Essential In My Ministry

PRIORITIES

   I want to very briefly share with you my priorities in ministry. During my 38+ years in ministry these priorities have not changed. Sometimes they have got me into trouble but then again our Lord never promised popularity.

   1.) My first priority in ministry is preaching. I love to preach and the majority of my time is taken up with sermon preparation.

   2.) My second priority is visitation; in homes, hospitals and even places of employment. I have been told by one of my former parishioners that I had an open invitation to join him at his place of work at any time but that I was not to come wearing clerical shirt etc. You see, he was a farmer and his office was a barn where I would find him mucking out the cows!

   3.) My third priority is to always have my office door open for people to come in and talk about anything.

   4.) My fourth priority is conducting Bible Studies and sharing sessions which give people an even greater opportunity to explore and grow within the Christian faith.

   Those are my priorities which I have promised to every congregation where I have served. What I don’t promise people are the following.

1.) I don’t promise to have the answer for why you don’t have more young people in church.

2.) Although I will always listen to you that does not mean that I will always agree with you and when I don’t agree with you that doesn’t mean that I’m not listening to you.

3.) I don’t promise to fill church pews and offering plates. God has not called me to fill pews and plates but He has called me to preach his word.

4.) I will not agree with you when you say of my preaching, “But that’s just your opinion.” Opinions are cheap and you didn’t call me and God didn’t send me to give my opinion but to share with you God’s word.

Your friend Rev. John

                                                                                               

A Storm By Any Other Name

Is Still a Storm!

   Well, as you have rightfully guessed, it has been some time since we have last updated this site! I would like to place the fault on two individuals named Fay and Gonzalo! Fay was a tropical storm that was suppose to "brush Bermuda" on Saturday October 11th. It not only "brushed" Bermuda it struck us with a wallop! Anything under 75 mph is supposed to be a tropical storm. Fay hit us with wind bursts that some measured at 125mph. Needless to say come Sunday morning the power was out and the majority of roads on the Island were impassable. I tried to drive from my home to the church and finally had to turn back. Thankfully, the telephone was still working and so calls went out notifying people that they were to stay at home "no  church today." We were very fortunate at the manse in that the power came back on later Sunday afternoon! Most of the following week government crews and private contractors were kept busy clearing the Island's roadways. St Andrews Church was fortunate in that besides branches and debri on the lawn the only other damage was that we lost our church sign (multiplied into several pieces).

   Following Fay the local weather service warned us that one named Gonzalo was on the way. Gonzalo was listed as a Hurricane category 4 (right up there at the top). The word was out that Bermuda was in its direct line of approach with winds that could easily top 125 mph and higher. Jill and I like every other resident in Bermuda closed our shutters and stocked up on all the essentials. Gonzalo arrived Friday afternoon and our power promptly went out (again). The eye of the storm settled right over Bermuda. Now in the eye of a storm (as we all know) there is a great calm. The winds stopped and the sea was calm but only for an hour. On the other side of the eye the winds can get far worse and Gonzalo was not about to disappoint us! On more than one occasion the house would shake. We had an electric shutter that we closed over our living room window well before the storm's arrival. Other windows in the home were closed with manual shutters. By 3:30 in the morning Gonzalo had left our shores on a course north east of the Island.

   The aftermath of Gonzalo meant that Island cleanups had to begin all over again! It is now over a week following the storm and trucks can still be seen moving trees, branches etc. etc. to the local landfill site. Once again we are thankful that our church, our home and the homes of many of our friends were spared. But guess what? WE ARE STILL WITHOUT POWER! We are one home of about 3000 that still remains without the luxury of power. Because we have no power our generator has been powering our fridge and Jill and I are eating still by candlelight. Our electric shutter remains in the down position because we don't have the power to reverse it. The latest word is that we may remain without power for another week. I am fortunate in being able to update our website from the church which never lost its power. There has got to be a sermon in that!

Blessings
Rev. John

Prayer Full of Tears

Prayer Full of Tears

  Prayer Full of Tears sounds rather strange doesn’t it? We have heard of a “Bucket Full of Tears” perhaps but what is a “Prayer Full of Tears?” Allow me to elaborate. Just a little over a week ago I attended the monthly meeting of the Bermuda Bible Society where two years ago they made me vice chair! Following our meeting a few of us began chatting about the terrible conditions in Iraq and Syria. The radical group Isis who claim Northern Syria and also a large segment of northern Iraq are on the move for yet more territory. They hate the West and anything to do with the West. They hate Christianity and any Christians they capture are given the ultimatum, “Renounce Christ or die.” Christians are being persecuted like never before. Christians and many others are being shot, beheaded and crucified! Captured women and young girls are being sold and exchanged as sex slaves. We cannot begin to imagine the stress that the people here are under. Getting back to our Bible Society meeting one member shared with the rest of us about a message that had been received by a Christian missionary in northern Syria. He could apply for evacuation (possibly) but he said, “How can I leave my people in such a great time of need?” He went on to say that he spends all of his days on his knees shedding tears in prayer.” I suspect that many buckets full of tears have been shed for our brothers and sister in Christ who live in Syria, Iraq and Iran.

   So what are we to do? Well, we can certainly pray for them that God will give strength for his children to stand firm. The report is that they are standing firm even as they are being slaughtered. As important as it is to pray for them I would also pray that President Obama along with leaders of other nations would send their armies in to destroy this terrorist group which is none other than an army of Satan. We need boots on the ground not just planes in the air and we need it to take place now.

   God loves to hear our prayers but there are times when “army boots” can be the answer to the prayers offered and I firmly believe that this is one such time.

Rev. John Fraser

What About Your Book?

What About Your Book?

   Just recently I was asked; "Are you still working on your book?" I replied in the affirmative but that

 sometimes progress is slow because, "I have to be in the mood to write." As I contemplate my retirement

 which is now less than a year away I say to myself; "I will have more time to write when I am retired." 

However, I hear many people say that when you are retired that you often find yourself busier than ever

before! So, I don't want to wait for retirement to continue my writing I must set aside time now to write. 

I have a story that I want to share with people. I hope my story will encourage some, cause others to laugh, 

some to shed a tear and a few to take warning. Encouragement, laughter and tears are all part of a story but

what do I mean by, "take warning."

   Someone told me while I was still in training for the ministry; "John, just because someday you will be a 

minister that does not mean that everyone will like you." I thought that was strange but then again I was young 

and naive Doesn't everyone like ministers? Almost ready for retirement the answer comes back to haunt me 

and it is a definite NO. The fact that not everyone likes ministers would be more easily understood if those who

 disliked you came primarily from outside the church but such is not the case. In my almost forty years in

 ministry I have found that my greatest hurt has come from those "inside the church" those who claim to be

 Christians and strangely enough those who occupy positions of leadership within the church. Please don't 

misunderstand me, the majority were certainly loving and accepting of me even with all my faults. Neither do I

mean by being hurt that people simply didn't appreciate my sermons! No, I mean by being hurt that some

would phone immigration authorities and report me for working unlawfully. Some would write you nasty little

notes and tell you and your wife to"go home." Perhaps the greatest hurt came from those who said; "We knew

 you were conservative before you came to us but we thought we could change you." Then, there was one of 

my peers who said; "John, they are a lynch mob and they are out to get you." My peer who warned me of the

 lynch mob refused to share his insight with others who belonged to the same church court as he and I were

 members of. I am not going into any details here but will save that for my book! My greatest comfort in all of

 this came from those who did support me including a 16 year old youth. Nothing of what I was accused of

 pertained in any way to my moral conduct but rather to the gospel I proclaimed. It was because of this that

 I received my greatest support from the Scriptures in John 15:18-19. 

Rev. John Fraser 

One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism

BAPTISM

   What is it and why do we do it? In a short space of print I will attempt with God’s help to answer not in full but in part.

   First, baptism is one of two sacraments recognized within the Reformed Faith. Sacrament comes from the Latin word “sacramentum” which was an oath that a Roman soldier took to show his allegiance to the emperor. The other sacrament that we recognize is the sacrament of Holy Communion sometimes referred to as “The Lord’s Supper.”

   Baptism, for people of the Reformed Faith is a continuation of the Old Testament rite of Circumcision. In the Old Testament circumcision was a sign given by God to Abraham indicating that the male infant was now marked as being a member of God’s family. Females were admitted to God’s family through the male. Christians within the Reformed faith see baptism as a carry over into a new covenant of the Old Testament rite of circumcision. Infants of course do not remember the day of their admission into God’s family. The vows taken at baptism are taken by the parents on behalf of the child. They promise to bring the child up in the nurture and love of the Lord. NOW, when a baptized child reaches an age of understanding (early teens) hopefully they will want to take ownership of their parents vows made at their baptism by making a profession of faith and joining a Christian Church. They do not have to be re-baptized. The Bible states quite clearly in Ephesians 4:4-6 “There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.” At the time of their profession of faith he/she should rejoice that the sign given at their baptism has come to fruition. 

   What about something called; “believers baptism?”  Believers baptism is the baptism of one who as a young person or adult has made a profession of faith and is then baptized. As an adult they were able to take responsibility for the vows themselves. However, believers baptism does negate infant baptism. In the Holy Scripture it states that whole households were baptized and we believe that in those households there were indeed children. Christians within the Reformed Faith believe in believers baptism and infant baptism. However, many outside the Reformed Faith believe only in Believers Baptism. Christian parents should not wait for their child to experience “believers baptism” but rather have the “sign and seal” that is offered in infant baptism bestowed upon their child while they are of a young age.

   With regard to the method of baptism being the “sprinkling of water” or “immersion” it makes no difference. As one of the early fathers of the Reformation said; “whether it be a thimble full or a bucket full it makes no difference. The importance lies not in the amount of water but what the water symbolizes.” The water in baptism symbolizes the blood of Christ which washes away our sins. All humans at birth came into the world carrying Adam’s fallen sinful nature with them.

Rev. John Fraser

Solid Rock

   The term “rock” is often used in Holy Scripture to describe; security, trustworthiness and dependability. When Jesus asked his disciples who others said He was they replied, “John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” Jesus then asked them; “But who do you say that I am?” It was Peter who replied; “Thou art the Christ the Son of the Living God.” Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you Simon son of Jonah for flesh and blood has not revealed this unto you but my father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”  Upon Peter’s confession as to who Jesus was, God would build his church. When God’s gathered people (the church) continue to confess the identity of Christ and when they live by that confession there is security, trustworthiness and dependability. God’s confessing church is like a solid rock upon which the gates of hell cannot prevail. BUT, what happens when people gathered do not confess and live by the identity of Christ as confessed by Peter?

   When Jill and I vacation in Florida we worship in a church called, Solid Rock Presbyterian Church. Solid Rock is located in Leesburg and worshippers meet in a community hall. The fellowship of believers is not large but they are faithful and they warmly welcome those who believe in and adhere to the confession of Peter. They belong to a larger branch of the Presbyterian Church known as Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Solid Rock does not have a long history but the faith upon which they stand does. You see, the good people of Solid Rock came out of a larger denomination when that denomination began to drift away from the confession of faith as lived and taught by the disciples. They don’t have the big building now, they don’t have the numbers and as John (their minister) will tell you; “we don’t have the high tech stereo recording equipment that we once enjoyed.” Yes, they had to give up a number of frills but the one thing they refused to give up was the faith confessed by Peter. They were willing to stand up for what was right even when the opposite was more popular. They would not allow the faith once and for all delivered to the saints to be compromised by the standards of a society that is trying desperately to be accommodating to all. Their stand has cost them but they will survive because their faith is built on the Solid Rock.  Should your travels ever take you near the Leesburg area of Florida please drop by and worship with them on a Sunday morning. The people of Solid Rock meet in the Leesburg Community Building, (9:30am) 109 East Dixie Avenue, next to the Pat Thomas Ball Field.

   Please remember and pray for this community of faith who are looking for a site upon which to build and expand their ministry.

By Rev. John Fraser

Vacation Time

Vacation Time

   Do you remember your parents saying to you when you were small; “You’re tired, I think you should go to bed.” Oh, we didn’t like to hear that because going to bed meant going to sleep and if we went to sleep we might miss something.” Well, maybe we are a bit too old to remember the things our parents said to us but I’m certain we remember saying it more than once to our children. An explanation for bad behavior was being over-tired. So what does this have to do with the title of my blog, Vacation Time? Well, vacation time is time mean to rest from our daily work alcoholic routine. They use to say that a man could give you a long list of reasons why he had to work 24 hours a day. With the number of women in the working force increasing everyday I am certain that they could give you a long list of reasons for remaining late at the office as well. Hey, no matter how young or how old we are we all need a break because we all get tired and like children when we get tired we get cranky.  If we don’t slow down and get some R&R (Rest and Relaxation) God has a way of slowing us down. You see, God made a human being not a machine and our bodies will crumble from too much work and too much stress. We call the crumbling burnout, breakdown, stress attack and worse still, heart attack. Suffering in this way  is a difficult way to learn a lesson that we need to slow down so why don’t we simply take the advice that we find in Jesus’ word to the disciples in Mark 6:31. He said to them, “Come away to a quiet place and rest awhile.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.

   You can take a vacation anytime of the year and that’s fine but the important thing is to take one. Many will take a break in the summer time because the children are out of school. Our children “flew the nest” some time ago but Jill and I still like to take a vacation. Bermuda is a great place to spend your holidays but we live and work here SO in just a couple of weeks we are travelling to Florida. Although vacations can be taken anywhere I really think it is important to get away to someplace different. Remember, Jesus didn’t say to the disciples, “I think you are tired so have a nap.” No, Jesus said, “Come away.” I hope that all of you reading this blog are able to get away for a few days and that you will enjoy a time of sightseeing, swimming, playing golf etc. etc. Vacations are great times to rest and to enjoy doing things together with those whom you love. Vacations are a time to come together before breaking apart!

   When you are enjoying your vacation please remember one thing and that is that Jesus went with his disciples He didn’t stay behind. Take Jesus with you don’t leave Him at home. Remember, it is a break from our work from daily routine not from the Lord and his church. Don’t be like the little girl who overheard her parents speak of vacation plans and who said in her prayers that night; “God, we are going on vacation see You when we get back.” ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAYS BECAUSE YOU DESERVE THEM.

Rev. John