Pastors' Blog

If you have ever had the privilege of reading the parable of the Good Samaritan, found in Luke 10:25–37, you likely know the beauty and wonder behind an incredible individual giving their absolute all to the cause of another. If you have not read it, I encourage you to do so and allow the brilliance of this passage to illuminate your life. For in this story, we see Jesus depicting the character we ought to have if we desire to live eternally with Him.

Without reserve, the protagonist in the story draws near to the critically injured man on the road, and Scripture says that when all others neglected him, this Samaritan “came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn, and took care of him” (Luke 10:33–34).

You can already see quite easily that Jesus is referring to an individual with a self-sacrificing character as the standard to live in accordance with the melody of heaven, for anything else would be a discordant note. The Samaritan, however, does not stop here, but the story continues: “The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have’” (Luke 10:35).

The Samaritan did not do this out of obligation to his own kin; in fact, it was understood that the men did not share a common background. There was no expected benefit in giving all his time, energy, and financial resources to this man. The Samaritan did this out of a glad and cheerful heart, out of an overflow from something beyond him, a spring of water welling up into eternal life.

Matthew 25:40 says, “‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

Harbor of Hope has only been able to live this out because of the strength and leadership of Pastor Jharony Gibbs and several other leaders. Because of this, Harbor of Hope has become a beacon of hope in the community and has raised awareness of life-giving messages and lifestyles.

This season, the Harbor of Hope Church, the Benton Harbor community, and I, Pastor Jonathan Garcia, thank her for all the self-sacrificing time, energy, and more that she has poured out in furthering the kingdom of God. When there was someone hungry, when there were those who thirsted, when a stranger was in need, Pastor Jharony was there and present.

So for this, we say thank you. As we press on into a new year, let us hold a zeal in our hearts to have the spirit of heaven and to minister to those around us.

It seems to be a trend these days. If you've been following the blog over the past few weeks, you've probably noticed that the inspiration comes from the wonderful changes in nature. Walking the streets of Berrien Springs and the surrounding roads around Andrews has been a recent reminder of the immense beauty that still exists—even in a fallen and polluted world.

Jesus' direct interactions with nature are numerous in the biblical record. To begin with, He often used everyday events or situations in nature to teach spiritual truths (like the "mustard seed" in Matthew 13:31–32, the "birds" in Matthew 6:26, or the "signs of the times" in Matthew 16:2–3). Sometimes His illustrations were simply invitations to reflect, as in the case of the "lilies" in Matthew 6:28–30.

But there were also those moments when Jesus altered nature in extraordinary ways. One example is when He "rebukes the storm" and the winds and waves "obey" Him (Matthew 8:23–27). In a similar situation on the lake, Jesus "walks on the water" (Matthew 14:22–33) and even enables Peter to walk on the water for a brief moment as well. I wonder about the mechanics of such a miracle—did He make the water denser, did a school of fish support them from below, or did He grant the human body a momentary ability to levitate? We don't know. But we are certain that they walked on water, and that something happened to cause Peter to sink—leading Jesus, after rescuing him, to say: "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

Another moment, also involving a fish and also involving Peter, is when God sends a fish to Peter carrying the coin needed to pay their taxes (Matthew 17:24–27).

These interactions become increasingly fascinating—sometimes unexpected, and in some cases difficult to fully understand.

One such example is what I want to share with you today. Looking at the streets and trees during this season here in Michigan reminded me of the event recorded in Matthew 21:18–22. It's true that in that Bible episode it was spring, not autumn like it is here now. But even then, some trees were just beginning to blossom, while one stood already in full bloom. Just as we see today—some trees yellow, others orange, some already bare, and a few still clinging to their evergreen foliage—there's a clear difference among them.

And what Jesus does in that moment really captures my attention. He goes to the fig tree looking for fruit, and finding none, He curses it, and the fig tree withers. Doesn't this action of Jesus seem strange to you? Ellen White writes, "Christ's act in cursing the fig tree had astonished the disciples. It seemed to them unlike His ways and works. Often they had heard Him declare that He came not to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. They remembered His words, 'The Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.' Luke 9:56. His wonderful works had been done to restore, never to destroy. The disciples had known Him only as the Restorer, the Healer. This act stood alone. What was its purpose? they questioned." (DA, 582.2)

This action surely startled the disciples, leaving them perplexed by such an unusual reaction. Clearly, there were things they did not yet understand about Jesus' ministry and about the events they were soon to face. Jesus was preparing them—teaching them something essential.

The disciples asked how the fig tree could have withered so quickly, and Jesus answered, "If you have faith…" (Matthew 21:21), opening a new and important topic about "faith" and what "we ask of God in prayer" (Matthew 21:21–22). But returning to the withered fig tree—and the other fig trees blossoming around it—was there another lesson, another warning, that Jesus wanted His disciples to grasp? What does it mean that this fig tree would never bear fruit again—not just for that season or that year, but permanently?

The answer lies in the earliest verses of the story: Jesus went to the tree looking for fruit, the very reason it had been created—"to bear fruit"—and this tree had none. It appeared promising: its blossoms, foliage, and vibrant leaves suggested that fruit should be there. But in reality, it produced nothing.

Ellen White recognizes that this warning is for us as well: "The warning is for all time. Christ's act in cursing the tree which His own power had created stands as a warning to all churches and to all Christians. No one can live the law of God without ministering to others. But there are many who do not live out Christ's merciful, unselfish life. Some who think themselves excellent Christians do not understand what constitutes service for God. They plan and study to please themselves. They act only in reference to self. Time is of value to them only as they can gather for themselves. In all the affairs of life this is their object. Not for others but for themselves do they minister. God created them to live in a world where unselfish service must be performed. He designed them to help their fellow men in every possible way. But self is so large that they cannot see anything else. They are not in touch with humanity. Those who thus live for self are like the fig tree, which made every pretension but was fruitless. They observe the forms of worship, but without repentance or faith. In their profession, they honor the law of God, but obedience is lacking. They say, but do not. In the sentence pronounced on the fig tree Christ demonstrates how hateful in His eyes is this vain pretense. He declares that the open sinner is less guilty than is he who professes to serve God, but who bears no fruit to His glory." (DA 584.1)

May our lives fulfill God's purpose for each of us—serving, loving, giving, providing, helping, and extending ourselves to those who need us by their side.

Several years ago, I moved here from central Oregon. That’s a pretty scenic area, but it misses some of the things that Michigan has, like Lake Michigan—or maybe Andrews University. One thing in particular is colored leaves in the fall. That’s the time of year we’re in right now. What do you think? Has summer gone? Think so. Right now, we’re rapidly approaching the zenith of color, which makes me thankful once again that I moved here from central Oregon: Michigan has all kinds of gorgeous tree colors. Within a couple of blocks from me is a maple with the most stunning color display: green, yellow, and gold. As I was walking Rascal this morning, the sun was lighting it up magnificently. I decided to take a break from writing and take a picture or two while the leaves are still there, so I did: I didn’t want to wait for another year to do it. 

When you drive onto the University campus, have you ever noticed the sign that says “Arboretum”? That’s very well put: so many beautiful trees are all over the campus. When I was in college, I worked at the CWP (turning trees into furniture) for a couple of years, and then I worked in dorm housekeeping. If I were going to do it again, I think I’d choose to work in Grounds. 

Besides the scenic values of this area that I value so highly, one of the things that has appealed to me is the pluses that the University and PMC offer. For example: Sabbath School classes. There are so many different classes. Last Sabbath, I got introduced to one I was unaware of: the French class. This past Sabbath, they put on the fellowship dinner following the second worship. I don’t know French other than the word “Oui”, so I don’t know what all they’re saying, but I know they did a fine job with the food.

I’ve connected with three classes, all meeting in the Seminary building. The one I’m at the most frequently is the one that meets in the lower level of the building and is taught by the Seminary professors on a rotational basis. It’s a privilege to be part of it, particularly since I can learn from them without paying tuition. If you haven’t been in the class yet, you really ought to try it. Last quarter one of our teachers was the Dean of the Seminary: Dr. Moskala—who wrote the quarterly lessons on Exodus that we were studying. What an opportunity to grow!

I’ve been trying to remember where I first heard it, but I understand that the leaves that grow on trees have all those colors from day one. Why don’t we see the colors earlier? As I remember, it’s because the colors are masked by chlorophyll. In late summer and autumn, when daylight begins to shorten, the chlorophyll fades away, and then we have all those beautiful colors. 

To me, this has always been an illustration of human life. We live in such a way that when people look at us, we look one way. But then, as we age, the surface changes, and as people look, they see something entirely different. Take, for instance, a man who has been a professor whom everyone thinks a lot of. Then, the actual “them” begins to come out, and things such as perhaps having a second family somewhere else show up. So, the question I ask myself that you can ask yourself, is what are my truest colors inside? If they started showing up, would I feel bound to disappear or hide or something…or thanks to the extraordinary grace of the Savior, would I not need to hide the real me? 

A song I heard someone singing earlier today is “What can take away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” If you or I have a hidden sin problem of some kind, I invite you to join me in seeking His cleansing, so that at the end, when our truest colors come out, they’ll be colors that He wants people to see: colors that will be encouraging to others..

We have much to be thankful for as we near the completion of our piping project. God has blessed us with skilled hands and willing hearts who gave their time and talents to make this project possible. We are deeply grateful to R.W. LaPine, who replaced the piping and completed the work two weeks before the schedule. We also thank Randal Mack of Randy’s Quality Painting, who refreshed the children’s Sabbath School classrooms with his excellent painting work. Matthew Karpinski also deserves our appreciation for reinstalling the ceiling grids.

Last but certainly not least, a very special thank you goes to William Colwell, our maintenance manager. William’s leadership, faithfulness, and diligence have been central to seeing this project through. William has been a steady and reliable force throughout the process, from assisting me with coordinating each step of the work to replacing the ceiling tiles and other relevant tasks.

If you see him around, please take a moment to thank him personally for his tireless commitment to our church. Where are we now? Most ceiling tiles are in, and while there are other minor tasks, the final major task ahead is the installation of new carpet. We’ve been informed that the carpet is expected sometime in November, bringing us very close to the joyful completion of this entire project. Thank you, church family, for your prayers, encouragement, and support during this time of renewal in our building. We look forward to celebrating once everything is complete!