Dear Friends,

Burdens are meant to be shared biblically as are our blessings. A great tragedy of life for many is when it feels like there is no one there to bear their burdens. There is also a sense of sadness when we have a blessing yet no one to share it with. As image bearers of God our creator we are meant to reflect his character in how we care for one another.

Jesus, our Savor, came to truly be the ultimate bearer of burdens. He came not to help us with our burdens but to literally take them from us and put them on him. "He who knew no sin became sin for us." (Corinthians 5:21)He also came to share his blessings. He declared the love of God and his kingdom and showed the extent of that blessing when he died and rose again.

The beauty of the Christian faith is that we have a perpetual bearer of our burdens. Yes, he has born the guilt and shame of our sins on the cross but he has also promised to give us all we need in this life. He will bear the trials of life with us.  This can be hard to believe when we go through different seasons and the burdens feel not only heavy but crushing. Is Jesus' work sufficient for my needs in every season and every hour?

This is especially true corporately as well as individually.  The body of Christ here at Tenth has had some heavy burdens to bear over the years.  Yet in spite of all this the Lord has been faithful.  He loves his church even more than we do.  We are called to bear these corporate burdens together.  The Elders, in particular, are called to bring these burdens to us as a body of believers.  As members our call is not to blindly follow but to be aware of ways we can both pray and support the work of the church. We will always have disagreements and concerns we need to express but we also need the commitment and trust to work through those issues – to the end that our differences don't get in the way of our unity in Christ.

The budget is one of those burdens. It is one of many. We want you to be informed followers of Christ in this local body. We want you to pray more effectively and be able to support more specifically what the Lord is doing here.  This is a hard time and hard choices are being made. Yet I would suggest the ultimate call is not to get over these burdens but to grow through them. God will ALWAYS be faithful in his time and way while our call is to keep our individual and collective eyes on him through it all.

A classic reminder comes from Peter's letter in which he says, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." (I Peter 5:6, 7)

Let's do this together as much as we do individually.

Jerry McFarland

Announcements/Events

• We welcome everyone to our Thanksgiving service on November 27, 11:00 AM. Liam Goligher will preach on Psalm 95, "A Song of Thanksgiving." Soloists are Sheryl Woods Olson, soprano, and Tom Elliott, trombone.  A Thanksgiving offering will be received and divided between Metro Outreach partners Place of Refuge and Rock of Israel. Parking and child care for children, age 3 and under, are available.
• Our fall congregational dinner will be held Friday, December 5, 6:00 PM. At the congregational meeting after that, at 7:30 PM, we will elect officers and transact other matters of church business. 2015 budgets can be accessed via our website (call 215-735-7688 and ask the receptionist for the password). Hard copies will also be available in the lobbies. Please register for the dinner by December 3.
• 2015 offering envelopes will be available at the December 5 congregational meeting and the following Sundays. If you currently do not have and would like a numbered box assigned to you, please contact Christina Corbett by November 30. Please also let her know if you no longer need envelopes.