School is just around the corner.  Stores have aisles loaded with school supplies now.  They even have them labeled by grade and school along with the lists of supplies required by each.  

I’m not sure about younger generations, but for mine a new box of crayons symbolized the new school year.  If we could badger our parents into buying one of the big boxes of crayons, we began the year armed with confidence boosters in a box.  We could meet and conquer just about anything.  Now, all these years later, I’m thinking it might be a good idea for teachers to buy a deluxe box for themselves as well as their kids.

Even more important than crayons, though, pray for our schools, our students, their teachers, and the school staff.  Teachers have their hands full teaching all the academic skills and facts that are required.  Parents and the churches we attend with our children are primarily responsible for their spiritual training.  It is also primarily up to us parents to train them in the basic social skills that will smooth their way throughout life.   

Our music ministry committee must have decided that the congregational singing sounded pretty special because they didn’t have anyone sing a special music selection this Sunday.

Rev. Brown’s sermon was titled “A Church in Conflict” and was taken fromActs 3:1-10.  Acertain lame man had been brought to the Corinthian Gate, which was also called “Beautiful.”  He had been chosen by God to bring Him glory, and it may be that if we are going through health problems or other difficulties, that we, too, have been chosen to bear witness to our faith and bring glory to God.

Because he was lame, the man could not enter the temple.  He did ask Peter and John for alms, though.  Neither Peter nor John had money to give him, but Peter told him to look at them.  He knew they had something more important than money to give the lame man, and the rest of the world as well.

Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none, but…. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”  He took the man’s hand and lifted him up.  The bones in the man’s ankles and feet grew strong.  He leaped and walked into the temple with them, praising God.  The people in the temple were astonished when they saw that he was the man who had lain for years and years by the gate called Beautiful.

This miracle would soon lead to major conflict because Jesus changes people, and change makes people nervous.  Conflict rages within our own hearts, too.  What is the right thing to do and what is the right time to carry it out? We can look to Jesus whose mercy and grace can show us the way to salvation and to a powerful Christian life as well.