Sad News: Missing COG Member Found Deceased

 

The top notice was on various COG Facebook pages and the Ambassador Alumni site when they were looking for her after she did not arrive for church on Saturday.

Investigators find body of missing woman in car submerged in Clinch River

From a reader:

So sad that this sweet woman had to die driving to Sabbath services in another state during inclement winter weather.

 

Brenda was the widow of Jim Ross in Tyler, TX.

Are PCG Members Too Dumb To Know Who To Invite To The NIght To Be Much Observed? The ministry thinks so!

Hiding from the death angel

 

The spiritual Gestapo agents in Edmond Oklahoma, at Gerald Flurry's command, have laid down the law on who is invited to The Night To Be Much Observed, a night of food and drink that was manufactured by Herbert Armstrong and not found in the Bible. (cue Bob Thiel meltdown right now...)

From Exit and Support Network:

For the days of Unleavened Bread, John Krueger, in a recent sermonette, decided to quote from an article by laughing Brian Davis in the Philadelphia News Nov/Dec 2010, “Who should Attend the Night To Be Much Observed?” Krueger quotes Davis [emp mine] as saying: “If individuals attend who would hinder this fellowship, or lackthis understanding, or in some cases could even be hostile to this type of fellowship, our observance would not be up to the standard that is pleasing to God. That is why it is imperative that we not only know how to observe this night, but also who should keep it with us.” 

 

In addition to wearing their very best clothing that night, paying careful attention to detail, and being “moderate in food and drink” (Note: We all remember far too many members getting high on alcohol this night and eating too much roasted lamb and rich desserts) here are the rules: 

 

Who should we invite to observe the night with us? 

1. Those in God’s inner circle

2. Members’ children who are sanctified

3. Those who attend church on a regular basis but have not yet been baptized but desire to be 

 

Who should not be attending?

1. Non-converted mates who do not attend services on a regular basis

2. Those in the outer court –the Laodiceans

3. Teens who have decided not to attend services

Herbert Armstrong never ever made such a command. If so-called unconverted spouses and non-attending children felt compelled to attend the meal they were invited.  And, what's with this Laodicean crap? This night meal is not a New Covenant command and is beyond the boundary of a minister telling people who can and cannot attend. Besides, nowhere in the entire Bible are Christians told to keep this night.

EXODUS 12:41-42, the scripture the COGs use to establish this fabricated celebration, tells us the observance in question is to be solemn. The Passover is unarguably solemn, because of what occurred that night - the slaughter of a lamb, and thousands of firstborns, and even moreso because of what it foreshadowed - the death of the Savior. This tone of the COG Passover service seems much more in line with what verse 42 describes than the alleged Night to Be Much Observed. It doesn't appear that the Israelites celebrated their deliverance until Exodus 15, after Pharaoh's army was drowned in the sea. Humanly speaking, this makes sense to me. Would I have been pleased the morning after the Passover, to learn we were leaving? Absolutely. But I can see myself a little shell shocked. Grieved at the deaths of so many Egyptians. A little post traumatic stress disorder from the plagues. And then there was the matter of the Egyptian army pursuing them. All in all, I suspect the day after the Passover was not a big party for the children of Israel. 

 

And really, it's not exactly a reason to party for Christians today, either. The COGs tell us that this supposed Night to Be pictures Israel's deliverance from Egypt and our deliverance from sin through Christ's death. It is a night to prepare an elaborate meal, gather with brethren and rejoice. The tone of this tradition is tragically incongruent with what the evening allegedly marks. 

 

What do the COGs tell us we are celebrating? Christ's victory over sin, achieved by His death. Is the end result of the story something to celebrate? Absolutely. But is His actual death something to celebrate? I think not. Do you start planning an elaborate party when a close relative passes? "Hey guys, Aunt Edna is dead, would you please pass the prime rib? And did you SEE the dessert table?"

Should Christians Celebrate the "Night to Be Much Observed"?

 

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LCG Prepares To Sacrifice Jesus Again At The Local Masonic Lodge and/or School Gym

It is that time of year when the Churches of God focuses upon Passover. It is the one time of year that the focus is supposed to be entirely on the guy they call Christ or Jesus if they want to look cool to their members. The rest of the year, not so much.  

They look forward to the ritual symbolic killing of Jesus once again. Microphones will be brought forward so that when the matzo wafers are broken the sound of the breaking of the bread is amplified so that members sitting in the congregation are filled with guilt and remorse for their inability to remain sinless since the previous Passover.

Due to the previous sins in their lives since the last Passover, they have to kill Jesus all over again on the night of the COG version of the Passover. The problem is, as soon as they leave that gym or Masonic Lodge, Jesus seems to remain there for the rest of the year. 

The meaning of his life, the significance of the resurrection, which is way more mysterious and meaningful than the crucifixion, barely gets a peep the rest of the year. COG leaders shy away from resurrection stories because they don't want to seem too Protestant and Easterish. Justification is rarely discussed as it is more important to focus on following rules than being justified. Grace and unmerited pardon are not looked upon too freely either. In fact, as the year progresses, the church will, as usual, be more graceless than ever. The rules and new rules will be enforced as Jesus Christ gets shoved in the corner again where he will have to wait till Passover next year.

Prepare for the Spring Holy Days: In just a few weeks, we will be observing the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. These annual Festivals are a memorial of the great sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for our sins and the sins of the world. They are also a reminder that we need to recognize and eliminate sin and inappropriate thoughts and actions from our lives so we can become more like our Father and elder brother Jesus Christ. For the Passover to be meaningful and profitable—and not just routine—we need to do our part to prepare for this important step in God’s Plan of Salvation. To put the Passover in proper perspective, it will be helpful to review the gospel accounts of the events that led up to the Passover, the crucifixion, and the resurrection. Placing our own period of self-examination within this biblical context can help us appreciate the tremendous significance of Jesus’ sacrifice. The Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread provide us with an annual opportunity to examine every aspect of our lives in the light of God’s instructions found in the Scriptures. Spending time every day in prayerful study and reflection, as we go through this Holy Day period, will help us grow to be more like our Savior Jesus Christ.
Have a profitable Sabbath, Douglas S. Winnail