We live in an age of increasing doubt and skepticism. Our fellow Americans boast about how much they distrust the United States government. Our brothers and sisters in Christ brag about not believing many of the teachings of the church. Have you discussed the virgin birth lately? Our Catholic friends struggle with faith in their long trusted institution because of priestly scandals. We doubt science and put religion at a distance. There is no authority for the right belief. 
 
We also live in an age of increasing unexamined belief in the absurd. Conspiracy theories comfort our political views. We don’t care if they aren’t proven. They just have to make sense to our minds. “Well, that sounds right.” We accept pseudo-science over long evidence based research using the scientific method. As one author put it "aliens are real, ghosts exist, and the earth was made in six days, but climate change and GMOs and vaccines are made up by the government deep state to control the masses." The age of complete relativism is upon us.  
 
With all of this I find myself at a crossroad about how to articulate my hope in Christ and the doctrines of the church.  1 Peter 3:15 says, “but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you.” Hebrews 11:11 says, "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.”  
         
At my last church I did 20 funerals. In each we talked about the “Witness to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.”  We did not talk about what to believe about Easter. We did not talk about how chocolate and bunnies got involved. We talked about hope.  
 
I remember holding the hand of one friend who was dying.  She had said in Bible study that she had doubts about the resurrection and heaven, etc. Later she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. We talked in her hospital room. She shared how she was moved to tears with hope and comfort about who Jesus was. In a way, her doubt still lingered. She knew it was absurd. But to her the hope was beautiful and
a comfort. In her reality of living and dying the hope of the resurrection was real. Nothing else mattered about skepticism or belief for that matter. What mattered was comfort and peace.  
 
That is what the resurrection means to me. It is a gift from Jesus and our tradition of faith. It gives hope. Romans 8:24 says, "For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can already see?” And from 2 Corinthians 4:18, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 
May you have hope in Christ.  Happy Easter!  
                        Rev. Trey Hegar              

It's that time of year again. We're going to lose weight, exercise more, get out of debt, stick to a budget, save for
the future and spend more time with family. We make resolutions because we want to improve ourselves and our quality of life. And the top resolutions, for most people, tend to revolve around the same three subjects: money, health and family.
 
But what would a set of New Year's resolutions look like for you from the church, for your role as a faith leader, or simply as someone who wants to live a more Spirit filled life? Here are several ideas to consider for your New Year’s Resolutions from First Presbyterian Church.
 

1. Pray more. Ephesians 6:18 says, “pray at all

times in the Spirit. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.”  Here is another great quote: “Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it,” ~ Corrie Ten Boom.  
 

1. Invest in your spiritual gift(s). “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you….Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that every-one may see your progress” (I Timothy 4:14-15, NIV). We are all given gifts some for teaching, some for deliberating, some for creating, some for caring and there are many more. You are unique. You have a special God-given talent. You know what it is. Don’t keep it a secret. Develop it. Take a class about it.  Read a book or articles about it. Then share it.  

 
 

1. Make the tough decisions you know are best.   

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1, NIV).  We all have patterns of behavior which prevent us from living more fully.  Decide now to prune back and get ready for new growth in the New Year. 
 

1. Build deeper relationships. Love people, not

 just crowds or memories.  “If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy, but don't love,
I'm nothing, but the creaking of a rusty gate.”
(I Corinthians 13:1, Message). God has given you special people in your life. This may be your family, but it also may be a very special group of friends. This is your community. It is precious. Take time to build those relationships. Make them even stronger. Create a new memory together. It will last a lifetime.  
 
5. Stay focused on the vision. “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe giving to each other as each had a need…They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God.” (Acts 2:42-47, NIV). Having a glad and sincere heart is the vision of daily living our church has for you. 
 
May you have a blessed New Year!
 
                                                      Rev. Trey Hegar

Advent begins on Sunday, December 3. The coming birth of Jesus will be announced.  In the advent sermon series we will talk about what it means to wait, watch, and prepare in hope for the Christ’s coming. Then we will celebrate the Messiah’s arrival with praise Christmas Eve.  
           
We will explore each of these themes of waiting, watching, and preparing, as they relate to the first coming of the messiah and what it means to hope for him to come again.
 
For me this is a strange question because Jesus has come. We know him through the scriptures. We know how he lived, what he taught, and what he wanted for us. So what does it mean to wait, watch and hope for Jesus to come AGAIN?
 
Are you watching for signs about Jesus coming back? We have all heard about the rumors of war, earthquakes and floods this year. But what about the other signs of peace, hope, love and joy? Are you watching for those? More importantly where are seeing Jesus now in those signs? Do you see peace, hope, love and joy or signs of his pending arrival?  Where? 
 
Finally, are you preparing your heart for his return? I couldn’t be more ready for him to come back, because to me it means there will be no more tears, no more wars, no more hunger or racism, or hate, only true love. Are you preparing for that kind of return? What are you doing to get your life ready to be full of abundant blessings so that you can be a blessing to everyone?  
 
Waiting, watching and preparing for Jesus—those are the themes we will explore this advent. We will end with praise because we already know what it is like to have Jesus enter our lives. I pray you may enjoy the memories of Christmases that have passed and live fully into the one to come.   
 
                                                      Rev. Trey Hegar

In the spring, Granny Smith finally got her four-year old granddaughter to play in the garden. They planted seeds and watered the soil. In the fall, the granddaughter came back for a visit. She screamed with delight at the orange pumpkins, green squash, yellow corn and purple eggplants. 
 “Mommy, Daddy look what we made!”  
 “Oh, dear one,” said Granny, “We planted, but God gave the growth. Neither the one who plants, nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.                                         --1 Corinthians 3:6-7
 
I love the harvest season with the combines out in the fields. I walked through East Lake Park amidst the tall corn and held a cob in my hand. I wondered with “a-maize-ment” at the miracle of the stalk and seeds. The fall reminds me, that although the farmers grow the harvest by carefully preparing the soil, planting in spring and then nourishing them all summer, it’s God’s design that produces fruit from seeds. I don’t know how that works at all. The plants would grow and produce fruit and vegetables in the wild.  Their yield would not be as plentiful without the attention, but still we cannot take any credit for the final products. Farmers manage God’s seeds and fruits, but God created the first fruits and seeds and how they work. However, we do get to add to the abundance.
 
Rev. Robert Blezard writes an article for the Stewardship of Life that fall harvest provides a wonderful metaphor for how we are stewards of all the blessings that God gives us. We know that God has given us wonderful, amazing gifts, such as family, community, church, health, intelligence, time,
 
and relationships. And we also know that we are responsible for caring for them and working hard to provide the ideal conditions under which they will benefit ourselves, our families and our communities. 
 
Blezard shares these gifts that we can tend in the garden of our lives:
● Maintaining the gift of our bodies by eating right, exercising  
  and getting plenty of sleep, we increase the likelihood we
  will live longer, healthier, robust and resilient lives.
 ● Nourishing our gifts of intelligence and wisdom through
  education, reading, exploring, curiosity and continually
  learning, we will be best able to understand and improve
  the world around us.
 ● Cultivating our gift of faith through prayer, worship,
  scripture, generosity, love and service, our lives bear fruits
  of the spirit -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
  generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control
  (Galatians 5:22-23).
 ● Loving and tending to our spouses, children, parents,
  siblings and other relatives, we build strong, healthy
  families and develop caring, purposeful individuals who
  can make a difference. 
 Our farmers are stewards of the earth, not only under-standing how to make the most of God’s gift of plant life, but also working tirelessly to achieve it. They are partners with God to create a bounty of blessings for our dinner table.
 We are stewards of our lives, not only understanding how to best use our gifts of time and talent and treasure, but also faithfully striving to make the most of all with which we have been entrusted. We are partners with God to create a bounty of blessings for ourselves, our communities and our world. 
May we be good stewards of God’s blessings to us. 
                                                    Rev. Trey Hegar
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The TV gameshow “Family Feud” filled family rooms for years. The creators of the game asked 100 people questions on a survey. The contestants, two feuding families, tried to guess the most popular answers. The team with the most points at the end would win and would have a chance for a bonus survey round. A sample question might go something like, “100 people were asked about their favorite topping for ice cream.” One family could guess the top answers trying to reach 100 until they received 3 strikes.
     The fun begins when the common answers quickly run out. Let’s say, 57 people surveyed like chocolate topping on ice cream. Twenty-five people liked caramel topping and 16 people liked strawberries. Well that’s 98% of people surveyed. Now the two teams are fighting to guess what the last two people liked on their ice cream. You can hear some weird and funny suggestions about what people might like on their ice cream. Jalapenos anyone? Survey says, X (wrong).
     Well, we know answers on a very short survey provide a lot of information. Would you be so kind as to answer a short survey? Of course, these questions will not ask what you like on your ice cream. Rather, they will ask about our community of faith and how we can do even better at sharing God’s love, shining God’s light and shaping God’s people.  
     You will find our First Presbyterian Church’s “Best Survey Ever” insert in this ALERT. You may complete it and bring it to church or drop it in the mail. We will also pass out the survey in worship, so you may fill it out and simply leave it on the pew or put it in the offering plate. Finally, we will email the survey out and you may hit the reply button to complete the answers and email it back. It is very short and will help us serve you and Christ. Please take two minutes to answer the questions in “The Best Survey Ever!”
Blessings, Rev. Trey Hegar

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