Message From Your Pastor

               Many of us begin this year with fear and trepidation.  Last year was disastrous for our economy.  Some of us lost jobs and for many more of us our jobs are uncertain.  Retirement savings have plummeted.  The housing market continues to tank.  The outlook for the future is unsettled.  Most of us have never lived in such uncertain economic times.  Perhaps we feel darkness has descended in our world or our lives.

                Amidst dark times such as these, the prophet Isaiah urges, “Arise, shine; for your light has come.”  Those who have placed their hope in the Lord are not overcome by the darkness.  God is faithful.  God continues to minister even amidst the difficult, confusing and depressing times.  The darkness of our economy will not shut out the light of God.

                During these unpredictable times, let us gain hope and courage from God’s presence.  Let those of us who have abundance be generous with those who are lacking.  Let us build one another up in the spirit of Christian love.  May we celebrate the gifts that we receive each day.

                As we begin the New Year please join us in worship on the northeast corner of the square.  We offer three unique services each Sunday morning.  Come and receive hope amidst a joyful community of faith.  May you know  “No matter where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here at Medina United Church of Christ!”  God’s love ministers to us all.

May you have a blessed New Year,

Neal R. Sadler, Senior Pastor

                Children often measure time by Christmas.  Christmas appears at the center of their calendars and everything else revolves around it.  “How many days before next Christmas?” they begin asking soon after Christmas Day is finished (and usually before the bills have been paid).  The Christmas season is the highlight of a child’s year.  They enjoy the decorations, the cookies, the carols, and (if we are honest) they enjoy the presents they receive most of all.  No other day, including their birthday, can match Christmas Day.

                Christmas should be a big day, though perhaps not for some of the reasons of our children. Someone once said, “Christmas is the day that holds all time together.”  Why? On the first Christmas Day, God became flesh and entered human history, revealing plainly the divine love for us.  In the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day, God’s gift of salvation was clearly revealed.  We received “good news of a great joy.”

                Despite the many secular traditions of Christmas that serve to draw us away from the real story of the Christmas season, I rejoice that Christmas is the biggest day of the year.  I rejoice that we look forward to Christmas with eagerness and anticipation.  I wish we adults had a little more of the enthusiasm that our children possess . . . enthusiasm not for presents but enthusiasm to receive and experience anew the wonderful awe-inspiring news of God’s coming.

                Please join us in worship on the northeast corner of the square during this Christmas season.  We offer three unique services each Sunday morning.  On Christmas Eve we worship in our beautiful, historic sanctuary.  At 6:00 p.m. we offer a Family Worship Service led by our Gathering Praise Band.  At 9:00 p.m. we offer a Traditional Service of Lessons and Carols with special music offered by our Chancel Choir.  Both services celebrate the birth of Jesus through familiar carols and candlelight.  I will tell an original story, “Old First Church,” at each service.

Many blessings for a joyous Christmas,

Neal R. Sadler, Senior Pastor

We live in difficult and uncertain economic times.  Retirement savings have plummeted, vital industries are threatened, job losses are soaring, and no one knows what lies ahead.  Economists, politicians and business leaders debate the effectiveness of government bailouts.  Most persons living today have never faced such a dire economic future.

Amidst this unsettledness, can we offer thanks in this season of Thanksgiving?  When jobs and savings are unpredictable. . .when we have to tighten household budgets and forego common expenditures. . .when some of us worry daily what the future may bring. . .is thanksgiving still possible?  Yes, it is!  It is possible if our thankfulness does not come from our material abundance but from our experience of a loving and merciful God.  It is possible if we look not at what we lack but at what we have received.

Our economy will be strong and our nation will be strong once again when we are a nation that becomes thankful.  Thankful people are generous people.  They work together to support those in need.  They strive together for the good of all.  When thankfulness replaces greed, we will discover the blessings of a God-centered economy.

I invite you to join us in worship each Sunday on the northeast corner of the Square at Liberty and Broadway.   Together may we discover the strength of Christian community and grow in God’s grace.  “No matter where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here!”  Come, experience the love of Christ in a joyful community of faith.

Blessings,

Neal R. Sadler, Senior Pastor

                Have you ever met a generous person you didn’t like?  Have you ever met a stingy person that you liked?  Not very often.  We enjoy being around generous persons.  We dread being around stingy persons.

                Generous persons always seem happier.  They rarely complain and generally seem quite content.  Even though they may not be wealthy, it seems that they are.  People who are able to give freely and graciously always seem to have so much more joy than those who give begrudgingly or not at all.

                Perhaps the simplest and most effective path to happiness lies in our attitude toward giving.  If we want more joy, try to be more generous.  Generosity does not mean simply that we give more money to others.  It involves a spirit where all that we have received is from God and is to be shared with all God’s people.  Life and life’s gifts are all meant to be shared with others.

Blessings,

Neal R. Sadler, Senior Pastor

                Vacations are over, school has begun, Labor Day Weekend has come and gone, and the busyness of fall activities is in full swing.  At this time of the year we look at our schedules and decide what we have time to pursue and what we have to forego.  The routines we begin in September often last until May, so we need to think deeply about our priorities and establish good habits now.

                Many of us here in Medina are deeply blessed with an abundance of opportunities, and we want to take advantage of as many as possible.  Our days fill up with activities for ourselves, our children and perhaps our grandchildren.   We plan each hour of each day with good things for us and our children to do and often there is simply not enough time to do all the things we desire.  What will we include?  What will we leave out?  The decisions we make reflect those things we truly value.

                As we make our decisions, do we consider the priorities of Scripture?  Where is God in the process?   As Christians, our worship of God, our growth in faith, and our service to others are important priorities.  Regular participation in worship and Church School is a must for healthy spiritual lives.                   

I invite you to join us in worship each Sunday on the Square at the corner of Liberty and Broadway.   Together may we discover the strength of Christian community and grow in God’s grace.  “No matter where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here!”  Come, experience the love of Christ in a joyful community of faith.

Blessings,

Neal R. Sadler, Senior Pastor

Strong Churches

                This summer I have been thinking about what makes a church strong.  I suggest four qualities for strong churches:

                Belief – Members know what the church stands for.  They understand and support the central message proclaimed by the church.  Doubters move from questioning to believing.

                Commitment – Members give generously of time, talent and treasure.  They give not out of coercion, but freely and generously.  They attend and serve not out of convenience, but because the worship and ministry of the church calls them to set priorities that honor God.

                Family – The bonds that join members together are precious because the love of God draws us together.  The relationships formed within the church become special.  We would never neglect or hurt our sisters and brothers in Christ.

                Servant hood – Jesus Christ changes our hearts.  We become different people.  We cease being consumers of the church’s services, and become servants of God and God’s people.  Our desires change from what we can receive to what we can give.

My prayer is that we at Medina United Church of Christ are striving to be a strong church.

I invite you to join us in worship each Sunday on the Square at the corner of Liberty and Broadway   Together may we know the strength of God’s grace.  “No matter where you are on life’s journey,  you are welcome here!”  Come, discover the love of Christ with a joyful community of faith.

Blessings,

Neal R. Sadler, Senior Pastor

The early chapters of the Book of Acts describe a church that is alive with the power of the Holy Spirit.  Sons and daughters prophesy, the young see visions and the old dream dreams.  They devote themselves to teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer.  They eat with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.  And the Scriptures say that day by day the Lord added to their number.

Perhaps no church since has experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in such a dramatic way as the earliest church in the days after the first Pentecost.  But God’s same Spirit is still alive today, touching and changing lives, binding us together in love, and sending us out into the world to do God’s work of caring for the very least among us.

At the United Church of Christ, Congregational in Medina, we strive to be a people filled with the Holy Spirit.  We seek to recapture the passion and love that embodied the early church.  We ask that God’s Spirit give us visions and dreams for reaching God’s people in this community and around the world so that the love of God may flourish and grow.

I invite you to join us each Sunday on the Square at the corner of Liberty and Broadway to discover the life-giving power of God’s Spirit .  “No matter where you are on life’s journey,  you are welcome here!”  Come, discover the love of Christ amidst a diverse and joyful community of faith.

Blessings,

Neal R. Sadler, Senior Pastor

The words that greeted the women at the tomb on that first Easter morning proclaimed a message of hope. Jesus, crucified on the cross on Friday, was alive. Death was not the end. God’s power had triumphed. The sadness and heartache of the women turned to great joy.

The Easter story tells us of new beginnings and new life. Nothing can defeat the power of God’s love. Amidst the despair, sorrow and confusion of life, God’s renewing grace gives us new life. The apostle Paul writes, “If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”

As I begin my ministry at the United Church of Christ, Congregational of Medina, I rejoice that we serve a God who comes to us in all the seasons of life, but especially during the times of despair and greatest need. God knows our deepest pain, and offers healing and hope through our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful. God provides. Let us give thanks to a God who cares.

I invite you to join us each Sunday at the corner of Liberty and Broadway to worship our risen Lord. “No matter where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here!” Come, discover the love of Christ amidst a diverse and joyful community of faith.

Blessings,

Neal R. Sadler, Senior Pastor