Greetings, brothers and sisters in Christ and children of God,

Well, it seems that it is that time of year, and a special year with the Winter Olympics. Some of you might recall that the Olympics used to be every four years for both the winter and the summer, but now they alternate every two years. Still keeping the four-year gap, the summer Olympics will return in two years and the winter Olympics two years after that. For now, however, we are watching countries from all over the world converge on Milan, Italy, for the Winter Olympics of 2026.

Several events of the Winter Olympics are relays. There is Speed Skating, Bobsleigh, Luge, and Cross-country skiing, to name a few. The Luge became a relay sport in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Each nation sends four sleds: one for the women’s singles, one for men’s doubles, one for men’s singles, and one for women’s doubles. It is a team event that requires the occupants of the first sled to strike a pad at the end of their portion so the next sled can begin. It is like handing off a baton in a track relay. The team must work together so they may finish the race successfully.

The church is much like this, in that we are in a race for the mission of God and spreading the Gospel of Christ. We work as a team in spreading His love to everyone, and as we near the end of our portion of the race, we must “strike the pad” or “pass the baton”, so the next part of our team can begin.

Who is the next part of our team, and how can we pass on the baton? The next part of our team is our young people, and then after them are the children. We are to prepare them for the course and teach them what we have already been taught by those who have come before us and began to lead us. These would be the leaders and elders who were taught by those who went before them. It is an ever-going race until the Creator and Redeemer says the race is done.

Deuteronomy 6 tells us we are to impress the commands of God on our children. We are to talk about God’s commandments when we sit at home, when we walk along the road, and when we lie down, and when we get up. We are to write them on the doorframes of our houses (Deut 6:6-9). We are to teach our children to teach their children to teach their children about the Gospel of Christ. We must hand down to the generations so they can hand down to their generations all that Christ has taught us. The Great Commission calls us to teach them to obey everything that Jesus has commanded us (Matthew 28:20).

As team Christians, we must run the race to receive the prize of the Kingdom (1 Corinthians 9:24), we must run it with perseverance and fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2). However, when our race nears the end, and we have fought the good fight like Paul and have finished our portion of the race (2 Timothy 4:7), we need to hand the baton to the next generation whom we have trained to lead their next generation. Your race on earth will end, but the race is not finished for the Church until God says it is finished. So, we continue the mission for God through the next generations. We are not running the race for gold, but running the race to win a greater prize, which is life eternal with God. I encourage you to continue to run the race and hand the baton to the next leaders for the mission of God. 

Last week, the little lambs learned that “love” is more than a word that we say to one another; it is an action that we show one another. We read the story of the woman who had nothing but expensive perfume, which she poured on the feet of Jesus to show her love for him. It is that kind of giving that Jesus wants from us. His greatest act of love was dying for us. This week, we will be learning about the story of Nicodemus and being “born again”.

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. If, for whatever reason, I do not see you, may the Lord bless you with love, joy, and peace, and may He bless you with comfort, healing, and guidance when you are in need. 

God bless you

Your brother in Christ

Michael (aka Mr. Michael)

Children and Youth meet every Sunday upstairs in the fellowship hall. Children may arrive by 9:45, Youth stay in church for worship and come up after.