truly important. They have the right focus and are not easily swayed and distracted by the noise; they’re centered and grounded.Here is then my anniversary message: Let’s live simply and quietly.

Pastor Paul