Greetings Liberty family & friends
We would love for you to join us tomorrow for greetings and coffee in Café Liberty in the half hour prior to Worship @ 10:15 AM.
It’s delightful to see the way fun-loving fellowship enriches the lives of worshipers who share a common goal to be good news people in a bad news world. A phone conversation I had recently with a friend I’ve known for over 50 years reminded me of the long-term impact of seeds of kindness that are sown in a church body. How grateful we are for the way we see friends here reaching out to encourage and support others.
One of the rich treasures the Gospel brings to the hearts of people is the reality of God’s guidance.
A strong assurance of being in God’s will is the best kind of “intelligence” a human being could desire. It’s a fact vividly portrayed in the earliest song recorded in Israel’s journeys as well as in the New Testament. In that exuberant song that sent Miriam dancing with a tambourine, the songwriter said: “In Your lovingkindness, O LORD, you have led the people whom You have redeemed.” (Exodus 15:10)
In a similar way, Jesus equipped His followers for an astounding odyssey of obedience by assuring them of His guidance: “I am the door, if anyone enters by Me, he will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9)
Deepening that anchor of assurance, the Apostle Paul explained in Romans 8:14 that “sonship” as heirs of God’s gift of eternal life in Christ includes being “led by the Spirit of God”.
Clearly the gift of guidance from God is an abiding fact that He intended for us to count on every day.
When great crowds gathered on the hillsides of Galilee, drawn by deep yearnings to meet Jesus, they soon discovered that the miracle-working Messiah and Master Teacher was also the Good Shepherd who promised that His sheep will know His voice (John 10:27)
With multiple points of pressure in daily life, it’s natural at times to feel disoriented or despondent. In those moments where the path feels dimmed by disappointment or crowded by obstacles, it is so empowering to know that your Good Shepherd actively oversees your path. He never fails to guide us and provide for us. He is true to His Word.
God’s guidance is that “anchor” that “holds” us “within the veil” as the hymn “On Christ the Solid Rock” says. Even in the midst of a highly stressful season of struggle, we can count on our Good Shepherd to see exactly what predicament we are in and to securely deliver us, just as a human shepherd would reach for an endangered sheep and lift it high into safety.
It’s a natural human tendency at times to good stranded in the “paralysis of analysis”. What a relief it can be to take the Lord’s shepherding presence to heart and to step out by faith, knowing that His is an active, present-tense promise. He is indeed, now, in the present moment your Good Shepherd! His guidance is always available for the asking. That’s incredibly good news!
Looking ahead…
Join us for a Church Family Fun and Fellowship Night on Saturday, July 20th @ 5:00 PM
In these busy weeks of summer, we hope you can join us on July 20th to enjoy food, games, fellowship and more.
Membership Orientation Evening: Tuesday, July 23rd @ 6:45 PM
As part of our goal to make fellowship, serving and involvement easily accessible to all, we welcome all in worship and seek to build the Body of Christ as co-laborers for Christ in our community. In that light, we aim for membership to be a meaningful part of how we develop and deepen our sense of shared mission as a congregation. For anyone who would like to know more about membership, I invite you to a brief get-together here with refreshments in the Fellowship Hall on Tuesday, July 23rd @ 6:45 PM. Please RSVP for us on the New Members sign-up sheet on the Connections table.
Sunday, August 11th ~ Liberty Ladies Luncheon @ 11:45 AM
Saturday, August 17th LC Security Team Training Session @ 9:00 AM in the Fellowship Hall with Deputy Dan Simmons, Carroll County Sheriff’s Dept
Sunday, August 18th ~ Communion in Worship ~ 10:15 AM service
Sunday, September 8th ~ Annual Church Cookout ~ sign-up sheet on Connections Table
and Water Baptism during the 10:15 AM service
Here are the links to live-stream each Sunday ~
Thanks to each of you who link up with us and share our passion for the good news of Jesus to be shared freely, faithfully and boldly in our world.
View the service live online
- Directly from our Live page
- Facebook Live: facebook.com/LibertyWestminster
Listen to past services
- Podcast (audio) on our Past Services page
“It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And the light dwells with Him.”
(Daniel 2:22 NASB)
In His love,
Pastor Joe
Liberty Church
P.O. Box 295
Westminster MD 21158
Email: pastoralcare@libertychurchlive.com
Office: 410.857.4313
Pastor’s cell: 410.596.4096