401 Elm Street

Chillicothe, MO  64601

(660)646-4009

The Pastor's Page

"As the deer pants for water, so I pant for you, O Lord." Psalm 42:1

Meet the Pastor...

 Reverend Molina hails from Paola, Kansas. He graduated from the University of Kansas in 1988. He attended Central Baptist Theological Seminary for one year and received his Master of Divinity from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. David has been a pastor for nine years. He was the Associate Pastor of Burnt Store Presbyterian Church in Punta Gorda, Florida before becoming the Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Chillicothe, Missouri where he has been since 2000.

 

 Pastor David and his lovely wife Jacqui have four wonderful children: Nathanael, Gabrielle, Anneliese, and Stephanie Joy (not pictured).

          I am really, really ready for March.  According to the Farmer’s
Almanac, (and the U.S. Naval Observatory) Spring will be here
March 20th at 12:32 P.M. Central Daylight Time.  It won’t be here
soon enough for me.  Hopefully by then I will be able to stop telling
myself that I like winter.  That groundhog did us wrong this year. 
          I have also heard that the Farmer’s Almanac is predicting
significant snowfall for March.  If that happens I may have to buck up
and just go sledding! 
          The 1st thing I want to highlight for us is a super event which is coming soon in March.  It is “Christ in the Passover” presented by Dan Sered the Israel Director of Jews for Jesus.  Dan will be at our church to do this presentation on Monday, March 15th at 6:30 P.M.  Please invite everyone you know to this event.  I have seen this before and can’t wait to experience it again.  The way in which you understand and experience communion will be enhanced forever.
          Throughout March we are in the church season of Lent.  The timeframe for Lent is figured by first figuring the date of Easter.  Easter, by the way, is the first Sunday in April, and will be here before we know it.  The date of Easter moves each year.  Easter is always the 1st Sunday, after the 1st full moon, after the Vernal Equinox.  The Oxford American Dictionary says that Vernal means “of, in, or appropriate to spring;” and Equinox literally means “equal night.”  The Vernal Equinox is the time when the sun passes over the equator and day and night are approximately of equal length.  This also identifies Spring.  The 1st full moon after the Vernal Equinox is on March 29th.  So this year, using the method of figuring outlined, Easter falls on Sunday, April 4th.  Then, counting back from there 40 days, we arrive at Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of the church season of Lent.  However, if you actually count, you will have the number 46.  That is because the Sundays in Lent are not counted.  They are the Sundays IN Lent, not OF Lent. 
          We will return to Lent in a moment.  Our Presbyterian Calendar lists several things for March.  First up is Friday, March 5th is the World Day of Prayer.  The concept is that on that day prayers around the world will be lifted up to the Lord in every hour of the day.  You are invited to participate.  Next is Sunday, March 7th on which the focus is to Celebrate the Gifts of Women.  Next up is the date on the calendar which scares me the most:  Sunday, March 14th this year which is Daylight Saving Time begins.  This means we SPRING FORWARD!  In preparation for this I will be checking the batteries in my alarm clock to make sure it functions properly.  I sometimes even consider staying up all night so that there is no way in which I will oversleep and miss church.  I know for the rest of the world it is convenient to do this at 2 A.M. on Saturday night, officially Sunday morning - but it is not helpful for me.  I would lobby for Sunday night. 
          Then coming up on Sunday, March 28th is is Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday.  And, Palm Sunday begins Holy Week.  Again this year will be the Layman’s Worship Services in the morning on every day through Holy Week.  I will have information on this for you at church.  Also, there are daily Scripture readings for all of Holy Week and we will make these available for you.  We will do our normal Maundy Thursday Worship Service and Tenebrae Service on Thursday, April 1st.  This year there will be no Good Friday Worship Service by the Ministerial Alliance, so we will consider what we want to do as the date approaches. 
          Now let’s return to Lent.  I hope this time of Lent truly is a time of reflection for us that we may contemplate ways in which we may change.  The Lenten Disciplines are helpful tools in this endeavor.  I encourage us to read Scripture, to fast or give something up for the remainder of Lent, and to pray often.  If you are steadfast in doing these simple things, the spiritual experience will be worthwhile and can be life-changing. 
          Another spiritual exercise in which we have engaged is our Lenten Bible Study which meets on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 PM for the duration of Lent.  The units are self-contained and may be picked up at any time.  The study is Bread in the Wilderness; Spiritual Famine or Gospel Feast? by Kenneth H. Carter, Jr.  The first two sessions have been quite good.   I encourage us to join with your brothers and sisters in this study.
          Whatever we do in preparation for Easter I pray that it is a blessing to the Lord, to you, and to others.  May God Bless You and Keep you.


In Christ,

David