About forty years ago, a local car dealer made a commercial with the jingle from Patti Page’s hit tune Cross Over the Bridge. The car dealer was trying to encourage folks to cross over the bridge to St. Charles and check out their car lot. At the time, St. Charles seemed so far from St. Louis. Clever idea and a catchy tune, too.
Well, Patti Page’s song was meant to give guidance to a misguided young man who needed to mend his wayward ways, to “Leave your fickle past behind you and true romance will find you, Brother, cross over the bridge.”
Bridges take us places, allowing us to get from point A to point B. And in Patti’s song, the man needed to leave his fickle past behind and get to true romance. Well, it’s true that the only way to leave a troubled past is to cross over the bridge, but not the bridge of romance.
Many of us have looked back over our lives and found moments or situations that were not our finest hour. Perhaps it’s old hurts, childhood issues, or past relationships. We can get stuck between the past and moving forward in the present. That’s when you need to cross over the bridge of repentance.
If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
The text says, “If we confess.” Our confession is not for God to know about it. Believe me, He already knows! When we confess our sins to God, we are taking responsibility and acknowledging that we know that what we did was wrong. As the saying goes, “Confession is good for the soul.” Confession is for our benefit. To bring into sharp focus the fact that we hurt the heart of God and that we are sorry for it. The next step of repentance is to turn and not do it again. That’s crossing over the bridge. Turn from darkness and walk towards the Light of Christ, the ultimate bridge who laid down His life to bridge the gap between sinful humans and a holy God. Only the blood of Jesus can cleanse us! Maybe you’ve heard this hymn:
What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Join us on Sunday as we begin a new sermon series on Building Bridges. This Sunday’s title: A Bridge to the Past. If you can’t make it in person, please join us online at www.umcgt.org.
Membership Sunday Praise! We welcomed five new members into the body of Christ and Green Trails! We are so grateful for your presence among us. Let us welcome: Carol Jacoby, Mike & Emily Perreault, Liz Stilley, and Dale West! To God be the glory!
State of the Church will be this Sunday, October 6, after worship. You will hear updates on finance, ministry, and the business of the church.
Trivia Nite will be rescheduled for the Spring. Stay tuned!
Pledge Sunday will be October 27. Shortly you will receive a pledge card for 2025. Please pray and ask the Lord about your 2025 giving. God has truly blessed this church, and it is because of the faithful and generous giving of the body! We will gather the pledge cards on October 27, pray over them, and ask God to bless each pledge. Then top the morning off with a Celebration Lunch! To God be the glory!
WOW! Join us on Wednesdays as we discuss the book: Emotionally Healthy Discipleship by Peter Scazzero. If you’ve ever had your emotions get the best of you, this class is for you! If you’ve ever experienced grief or loss, this class is for you! How do we deal with our emotions in a healthy, spiritual way? Let’s talk about it! This semester we’re doing a joint class with Union Memorial, so we are offering in-house as well as a Zoom option. The newsletter and website have the Zoom information if you prefer. The in-house gathering will include a potluck meal at 5:45p and the class will go from 6:30-7:30p. It’s not too late to join us!
Vision for 2024:
A House United:
Strong Faith, Strong Families, Strong Future!
Blessings,
Pastor Linda
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