Monthly Letter from the Pastor

July 2024

Letter from the Pastor

Letter from the Pastor

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

-Proverbs 1:7

“Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” “Look both ways when crossing the street.”

“Use an oven mitt to get something out of a hot stove.” All of these things are

conventional wisdom or as some like to call it: common sense. Something that I

hear quite often is “common sense isn’t all that common.” I don’t think we have

to look very far to believe that. But common sense is built on what a reasonable

person would deem most obvious or practical. While it is so important to have

common sense, especially in a world where there is such a lack of it, I believe it is

even more important to have what I call “uncommon sense.”

Uncommon sense is not based on popular consensus or convention but is based

on what Proverbs 1:7 tells us: true insight begins with reverence for God. This

“fear” is not a conventional fear or dread but a deep respect, awe, and

recognition of God’s authority and wisdom. As we enter this summer season, let

us embrace this uncommon sense—a wisdom that goes beyond mere knowledge

and worldly understanding as we work our way through the Psalms and Proverbs

in a brand new sermon series entitled “Uncommon Sense.” My prayer is that we

would not be known only for our common sense but for our uncommon sense—

the wisdom that comes from a heart attuned to God’s truth and grace.