The First, Though Not the Last

greetings in the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord, our Savior, the King of Kings~

hello dear friends! if you are reading this, well, you made it! congratulations, and, again, welcome. you have been led here--not by accident--by the Spirit. somehow, some way, for some reason, we are here together.

just as the life of the believer is faithful only when centered and grounded in the Word, so is the aim and prayer of this blog.

true, this will be a place to share my pastoral sermons, meditations, prayers, reflections, devotionals and other various and sundry musings. though this place, this electronic-digital-technological community of friends in faith, is designed to create dialogue. fellowship. community.

sure, I hope you will want to come read (or re-read, or read what you heard at church on any given Sunday, waste a few perfectly good minutes, whatever) the sermons that are birthed form the pulpit at Baileyton United Methodist Church. Though the Word is full and left open to move in a most beautiful way when all our words are used.

We are all ministers. This is biblical, and it's something I certainly believe. It's an understanding toward which I work--a belief in which I seek to instill in the community of faith.

And so, by extension, just as by adoption and inheritance, we are preachers, priests, pastors, and prophets. Some of us are ordained to this task as a full time vocation. some live their faith through other vocations and occupations. though to us all, it's a life to which we are called and called to share. that means sharing your voice, whether written, spoken, sung, prayed, or anything else. be creative.

Point is, we all have a voice. Let us share these beautiful, powerful voices and sing, preach, pray, and otherwise present what we believe to all the world. This too, is biblical.

It is my prayer that you enjoy what you read, that you reflect, critique, question and comment. And then send me your words. Your voice. Your devotionals, your meditations, your prophesies...your sermons. Yes, you read that right. You have a sermon in you, somewhere!

This technology is an amazing tool--embrace the opportunity with boldness and exercise those fruits of the Spirit. And, if you're one of those who lives for homework, first of all, bless you! Second, your homework, should you choose to accept it can be to report what those fruits of the Spirit are. And aren't. (extra credit...try to write them first without looking them up). Share them in your words, from your preferred version of Scripture. Trust me, it'll be an interesting little experiment!

You may leave your comments and/or contributions by clicking 'leave comment'--makes sense, huh? (you may have to make a short, painless, registration) or, you can email your ideas. my email is baileyton-pastor@earthlink.net it's listed on here somewhere as well.

Folks, all you have to do is read, prayer, and share!

One God, one voice, together. After all, the Word of God is for the People of God. Thanks be to God! See you soon.



Pax Christi,

Matthew M. Smith, pastor
Baileyton United Methodist Church