Church of the Brethren
300 E. Monument Street
Pleasant Hill, Ohio 45359

Nick Beam, pastor

Telephone 937-676-2281

Sunday School at 9:30 a.m.
Worship at 10:30 a.m.

A Message from our Pastor

Love is an interesting word – one that is often misused and abused nowadays.  It is thrown around feely and attached to a piece of furniture or a slice of pizza just as easily and with the same intensity as to another person.

As February comes upon us and another Hallmark Holiday known as Valentine’s Day looms we will see commercials telling us that the amount of love we have for one another will be measured by the price of the diamond we purchase or the size of bouquet of flowers we have delivered.  But to measure our love for one another in such tangible ways is a grave mistake.

I think we’re all aware of how fleeting love can be.  Our love for one another most often has conditions attached to it.  Marriages dissolve, friendships end, families separate because of things said or done that build walls that are need easily scaled. 

As fragile as our love is for one another, praise God there is another love that is available to us.  A love not based on conditions or behaviors or attitudes – a love not measured by diamonds and flowers.

Max Lucado, in the book we’re using in our Bible study, A Gentle Thunder – Hearing God through the Storm, reminds us that God’s love never ceases – never.  He says, “Though we spurn you, ignore you, disobey you, you will not change.  Our evil cannot diminish your love.  Our goodness cannot increase it.  Our faith does not earn it anymore than our stupidity jeopardizes it.  You don’t love us less if we fail.  You don’t love us more if we succeed.  Your love never ceases.”

I know this is hard for our human brains to comprehend and it’s hard for our human hearts to accept.  But it’s true.  Why?

Lucado goes on, “God’s love is not human.  His love is not normal.”  How blessed are we that God loves us with this kind of love.  And the best thing of all is that it doesn’t take a special day for us to receive a reminder of that love – God’s love is available to us each day, each moment, each second of our lives. 

                                                                                                Shalom,

                                                                                                Pastor Nick