107 Coldren Street, Johnstown, Pennsylvania 15904, United States
Upcoming Sermons & Devotional Message
December Sermons 2025
12- 21- Prepare The Way of The Lord
Luke 1:57-66 Luke 1:67-80
12- 24- Good News
Luke 2: 1-7 Luke 2:8-20
12-28- We Have Seen His Star
Matthew 2:1-6 Matthew 2:7-12
Devotional Message : These will change 1-2 times a week. Stop by often to read the new message.
Some Thoughts on How Love Responds Rather Than Reacts
I have several mantras that shape my life: Begin with the end in mind. Emails are for facts and not for feelings. There's never a lot of traffic on the high road. And it’s always better to respond than react. When you're in a difficult spot, are you more prone to respond or react?
The life of Jesus is a story of God’s perfect, sacrificial, agape love. But it would have never happened without Joseph—Jesus' earthly father and example of God’s perfect, sacrificial, agape love. A love that responds rather than reacts. This is how he is introduced to us:
“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” (Matthew 1:18, 19)
Joseph was in an awful spot. The life he’d hoped, dreamed and planned had come crashing down around him. Mary was pregnant. Joseph “knew” he had nothing to do with Mary’s pregnancy, but his response tells us a lot about who and Whose he was.
When Mary told him the news, he didn’t react. If he had, her life would've been over. Because Joseph was a righteous man, his first thought was to spare her life. He oriented his life toward doing the right thing. He didn’t react—he wanted to do the least harm—so instead he responded.
Joseph had every right to be vindictive and make Mary pay for what he perceived she’d done—but he didn’t. He set his pride and ego aside and did the most gracious thing he could. He decided to divorce her quietly—and spare her life. Why? I believe it’s because God’s love had shaped his heart—and when his heart was broken, love came out.
What comes out when your heart is broken? Are you more prone to respond or react? Which would serve you better in life? It’s better to respond with compassion than react in anger, my friends!
Who could use more compassion and less reaction in your life? Me, too.