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Join Pastor John and a guest co-leader each week for a virtual Bible Study on the Book of James.   This week’s guest co-leader will be Rev. David Drain. Pastor Drain and his wife, Marion, are residents at Willow Valley Retirement Community, They came from Lakeland, Flori… Read More

“The Fruit of Kindness”              I find myself being overwhelmed with all the information that is being thrown at me on a daily basis. It seems to be coming at me from different places, and some of it is even a bit contradictory. W… Read More

          Join Pastor John and a guest co-leader each week for a virtual Bible Study on the Book of James.             This week’s guest co-leader will be Rev. David Drain. Pastor Drain and his wife, Marion, are residents… Read More

“You Preach First”              In Acts 1:6, the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” And Jesus answers, No! You will!” One pastor was j… Read More

Join us tonight for “Let’s Gather the Flock” at 6:30 pm. EVERYONE is invited to join us as we spend some time connecting with our church family. Pastor John will kick off our discussion as he possess life questions from, "The Book Of Questions" https://us04web.zoom.us… Read More

“PhD Faith”           Does it really matter to you if Christianity is true? Or, what really matters is that you believe in “something” that brings out the best in you, -- your daily horoscope, your innate ability to problem-solve, or your own … Read More

“Being the Church”          Several years ago, there was a church conference that basically was trying to answer the question, “How does the Church reach the postmodern generation?” Now, space does not permit me to fully explain what &ldq… Read More

Sunday, May 24, 2020 10:00 A.M. https://zoom.us/j/275111180 "Do All Things Really Work for Good?" Rev. John Hartman… Read More

The Hidden Purpose of God   There is a story told by the Chinese philosopher, Lin Yu Tang, about an old man who lived with his son. One day the old man’s only horse wandered off and was lost. The man’s neighbors told him how sorry they were about his misfortune. The… Read More

“Ascension of the Lord”   One cold, wintery day, some children put a top hat on a snowman, and in a spell of Christmas magic, he came to life. Frosty the Snowman showed those children the time of their lives. With Frosty, their sleds slid further than they ever had… Read More

Join Pastor John and guest co-leader, Rev. John W. Johnson, for a virtual Bible Study on the Book of James. Wednesday, May 20 at 6:30 P.M. https://us04web.zoom.us/j/593320391  One tap mobile - 593320391# US Toll… Read More

“A Coat of Kindness”    Ever wonder, why do we visit the sick and give food to the hungry? As Presbyterians, steeped in reformed theology, it is not because we are saved by our works. It is not to get on the “good side” of God. It is because J… Read More

“Calm Assurance”   I don’t know about you, but his whole Covid-19, coronavirus, quarantined, stay-at-home-order stuff has gotten really frustrating, tiresome, -- and the end is still not in sight for those of us living in Lancaster County.… Read More

“Luck or Grace?”    Have you ever stopped to think about the “near misses” in your life? What I mean is those narrow, knee-knocking escapes that could have killed you, -- but you’re still here and still alive. The author, Scott Peck, writes: … Read More

From the Pastor “Grace of Giving”    For many of us, giving goes against our grain. It is our nature to give as little as possible while attempting to get as much as possible back. We are a lot like the elderly rich man who was about to die. He called in hi… Read More

Join Pastor John and guest, Rev. Charlie Gross, former CLPC member and retired Pastor of Westgrove Presbyterian Church, this morning, May 14, at 11:00 A.M. on Zoom. There will be time for questions and answers at the end of the study.   … Read More

“The Need for a Savior” Ravi Zacharias, the international evangelist, tells a story about going to see a play with a friend when he was preaching in Vietnam, back in 1974. In the play, a prince had stolen the wife of a peasant who was newly married. The prince refused to giv… Read More

Join Pastor John and special guest, Rev. Charlie Gross, a former CLPC member and retired pastor of the Westgrove Presbyterian Church. They will lead a joint study on the Book of James this Wednesday night at 6:30 P.M. and Thursday morning at 11:00 A.M. on Zoom. There will be time for questio… Read More

“Answer The Call”  I love the story of when Dr. Tony Campolo, a well-known Christian author and speaker was at a mission rally and was asked to lead in prayer for a missionary doctor that the group supported. The missionary doctor needed $5,000 for the clinic he ran. … Read More

Join us tonight for “Let’s Gather the Flock” at 6:30 pm. EVERYONE is invited to join us as we spend some time connecting with our church family. Zoom In and Gather with us! Laugh with us! Share with us! Show off your incredible brain power! TONIGHT - 6:30 P.M. htt… Read More

“Two Words”    “The Blind Side” was a book and a movie about a young man named Michael Oher. Big Mike, as he was known, was born into poverty in a drug-riddled ghetto in Memphis. Sadly, he never knew his father, and worse, his mother was a drug a… Read More

“The Face of Jesus”   I heard the story of a young mother who died of cancer, leaving behind her husband and their little boy. The man and the little boy came home from the funeral at the cemetery. And in the grief of his pain, this young father could think of noth… Read More

“Honoring Mothers”   Several years ago, I was in New Jersey for my grandmother’s 98th birthday party, and it was a Karaoke extravaganza, where my Dad brought his musical troupe to sing 27 – yes that’s right, 27 songs! And so there I sat markin… Read More

“The National Day of Prayer”   After a lot of controversy, a nightclub was getting ready to open its doors for business on the main street of a small Pennsylvania town. The town’s only church called for an all-night prayer meeting. And at the prayer meeting, … Read More

“North vs. South”  I was born in the north (New Jersey), but lived in the south for 25 years. And now, I am back in the north, in the great state of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Have you ever wondered what’s the difference between northerners and southern… Read More

“Good Spell” Someone has described the five types of problems we battle in our lives. They are: Loneliness, despair, aimlessness, fear and emptiness. It doesn’t matter if we received our stimulus check from the government or not. Or, how tired we are of z… Read More

“He Knows My Name” There is a praise song that our wonderful Chestnut Level Praise Team sings that is titled, “He Knows My Name.” The chorus of the song goes, “He knows my name. He knows my every thought. He sees each tear that falls, and hears me… Read More

Live Streaming Worship Service - Sunday, May 3 at 10:00 A.M. Rev. John Hartman - "Cardio Christianity" Please join us by clicking on the link below: https://zoom.us/j/275111180 Meeting ID: 275 111 180… Read More

“Forgiven and Forgotten”               I love the story of the bishop who was a confessor for a nun. One day the nun told him that Jesus Christ had revealed himself to her, -- in person! Well, the bishop understandably had doubts about … Read More

Join Pastor John and Rev. Bob Bronkema, First Presbyterian Church Strasburg, as they lead a Bible study together this morning, April 30, at 11:00 A.M,. on the Book of James via Zoom. There will be time for questions and answers at the end of the study. Thursday, April 30 at 11:00 A.M. h… Read More

“Heart of Good”   David Breashears is an American mountaineer, filmmaker, author, and motivational speaker. In 1985, he reached the summit of Mount Everest a second time, becoming the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest more than once. He was on Mou… Read More

“No Guilty Dollars”     Larry the Sad Boy, one of the inhabitants of Garrison Keillor’s “Lake Wobegon” was saved 12 times in the Lutheran church, an all-time record. Keillor describes the scene this way. “Between 1953 and 1961, he threw … Read More

“Super Committed” In tuning into sports talk radio as I drive back and forth to church during the week, it’s fascinating to listen to what various professional leagues and colleges are going to do in moving forward. To play or not play the games? And if they do, s… Read More

“Aging Gracefully”  Even at the age of 92, Jack LaLanne, the “Godfather of Fitness,” continued to work out every morning for two hours, one and half hours in the weight room and a half hour in the pool. He told Katie Couric, “I can’t afford to die… Read More

“Green-Shaded Glasses”  According to my Presbyterian calendar, today is “Earth Day.” Well, growing up in New Jersey, I used to hear a lot of jokes about air pollution, being so close to the metropolitan area. We used to say, “We wake up to the soun… Read More

“Walk the Line”  The appeal of Johnny Cash was wide ranging. He was a singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and author. He crossed over into a variety of musical genres including country, rock and roll, blues, folk, and gospel. He is arguably one of the best-selli… Read More

“We Imitate Whom We Adore” St. Augustine once said, “We imitate whom we adore.” Why did the Nike brand grow so much that every young person in the world, in every far corner of this planet, wanted to wear Nike sneakers? Because of one person: Michael Jordan.&nb… Read More

“The Transforming Moment”   One of my professors at Princeton Theological Seminary was Dr. James Loder. He was a professor of the Philosophy of Christian Education and a Presbyterian minister. Years ago he was headed with his wife and two daughters to Quebec, Canada for … Read More

“In Christ Alone”  Last week, during a Bible study, someone mentioned Chuck Colson. Chuck Colson was involved in the Watergate scandal, and actually went to prison. While in prison, he became a Christian, and later he founded Prison Fellowship Ministries. He tells … Read More

Thursday, April 16, 2020 11:00 A.M. https://us04web.zoom.us/j/805070626 (Click the Zoom link here, or below, to join the service!) Join Pastor John for a virtual Bible Study on the Book of James, Th… Read More

Join Pastor John for a virtual Bible Study on the Book of James, Wednesday, April 15 at 6:30 pm, or, Thursday, April 16 at 11:00 A.M.  The study will be the same each week, just available at different times to view and join in.  If you would like to participate, please cl… Read More

“Investment Day”  Today is April 15, which means it is Tax Day. And even though the government has extended the filing deadline to July 15, April 15 has been the deadline for filing your income tax returns since 1955. It got me to thinking, not so much about taxe… Read More

“Chestnut Level Flock”  As a country, we used to be more of a nation of joiners. I have seen that most often when reading the obituaries of an older adult who has died. I am always impressed with the long list of clubs and organizations that these people belonged to. Fo… Read More

“After Easter”  Back in 1970, I remember a CBS TV show called, “Can You Top This?”  It wasn’t on very long, only 8 months. As you might guess, that notorious game show host, Wink Martindale, with his pearly white teeth, was the host.&n… Read More

“God’s Friday”   Today is Good Friday, and while we are not having a worship service this evening, it is important to understand a bit better its meaning and why it is important. Good Friday is a critical day for Christians, because it celebrates what we believe to … Read More

“The Table of Reconciliation” It’s late at night, and Jesus is in the hands of the Roman authorities, and he’s being bounced back and forth in a kangaroo court trial. Peter is in the courtyard, warming himself next to a fire, and standing next to him is a teenage gi… Read More

“See Jesus”    A young new pastor was invited to lead Sunday evening worship at senior adult retirement community. She gladly accepted the invitation and began pouring herself in to her sermon preparation. She didn’t want to deliver just a good sermon, but a … Read More

“The Secret of Success”   Toward the end of Jesus’ life, he had a conversation with his disciples. James and John had seen all of it coming together and figured, “It’s now or never.” They needed to nail down their cabinet posit… Read More

"The Calm Before The Storm"  James Bonham, a fiery young lawyer from South Carolina, had been in Texas for only three months, but his yearning for freedom left him no choice but to march alongside these Texans in their battle for liberty. He volunteered for service at the Alamo, a small m… Read More

“Riding Into Our Lives”   This Sunday, April 5, is Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. Jerusalem was a holy, sanctified city where the leaders were again preparing for the Passover according to the ancient script handed down by their ancestors. Suddenl… Read More

“Endless Hope”   As we come into this new month, I am reminded of the phrase, “April showers bring May flowers.” The cold winds and grey skies of March are behind us, and we are eager for Spring to begin. Unfortunately… Read More

“Storm Warning”  Today is April 1st, which means it is April Fool’s Day. Of course, you and I both know that what is going on in our lives and around us is no laughing matter. Today’s scripture reading is a parable that Jesus tells from Matthew 24:… Read More

“The Breath of the Lion”   When the month of March comes to an end, we tend to look at the weather and then determine if March is going out like a lamb or a lion. Weather aside, it seems like March is going out like a lion, as the coronavirus roars over our nation and… Read More

"... we have the mind of Christ” I Corinthians 2:16   For the second year in a row, I was planning to give up specific things for Lent. Basically, I was going to give up “sweets.” Like last year, I was going to refrain from partaking of what I called the … Read More

From the Pastor With just about all of sports being cancelled these days, or at least delayed for a little while, the event I am missing the most is the NCAA tournament, also known as “March Madness.” And while I never participated in a college basketball tournament, I do have a … Read More

Hupomone!  Romans 5:3 – “. . . we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance.”  Doesn’t it seem as if the Apostle Paul went a little crazy with this verse? How can he say, “Suffering produces perseverance?”&nb… Read More

“Remembering the Fundamentals”   Scripture Reading:  I Corinthians 2:1-5            “When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or… Read More

 “Make Each Day Count”                  I received a letter in the mail last week from the United States Census Bureau, giving me instructions about filling out my 2020 Census questionnaire online.… Read More

    Join Pastor John for a Daily Devotional March 23, 2020 "For Such A Time As This" “You w… Read More

“The Green-Eyed Monster”  This Sunday, I am concluding my sermon series on the Seven Deadly Sins, as I will will be talking to you (digitally) about the sin of envy. Similar to what people have to do at AA, we have to be willing to acknowledge envy in our souls. The s… Read More

Friends,  I hope and pray that God is giving you his strength and grace in these unprecedented times. I am 57 years old, and I can’t remember anything like this happening in my lifetime. Some of you may remember Pearl Harbor, and see comparisons there. Others of you may … Read More

Join Pastor John for a Daily Devotional "For Such A Time As This"    Chestnut Level Presbyterian Church Members and Friends,   Hope this finds you well on this Wednesday, March 18.    Things continue to happen in the… Read More

From the Pastor Note: At this time, we are planning to hold all worship services as normally scheduled. Please watch for e-mails, Facebook page or check the church telephone worship schedule for any updates to this information. I remember the old TV commercial, “How many licks does… Read More

From the Pastor Pride. Is there any other sin which causes more wars, more estrangement from family and friends, -- and a greater separation from God? Pride is the sin which stands behind Hitler’s Holocaust, gang wars in Los Angeles, and violence in the Middle East. Pride cause… Read More

From the Pastor Someone has said that Satan is like a burglar running down the hallway of a hotel, trying all the doors to see which are unlocked. The seven deadly sins are those doors we most often leave unlocked. I sometimes think that we not only leave the door unlocked, but we also … Read More

Someone has said that half the sins we commit are out of fear of being bored. If you read in between the lines of the story of the prodigal son, you sense what drove him into the far country may have been a terminal case of the blahs. He may have been thinking, “I can’t stand g… Read More

From the Pastor Having Valentine’s Day occur this week, I thought I would share a story that I heard. One day a little boy named Chad told his mother, “Mom, I want to make a valentine for every member of my class at school.” Chad’s mom was crestfallen b… Read More

From the Pastor What would you do for $10,000,000? If you knew that dangling at the end would be 10 million dollars, how far would you go? That very question was the premise for a book that came out a few years ago, “The Day America Told the Truth!” For example, you may… Read More

From the Pastor “With A Little Help from My Friends” In the old TV show, “The Wonder Years,” the theme song begins with Joe Cocker singing, “What would you think if I sang out of tune? Would you stand up and walk out on me? Lend me your ears… Read More

From the Pastor In that wonderful movie, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” Jack Nicholson stars as Randall P. McMurphy, the ringleader of a bunch of trouble-makers in an insane asylum. In one scene, he springs them out, and they all go down to the pier and are abou… Read More

From the Pastor In an old Peanuts cartoons, Lucy observes, “Charlie Brown, life is like a deck chair.” “Like a what?” “Haven’t you ever been on a cruise ship, Charlie Brown? Passengers open up these canvas deck chairs so they can sit in the sun. So… Read More

From the Pastor                As we end 2019, one question we find ourselves asking others is, “How was your year?” Now some of us might reply: “It was a tough year.” “I lost my … Read More

From the Pastor Today, is Christmas Eve. I sure hope you will join us tonight for one of our three services at 5:00 pm, 7:30 pm or 11:00 pm. The reality is that people are going to come into the buildings tonight to “play with fire.” In our hugest numbers of the year, we … Read More

From the Pastor There is a magic of music. How else do you explain the spell that music casts over us? In Ephesians, the Apostle Paul mentions music in the same breath that he talks about wine, – “intoxicating” music, - “intoxicating” wine. For exam… Read More

From the Pastor There are certain mysteries in life that make us stop and wonder, “Why?” Why is it that you can tell someone there are four hundred billion stars in the sky and they will believe you, but if the same person sees a “Wet Paint” sign on a park bench, and … Read More

From the Pastor Ever notice the pattern in the way we recite the Apostles’ Creed" We start out like a house afire: “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and in Jesus Christ his only son our Lord.” And we continue: “I belie… Read More

From the Pastor In his book, “What’s So Amazing About Grace,” author Philip Yancey tells of a weekend in which he was invited to participate in an encounter group led by the noted author and psychiatrist M. Scott Peck. The group was made up of 10 Jew… Read More

From the Pastor In his book, “The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath,” author and Pastor Mark Buchanan begins with the obvious question: “How does one define Sabbath?” Answers usually gravitate toward our calendar. … Read More

From the Pastor There was a little girl at a carnival who was carrying a huge swirl of cotton candy. Someone asked her, “Do you really think you can eat all of that?” With little pink smudges on her nose, cheeks and lips, she answered, “Oh yes, I’m much bigger on… Read More

From the Pastor In one of C.S. Lewis’ classic Narnia Tales, the fate of the kingdom of Narnia rests on the tiny shoulders of an English school girl named Jill. The wicked queen of the underworld has captured Prince Rillian, the rightful heir to the throne, and put him under the… Read More

From the Pastor John Ortberg tells of a woman who looked out her window and saw her German shepherd shaking the life out of a neighbor's rabbit. Her family did not get along well with these neighbors, so she knew this was going to be a disaster. She grabbed a broom and pummeled the dog un… Read More

From The Pastor: The Christian writer, Donald Miller tells the story of a friend who volunteered at a church only a mile from his house. It was a large mega-church, with a very successful television ministry. The friend said his job was to usher people to their seats, which he enjoyed d… Read More