Learning to Trust Again

October 19, 2025
Acts 15:36-40
“Learning to Trust Again”
Dr. Garry Crites, guest speaker

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Our guest, Dr. Garry Crites, will be bringing the message, “Learning to Trust Again”.
We will be reading from Acts 15:36-40 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 8.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 8)
Leader: O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
People: You have set your glory above the heavens.
Leader: Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark,
People: To silence the enemy and the avenger.
Leader: When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
People: The moon and the stars that you have established;
Leader: What are human beings that you are mindful of them,
People: Mortals that you care for them?
Leader: Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
People: And crowned them with glory and honor.
Leader: You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
People: You have put all things under their feet,
Leader: All sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
People: The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
Leader: Whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
People: O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

A Joyful Festival

Brothers and sisters,

In just over two weeks, we’re going to be having our annual Fall Festival here at the church. As you all know, this is a night when we come together as a church family to offer things like Trunk-or-Treat, carnival games, prizes, crafts, and food to our neighbors. It’s a wonderful time each year as we set aside a Saturday to provide good, clean fun for families in our community. Every year I look for-ward to this event because every year it is a reminder of the joy that comes from time spent together.

Read through just about any part of the Bible and you will find biblical authors who write about joy. Even in the midst of hard times, they will find reasons to celebrate and to speak of the goodness of God and the joy that brings them. The psalmist declares, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). As Paul ends his first letter to the Thessalonians, he writes, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:16-18). The whole of the Bible speaks to the idea that in good times and in bad, be-lievers can find joy because we know that God is with us.

Why do I bring all this up? Because right now, there’s a lot of stuff happening in our world that seeks to steal our joy. The news apps on my phone love to send me upsetting headlines that, as a whole, send a message that the world is scary, that fear is good, that community is fundamentally broken, that joy is silly. But joy is not silly. It never has been. It has always, always been a form of resistance. To acknowledge that life is difficult and still choose joy takes strength and dedication. I’d argue, it takes faith.

On the night that he was betrayed, Jesus talked with his disciples and gave them his final sermon. According to John’s gospel, Jesus touched on topics like love, persecution, community, justice, and more. But I think one of more important things he told his disciples was this, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:10-11; emphasis mine). When facing trying times, Jesus tells the disciples his joy would be with them, if they would simply believe in him and follow his lead.

So, on October 25th from 4:30-6:30 PM, our church will have a Fall Festival. We’ll have it because it’s a fun event for everyone involved. We’ll have it because it will bring joy to our community. We’ll have it because in the midst of all these headlines desperately trying to tell us the world is falling apart, we can remind folks that community is still possible, people can still be good to each other, and there is still joy to be found. We’ll have it because Jesus tells us that his joy is in us and that makes our joy complete. Let us be joyful believers in Christ!

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

The Seine at Giverny, Morning Mists

October 12, 2025
Psalm 19:1-10
“The Seine at Giverny, Morning Mists”
Rev. Benjamin J. Wines

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “The Seine at Giverny, Morning Mists”, part of the Sermon Series, “Faith and Art, Redux”. We will be reading from Psalm 19:1-10 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 104.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 104)
Leader: O LORD, how manifold are your works!
People: The earth is full of your creatures.
Leader: These all look to you to give them their food in due season;
People: When you give to them, they gather it up;
Leader: When you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
People: When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
Leader: When you take away their breath,
People: They die and return to their dust.
Leader: When you send forth your spirit, they are created;
People: And you renew the face of the ground.
Leader: I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
People: I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
Leader: May my meditation be pleasing to him,
People: For I rejoice in the LORD.

Questions for Further Reflection:
Think back to a moment in nature when you felt particularly close to God.
What was it about the Creation that made you think of God?
What did God reveal to you in that moment?

Please note: Our piece for this week’s sermon is The Seine at Giverny, Morning Mists by Claude Monet. It is located in the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, NC.

“St. Lawrence Distributing the Treasures of the Church”

October 5, 2025
1 John 3:11-24
“St. Lawrence Distributing the Treasures of the Church”
Rev. Benjamin J. Wines

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “St. Lawrence Distributing the Treasures of the Church”, part of the Sermon Series, “Faith and Art, Redux”.  We will be reading from 1 John 3:11-24 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 23.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 23)
Leader: The Lord is my shepherd
People: I shall not want.
Leader: He makes me lie down in green pastures;
People: He leads me beside still waters;
Leader: He restores my soul.
People: He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.
Leader: Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
People: I fear no evil, for you are with me;
Leader: Your rod and your staff—they comfort me.
People: You prepare a table before me,
Leader: In the presence of my enemies;
People: You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Leader: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
People: All the days of my life.
Leader: And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
People: My whole life long.

Questions for Further Reflection:
This passage and this painting remind us that people are worth more than treasure.
What does it mean to you to know that God treasures you?
How does the love of God call you to treasure other?

The Great Divide

September 28, 2025
Luke 16:19-31
“The Great Divide”
Guest – Rev. Jeanell Cox

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Our guest speaker, Rev. Jeanell Cox will bring the message, “The Great Divide”. We will be reading from Luke 16:19-31 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 103.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 103)

Leader: Bless the Lord, O my soul,

People: And all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Leader: The Lord is merciful and gracious,

People: Slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Leader: He will not always accuse,

People: Nor will he keep his anger forever.

Leader: He does not deal with us according to our sins,

People: Nor repay us according to our iniquities.

Leader: For as the heavens are high above the earth,

People: So great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

Leader: As far as the east is from the west,

People: So far he removes our transgressions from us.

Leader: As a father has compassion for his children,

People: So the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.

Leader: Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion.

People: Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Faith and Art, Redux

A little over three years ago, I preached a sermon series entitled, “Faith and Art.” It was a series designed to connect different passages of scripture with pieces of art hanging in local art museums here in the Triangle. Since then, several folks have mentioned to me that they’d enjoy doing a series like that again. So, I spent some time in the North Carolina Museum of Art and the Ackland Art Museum and I found six new pieces I’d like for us to talk about as we move into autumn.

I’m not going to list out all six in this article—you’ll need to come to worship or tune in to see which pieces we talk about—but in looking over the six pieces as a whole, I realized there were some common threads connecting them all. I didn’t mean to pick pieces that seemed so connected, but art has a tendency to resonate with whatever we’re feeling when we view it. And so, I suppose these pieces all stirred up similar things within me. They connected with me at this particular time, in this particular place, for their own particular reasons.

In looking these pieces over, there’s a consistent theme of appreciating life for what it is and living in that moment. Artists, so often, try desperately to capture one moment, one idea, one dream and communicate it to the rest of us. These pieces speak to that message from the artists—live now; life is precious. There’s also a consistent theme of choosing to do the right thing in the moment. Art often seeks to encourage our better angels, empowering us to do right by others, and challenging us to value things like truth and beauty and grace.

So, starting on October 5th—with a break on the 19th for a guest preacher—we’ll be looking at these works of art and asking ourselves, “What do these pieces stir up in me? And how do they connect to my Christian faith? How can I take the lessons of these artists, filter them through the lens of scripture, and find faithful ways to live and express myself?” I’m looking forward to this series!

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Everything Happens for a Reason

September 21, 2025
Romans 8:26-39
“Everything Happens for a Reason”
Rev. Benjamin J. Wines

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “Everything Happens for a Reason”, part of the ongoing Sermon Series, “I’m Just Trying to Help”.  We will be reading from Romans 8:26-39 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 105.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 105)

Leader: O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name
People: Make known his deeds among the peoples.
Leader: Sing to him, sing praises to him;
People: Tell of all his wonderful works.
Leader: Glory in his holy name;
People: Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Leader: Seek the Lord and his strength;
People: Seek his presence continually.
Leader: Remember the wonderful works he has done,
People: His miracles, and the judgments he has uttered,
Leader: O offspring of his servant Abraham,
People: Children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

Questions for Further Reflection:

What role can the Christian community play in grief?
How does having a community help in all aspects of life?

There Go I

September 14, 2025
John 7:53-8:11
“There Go I”
Rev. Benjamin J. Wines

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “There Go I”, part of the ongoing Sermon Series, “I’m Just Trying to Help”.  We will be reading from John 7:53-8:11 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 112.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 112)

Leader: Praise the Lord! Happy are those who fear the Lord,

People: Who greatly delight in his commandments.

Leader: Their descendants will be mighty in the land;

People: The generation of the upright will be blessed.

Leader: They rise up in the darkness as a light for the upright;

People: They are gracious, merciful, and righteous.

Leader: It is well with those who deal generously and lend,

People: Who conduct their affairs with justice.

Leader: For the righteous will never be moved;

People: They will be remembered forever.

Leader: They are not afraid of evil tidings;

People: Their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.

Leader: Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid;

People: In the end they will look in triumph on their foes.

Leader: They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor;

People: Their righteousness endures forever.

Bonus Phrase!

Brothers and sisters,

As you all know, we’re in the midst of our, “I’m Just Trying to Help” sermon series that looks at various phrases Christians will say that are not as helpful as we might think they are. I mentioned one phrase this past Sunday that I wanted to dive into a little deeper here in the Illuminator. I told y’all that my high school Calculus teacher’s extra credit policy was based on a phrase she claimed was in the Bible, “God helps those who help themselves.” I want to take a moment to unpack some of what that phrase says.

Ultimately, the idea this phrase is pushing is that a person has to take some initiative before God will swoop in and help them. On the surface, that feels logical. If a person is in a bad situation and is not doing anything we think would help their situation, it’s easy to say, “Well, there’s no need to waste time or effort on them.” Whether we like it or not, that’s a judgmental attitude. It’s saying that the person does not deserve help because of who they are. They only deserve help if they’ve earned it.

But on top of that, by throwing God into the mix, “God helps those who help themselves,” we’ve snuck a kind of works righteousness into the way we think God views others. “Show God your good works, then you’ll get help” or “Show God your works, then you’ll receive God’s grace.” That is not scriptural. Let us remember Paul’s words to the Ephesians, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). God helps whoever God wants to—not because one particular person did more than the other, but because all people need God’s help. Always.

I wanted to write about this because I increasingly see faith leaders, particularly some Baptists, coming out and saying that empathy—the ability to walk in another person’s shoes and the desire to help them—should be considered a sin. They argue that it is wrong and sinful to show empathy toward other people. Or they will argue that there is an order in which you should extend your empathy—almost a flow-chart that tells you whether or not you have to care about a person. And there’s a judgmental attitude that comes with that. There’s a judgmental nature that comes with saying, “This person doesn’t deserve my help” or with saying, “To help this person would be a waste.”

Let me quickly correct the record here—empathy is not a sin. It never has been. It never will be. It is never wrong to look at another person, feel empathy for them, and choose to help them—whether they’ve “helped themselves” or not. If you feel called to help someone, then help them. Why do I say all this? Because, thanks be to God, Jesus did not look on sinful humanity and say, “I’m not going to help them till they help themselves.” Thanks be to God, Jesus did not decide that empathy was sinful and that people should be left to their own devices, desperately trying to do enough to get God’s attention and compel God to help them. Empathy is not a sin. God does not withhold help till someone “deserves” it. Cause if God did, we’d all be in trouble. Show people grace simply because God has shown you grace.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

The Bible Says…

September 07, 2025
Matthew 4:1-11
“The Bible Says…”
Rev. Benjamin J. Wines

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “The Bible Says…”, part of the ongoing Sermon Series, “I’m Just Trying to Help”. We will be reading from Matthew 4:1-11 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 19.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 19)
Leader: The law of the Lord is perfect,
People: Reviving the soul;
Leader: The decrees of the Lord are sure,
People: Making wise the simple;
Leader: The precepts of the Lord are right,
People: Rejoicing the heart;
Leader: The commandment of the Lord is clear,
People: Enlightening the eyes;
Leader: The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever;
People: The ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
Leader: More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold;
People: Sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.
Leader: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
People: Be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Questions for Further Reflection:
In this passage, Jesus and Satan both use scripture to make their points.
What role does humility play in reading the scriptures?
How can we use the scriptures to lift others up?