Blog Posts - Sumas A.C. Church

Luke 19:45-48 ~ What is Your Priority? (A House of Prayer) ~ Carl Crouse

8/7/2018

When Franklin Roosevelt was President he had some connections with the larger churches, he preferred to attend the much smaller St. John’s Church. It bothered Roosevelt that tourists would attend a certain church simply because they believed they’d get a chance to see the President. There’s a legendary story about a phone call made to the pastor at St. John’s Church: “Will the President be in attendance at worship this Sunday?” asked the caller. The Pastor replied, “I don’t know, but I can assure you that Jesus will be here, and that should be good enough.”

We expect Jesus to come to church, don’t we? We want Him in our midst. We invite Him to make himself known among us every Sunday. It’s kind of fun/scary to think about what he will find when he shows up. In our scripture today he goes to church [the temple] and did not like what he found! What mess does he need to clean up here? Where are we going wrong? It’s easy to scold ourselves, but I think it is also good and right to ask what we are doing right…

Luke 19:39-44 ~ A Bridge of Tears ~ Carl Crouse

7/31/2018

(NOTE: I slightly rewrote these notes from what was preached. After discussing the message with one person who felt like there were too many exceptions to my generalization about what the generations are like, I find myself agreeing with her, so I rewrote the message to reflect the idea that there are "black and white" people and there are "Shades of Gray". The video is the sermon as it was preached)

When I was in Grants Pass in June with Esther, I took my new friend, Tyler, to lunch. 27 years old. Esther & Wesley’s pastor. We were comparing notes about ministry with today’s challenges and remaining true to the gospel. Tyler said something intriguing: “Your generation sees things in black and white… my generation has far more shades of gray.” I find truth in that statement, but It may be too simple to make sweeping generalizations about entire generations. However, without question, there are people who are black and white and other who live in a shades of gray world, never challenging people's choices.

In today’s message I am amazed how Jesus is true to the values of both black and white people and shades of gray people. The one side is so good at pressing for a decision and the other is awesome at love and accepting people for who they are… Jesus shows us a wonderful bridge that brings the values of the two sides together… we’ll get to that a bit later in this message….

Luke 19:28-38 ~ Who Needs a Parade? ~ Carl Crouse

7/26/2018

When Sally and I moved to Pasadena to go to school, as we explored our new home, we were puzzled by a pink line down the center of the main street in the city. I thought I knew traffic laws pretty well but that pink line was baffling. A few months later we figured it out… (guesses?) [The guide line for the Rose Parade floats.]

The Rose Parade, just a couple blocks from our house. The first Rose Parade we made a minor mistake: we staked out a spot on the wrong side of the street! Turns out that many of the floats are built for the cameras, there is a definite back side.

Our last Rose Parade was the most memorable…we took a job with the school to help set up 500 VIP chairs and guard them all night…. There were probably 20 of us… a night I will never forget… the parade before the parade, the trucks up and down the street, the drunks stumbling through….

Today’s scripture -- a parade…. Much of these verses are about preparation for the parade… Jesus is entering Jerusalem….

Luke 19:11-27 ~ Disappointment with God ~ Carl Crouse

7/18/2018

Rule #1: The boss is always right. Rule #2: When the boss is wrong, refer to rule #1.
The boss is always right! That’s the best comparison I can come up with to explain how to understand today’s scripture. Bianca, my daughter, writes for an online website that provides resources for small businesses. The website lis hard to navigate, confusing. Bee says, in her opinion, they could do much more with social media. The boss/owner doesn’t seem to see any of it. Bee has no choice but to keep going his way… The boss is always right. Turns out he must know what he is doing.. A few years ago when she started, after a few months, they gave her a $500 Christmas bonus. That year the company netted $700K. The workers may think they have better ways of doing things… but the Boss is always right!

The same thing happens when we commit ourselves to follow Jesus Christ. We are not always going to understand. Disappointments. Often we can’t figure out what God is up to… Many reject God because if they were God they would do things differently: no wars, no pain, no death, no sin…. How can a loving God allow ________.

Luke 19:1-10 ~ The Tree of Curiosity ~ Carl Crouse

7/10/2018

The story of Zacchaeus is the story of how one man came to the Lord Jesus Christ: He was curious. He was found. He responded. He was changed.

The pattern of Zacchaeus is insightful for how many people will come to the Lord. He was curious. He was found. He responded. He was changed. Have you noticed Sumas is growing? That means there are more neighbors, more people among us that need God. The houses being built…the people moving in… the growing school district… (We just got a new middle school, already they are projecting five years out or so and there won’t be enough space) Some of the people moving in are believers, but many are not committed Christians. Pray for our community, pray that our church will be a witness of the gospel and be bold in pointing the way to Jesus Christ.

Jonah ~ Jonah Chapter 5 ~ Chad Hammond

7/1/2018

Luke 18:35-43 ~ The Kingdom of Misfits ~ Carl Crouse

6/4/2018

I don’t know what it would be like to see for the first time… however, here’s a glimpse of what it is like to hear for the first time… Lisa has given permission to show her favorite video…she never tires of it. A 4 year old clip from ABC News starring David…

A blind man is a central character in today’s message. The blind man, a misfit of society, is my hero. This blind man should be seen as one of the greatest civil rights leaders in history! He seeks to undo a thousand years of discrimination! The blind man is the Rosa Parks of Jesus’ day. Just as she refused to give up her seat, so the blind man refused to be silent when Jesus was passing by. Let me explain….

In Luke 18 people are coming to Jesus with faith (or lack of). Luke 18 is filled with surprises: those that seem far away from God are near and those that seem like they should be near are far away. God’s Kingdom is a Kingdom of misfits! I love a quote by Hubert Humphrey. The quote is about the moral test of government but I am changing the quote from “government” to “Christianity”: “…the moral test of [Christianity] is how [people of faith treat] those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.”

Luke 18:31-34 ~ Who Jesus Died For ~ Pastor Chad Hammond

6/4/2018

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Luke 18:18-30 ~ Identity Crisis ~ Carl Crouse

5/22/2018

“The two most important days in a person’s life are the day they were born,
and the day they find out why." — John Maxwell

We are wired to have purpose… any search for purpose apart from God is a dead end… a deep relationship with God including an acceptance of Jesus Christ who died for our sins and was raised to new life, is humbling. Christ alone gives purpose. To embrace Christ is to set your life on the path of your greatest purpose!

Today’s scripture: a man trying to figure out who he is… Mathew, Mark and Luke include this story in their gospels… only Luke tells us he is a RULER.

Often, during a crisis, we question our identity… a death, illness, graduation is a crisis…. A wedding is a crisis because it is letting go of what was and leaping into the unknown. I like this silly testimony of a young husband who forgot he was married. The day after the newlyweds returned from their honeymoon, the husband was 3 hours late getting home from the office. Dinner was burned—and his bride was burning mad. He had absentmindedly gone to his mother’s house!

Luke 18:15-17 ~ Welcoming the Vulnerable ~ Chad Hammond

5/17/2018

Luke 18:9-14 ~ Not everything is as it seems ~ Pastor Carl

5/8/2018

This is a parable/story with the main message upfront READ Luke 18:9: the Pharisee promotes himself based on how much better he is than the tax collector… we are wrong to base our salvation on how terrific we are compared to others…

I want to focus on two lessons drawn from this scripture. #1, salvation is based on God’s mercy, not our good works/accomplishments. #2 a new way of thinking about ourselves and others, to put into practice that not everyone is as they appear.

First lesson: Salvation is only found when we turn to God asking for Him to forgive our sins. The Pharisee lists the good things he does: fasting and tithing. Those are good things. And the bad things the other people do are bad things: robbery, evildoing, adultery… The problem: nobody is good enough to deserve the salvation of God.

Luke 18:1-8 ~ Prayer for Justice ~ Chad Hammond

5/2/2018

Colossians 4:7-18 ~ Hurray for the Church Family ~ Carl Crouse

4/25/2018

Hurray for the Church family! There’s an old song, “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God…” I like the song. It’s one of those songs where for a time some churches ended every service with it… I’d like to rewrite the song a bit ~~~ I am so glad I’m part of the crazy, whacked out, oddball, Church family. I’ve only known a church family. The Crouses were rather small since my father came from Maine and my mother was a Pasadena~Seattle person…so to me, the church family was family… I think of myself as growing up with several dozen grammas from scowling Clara, to eagle eye Ruth Hill, no nonsense Nora, and loving Arvilla…

I love the church family, not only SACC but the family that goes far beyond this congregation….One verse I absolutely love because it brings definition to the church family is Rom. 10:9, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” Jesus is Lord and Jesus is Alive is the only test of faith ~ you believe and practice that truth and you are part of the family of God. We may have all sorts of disagreements on details of what the bible teaches, but if we agree Jesus is Lord and he is Alive then we are brothers and sisters in Christ. I am so glad I am part of the crazy, insane, odd ball family of God.

Colossians 4:2-6 ~ Pray with Eyes Wide Open ~ Pastor Carl Crouse

4/19/2018

The video below is the entire worship service on April 15, '18. The sermon begins about minute 28:35.

Last Sunday Chad spoke about the imperatives of Col. 3/ commands ~~~ what we can become in Christ… Don’t settle by saying, “that’s just the way I am,” but look at this list as what Christ believes you can become…

One paragraph in Col. 3 describes how Christ gives us freedom from earthly values (Col. 3:5-11) putting to death anger, lying and gossip….
Another paragraph (Col. 3:12-14) is a mini Fruit of the Spirit, godly qualities that form our character.
The next paragraph is living for Christ (Col. 3:15-17)
and finally a new way of thinking and behaving in personal relationships in the family and other relationships (Col. 3:18-4:1). What Paul writes about family relationships is radically different from the culture of the day in which there was a hierarchy…e.g., to tell husbands to love their wives is not the norm of the day…col. 4:1 is radical to say a Master is to care about the slave (or in our culture the closest we can get, I think, is boss and employee).

Next week: “Hurray for the Church Family.” 10-15 minutes of sermon time celebrating the church family ~~ testimonies of why you appreciate the church family. more than because you love the people or find encouragement, how you are a different person. Look through Col. 3, it talks about forgiveness for example, did you find a weight lifted, how have you changed, how are you a different person… What has been put to death in your life? Is the fruit of the spirit of God taking root? Have you found peace? Is your marriage better as a Christian? As a parent what difference does Christ make? At work? ….

Memorial Service ~ Leona Bos ~ April 7, 2018

4/10/2018

11:00 congregation "How Great Thou Art"
Welcome: Pastor Aaron
Prayer: Pastor Aaron
DVD of pictures

Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:19-21
Message: Pastor Carl
Leona Bos was a woman of tremendous faith. She loved her family, life in Sumas, but above all, her greatest testimony is her faith. I’ve seen her a lot the past ten years. I so much appreciate her love for this life, AND her longing for heaven. Life was precious to her. Did any mother love her children more? A highlight of my time with her: after Kelsey’s second child was born in Kentucky I happen to drop in and see her at Meadow Greens and was able to make a connection on FaceTime so Leona could see her newest (at the time) great grandchild… She was so overjoyed, I think she thought she was in heaven.