730 Olean Rd.
East Aurora, NY 14052

Dear Pathways Christian Fellowship family and friends, 

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09/17/2026

 

Peace to you, Pathways Christian Fellowship!  This coming Sunday we are observing the 20th birthday of PCF! This is an incredible milestone marking two decades of cooperation and communion between God and God's people. As a mission-based fellowship, love for one's neighbor and acts of service light the way. Please take some quiet time with the following Scripture to reflect upon and appreciate your PCF experience:

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• "Serve one another humbly in love." Galatians 5:13 

• "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of  God’s grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10 

• "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:45 

• "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."  Philippians 2:3-4 

• "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'" Matthew 25:40 

• "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward." Colossians 3:23-24 

 

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As for the lectionary, Matthew 20:1-16 and Philippians 1:21-30 both challenge normal human thinking, showing that God's grace and priorities turn our ideas of fairness and status upside down. 

 

Matthew shows God giving unearned grace to latecomers, while Philippians shows Paul viewing death not as a tragedy, but as a "gain" because it unites him with Christ. Both flip normal earthly values upside down. 

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Neither text is about earning status. Matthew teaches us not to be jealous of God's generosity toward others, and Philippians teaches us to focus our loyalty completely on Jesus rather than earthly fears or status. These very lessons guide us along the PCF path of love and service freely offered to our neighbor.

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Let's gather and rejoice in God's love and guidance, in the Holy Spirit's patience and instruction, and in Jesus' eternal forgiveness and acceptance of every single one of US!

God bless you.  

 

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Patrick