January 2, 2021

Hello Calvary Family.

January is finally here and 2020 is in our rearview mirror. Praise the Lord. You and I are not sure what 2021 will bring but we know our Lord remains in control. We can count on him to sustain us. Before we move forward I want to write a few words about 2020 and our church and church family.

First of all, thank you for who you are as church. I am grateful on an almost daily basis for your work of faith, labor of love and steadfastness of hope in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 1:3).  Recent times have been hard… very hard. Thank you for not wavering and for standing fast. It says a lot about your relationship with the Lord and the work that He is doing in and through you. Thank you

Secondly, thank you for praying. We’ve hosted over 90 virtual prayer meetings (Not including the prayer times our Mission’s Team holds weekly) and many of you have been on almost every one of. If this pandemic has done nothing else it has taught us the importance of praying and praying together. By God’s grace our online times of prayer have become something that is incredibly powerful and something that has drawn us together in an amazing way. We’ve seen so many miraculous answers to our prayer from our prayer meetings.  Two examples immediately come to mind.  God’s healing of our own Linda Rosario from a severe case of Covid 19 with a prolonged hospital stay, as well as His healing of Gabby, a young lady who has attended our Night to Shines.

Thirdly, thank you for being generous. Because of your generosity and the hard work of the Pantry Ministry we have been able to provide food for many, many people in our community.  In addition, at the height of the pandemic, through a partnership with Basil Cucina, we were able to provide meals for over 350 healthcare workers on their jobs during a five week period.  Even beyond that we were able to transform the garage, henceforth known as “God’s Garage” into a great useable space for meetings and ministry. And then we out did ourselves.  To God be the glory, we provided 1374 Operation Christmas Child Shoe Boxes of Love, which provided 1374 gospel opportunities around the world. Children and their families will come to know Jesus Christ as a result of Calvary’s efforts in this endeavor. Thank you!

Fourthly, thank you for participating and co-operating. You have shown up to everything:  online church, in-person church, outdoor church in the ballpark and everything in between including prayer meetings online and in-person and NYIBS. We have functioned about as well as we possibly can under the circumstances and made the best of a very difficult situation (a special shout out also to our Media Team for their labors here). Thank you.

I can’t end this letter without stopping to remember the very special people we have lost in our fellowship over the last nine months. They will be deeply missed.

We lost Brown Samson who came to the first service with his wife and two young children. He was a hard-working man from Nigeria. Please continue to pray for Charity and their children as they seek to build a life without him.

We lost Tommy Smith who came as often as he could to the 11:15am service. Though limited physically, Tommy loved the Lord and was always seeking to grow. He heard our sermons every week in person or on the radio. I missed his call the day he was taken in to the hospital. He left a message asking for prayer. Please pray for his two adult sisters who miss him.

We lost Jasper McCarter who was a special man who came dressed to the nines every Sunday to the 11:15 am service with a distinctive hat. The last words I remember him speaking to me were “I love you Pastor” as he walked out the door. Please pray for his adult children. He was one of a kind.

We lost Eliana Cruz who was incredibly special to many of us, but of course even more so to her daughter Mary Ann, son Carlos and daughter-in-law Denise. I personally was privileged to spend many an early afternoon with Eliana talking about Cuba, world events, and Jesus. She would often help me with my pronunciation of Spanish words and phrases. Please pray for her family and our church family as we continue to grieve her loss. She was like a second mom to many of us.   

In addition to these four beautiful people, we have had other losses from Covid or Covid related issues among people who are connected to Calvary. I know each loss stings and each person is missed. Let’s keep praying for one another. Loss without closure in this environment has been almost unbearable.

Back in late March, I mentioned that we were in for a marathon with this virus. I was wrong. It has been more like a triathlon. The secret to running this race was and is waiting on the Lord, looking to Him in faith through prayer and claiming His promises found in His Word (Isaiah 40:28-31). As we wait on Him I am confident He will give us the strength to keep running until we are on the other side of this and beyond.

In closing, I want to especially thank our elders as well as Pastor Schooling who have worked tirelessly throughout this incredible time. I am blessed to call Sam, Raul, Carlos, Rev. Dave, Rudy and Pastor Paul fellow laborers and we are blessed to have them as leaders in our church. In addition, we are blessed to have Jonathan, our worship leader and Sharon our administrator who both have worked incredibly hard serving the Lord and His church during the last year.

2020 was a very tough year, but the Lord got us though. Whatever 2021 holds for us we know He holds us and will never let us go. I hope to see you soon.

Blessings,

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave

John 14:1-3 1 Corinthians 15:51-58

Happy New Year. I am sure, like me, you are glad 2020 is in the rearview mirror. For many of us it was the hardest year of our lives. We are looking forward to better things in 2021. As we turn our attention to the future, I want us also to be sure to keep our focus in the right place. Maybe it would be better to say not “in the place” but on the right person, on our Lord Jesus Christ and on His return. His coming is called the Blessed Hope for His Bride, His church, us. Frankly, the return of Christ is the only hope for mankind as well.

     To help us with this focus we will be exploring the theme “The King is Coming” throughout the first month of the new year. I have included a daily Scripture reading for everyday in January centered on this topic. Please make the time to avail yourselves of these readings. They will provide you with a Biblical overview of this glorious doctrine. Please right down any questions you may have about these verses and send them to me at calvarychapelsi@aol.com . I will do my best to answer them.

    I am looking forward to seeing you in the coming days. Please pray this year the short and simple prayer of the Apostle Paul found in 1 Corinthians 16:22. He prays “Maranthana” – Come Our Lord

Blessings,

Pastor Dave Watson

The King is Coming – January Readings

January 1, 2021 – John 14:1-3, 1 Corinthians 15:51-58

January 2, 2021 – 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11

January 3, 2021 – Revelation 1:1-20

January 4, 2021 – Revelation 2:1-3:22

January 5, 2021 – Revelation 4:1-5:14

January 6, 2021 – Psalm 2:1-12

January 7, 2021 – Matthew 24:1-51

January 8, 2021 – Revelation 6:1-7:17

January 9, 2021 – Matthew 25:1-46

January 10, 2021 – Revelation 8:1- 11:19

January 11, 2021 – Revelation 12:1-14:20

January 12, 2021 – Daniel 7:1-28, Daniel 9:20-27

January 13, 2021 – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

January 14, 2021 – Revelation 15:1 – 16:21

January 15, 2021 – Revelation 17:1-18:24

January 16, 2021 – Ezekiel 36:22-37:1-28

January 17, 2021 – Ezekiel 38:1-23

January 18, 2021 – Ezekiel 39:1-29

January 19, 2021 – Revelation 19:1-21

January 20, 2021 – Zechariah 14:1-21

January 21, 2021 – 2 Peter 3:1-13

January 22, 2021 – Revelation 20:1-15

January 23, 2021 – Revelation 21:1-27

January 25, 2021 – Revelation 22:1-21

January 26, 2021 – Acts 1:1-11

January 27, 2021 – 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

January 28, 2021 – Philippians 3:20-21 and Colossians 3:1-4

 January 29, 2021 – 2 Timothy 4:6-8 and Titus 2:11-14

January 30, 2021 – Hebrews 9:24-28 and James 5:7-12

January 31, 2021 – 1 John 2:28-3:3

“Hard to See Through the Wrapping Paper”

     Christmas images are quite vivid in most people’s minds. You have probably heard about the boy who, when asked about the Christmas story, could only remember the three maggots who brought gold, frankincense and smurfs to baby Jesus.

     In addition to this distorted image of Christmas there are many other ways people view this holiday. Some see it as a time of giving and thus, shopping. Some think of family. Others think of Christmas plays, candy and presents. It is, as one writer has said, “….harder and harder to see Christmas through the wrapping paper of our culture.”

     In 1989 actor Charles Durning made a film titled “It Nearly Wasn’t Christmas.” The film portrays Santa as very unhappy. He is so bothered by the greed and selfishness of the world that he has threatened to cancel the holiday, thus causing everyone to miss Christmas. Sadly, each year many of us miss Christmas. Covid19 and the pandemic probably make it more rather than less likely that many will miss Christmas this year.

     How is it that we miss Christmas? We miss Christmas when we don’t personally receive the gifts that the Lord Jesus Christ came to give us. Jesus came as a Savior to save us from our sins and to give us a new life, as well as eternal life. We miss Christmas when we either don’t receive His free gift of salvation or when we don’t live out the new life He has given to us.

     We also miss Christmas when we fail to give personally the gift of ourselves to Jesus Christ in worship and thanksgiving. We almost always give gifts to those whom we love this time of year. Why do we forget our Lord during the season we celebrate His birth?

     The “how” of missing Christmas is simple but the “why” of missing Christmas is somewhat more complex. Let me suggest some reasons why it is that we miss Christmas. These reasons are taken right from the Biblical account of the very first Christmas.

     First of all, it is very possible to miss Christmas because we are preoccupied. Like the innkeeper who had no room in his inn (Luke 2:7) for Joseph and the very pregnant Mary, we are not hostile or unsympathetic. We are just very very busy and unfocoused. The shopping, the wrapping of gifts, the living of life etc., make it so very easy for us to miss Christmas. It takes a real effort to focus on the important, real reason for the season.

     Secondly, we can miss Christmas if we are perplexed about the Christ child. This was the case with those who heard the shepherds’ first announcement of the Savior’s birth (Luke 2:18). They marveled at the good news but did not personally go to check things out for themselves. They missed Christmas. If Jesus is a mystery to you how can you help but miss Christmas.

     Sadly, who Jesus really is and what He came to do is somewhat of a blur to most people. Growing up in church I had a vague idea about the identity of the baby Jesus, but I understood very little of the implications of His coming to earth. I made very little effort to check out his claims. Frankly, I was comfortable in my ignorance. The result was that for many years I missed Christmas.

     Thirdly, we can miss Christmas because of our own fears regarding Jesus Christ. I’ll call it paranoia. When Herod and the Jewish leaders were approached by the Magi from the East they were troubled (Matt. 2:1-3). The Magi sought a newborn king. King Herod feared that the new king might take away his throne. He fancied himself king of the Jews.  Jesus comes not only to us as a Savior, but also as King. We miss Christmas when we are afraid of His rule in our lives and of the changes He most certainly will bring. Thus, because of our fear we miss Christmas.

     We can also miss Christmas because of our pride. The chief priest and scribes were experts in the law. They even quoted Micah 5:2 to Herod about the whereabouts of Christ’s birth (Matt. 2:4-6). Yet, they failed to seek out the Christ child. They were content in their religious traditions. They had a concept of a Messiah that they were comfortable with. Evidently, the Jesus that the Magi sought was not what they were looking for. We must never forget that it is not the religious traditions that make Christmas. It is Jesus. Let’s be sure not to replace him with a celebration of His birth.

     In a few short days, Christmas will have come and gone. Don’t miss it this year. Put aside your preoccupation with the presents and the pandemic and focus on the person of Christ. Deal sincerely with the questions you have about Jesus. Search the Scriptures to find the answers. Bow down before him as King. Humble yourself in His presence and worship Him. It is then that you will experience Christmas as it is meant to be experienced.

     Regretfully, this year many will once again miss Christmas. Please don’t be in that number. Jesus Christ extends an invitation for us to experience Him and His salvation all year round. Receive His free gift of eternal life today and experience new life everyday.  Give to Him this holiday season the gift of your heart.

Blessings and Merry Christmas

Pastor Dave Watson