Uplook - November 8, 2025
Autumn greetings to all,
I know many of you call this season, "fall". That designation came from the phrase "fall of the leaf" which became popular in 16th-century England by poets of the time and was eventually shortened and brought to North America by British settlers. Interestingly, "autumn" remained more popular in Britain. Personally, I prefer autumn because the phrase "The Fall" is great theological implications. "The Fall" is the term used to describe the intentional and voluntary act by the first humans, Adam and Eve, to reject God's authority and rebel against His direct instructions. It was passed on to succeeding generations.
The implications are much greater than simply eating a piece of fruit in a garden. Underlying are issues of God's authority as Creator, His objective goodness vs evil, human free will, and a host of other foundational things which we understand the Bible to teach. For some previous generations in Western culture these types of things were "basic givens" when considering the world and how we as humans perceive and function in it. In Eastern cultures, particularly prior to Christian missionary efforts, the basic foundational issues and perceptions may be quite different.
Today's culture is inundated with many of these other types of perceptions about the existence and nature of God, the nature and purpose of human beings, the nature of truth and goodness/evil, etc. It was from a concern over some of these things and how they are affecting our society that the topic for last Wednesday's Bible Study was "Imago Dei" which is a Latin term meaning the Image of God. It comes from the Genesis account of creation and confers on humanity, male & female, both the understanding of special unique creation and also that we are to be reflections/images of that creator.
Now, does it really matter which term you use for this season. Absolutely not! But it greatly matters what you and I understand about God, humanity, good and evil, and truth. By God's grace we will continue to teach, preach, and explore what God's Word has to say about these things.
Prayer Requests -
Choir / Music Education - Choir practice tomorrow at 3:30 pm and Music Education for all at 3:50.
Autumn Blessings,
BB
Rev. William E. McKibben
Senior Pastor
I know many of you call this season, "fall". That designation came from the phrase "fall of the leaf" which became popular in 16th-century England by poets of the time and was eventually shortened and brought to North America by British settlers. Interestingly, "autumn" remained more popular in Britain. Personally, I prefer autumn because the phrase "The Fall" is great theological implications. "The Fall" is the term used to describe the intentional and voluntary act by the first humans, Adam and Eve, to reject God's authority and rebel against His direct instructions. It was passed on to succeeding generations.
The implications are much greater than simply eating a piece of fruit in a garden. Underlying are issues of God's authority as Creator, His objective goodness vs evil, human free will, and a host of other foundational things which we understand the Bible to teach. For some previous generations in Western culture these types of things were "basic givens" when considering the world and how we as humans perceive and function in it. In Eastern cultures, particularly prior to Christian missionary efforts, the basic foundational issues and perceptions may be quite different.
Today's culture is inundated with many of these other types of perceptions about the existence and nature of God, the nature and purpose of human beings, the nature of truth and goodness/evil, etc. It was from a concern over some of these things and how they are affecting our society that the topic for last Wednesday's Bible Study was "Imago Dei" which is a Latin term meaning the Image of God. It comes from the Genesis account of creation and confers on humanity, male & female, both the understanding of special unique creation and also that we are to be reflections/images of that creator.
Now, does it really matter which term you use for this season. Absolutely not! But it greatly matters what you and I understand about God, humanity, good and evil, and truth. By God's grace we will continue to teach, preach, and explore what God's Word has to say about these things.
Prayer Requests -
- Pray for the Olson family for comfort and help after the passing of Sis. Gaylen's mom recently.
- Pray for Bro. Donnie Ferguson who is in the ICU in Tacoma and unless the Lord heals, will soon be with Jesus.
- Pray for our saints in the Philippines who are in the path of a Category 5 Typhoon and have cancelled Sunday services in most of our churches. Pray for safety and protection.
Choir / Music Education - Choir practice tomorrow at 3:30 pm and Music Education for all at 3:50.
Autumn Blessings,
BB
Rev. William E. McKibben
Senior Pastor
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