Kimberly Community Church

03/08/2026

The word for the week is “Substitute.” We are familiar with the term substitute. We us it pretty frequently. You may have used it at a restaurant when you wanted to substitute vegetables for French fries. Perhaps you wanted a particular tool for something, but you were unable to find it so you used a substitute, a different tool that would get the job done. I think we all experienced a substitute or two when we were in school and our regular teach was gone for some reason and the school brought in someone else to teach that day. In some cases the substitute was a personal choice while in other situations the substitute was a necessary procedure that may not have worked out as well as the original. There are many examples in the Bible of substitutes as well. In the Old Testament the people of God were to dedicate certain things to God for his purpose. One such was a first born son had to be dedicated to God, but the parents could bring a substitute, a lamb or two doves that could be sacrificed in place of the son. Another substitute is in regard to payment for sin. People are sinful by nature and the only payment for sin is the life of the sinner. God made another arrangement in the person of Jesus Christ who came to the earth to live without sin and could be a worthy substitute for the sin of humanity when he died on the cross. In his death he could take on himself the penalty for our sin as our substitute and all we have to do is believe and accept what he has done.

02/08/2026

The word for the week is “Remember.” Remember is a word that many of us may use or hear quite a bit. Such as did you remember to pick up milk from the grocery store? Or, remember that we are going out for dinner at my folks tonight. Or perhaps it’s, I remember why I came down the stairs. Or maybe it’s the opposite of that, I don’t remember why I came in here. Perhaps it’s, do you remember where I put my schedule? The Bible has a number of things put there to help us remember. Like Communion. Jesus gave a specific purpose for Communion as he was showing it to his disciples as he said, “Do this in remembrance of me,” and Paul suggested a similar idea in 1 Corinthians 11.26 as he said that we proclaim the Lord’s death each time we share in Communion. Jesus told the disciples in John 15.20, “Remember the words I spoke to you. . .” This statement has particular words to remember, but the principle applies in general for us to remember what Jesus taught. Throughout the Old Testament people of God are called on to remember who God is, what he has done and how it has affected them, but also to pass that along to others, especially their own children. What do you need to remember about God? Remember that he is faithful, merciful, righteous, holy and just, and that he loves you with infinite love.

02/01/2026

The word for the week is “Forgive.” Forgive is a verb that means “pardon.” We often use forgive regarding someone who has wronged or offended us in some way. We forgive them or pardon them. We can also use forgive regarding a monetary debt in that, as you forgive a debt, you release the person from further payment. At times it seems as though this concept has been forgotten in many interactions between people today. It’s almost as though to forgive another person is not even considered, only revenge. As usual the Bible has a lot to say about being people who forgive. In what is called the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6 Jesus states, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.” The Apostle Paul also writes in Colossians 3.12-13 “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. ear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Do you want to be forgiven? You must be one who forgives others. When we repent God forgives without condition, we must forgive in the same way.

01/26/2026

The word for this week is "Sadness." I am filled with sadness with regard to the state of affairs in Minneapolis, MN. I have great sadness that two groups of people have clashed in such a way that has brought about the death of two people. I am overwhelmed with sadness that it appears we can no longer have meaningful dialogue regarding differences and, seemingly, the only way to operate is through violent confrontation. It is with incredible sadness that I look on this state that I have called home for forty years tearing itself apart under the guise of "justice," "human decency," and "fairness" when it seems that all some people want is hatred and confrontation with anyone who does not agree with a particular point of view. I do not point fingers at any particular group involved in this dispute as it seems that there are plenty of accusations from whichever side you want to take.
I am reminded of an encounter in the Old Testament book of 1 Kings 18.20-40 where Elijah, the prophet of God, confronts the prophets of Baal at a place called Mt. Carmel in what we might call an epic event. The objective of the event is to call down fire from heaven to consume a sacrifice on an altar.
The so-called prophets of Baal begin, and they take all day making lots of noise and ruckus, even to the point of cutting themselves with knives in order to get Baal's attention and bring down fire to consume their sacrifice. Other than the noise, distraction and chaos it has no effect. There is no fire from heaven. The sacrifice remains.
Now it is Elijah's turn. He makes a few preparations including dumping a lot of water on his sacrifice. Then he makes a simple prayer for God to show up, and he does. Fire comes down from heaven consuming the sacrifice, the stone altar and all of the water making sure that everyone involved knows there is a God in heaven and he listens to what is going on and acts in accordance with his eternal plans.
Don't be distracted by all the noise and chaos going on, it is a tool of the devil to get the followers of God in conflict with one another. Have sadness about what is happening in our world then follow God. Listen to his voice and see his way out of all of this through Christ doing what Jesus calls us to do, "Love one another."

01/18/2026

The word for the week is “Wise.” What are your thoughts when you think of the word wise? Perhaps you think of the animal kingdom and the wise owl. Perhaps your mind goes to the older generations who have lived many years and experienced many things. Perhaps you think of a mentor who has guided you. Maybe you think of an old saying like, “Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.” There is also the possibility, since we are still kind of close to Christmas and Epiphany was only a few days ago, that you think of the wise men of the nativity account who came to worship Jesus after he was born. Actually the Bible talks about the wise quite a bit. There are quite a few of the Proverbs of King Solomon that refer to the what the wise do and seeking for wisdom. It’s not just the wise men in Matthew chapter 2 who seek the Messiah. In fact anyone who wants to be truly wise seek God in his word and in daily relationship through prayer and study of his word, and Jesus says that when you seek God you will find him. Are you looking to be wise? Seek God through Jesus.

01/11/2026

The word for the week is “Chosen.” According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary online, “The meaning of CHOSEN is one who is the object of choice or of divine favor : an elect person.” According to the American Heritage Dictionary chosen is, “Selected from or preferred above others.” It has to do with making choices, choosing a certain thing or a certain person above others. We have all chosen many things over the course of our lives. We have chosen what to eat, what to wear, where to live, what to do and many have chosen the most important thing which is to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. The best part of this is that before we have chosen Christ God has first chosen us according to his eternal purpose and plan. You choose to love God because he has first chosen you. This is clear in many passages, perhaps none clearer than Peter’s first letter chapter 2 verses 4-10 where he says clearly that we are chosen and holy. Peter is not the only one, so the point is very clear that God has chosen everyone who comes to him in faith believing that Jesus came to live a perfect life and then give his life as a ransom for those who believe. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation from the penalty of sin and receive the free gift of eternal life.

12/27/2025

The word for the week is “Joy.” For many people joy is closely associated or even synonymous with happiness and while there are some similarities the two terms are really quite different. Happiness ebbs and flows, swells and wanes depending on many factors including, but not limited to, circumstances, environment, other emotions, present company, the news and many other things. We can be happy one moment and completely down another depending on these factors because happiness is rooted in the emotions. On the other hand, joy is independent of these things. A person can receive a bad diagnosis from a doctor or lose all they have in some disaster and still have joy because joy is not rooted in emotions it is seated in the person of Jesus who came to give all he was for us. James, the half-brother of Jesus writes in the first chapter of his letter that we should “consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything” (James 1.2-4 NET2). Paul writes in Philippians 4.4 “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice!” Joy can be ours because Jesus has come, Emmanuel, God with us who grew to be a man in order to change all we know by giving himself as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Christ the Lord has come, and he is coming again. Rejoice!

12/25/2025

The word for today is "Emmanuel" which means "God with us." Have a blessed Christmas wherever you celebrate the birth of Christ the Lord.

12/21/2025

The word for the week is “Gift.” We all know what a gift is and for too many it is the main purpose of Christmas. Certainly giving and receiving a gift is part of what Christmas has become, but it is so much more and takes so many other forms than gift that you buy and wrap in colorful paper. Such as the gift of helping with a community meal on Christmas day. Or the gift of shoveling snow from the sidewalk of someone who is unable to do it themselves. It could be the gift of giving someone a ride a Christmas event that would not be possible without your help. It could be the gift of delivering a Christmas meal to a person who cannot get out, and pausing to sing a few Christmas carols with them. A gift could also be the presence of a special person who has been absent. The tradition of giving gifts at Christmas comes from the wise who presented gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh after they had bowed in worship to Jesus, the Son of God. Yet an even greater gift what God did for us through the gift of his Son for it is through that gift that God came to us in human form and makes it possible for us to come to him as Jesus defeated sin in his death and resurrection. Certainly give gifts to others, but also rejoice in the greatest gift that God has given to us, Jesus.

12/07/2025

The word for this week is “With.” This may not seem like a word I should use as a word for the week but let me write a little and perhaps you will see why I chose it. With is another word we probably use a lot without much thought. Perhaps someone you know comes to you saying they are going somewhere and they might ask if you want to go with them. On the other hand you might ask what’s for supper, and the answer might be roast beef with potatoes and carrots. In another situation you might be looking at a restaurant menu and a certain entrée says it comes with a choice of sides. Many societies are in the process of celebrating Christmas with all that goes along with that. The reason we have the season of Christmas and all that entails is God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ. Several hundred years before Jesus was born God prompted Isaiah to write in chapter 7 verse 14, “The virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.” That prophecy is quoted in Matthew 1.23 with the little addition that Immanuel means, “God with us.” Let that sink in for a moment—God with us. God came to earth in human form so he could be seen and touched and heard. Let that pe*****te to your very core that the God of the universe, the King of kings and the Lord of lords is with us.

11/27/2025

Check out this video for Thanksgiving Day giving thanks to our great God for all he has given. I hold no rights to this video, all rights belong to Robert Batchelor, just sharing it with you.

More Than Enough to Thank You For (Thanksgiving Day)[Intro][Verse 1] Thank You for the harvest and the morning light. Thank You for the pilgrims who knelt to...

11/23/2025

The word for this week is “Grateful.” This is a word that is closely associated with words like thankful or appreciative. In fact, the Merriam-Webster online dictionary states it is “feeling or showing thanks.” Are you a grateful person? What would that look like? Certainly one is grateful for the big things that happen in life—a raise, a new job, new home, new car and the list could continue. I think we should also be grateful for little things like sunrises and sunsets, aurora borealis (northern lights), stars twinkling in the night sky, a meal prepared, clothes washed and so many other, everyday things. The Bible has a lot to say about thankfulness and being grateful. Many of the Psalms are based on gratefulness and giving thanks. Psalm 100 for instance or Psalm 136. Then in New Testament the theme of thankfulness and being grateful are seen again and again particularly in the writings of Paul. For instance, 1 Thessalonians 5.18, "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." Another is found in Colossians 3.15-17 where Paul hits this theme three times in three verses. So, what about you? Are you a grateful person? I’m not talking about this week of Thanksgiving, are you grateful every moment of every day? God has done so much for you, be grateful.