Shepherd’s Corner *Standing Before the Angel of the Lord

Guillermo DeHoyos

...Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord... Zechariah 3:1 As a New Year begins we are full of anticipation, plans and wishful purposes for our loved ones and ourselves. But Joshua had the right mind...Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord. In Joshua the high priest we see an image of each and every child of God who has been brought near by the blood of Christ -- an image of one who has been taught to minister in holy things, and to enter into that which is within the veil. Jesus has made us priests and kings unto God, and even here upon earth we are to exercise the priesthood of consecrated living and hallowed service. This high priest is said to be "standing before the angel of the Lord," that is, standing to minister. This should be the continuous position of every true believer. Everywhere we go becomes an

opportunity where we can serve the Lord. As God's people we can truly serve him in our daily place of employment, at our place of recreation, and especially in our home as in His house. We are always to be "ministering," offering the spiritual sacrifice of prayer and praise, and presenting ourselves a "living sacrifice." But notice where it is that Joshua stands to minister: it is before the angel of Lord. It is only through our One true mediator that we poor defiled ones can ever become priests unto God. We present what we have before the messenger, the angel of the covenant, the Lord Jesus; and through Him our prayers find acceptance wrapped up in His prayers; our praises turn out to be sweet as they are bound up with bundles of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia from Christ's own garden. If we can bring Him nothing else but our tears, he will put them with His own tears in His own bottle for He once wept; if we can bring Him nothing but our groans and our sighs, He will accept these as an acceptable sacrifice, for He once was broken in heart, and sighed heavily in spirit. Every child of God, standing in Him, is accepted in the Beloved; and all our polluted works, though in themselves only objects of divine abhorrence, are so received that God smells a sweet savor. We pour out our miseries; God just hears a sweet melody. He is content and I am blessed. As we see the New Year upon us may we be found in the same position as Joshua standing before the angel of the Lord. When a challenge is placed before us, what will our standing be? See,

Vol. 9, No. 1– January 2014

then, the position of the Christian: "a priest-standing-before the angel of the Lord." *[Ed. Note: This devotional first appeared in Morning and Evening, by Charles Spurgeon]

Special Announcements Supper Eights: A Fellowship Opportunity Supper Eights begin this month. Joy Elliott will be posting the groupings later this month. We look forward to this exciting time of special fellowship with members of our congregation whom we do not normally see outside the walls of our church building.

Major Board Actions in Calendar Year 2013 Our Church Constitution requires that a report of major actions taken by the Administrative Board be periodically communicated to the Congregation. The list below outlines those actions to date for Calendar Year 2013: Approved the disbursement of funds to 1) repair flood damage in the old building, and 2) replace glass doors in the new building to enhance security and conform to fire codes. Approved the purchase of new computers for the Church office.

Approved the selection of Jan Hoobyar (Lori Hyde’s mother) to be the speaker at the Ladies’ Retreat in 2014. Approved redesign and upgrade of the Church’s website by David Needham (contractor) to include a video option at a total cost of $2,900. Approved the purchase and installation of the exterior Church sign bordering Morningside. Approved a special love gift of $5000 to each of four missionaries supported by our Church: Hydes, Willards, Mattix, and Neil Burleson. Approved Mike Elliott as Assistant Board Chairman and Active Chairman in the absence of the Administrative Board Chairman. Approved an amendment to the method of determining class assignments for children’s and young people’s Sunday School classes. Classes will be based on age (versus grade) attained. Approved the use of our youth as ushers and Scripture readers on selected occasions as determined by the Head Usher. Approved proposal to approach the City of NB with a request for variance to requirement for property setback from adjoining property. This request involved the proposed new building. [Ed. Note: This request was approved by the New Braunfels Zoning Board on November 21.] Approved salary proposals for paid pastoral staff (Dennis Biddison and James Elliott) for calendar year 2014. Approved a change of job title for James Elliott from Assistant Pastor to Associate Pastor.

The Library Corner All the books reviewed in the Oracle are found in our church library. If you would like to review a book for publication in the Oracle, just let Chuck Davis know. This month’s review is written by Linda Goebel.

A Thousand Shall Fall

by Bodie Thoene

Thanks to the generous donation of our own Martha Fleener, we have a wonderful series of worthwhile books by Bodie and Brock Thoene in our library. A Thousand Shall Fall, taken from Psalm 91:7, is a book about the Wall Street crash of 1929. As in all her books, there are several intertwining story lines. All the characters are memorable, from a 9-year-old runaway boy to a hunted giant former slave. Each person in the book is directly affected by the stock market crash. The author gives us a clear picture of the importance of faith when dealing with adversity. There is pathos, danger, adventure, humor and faith found in this book. All the characters, major and minor, have distinct personalities and are interesting to know, villains and heroes alike. Find the books by Bodie Thoene in our library and enjoy good reading.

[Reviewed by Linda Goebel]

Facts and Figures Missions Giving Month of November $ 22,046 Calendar Year 2013 238,816 Building Fund Balance $ 814,132

Bible Quiz Question of the Month What was the name of David’s first wife? Answer to December Quiz: The number of magi is unstated in the Bible, although “3 kings” remains prevalent in modern lore as well as in the well-known Christian hymn.

Service Times and Church Activities Sundays Sunday School 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. Regular Sunday Worship 10:45 a.m. Evening Worship 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

During the Week *Good News Club Tuesday 4:00-5:30 p.m. (Meets at the home of Dave and Connie Green) AWANA Wednesday 6:30-8:00 p.m. Prayer/Bible Studies Wed. 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Ladies’ Fellowship 9:15 – 11:15 a.m. (2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month) Men’s Bible Study I Sat. 6:45 - 8:30 a.m. Men’s Bible Study II Sat. 8:30 – 10:30 a.m. *Meetings will resume on February 4 and continue through May 6. Spring break dates will be announced later.