It is important to reflect on the subject of repentance, contrition and reconciliation. Lent, with its emphasis on the examination of the soul, flies in the face of the modern, secularist idea of radical individualism. In other words, the Church historically has agreed during this season to enter together into a time of self-examination, of confession of sin and repentance. It is difficult today to get someone to agree that there is anything to confess, or any reason to repent. Even among Christians, the human desire for "instant gratification" pushes off the need and desire to reflect on our past behaviors, to examine them in the light of God’s Word, to confess them and pledge amendment to Almighty God. The Greek term used in the New Testament which is translated "confession" is homologeuo literally meaning "to say the same words as". That is what confession is :what God calls sin, we acknowledge to be righteous. But contemporary secularism, that denies the possibility of damnable sin and refuses to acknowledge the existence of an absolute moral code, excuses sin as a mere psychological torment of an antiquated taboo.

Holy Scripture presents sin as far, far more serious. It offends a Holy God, breaks our fellowship with Him, and scandalizes His Name. Praise God we have forgiveness and deliverance from the burden of sin in Jesus Christ. This is our assurance-1John 1:8-2:2 says,

8. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
1. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
2. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

.1 My dear children, I write this to you . so that you will not sin. But if . anybody does sin, we have one who . speaks to the Father in our defense—. Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

.2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our . sins, and not only for ours but also . for the sins of the whole world.

Praise the Lord, Ash Wednesday leads to Good Friday. Good Friday yields to Easter morn!

Morality is relative if there is no universal standard of ethics. Consider the following: what is evil to one is good to another, and sometimes it’s the majority and at other times it’s simply the mightiest that make the rules, but the rules may change when the people who enforce them change; unless there an absolute standard of good and evil, morality is relative. Opinions are what we are then left with, and they are just that: opinions. Argumentum ad baculum (might makes right) will be the ultimate base in this world, unless one who is mightier than mankind exists that all must owe allegiance to. In order to have an absolute moral base, we need an absolute being to originate one; otherwise, ethical questions will receive people’s opinions, but no definite answer that all can and must recognize no matter what, once it is known. A metaphysical base must be laid before an ethical standard is constructed. In the same way, absolute knowledge must be based on an absolute being: our epistemological and ethical problems have arisen in the West largely to the abandonment of reliance upon its God.

When we look at the moral law of Israel in the Old Testament, we find that God predicated it upon Himself- He was Divinity, and He had delivered them (Ex. 20). When Israel looked to the Law, it reflected God’s character and will.

But not for Israel only. God is the Creator of all peoples, and thus all exist for His pleasure. What makes Him happy is the ethic for all people. We all owe our existence to God; He has an implicit right over us by the fact that He originated and sustains our very existence. No mere human tyrant or oligarchy could claim those rights.

So if you say there is absolute good and evil, and don’t believe in God’s existence, I must demand from you, "where is the absoluteness of your ethic derived from"? You can have survival of the fittest, environmental necessity, majority rule, the dictates of the mightiest, without an absolute lawgiver; but absolute right and wrong necessitates a Creator of all who has inherent rights over all, Whose will not only gives ground to their existence, but whose will is the context in which existence is to function.

Atheists may wish to object to all this by saying that a God can’t exist because of all the evil in the world. Let us then analyze this using the following:

1. If there is such a thing as evil, you are assuming there is such a thing as good.
2. If there is such a thing as good, you must affirm a moral law on the basis of which you differentiate between good and evil.
3. When a moral law is affirmed, there must be a lawgiver. This amounts to: a) no moral lawgiver = b) no moral law = c) there is no good = d) there is no evil.

And as previously noted, personal opinions are not universally binding or absolute, but relative.

So if you believe in God, things may be absolutely right or wrong; but, if God is not real, your opinion and everyone else’s amounts to just that.

The Necessity of Holiness to Please God. Hebrews says without holiness "no one shall see the Lord". (12:14) It is true that Jesus commands us to be perfect. (Matt.5:48) It is also true that you most likely have never met a perfect person, nor do you probably ever expect to be perfect yourself. Nevertheless, we still have those uncomfortable words of the Lord , "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect"!

Now, because of our dilemma in finding ourselves to be such numbskulls, and seeing the demands of Jesus we have invented some petty interesting and caraaazeey doctrines. Some Christians have said, "Well, when God looks at us, He doesn’t really see us anymore, He sees Jesus instead. And when there’s ever sin in our hearts, if God should happen to look at the wrong moment, He’ll see a smiling face of Jesus there, instead of seeing our sin. So God sees me as holy-even though I’m not! But…I really am…er, well, you know what I mean!" (I don’t happen to believe that God is that easily fooled, not even by Christians.)

Another stranger-than-truth doctrine is that blessed refuge of backsliders called "the carnal Christian." In this example of pretzel-logic, we are led to believe that any "believer" who isn’t really "walking with the Lord" at the present time, and is indulging in things of the world and the lusts of the flesh, can still be considered a "Christian" "but not a Christian of the 1^st class, no, a Christian of the 2^nd class… a carnal Christian." Here we have a case of the "believer" "who doesn’t believe. Oh, he still "believes" that God is God and that there is a heaven and hell, and so on (but don’t forget, the devil believes all these things too!-James 2:19) He knows all the right things to say to convince granny, the pastor, and his Christian friends that he’s still hanging in there. He even sort of believes it himself. Seems he’s got everybody fooled-everybody that is, except God! The bible is clear that "If we say we have fellowship with Him, and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth." (1John 1:6)

Today possibly the greatest insult to the Gospel has been the almost total neglect of the preaching of holiness for the Christian. Jesus doesn’t want to make believe that we’re holy, He wants to impart His holiness to us by the Holy Spirit. But because people are not being driven to the cross, convicted by His Law to repentance and real rebirth, then we have to spend hours in our seminaries trying to find suitable, complicated ways to explain away the obvious meanings of scripture.

To all this you might be saying, "But what about all those people getting saved by the efforts of good men and ministries out there? They’re not preaching the way you say they should, and they still have converts!" Well, the immediate answer to that question is, "The people are not getting saved because of their messages, they’re getting saved in spite of them." But unfortunately, many of the people who make "decisions for Christ" through large evangelistic crusades, do not even attend church regularly in the years that follow. (And as you probably well know, "attending church regularly" does not guarantee that one is a true believer.) But let’s take a closer look at what kind of "converts" today’s gospel usually produces.

Often we speak to someone we haven’t seen for some time and say, "I am alive and well"! Being spread out as we are in Virginia, there are few opportunities for us to get together as God’s people and we must rely upon various means of communication such as The Virginia & Maryland Reformed Episcopalian to keep up with "the news".

I am happy to tell you that quiet does not mean inactivity. Since our last Convocation, there has been some behind-the-scenes work being done. The Church Planting Committee has met in the Dean’s home and is actively investigating two areas as possible mission church targets…Smithfield and Bedford. Another meeting is scheduled before the next Convocation to report on our findings.

The Dean has been busy working on a schedule for our Pulpit Exchange Sundays. There are five months in the year that have five Sundays. These have been selected as Sundays to exchange pulpits in order that our people may have an opportunity to get acquainted with our pastors and they with the people in other parishes. The first of these will take place on Sunday, March 29^th.

The next Convocation will be held on Saturday May 10, 1998 at Cornerstone Church, Salem, VA. Rev. Michael Wilshire is the pastor there and has graciously invited us. May I ask you to mark your calendar and plan to come. It would be a great encouragement to our pastors to have more of our laity involved in these sessions. Will you please pray about your involvement and ask the Lord to guide you in the use of your time to the benefit of all our churches? Thank you.

I pray for each pastor and for those under his care. May God strengthen our hands as we serve Him together so that we may rejoice in the harvest He has promised to faithful laborers. Keep on keeping on!

PRAY: this newsletter may be used by the Lord to reach others inclined to believe.

PRAY: that another mission church be established in Virginia and Maryland.

PRAY: that our churches will increase by 20% this winter.

PRAY: for Jeff Beard, he is no longer involved with the RE Church. He is now with the Assembly of God Church.

PRAY: that a Mission Church be established in the Smithfield, and Bedford, area of Virginia.

Prayer Requests - Fax to me Bishop Daniel Cox (410)747-4380 or e-mail to Bishop George Fincke. On Line Fellowship an e-mail fellowship Wycliffe@earthlink.com

Christ’s Church Mission Meets at Newmarket Baptist 8309 Orcutt Ave. 23605 Hampton, VA Phone (757) 826-5293 The Rev. William T. Kump Home Phone (757 )244-7944

New Covenant Church 1350 Liggates Road Phone (804) 847-8313 / 528-2533 e-mail Inklings@lynchburg.net The Rev. Edward Y. Hopkins Home Phone (804) 846-2539

Prince of Peace Church 14100 Ridge Creek Road 23112 The Rev. Dr. Hans E. Josephsen Home Phone (804) 744-7500 e-mail hjosephsen@bellind.com

Covenant Church Roanoke 6429 Merrinam Road The Rev. Rodney Longmire Home Phone (540) 989-5458

Bishop Cummins Memorial R.E. Church 2001Fredrick Road Baltimore, MD Phone (410) 744-3383 The Rev. Paul C. Schenck

Emmanuel Church Reformed Episcopal 3517 Harford Road Baltimore, MD 21218 Phone (410) 893-7251 Fax (410) 893-7251 The Rev. Willian A. Jenkins Sr. Phone (410) 893-7251 e-mail jenkinsw@erols.com

Faith Church Reformed Episcopal 5071 E. Federal Street Baltimore, MD 21205 Phone (410) 893-7251 Fax (410) 893-7251 The Rev. Willian A. Jenkins Sr. Phone (410) 893-7251 e-mail jendinsw

Saint Stephen’s Reformed Episcopal Church 2275 Liberty Road Eldersburg, MD 21784 Phone (410)795-1249 Fax (410)281-1350 The Rev. Cody L. Godman Phone (410)795-9266

Grace Reformed Episcopal Church 560 Fountain Street Havre de Grace MD 21078 Phone (410) 939-2866 Fax (410) 393-2365 The Rev. Jeffrey Welch Phone(410) 939-3052

6429 Merrinam Road Roanoke Va. 24018 CH (MAJ) Rodney H. Longmire phone (540) 989-5458

New Covenant School 1350 Liggates Road Lynchburg, Va. 24502 Phone (804) 847-8313 e-mail NCShead@juno.com Headmaster Rev. Dr. R. Littlejohn

Eleanor Matthews 2420 Rockwell Avenue Baltimore, MD 21228 Phone (410) 788-4809 e-mail PreacherPaul@juno.com

9 Hilltop Place Catonsville, MD 21228-5510 Bishop Daniel G. Cox Mrs. Patricia Cox Mrs. Patty Levi Mrs. Carrie Rembert Mr. John Thayer Phone & Fax (410)747-4380

Rt. Rev Daniel G. Cox 9 Hilltop Place Catonsville, MD 21228-5510 Phone (410) 747-4380 Fax (410) 747-4380

Rt. Rev Leonard Riches 85 Smithstown Road Pipersville, Penn. Phone (215) 483-1196 Fax (215) 294-8009 e-mail Nicaea@aol.com

Rev. Dr. Hans Josephsen 14100 Ridge Creek Road Midothian, Va. 23112 Phone (804) 744-7500 e-mail hjosephsen@bellind.com

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Baptizing the infant children of believers (sometimes called "paedobaptism"), in the belief that this accords with God’s revealed will, has been the historic practice of most churches. However, the worldwide Baptist community, which includes distinguished Reformed thinkers, disputes this practice.

Baptists insist that membership in local congregations is only for those who have publicly professed a personal faith. The argument often includes the claim that Christ instituted baptism primarily as a public profession of faith, and that this profession is part of the definition of baptism, with the result that infant baptism is not really baptism at all. On this ground Baptist churches rebaptize persons baptized in infancy who have come to faith-from the Baptist standpoint they have never been baptized. Historic Reformed theology contests the view that only adult, believer’s baptism is true baptism, and it rejects the exclusion of believers’ children from the visible community of faith. These differences regarding the nature of the visible church form the background for all discussions of infant baptism.

The practice of infant baptism is neither prescribed nor forbidden in the New Testament, nor is it explicitly illustrated (though some argue that the New testament practice of household baptisms probably included infants and small children).Rather, the scriptural case for baptizing believers’ infants rests on the parallel between Old Testament circumcision and New Testament baptism as signs and seals of the covenant of grace ((Gen. 17:11; Rom. 4:11; Col. 2:11, 12) and on the claim that the principle of family solidarity in the covenant community (the church, as it is now called)was not affected by the transition from the "old" to the "new" form of God’s covenant brought about by the coming of Christ. Infant children of believers have the status of covenant children and therefore should be baptized, just as Jewish male infants had previously been circumcised. The Old Testament precedent requires it and there are no divine instructions explicitly revoking this principle.

Further evidence that the principle of family solidarity continues in the New Testament period is found in 1 Cor. 7:14, where Paul notes that even the children of but one Christian parent are relationally and covenantally "holy"(that is, set apart to God together with the one Christian parent). So the principle of parent-child solidarity still stands, as Peter also indicated in his Pentecost sermon (Acts 2:39). And if infants are deemed members of the visible covenant community with their parent, it is fitting to give them the sign of covenant status and of their place in the covenant community; in fact it would be unfitting for the church to withhold it. This fitness is demonstrated in that when circumcision was the sign of covenant status and community inclusion, God commanded it to be done(Gen. 17:9-14).

Against these arguments, Baptists allege that first, circumcision was primarily a sign of Jewish ethnic identity, so the parallel between it and Christian baptism is mistaken; second, that under the new covenant the requirement of personal faith before baptism is absolute; and third, that practices not explicitly recognized and approved in Scripture must not be brought into church life.

Certainly, all adult church members must profess faith personally before the church. Communions that baptize infants provide for this in confirmation or the equivalent. The Christian nurture of Baptist and paedobaptist children will be similar. They will be dedicated to God in infancy, either by baptism or by a rite of dedication; they will be brought up to live for the Lord and led to the point of publicly professing faith, in confirmation or baptism. After this they will enjoy full communicant status. The ongoing debate is not about nurture, but about God’s way of defining the church.

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VIRGINIA & MARYLAND REFORMED EPISCOPALIAN

1848 Wolfsnare Road

Virginia. Beach, Va. 23454-3541

E-Mail REChurch@AOL.COM

Phone (757) 491-7791

Fax. (757) 491-0245

2 eggs, will beaten . 2/3 cup sugar 2 ½ cups sifted pastry flour 4 teaspoons baking power ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup milk . ¼ lb. (1/2 cup) butter . ½ teaspoon vanilla

Beat eggs with sugar. Combine and sift dry ingredients, add them to eggs alternately with milk. Cream the butter until very soft with the vanilla, work into the cake batter last. Beat will. Bake in two 9-inch layer pans or one deep pan, in moderate oven for about 30 minutes. Cool. Put layers together with about ¾-inch layer of Boston Cream. Sprinkle top with confectioners’ sugar or top with whipped cream. If this cake is made in one large layer, cut in half and put the filling between the two halves.

By Beth Moynihan

ENCOURAGEMENTS WE HAD THIS MONTH -

We asked for prayer and this is how God answered:

Estelle - The change in Estelle is phenomenal! Within a week after contacting us, she had already shared the Gospel with her cousin, Jasmina, who is also a student here at Montpellier. The two of them meet weekly for Bible study with Bill and Claire, a Christian student from our church, and have been attending our Sunday worship services. We were concerned for their faith during the 2-week mid-semester break they spent with their families. They came back as enthusiastic in their new-found faith as ever! Estelle's mother, a psychologist, was amazed by the change in her daughter.

Our housing needs - Shortly after sending our last report, we learned of a house in Pérols, a small town just outside of Montpellier. It has much more space, it is on the bus line to the high schools the boys want to attend, and it is in our price range! We have made a reservation on the house and are applying for loans to buy it. Thank you for praying! If all goes well, we will be moving in June, near the end of the school year.

ACTIVITIES TO REPORT -

- Bill led two worship services in French and one in English here in Montpellier over the past month. He also made two visits to the group in Lyons and visited a church-planting effort in the southwestern mountain city of Rodez. Bill also took part in a meeting of the National Committee on Evangelism and a regional pastors' meeting.

- Diane taught the English-language Bible study group, participated in regular meetings of the Evangelical Reformed Ministries Commission, the editorial board of NUANCE, and the Board of Directors of the Reformed Seminary at Aix en Provence. She was also a member of the committee which interviewed a potential professor for the seminary.

REASONS TO PRAISE GOD! -

- For Estelle and Jasmina!

- For the house we will be moving to in June!

- That the city of Montpellier is letting us use the center-city 400-seat theater without charge for the AGAPE drama ministry on April 4! The usual rental price is 4000 F (about $650.).

- Our son, Daniel, has met the qualifications as an instructor pilot for gliders at the Air Force Academy! He starts teaching other cadets beginning in March.

SPECIFIC PRAYER REQUESTS -

- Continue to pray for Estelle and Jasmina's growth in faith.

- Continue to pray for the young woman dating the Muslim.

- An English-speaking woman with no real connections to Christianity has asked Diane "if it would be possible" to start a Bible study for people like her! She has even offered to make the contacts to see if there are others who would be interested. DO PRAY THAT DIANE CAN FOLLOW UP THIS CONTACT IN THE WISEST WAY!!

- That we can maintain so many widely (wildly?) diverse responsibilities and opportunities with calmness, organization, and enthusiasm.

AND, PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR THESE UPCOMING EVENTS -

April 4 - The AGAPE theatrical presentation at Montpellier.

April 18 - The National Workshop on Evangelism in Nimes, organized by the Partners for the Gospel Network.

May 8 - 13 - Bill and French pastor Bernard Graessel will lead the Evangelism Explosion Clinic in a town east of Marseilles.

June 10 - July 12 - Our church's outreach during the World Cup Soccer Tournament games that will be held in Montpellier. Pray for evangelical churches in the 10 different cities all around France where games will be held.

ENGLISH-LANGUAGE WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDY --

Some exciting things have been happening over the past couple of months in the English-language women's Bible study. By word of mouth (and the Holy Spirit's working!), several new women have started coming -- Catholics, Protestants and some unchurched. And, they come with their questions. We usually do an in-depth inductive study on a passage so each one can discover for herself the riches of God's message. Early in February those attending asked if we could have a question-and-answer session. I felt almost like Philip with the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 when one of the women asked, "What does Jesus dying have to do with us being saved?"!

We meet every other Thursday morning. So, on Wednesday evenings, could you pray regularly for this outreach -- for God's guidance for me as I teach and for His work in the hearts and minds of each woman that comes? Thank you.

In the first chapter of his Gospel, Mark takes us to the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized by John. As He came up out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove and rested upon Him, while the voice of the Father resounded with heaven's approval saying, "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased."

Leaving the waters of baptism, Jesus moves out into the highways and byways of life to begin His PUBLIC MIMSTRY. And so, our heart's first true vision of Jesus Christ is seeing Him as the Savior, the One who was coming to heal the broken hearted and deliver those in bondage. It is when this relationship of pardon and healing is established that He then becomes our EXAMPLE...our PATTERN for life.

The Bible tells us that Christ left us an EXAMPLE, that we should FOLLOW in His steps. However...He is more than an example, for He not only reveals the PATTERN for our lives, He also provides the POWER by which we may see reproduced in our lives the qualities of Christ-likeness.

But...we must first understand that we can only enter the LIFE of Jesus Christ by way of His DEATH. His death is the gateway to eternal life. It is also the gateway to all that He has purposed for us in this life as a foretaste of heaven. John calls it the abundant life. Once you have come to know Jesus Christ as personal Savior, He then becomes your EXAMPLE. And, all that He is in the revelation of Himself in the Gospels, marks His intention for His people. He wills that we should BE LIKE HIM!

We are accustomed to think of Jesus as one in public ministry... the MAN of the market place...the TEACHER ...the HEALER. But - the greatest part of Jesus' life was not lived in those places where we have grown most familiar with Him. Instead...the major part of His life was lived in quiet seclusion, where the majority of men and women will always live. And yet, how little we know about that period of His life.

Coming to the New Testament, we find the story of His birth...and then, we lose sight of Him for the next 12 years. Then we see Him going out to His Jewish confirmation, becoming a son of the law in that Jewish congregation. But then, we lose sight of Him again for another 18 years before His public ministry. And then just three short years of miracles, preaching, love, tears and suffering...a rugged cross upon a ragged hill and He is gone!

WHAT ABOUT THOSE 18 YEARS before His public ministry? What was He doing? I believe there are two verses that reveal what Jesus was doing from the time He was 12 until He was 30 years of age.

The first is found in Mark 1:1 l. It contains the testimony of the Father at the time of Jesus' baptism..."Thou art my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased."

The second is found in Mark 63, when He returned to His home town and began to teach and preach. The people who knew Him said, "Is not this the carpenter?"

I suggest to you that these two verses supply the story of those HIDDIN 18 YEARS. These two passages tell us that...JESUS WAS A CARPEN'I'ER PLEASING GOD! ! Wait a minute, you say, "Is it fair to put them together like that?" I believe so. Let's examine them closer.

It had nothing to do with His ministry, for that was yet to come. It was a reference to His PAST. So, whatever we know about the HIDDEN YEARS of Jesus, this one thing we do know...HE PLEASED THE FATHER.

Jesus grew up in the town of Nazareth...a land of hamlet on a hillside of about 3,000 people. The Bible says, "He went to the Synogogue as was His custom on the Sabbath Day, and read to them out of the book!" What a delightful picture of Him. Just a boy of 12 ...reading to the Rabbis...asking questions and answering theirs.

Some 18 years later, we read a similar account. At the early part of His public ministry, after the temptation in the wilderness, we find Him going down to Nazareth, the place where He grew up. Again, He goes to the Synogogue on the Sabbath Day as was His custom, and after assembling the people together, He reads to them and speaks to them again. The Jews turn one another and ask, "WHENCE HATH THIS MAN THESE THINGS? IS NOT THIS THE CARPENTOR?" In other words, "We know this man. We have watched him day after day, month after month, bending over the bench with the tools of his trade. We know him perfectly well...he is the carpenter! WHERE DID HE GET SUCH WISDOM? HOW CAN HE KNOW THESE THINGS?"

Notice what these people said about him. Some have made the mistake of saying, "He was the SON of a carpenter." But, these men light up the past 18 years without a question they said, "Is not THIS the carpenter?"

We now have TWO FACTS concerning this period in Jesus' life: the testimony of neighbors who knew him best, having lived with him... theirs was a HUMAN DECI.ARATION... "Is not this the carpenter?" And - the testimony of God the Father, by a DIVINE DECLARATION...'Thou art my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased."

Curiosity demands we go further and examine these two facts as revealed in the scriptures.

FIRST: THE HUMAN PRONOUCON'T...IN THE LIGHT OF THE DIVINE.

I do not want to depreciate in any way this word "carpenter." If any of you paint pictures, I'm sure you have been annoyed at times by the way people have framed them. By the same token, we sometimes frame pictures that are found in God's Word so that we fail to see the picture for the frame.

I want to make sure we see the picture here and not the frame. "Is not THIS the carpenter?" It tells us that for the greater part of his life, Jesus worked with his hands for his living. It brings the Son of God very close to every working person. JESUS WORKED FOR A LIVING!

I am reminded of a bumper sticker that was quite popular just a few years ago...I FIGHT POVERTY, I WORK!

You see, beyond the frame of his public ministry, his teaching, his healing, his miracles, he had been for the greater part of his life a CARPEN'TER!

But now, let's turn the coin over and view his humanity in the light of the DIVINE! God had said, "I am well pleased." I believe the Father was pleased with Jesus in every area of his life. In all that he did, He pleased the Father...even in the CARPENTER'S SHOP! Frankly, I don't believe he ever turned out a shoddy piece of work. When he fashioned an ox's yoke, a table or chair, I believe it was a work of art. It makes me stop to ask, "How often do we give less than our BEST EFFORT to something?

If you are a Christian carpenter, you should be better than a non-Christian one. If you are a Christian nurse, you should have a deeper sense of compassion and concern. If you are a Christian wife and mother, or a Christian husband and father...there ought to be a deeper sense of commitment that motivates you. In every area of life, we as Christians should never be satisfied with offering our Lord anything but our VERY BEST.

There is one other truth in these two passages that we cannot escape. During those years, as he worked in the shop day after day, carving, fitting, fashioning at his bench, there lay before Him the call of His ministry, the passion of His cross and His victory over sin and death and hell. How could he be content? How could he contain himself? How could he hold back and go to that shop day after day knowing what was before him? I think the answer comes to us from the words of a beautiful hymn:

"I worship thee, sweet will of . God, And all thy ways adore! . And, every day I live, I seem . To love thee more and more."

There are two lessons for us in this passage:

FIRST - no matter what you do in life, no matter how insignificant it may seem to you at the time, do it the very best you know how...you doing it for the Lord. Live worthy and walk worthy of your identity as a Christian.

SEOONDLY - In everything you undertake in life, make certain you are seeking God's will. Don't think you can master the ship on the rough seas of life all by yourself. YOU WIIL SINK!

Follow the example Jesus left for us. Then you too will have the Father's approval. "Thou art my beloved... in whom I am well pleased.."

+++++++++++++++++++ BY THE DEAN, DR. HANS E. JOSEPHSEN

VA, & MD, Reformed Episcopalian 1848 Wolfsnare Road Virginia Beach, Va. 23454-3541 e-mail REChurch@aol.com Fax 757-491-0245

Whether you want to praise us, complain, or just let us know what’s on your mind, we’d love to hear from you. Donations of any amount will be appreciated.

1848 Wolfsnare Road Virginia Beach, Va. 23454-3541

or e-mail us at REChurch@AOL.COM Fax 757-491-0245 or call James at 757-491-7791

Persecution of Christians around the world of the worst sort: slavery, starvation, murder, looting, burning, torture. Call your Congressman and Senators today. We want sanctions placed on countries that allow this.

If you have anything that you can donate to a church in need, we will post it here. If any Church needs something list it here.

OVERHEAD PROJECTOR - 3M Model 589 portable projector with heavy duty hard carrying case. New condition. First $75 takes it.

Call Hans Josephsen evenings at 804-744-7500.