As most of you know, Jamie and I are coming to Indy next week as part of a New Church Specialties Conference. The purpose of it is to train pastors and lay leaders in the process of "resurrecting" a dying church. As part of this process, they ask that we secure a team of intercessors. This is where you come in. We will begin to post weekly prayer requests and updates so you know how to pray. We'd like you, if you're willing to commit to pray at least once a week, to comment to this post. For those of you who aren't familiar to posting on a blog, all it takes is clicking on "comments" at the end of this post. Then type your message. If you don't have a blog, you can post anonymously...just be sure to write your name in your comment.
If you know of others who aren't Internet savvy, you could always print off our blog posts and update them. Jamie and I are excited about what God is going to do. You can be excited too, because your prayers are the fuel for God's work. Like Mike Brown once said, "Prayer is like calling in the big guns and bombarding the devil." Thanks for praying!
Monday, September 25
Sunday, September 24
The Church: God's Instrument of Grace
Here's today's sermon. Be sure to see the post underneath this one.
Misguided Understandings About the Church
Today we’re going to talk about the church. The church and its purpose are often misunderstood by both outsiders and church members. Some of us find ourselves faithfully attending the same church yet forgetting why we’re there. We even serve in any way needed with good hearts and great intentions. We tithe our ten percent, sing, pray, and respect the pastor when he’s preaching, whether a good sermon or not. We don’t complain and are genuinely happy to be among our Christian friends on Sunday. And yet, we tend to forget why we do all those things.
Then there are those who know why we exist, but don’t know how to accomplish God’s purpose. They will try anything and everything to make church “appealing” to guests, but in the process forget what those guests truly need. They’ll do anything to get new people walking through the door, whether it’s great preaching, modern worship, dramas, kid’s ministry, or plasma screen TVs. And these people get so caught up in the newest craze that they forget God’s plans.
If you’ve read the gospels, you no doubt know how they portray the disciples to be a little slow. They don’t tend to understand Jesus’ parables or his mission. They don’t believe him and they bicker about being the best. I have a story about these guys (which, believe it or not, isn’t in the Bible). Don’t worry, I’m sure it’s accurate. Listen as we see how easy it is to forget what following Jesus is all about.
Pete: This meeting has been called at the request of Matt, John, Tom, and Little Jim. Bart, will you please open with prayer?
Bart: Almighty God, we ask Your blessing on all we do and say and earnestly pray that You will see our side as Your side. Amen.
Pete: Jesus, we have been following you around for some time, and we are getting concerned about the attendance figures. Tom, how many were on the hill yesterday?
Tom: Thirty-seven.
Pete: It’s getting to be ridiculous. You’re going to have to pep things up. We expect things to happen.
John: I’d like to suggest you pull off more miracles. That walking on water bit was the most exciting thing I have ever seen, but only a few of us saw it. If a thousand or so had a chance to witness it, we would have more than we could handle on the hill.
Little Jim: I agree. The healing miracles are terrific, but only a limited number really get to see what happened. Let’s have some more water to wine, more fish and chips (it never hurts to fill their stomachs), still more storms, give more signs. This is what the people need.
Pete: Right. And another thing, publicity is essential, and you tell half the people you cure to keep it quiet. Let the word get around.
Matt: I’m for miracles, but I want to hear a few stories I can understand. This “those who have ears to hear, let them hear” business just clouds the issue. You have to make it clear or most of us aren’t going to be able to take anything home.
John: I’d like to offer an order of service. First a story, then a big miracle followed by an offering, then maybe a saying or something, followed by a small miracle to bring them back next time. Oh yes, and a prayer if you’d like.
Tom: We have to do something.
Little Jim: That’s for sure. Attendance has been awful.
Judas: I’d like to say if we are going to continue meeting in this upper room, we ought to do something about the carpet…
So you see how easy it is to forget our purpose. I’ve been reading a book called Falling in Love With the Church by Larry McKain. In the book, he explains that we must know what the church is before we can even think about growing. I would think that most of us here would like to see Parkway grow. Maybe you don’t want to be as big as Walnut Hill, but you would like to see more here than those present today. Right?
So would I. But first you and I have to know what the church is. Open your Bibles to Acts 2:42, a famous passage describing the early church. This passage speaks about what was happening in the earliest days of Christianity, and that gives us somewhat of a picture of what the church is.
Our Actions Must Stem From Grace
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
You hear all that was happening—the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, communion, service, prayer—and it’s easy to miss why they were doing that. We must look behind all the goings-on to see what the church is. The Church is God’s primary instrument used to distribute His free grace to a dying world. You and I are a part of that dying world while at the same time a part of the Church. Though we’ve received God’s grace and are saved, it doesn’t mean we quit receiving His grace. Without the grace of God each moment of life, we would cease to exist.
Babette’s Feast
And this grace is like a story told by Philip Yancey in his book, What’s So Amazing About Grace. As the story goes, there is a sect of Christians in Germany committed to renouncing all worldly pleasures. They all dress in black, and eat boiled cod and gruel, tolerating life on earth until God takes them home. Their leader has two daughters: Martine and Philippa. They were both beautiful and attracted the attention of many men. But they rejected their suitors in order to take care of their aging father. Fifteen years passed and their father died. They tried to carry on his mission and lead the parishioners but with little success. One man held a grudge against another, rumors spread about an affair involving two of them, and two women hadn’t spoken to each other for a decade. But they kept on.
One night the two sisters heard a knock on the door. It was a ragged woman who handed them a note. It was signed by one of the men who had courted Philippa years ago. The note explained that her name was Babette, she had lost her family in the French civil war, had sought shelter by fleeing to Germany. And, she could cook. So they took her in, and in exchange for chores she was given room and board.
For the next 12 years Babette worked for the sisters. One day she received a letter from France. To her surprise, a friend had renewed her lottery number in the French lottery…she had won ten thousand francs! (which is like $30,000 today). The sisters were all but happy because they knew Babette would leave. Coincidentally, the letter came at the same time the sisters were planning a celebration of the hundredth anniversary of their father’s birth. Babette came to them with a request. “In twelve years I have asked nothing of you. But now I would like to prepare the meal for the anniversary…a real French meal.” The sisters weren’t so sure, but agreed to it.
Babette ordered all the food she would need to make the dinner: small birds, fresh vegetables, pheasants, ham, cow, huge tortoises, and other strange sea creatures. Everyone in the village was amazed and somewhat alarmed at the sight. It snowed the day of the dinner. Babette had scrounged enough china and had decorated the room with candles. The guests all ate without much talk, most of them somewhat disgusted at the taste of foreign food. But gradually the meal grew on them. They began to reminisce about the good old days when their leader was still alive. And finally they all left, leaving Babette in a mess of a kitchen filled with dirty dishes.
The two sisters approached Babette. “It was quite a nice dinner. We will all remember this evening when you’ve gone back to Paris.” Babette tells them she will not be going back. All her friends and relatives had been killed, and it would be too expensive to return. “But what about the ten thousand francs?” Then Babette tells them she spent every last franc on the feast they just ate.
And this is grace: it costs the giver everything, and the one who receives, nothing. Grace cost God His Son, and it cost us nothing. Now we as the church are called to give grace to those who haven’t received it yet. And it must cost us everything: our time, our energy, our Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, our money, our talents, everything. We must give everything we have in order to bestow grace on the world. Whether it’s saying hello to a neighbor or listening to a hurting friend, we must give grace. And, as a church, we must center all of our activities on this. Whether it’s fellowship together at Muriel’s for game night or singing praise to God on Sunday, we must distribute grace.
The Apostles’ Teaching
So now we must reevaluate what we’re doing. In the early church, the first thing it says they did was to devote themselves to the apostles’ teaching. The word “devoted” has a sense of “giving one’s attention to” and “being faithful in.” So the earliest believers…those who were converted from the speech Peter gave on the day of Pentecost, now give their full attention to the apostles’ teaching. And the apostles’ have a simple message. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures… (vv. 3-4).” The earliest Christians devoted themselves to this message. They lived and breathed Christ crucified. For it is in His death and resurrection that grace is made available to us. Without that, we would be condemned sinners deserving death. But Christ died, giving His all, while we receive the free gift of grace. And so, we must ask ourselves: Are we living as if we’ve been given grace? Are we thinking about, dreaming about, speaking about Christ crucified and risen? Or do we look at the cross behind me as if it were just decoration?
Fellowship
Acts tells us that the first Christians then devoted themselves to the fellowship. In other places in the Bible, fellowship is described as sharing or participating in something with others. It’s being known because of who you hang out with. Some of you have been going to this church for so long that it will be impossible to hear “Parkway Wesleyan” without thinking of you. And, you’ll notice that in verse 46 it says they met together every day. They loved each other so much, and knew the importance of gathering in Jesus name. God’s grace was displayed in their interaction, the way they loved each other and gave when one person had need. It’s no wonder verse 46 also says they ate together with glad and sincere hearts. They genuinely enjoyed being together. For us at Parkway, the way we interact can be full of grace or lacking grace. People who visit our church will be able to tell a lot about us by the way we act. Even in the way we joke with one another, the grace of Christ can shine through or be masked.
It reminds me of the story of three pastors going out to eat. Each of them ordered a bowl of soup and a salad. And just after the soup arrived, three flies came and landed, one in each bowl. So one pastor spooned the fly into his napkin, folded it up as discreetly as possible. The second pastor picked the fly out, put it on his finger and flicked it off. And the third pastor grabbed his fly by the wings, held it up to his face and screamed, “Spit it out! All of it! Spit it out!”
Now which one of these pastors, if observed by a non-Christian, would NOT look like a Christian? That’s right. And so our fellowship should reflect God’s grace.
Breaking of Bread
The third thing the early church devoted themselves to was breaking of bread, or the Lord’s Supper. They knew that it was more than remembering Jesus until He returned again. The Lord’s Supper signifies the death of our Lord and the forgiveness we receive in it. You cannot separate forgiveness from grace. Every time we take communion, Christ is there, imparting His grace to us. Without His grace, we would feel awful. To be reminded that Jesus had to die because of the sin’s I’ve committed is a horrible feeling, and if that’s all communion is about, then it makes no sense to eat it. But it’s not. Communion is all about grace, which Christ gives to us. You have to remember, some of these early Christians in Acts are probably some of the same people who yelled, “Crucify Him!” How do you think they felt the first time they ate the Lord’s Supper? They felt like they deserved death too, and would have always felt that way but for the grace of God.
Prayer
So they devoted themselves to breaking of bread, and then to prayer. In Acts, prayer always precedes a great work of God. The disciples were together praying and God sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Cornelius prays, and God sends Peter as a messenger to the Gentiles. The church prays for Peter while he is in prison, and God sends an angel to release Him. The early church understood that God moved when they prayed. God moved on their behalf and on behalf of those who didn’t know Him, so that they may know His grace in their lives.
Larry McKain also tells a story in his book about his grandfather, who was a farmer. His grandfather was not a Christian. He used Sundays to plow his fields and work around the farm. The pastor of the country church would ask him to come every now and then, and his response was always “no.” But that little church began praying for him by name. And one Sunday, for no apparent reason except God’s Spirit working on his heart, Larry’s grandfather ran inside his house, grabbed his wife and daughter, and took them to church. That Sunday their whole family got saved. And that little country church was where Larry’s mom raised him. He met his wife there. All because the church prayed for his grandfather.
Conclusion: God’s Instrument of Grace
So the early church was devoted to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. The early church was devoted to being God’s instrument of grace. Like Babette and like Jesus, they gave everything they had. Is this how Parkway looks? Take a few moments and compare our church with the picture we have of grace. Then think to yourself, am I God’s instrument of grace? If not, how can I be?
Here are four practical ways to be God’s instrument of grace. If you listened well, you know them already.
Commit yourself to preaching Christ crucified. I know you’re not a preacher, but commit to it in your everyday interaction with people. Tell them about your Savior who died for you and them.
When we’re together, encourage one another. Tell someone how much you appreciate them.
When you take communion, know that you are forgiven. Your sins do not condemn you any longer.
Take time to pray for a non-Christian by name. Pray each day for them.
Misguided Understandings About the Church
Today we’re going to talk about the church. The church and its purpose are often misunderstood by both outsiders and church members. Some of us find ourselves faithfully attending the same church yet forgetting why we’re there. We even serve in any way needed with good hearts and great intentions. We tithe our ten percent, sing, pray, and respect the pastor when he’s preaching, whether a good sermon or not. We don’t complain and are genuinely happy to be among our Christian friends on Sunday. And yet, we tend to forget why we do all those things.
Then there are those who know why we exist, but don’t know how to accomplish God’s purpose. They will try anything and everything to make church “appealing” to guests, but in the process forget what those guests truly need. They’ll do anything to get new people walking through the door, whether it’s great preaching, modern worship, dramas, kid’s ministry, or plasma screen TVs. And these people get so caught up in the newest craze that they forget God’s plans.
If you’ve read the gospels, you no doubt know how they portray the disciples to be a little slow. They don’t tend to understand Jesus’ parables or his mission. They don’t believe him and they bicker about being the best. I have a story about these guys (which, believe it or not, isn’t in the Bible). Don’t worry, I’m sure it’s accurate. Listen as we see how easy it is to forget what following Jesus is all about.
Pete: This meeting has been called at the request of Matt, John, Tom, and Little Jim. Bart, will you please open with prayer?
Bart: Almighty God, we ask Your blessing on all we do and say and earnestly pray that You will see our side as Your side. Amen.
Pete: Jesus, we have been following you around for some time, and we are getting concerned about the attendance figures. Tom, how many were on the hill yesterday?
Tom: Thirty-seven.
Pete: It’s getting to be ridiculous. You’re going to have to pep things up. We expect things to happen.
John: I’d like to suggest you pull off more miracles. That walking on water bit was the most exciting thing I have ever seen, but only a few of us saw it. If a thousand or so had a chance to witness it, we would have more than we could handle on the hill.
Little Jim: I agree. The healing miracles are terrific, but only a limited number really get to see what happened. Let’s have some more water to wine, more fish and chips (it never hurts to fill their stomachs), still more storms, give more signs. This is what the people need.
Pete: Right. And another thing, publicity is essential, and you tell half the people you cure to keep it quiet. Let the word get around.
Matt: I’m for miracles, but I want to hear a few stories I can understand. This “those who have ears to hear, let them hear” business just clouds the issue. You have to make it clear or most of us aren’t going to be able to take anything home.
John: I’d like to offer an order of service. First a story, then a big miracle followed by an offering, then maybe a saying or something, followed by a small miracle to bring them back next time. Oh yes, and a prayer if you’d like.
Tom: We have to do something.
Little Jim: That’s for sure. Attendance has been awful.
Judas: I’d like to say if we are going to continue meeting in this upper room, we ought to do something about the carpet…
So you see how easy it is to forget our purpose. I’ve been reading a book called Falling in Love With the Church by Larry McKain. In the book, he explains that we must know what the church is before we can even think about growing. I would think that most of us here would like to see Parkway grow. Maybe you don’t want to be as big as Walnut Hill, but you would like to see more here than those present today. Right?
So would I. But first you and I have to know what the church is. Open your Bibles to Acts 2:42, a famous passage describing the early church. This passage speaks about what was happening in the earliest days of Christianity, and that gives us somewhat of a picture of what the church is.
Our Actions Must Stem From Grace
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
You hear all that was happening—the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, communion, service, prayer—and it’s easy to miss why they were doing that. We must look behind all the goings-on to see what the church is. The Church is God’s primary instrument used to distribute His free grace to a dying world. You and I are a part of that dying world while at the same time a part of the Church. Though we’ve received God’s grace and are saved, it doesn’t mean we quit receiving His grace. Without the grace of God each moment of life, we would cease to exist.
Babette’s Feast
And this grace is like a story told by Philip Yancey in his book, What’s So Amazing About Grace. As the story goes, there is a sect of Christians in Germany committed to renouncing all worldly pleasures. They all dress in black, and eat boiled cod and gruel, tolerating life on earth until God takes them home. Their leader has two daughters: Martine and Philippa. They were both beautiful and attracted the attention of many men. But they rejected their suitors in order to take care of their aging father. Fifteen years passed and their father died. They tried to carry on his mission and lead the parishioners but with little success. One man held a grudge against another, rumors spread about an affair involving two of them, and two women hadn’t spoken to each other for a decade. But they kept on.
One night the two sisters heard a knock on the door. It was a ragged woman who handed them a note. It was signed by one of the men who had courted Philippa years ago. The note explained that her name was Babette, she had lost her family in the French civil war, had sought shelter by fleeing to Germany. And, she could cook. So they took her in, and in exchange for chores she was given room and board.
For the next 12 years Babette worked for the sisters. One day she received a letter from France. To her surprise, a friend had renewed her lottery number in the French lottery…she had won ten thousand francs! (which is like $30,000 today). The sisters were all but happy because they knew Babette would leave. Coincidentally, the letter came at the same time the sisters were planning a celebration of the hundredth anniversary of their father’s birth. Babette came to them with a request. “In twelve years I have asked nothing of you. But now I would like to prepare the meal for the anniversary…a real French meal.” The sisters weren’t so sure, but agreed to it.
Babette ordered all the food she would need to make the dinner: small birds, fresh vegetables, pheasants, ham, cow, huge tortoises, and other strange sea creatures. Everyone in the village was amazed and somewhat alarmed at the sight. It snowed the day of the dinner. Babette had scrounged enough china and had decorated the room with candles. The guests all ate without much talk, most of them somewhat disgusted at the taste of foreign food. But gradually the meal grew on them. They began to reminisce about the good old days when their leader was still alive. And finally they all left, leaving Babette in a mess of a kitchen filled with dirty dishes.
The two sisters approached Babette. “It was quite a nice dinner. We will all remember this evening when you’ve gone back to Paris.” Babette tells them she will not be going back. All her friends and relatives had been killed, and it would be too expensive to return. “But what about the ten thousand francs?” Then Babette tells them she spent every last franc on the feast they just ate.
And this is grace: it costs the giver everything, and the one who receives, nothing. Grace cost God His Son, and it cost us nothing. Now we as the church are called to give grace to those who haven’t received it yet. And it must cost us everything: our time, our energy, our Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, our money, our talents, everything. We must give everything we have in order to bestow grace on the world. Whether it’s saying hello to a neighbor or listening to a hurting friend, we must give grace. And, as a church, we must center all of our activities on this. Whether it’s fellowship together at Muriel’s for game night or singing praise to God on Sunday, we must distribute grace.
The Apostles’ Teaching
So now we must reevaluate what we’re doing. In the early church, the first thing it says they did was to devote themselves to the apostles’ teaching. The word “devoted” has a sense of “giving one’s attention to” and “being faithful in.” So the earliest believers…those who were converted from the speech Peter gave on the day of Pentecost, now give their full attention to the apostles’ teaching. And the apostles’ have a simple message. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures… (vv. 3-4).” The earliest Christians devoted themselves to this message. They lived and breathed Christ crucified. For it is in His death and resurrection that grace is made available to us. Without that, we would be condemned sinners deserving death. But Christ died, giving His all, while we receive the free gift of grace. And so, we must ask ourselves: Are we living as if we’ve been given grace? Are we thinking about, dreaming about, speaking about Christ crucified and risen? Or do we look at the cross behind me as if it were just decoration?
Fellowship
Acts tells us that the first Christians then devoted themselves to the fellowship. In other places in the Bible, fellowship is described as sharing or participating in something with others. It’s being known because of who you hang out with. Some of you have been going to this church for so long that it will be impossible to hear “Parkway Wesleyan” without thinking of you. And, you’ll notice that in verse 46 it says they met together every day. They loved each other so much, and knew the importance of gathering in Jesus name. God’s grace was displayed in their interaction, the way they loved each other and gave when one person had need. It’s no wonder verse 46 also says they ate together with glad and sincere hearts. They genuinely enjoyed being together. For us at Parkway, the way we interact can be full of grace or lacking grace. People who visit our church will be able to tell a lot about us by the way we act. Even in the way we joke with one another, the grace of Christ can shine through or be masked.
It reminds me of the story of three pastors going out to eat. Each of them ordered a bowl of soup and a salad. And just after the soup arrived, three flies came and landed, one in each bowl. So one pastor spooned the fly into his napkin, folded it up as discreetly as possible. The second pastor picked the fly out, put it on his finger and flicked it off. And the third pastor grabbed his fly by the wings, held it up to his face and screamed, “Spit it out! All of it! Spit it out!”
Now which one of these pastors, if observed by a non-Christian, would NOT look like a Christian? That’s right. And so our fellowship should reflect God’s grace.
Breaking of Bread
The third thing the early church devoted themselves to was breaking of bread, or the Lord’s Supper. They knew that it was more than remembering Jesus until He returned again. The Lord’s Supper signifies the death of our Lord and the forgiveness we receive in it. You cannot separate forgiveness from grace. Every time we take communion, Christ is there, imparting His grace to us. Without His grace, we would feel awful. To be reminded that Jesus had to die because of the sin’s I’ve committed is a horrible feeling, and if that’s all communion is about, then it makes no sense to eat it. But it’s not. Communion is all about grace, which Christ gives to us. You have to remember, some of these early Christians in Acts are probably some of the same people who yelled, “Crucify Him!” How do you think they felt the first time they ate the Lord’s Supper? They felt like they deserved death too, and would have always felt that way but for the grace of God.
Prayer
So they devoted themselves to breaking of bread, and then to prayer. In Acts, prayer always precedes a great work of God. The disciples were together praying and God sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Cornelius prays, and God sends Peter as a messenger to the Gentiles. The church prays for Peter while he is in prison, and God sends an angel to release Him. The early church understood that God moved when they prayed. God moved on their behalf and on behalf of those who didn’t know Him, so that they may know His grace in their lives.
Larry McKain also tells a story in his book about his grandfather, who was a farmer. His grandfather was not a Christian. He used Sundays to plow his fields and work around the farm. The pastor of the country church would ask him to come every now and then, and his response was always “no.” But that little church began praying for him by name. And one Sunday, for no apparent reason except God’s Spirit working on his heart, Larry’s grandfather ran inside his house, grabbed his wife and daughter, and took them to church. That Sunday their whole family got saved. And that little country church was where Larry’s mom raised him. He met his wife there. All because the church prayed for his grandfather.
Conclusion: God’s Instrument of Grace
So the early church was devoted to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. The early church was devoted to being God’s instrument of grace. Like Babette and like Jesus, they gave everything they had. Is this how Parkway looks? Take a few moments and compare our church with the picture we have of grace. Then think to yourself, am I God’s instrument of grace? If not, how can I be?
Here are four practical ways to be God’s instrument of grace. If you listened well, you know them already.
Commit yourself to preaching Christ crucified. I know you’re not a preacher, but commit to it in your everyday interaction with people. Tell them about your Savior who died for you and them.
When we’re together, encourage one another. Tell someone how much you appreciate them.
When you take communion, know that you are forgiven. Your sins do not condemn you any longer.
Take time to pray for a non-Christian by name. Pray each day for them.
Cleaning Day
Sounds like a boring post from the title doesn't it? Maybe it is. You decide. Saturday we spent most of the day cleaning out our church. You would not believe how many old things we found..stuff from the 1920s even! It kinda felt like TLC's Clean Sweep. We had a trash pile, a sell pile, and a keep pile. Maybe we should have called them first...
Our D.S. and his wife came to help us. I don't know how we would have done it without them. I know that people meant well in keeping anything and everything. And I know that most of them are too old to do anything about it. So a small (emphasis on small) part of me understands why all the clutter. Then the other part screams, "Trash!" We found old Sunday School material, bulletins, fake flowers and vases galore, stuffed animals, dishes that haven't been used in years, extra shingles from the last roofing project...not to mention spiders, spiderwebs, and dust.
At the end of the day we had filled 30 bags of trash along with plenty of other items too big for bags. And, at the end of the day we felt good. It's like cleaning out the church signifies the new changes to come. We feel like there's hope for the church now. And it's slowly becoming our church. So often we find ourselves imagining life at Brookhaven and forgetting we're here to stay. Our de-junking yesterday helped us feel like we are "home."
(Stephen Mowat, if you read this, we found old newspapers in pretty decent shape. One has an article about FDR being re-elected to his fourth term in office. Others have various articles about the happenings in WWII. I figure if you want them, we can bring them with us when we come to Marion next week. We should pass through either on Monday Oct 2nd or Thurs Oct 5th. We'll drop them off at Michelle's office and you can have them free.)
Odd way to end a post, with a note to a friend, but I don't have anything else to say.
Our D.S. and his wife came to help us. I don't know how we would have done it without them. I know that people meant well in keeping anything and everything. And I know that most of them are too old to do anything about it. So a small (emphasis on small) part of me understands why all the clutter. Then the other part screams, "Trash!" We found old Sunday School material, bulletins, fake flowers and vases galore, stuffed animals, dishes that haven't been used in years, extra shingles from the last roofing project...not to mention spiders, spiderwebs, and dust.
At the end of the day we had filled 30 bags of trash along with plenty of other items too big for bags. And, at the end of the day we felt good. It's like cleaning out the church signifies the new changes to come. We feel like there's hope for the church now. And it's slowly becoming our church. So often we find ourselves imagining life at Brookhaven and forgetting we're here to stay. Our de-junking yesterday helped us feel like we are "home."
(Stephen Mowat, if you read this, we found old newspapers in pretty decent shape. One has an article about FDR being re-elected to his fourth term in office. Others have various articles about the happenings in WWII. I figure if you want them, we can bring them with us when we come to Marion next week. We should pass through either on Monday Oct 2nd or Thurs Oct 5th. We'll drop them off at Michelle's office and you can have them free.)
Odd way to end a post, with a note to a friend, but I don't have anything else to say.
Monday, September 18
I've found a FRIEND!!!!!!!!
Praise God! He completely ordained this evening...I took a chance and went to a Home Interiors special guest preview night with this consultant I found over the Internet (this is NOT something I would have done in Marion!)...the party was an hour away in Richland Center, so we had a lot of talk time on the way there and back...and I felt sooo comfortable...really at ease talking about Josh and me, how God brought us to Baraboo, all about our new church and where it is now...and how it will hopefully change in the future...we were able to ask each other a ton of questions and really get to know each other beyond the surfacy topics, and found out that our interests are pretty similar. Anyway, she invited me to go walking tomorrow with a group of 5 ladies and then go out to lunch with them. And I am definitely going. It was so nice to be out of the house tonight and to really share with another girl close to my age...it also sounds like she will be coming to church this Sunday...God is at work and it amazes me! Thanks so much for praying for Josh and me and our mission here...we are getting adjusted slowly...and it is good that we are here.
Sunday Sermon: A Prayer for Despairing Disciples
This is the sermon from yesterday. We were officially installed as pastor and wife of the church yesterday. Our district superintendent, Dan Bickel and his wife Reenie came up for the service. We had a meal afterward with our new leadership team, which consists of a husband and wife (he's 43 and she's 31), and another woman (she's in her late 50s). Dan reinforced the idea of refocusing the church...everything is up for grabs, it's gonna be a long, hard process, and we must commit to doing things as God leads. I'm not sure if any of us realizes the depth of craziness we're getting ourselves into.
Jamie and I will be going to Indianapolis October 1-5 for a New Church University conference. It's run by people affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene, and from what I've seen so far they know what they're doing. The purpose of the conference is to understand exactly what will happen the next three years (okay, so not exactly...it's more like the "fog" that hits in a Dave Smith Greek class). Once we get back, we'll relay what we've learned to our leadership team and begin the refocusing process. More on all this in the future. For now, here's the sermon.
Introduction: Jesus is Leaving
It was night. You had gathered together for one last meal. But this wasn’t an ordinary meal. This meal was filled with apprehension, tension, dread, endless questions of the future. The Master had said you will leave me. All of you.
“Master, no we won’t. We will die with you.”
“No you won’t. Especially you Peter. You will leave me. You will leave me alone to die. You will deny me three times.”
And now Jesus said he was leaving too. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You know the way to the place I am going.”
“But Jesus, how do we know the way? We don’t know where you’re going, so how can we know the way? What do you mean you’re leaving? Jesus, don’t leave.”
“In a little while you will see me no more, and then you will see me, because I am going to the Father. You will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. But your grief will turn to joy, and no one will take away your joy. Don’t worry friends. I will return. But now I must go to the Father.”
And then Jesus began to pray. “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him….
"I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction, so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
"I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them. I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.”
Then Jesus leaves, taking you across the Kidron Valley to an olive grove. Wait, what’s that you hear? Footsteps, loud footsteps. They’re coming this way. The Romans! And…is that..it is! It’s Judas!
“No! Judas don’t do this. You can’t take Jesus away. You won’t take Him!”
“Peter, put down your sword. I must drink the cup the Father has given me.” And then you run. You run faster than ever before, not worrying about the olive branches, not caring if any of your friends have been captured too. They’ve taken your Master away.
It would not have been the place to be that evening. To be associated with Jesus, known as one of the Twelve, would have been awful. In your heart you thought it was all a dream. There’s no way Jesus can leave us now. We’ve been together for three years. But in your mind, you knew he was right. This was the end. We’ll never see Him again. Back to fishing. Back to your home, where all your friends would be waiting, ready to mock you for following the crucified One. It was over.
Can you feel it? Can you feel the despair, the pain, the sadness of the disciples? For the disciples, Jesus’ prayer wasn’t an ordinary prayer either. It was one filled with truth they would cling to in His absence. They would need to know that even though He was gone, they would be okay. So turn to John 17, beginning with verse 6. There are three key themes spoken of throughout the prayer that are all things they needed to hear as a type of assurance that everything was going to be fine. The first is of God’s revelation.
God’s Revelation
Jesus revealed God to them in two ways. The first is shown in verse 6. Jesus says, “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world.” He literally said, “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me out of the world.” One’s name was equated with one’s character in Biblical times. So for Jesus to say He revealed the Father’s name, it meant that He showed the disciples the character of God. And when Jesus says that God had given Him His name, it meant that the name of Jesus was equal with that of God, and that Jesus and the Father have the same characteristics. Just as Jesus addressed His Father as holy, so He is holy. Just as Jesus’ name means “the LORD saves,” so we know God is our Savior. There is no separating Christ and the Father. They are one.
God’s name held power. It had the power to protect the disciples. Jesus was able to keep and guard the disciples while He was with them. As one of the disciples, you are comforted, because every time you pray in the name of Jesus, you know he hears you. Every time you call His name, you know He’s there. Every time you preach the name of Jesus, you know that it has the power to draw men to Him. Even when you are scared, when you are being killed for your faith in Christ, you know there is power in the name of Jesus. For us, the same truth applies today. There is still power in the name of Jesus, power to save, to keep us, and to make us one.
Jesus also reveals God in that He gave His disciples the words the Father gave Him. Through His teachings, the disciples received God. It says that they obeyed, or kept, that word given to them. What’s interesting about this is the tense of the verb “obeyed.” It would appear that it says the disciples kept God’s Word in the past and that’s it. But this verb is in the perfect tense, one that refers to an action having been completed in the past, but with effects felt in the present. Through their obedience to the Word and belief in Jesus, they were given eternal life. And this eternal life began the moment they believed and kept His word. It did not begin after they died, but sometime even before Jesus prayed that prayer. What a relief to know that even though Jesus had gone, they would one day be with Him. He had given them eternal life. We too can have eternal life, if only we would believe in Jesus and keep His words.
Truth About His Disciples
The second thing the disciples needed to hear was the truth about themselves. When Jesus left, you can bet Satan came in like a flood, trying to convince them that their doubt, their betrayal, meant Jesus could never accept them again. You can bet Satan made them feel like dirt. But they knew the truth about themselves.
First, they were “those who the Father had given to Jesus.” They could know for certain that God would not let them go. They would be protected from Satan’s attacks.
Second, they were hated by the world. Yeah, this doesn’t sound too encouraging. But Jesus had said in John 15:18-19, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” So this is a good thing! They were like Christ. They were not of the world just as much as He is not of the world. This is great! Have you ever thought that you and I are not of the world either? We’re not. Sure we live here and all, but we’re not really of this world. It’s like getting married. You say “I do” and you become one with your spouse. Sure, you’re still the same person. There’s plenty of time you’re not even together, but you’re one. Your voice won’t suddenly match your spouse’s, you won’t always like the same food, and you’ll still like watching football on Sundays while she takes a nap, but you’re still ONE—you have common goals, you share the checkbook, you have the same last name. We may live in this world, but we are not of it. The moment we receive Christ, we become His. Good to hear when you think all hope is lost and your Master is gone.
Christ’s Desire For Us
The third thing they needed to hear was what Christ prayed for them. Jesus prayed first that they would be one as Jesus and the Father are one. One in character, one in passion, one in purpose. By the power of God’s name, they would be one. They could no longer be known as Peter, James, John, Andrew, Matthew. They had to be known as His. They had to become so fully enveloped in Jesus’ name and mission that they would be one. The reason we are not one body of Christ today is not that we believe different things, or have differing opinions about how to worship. Those could be resolved. The reason we are not one today is that we have not all committed to be known as His. Some of us have, and some of us haven’t.
Second, Jesus prayed for them to NOT be taken from the world. If I were a disciple, I would have wanted to go to heaven when Jesus did. Take me home and we’ll continue like we have the past three years. That was the easy way out. All throughout John’s gospel, the world opposes Christ and His disciples. They are hated by it. The same world Jesus created hates Him. And so the disciples are called to stay in the world in order to…LOVE it. For God so loved the world that He gave His Son. And the Son so loved the world that He gave His followers. The disciples would need to hear this word because the world had taken their Master from them. It had crucified Him. How could they love it? And we need to hear this because we know the world does not know Christ. Things happen every day that we are opposed to: abortion, violence, theft, rape, murder. We hear people use our God’s name as a curse word. Yet we are called to love the world.
And third, Jesus prayed for them to be sanctified. “Sanctified” in this context means being set apart for service to God. The disciples were already separate from the world. They needed to be separated to God. They would be sanctified through God’s word. The Word of God sets Christianity apart from any other world religion. It comes from God and is truth. We cannot love a world which hates us, we cannot be one in purpose as Jesus and the Father are one, if we do not hold the Word of God as truth.
Conclusion: Remember...
So what does this all mean to us? We’ve heard a lot today. So if there’s anything I want you to remember, it’s the last point: the things Jesus prayed for us. That we would be one, that we would be in the world and love it, and that we would be set apart for service to God.
And one last thing. Remember that the soldiers took hold of Jesus. He carried His cross up Golgotha’s hill, and was crucified between two criminals. With His last breath he cried, “It is finished.” He was then buried, and three days later, when Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, Jesus appeared to her. He rose from the dead and is seated at the right hand of God the Father. And before He ascended into heaven, He said, “Surely I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jamie and I will be going to Indianapolis October 1-5 for a New Church University conference. It's run by people affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene, and from what I've seen so far they know what they're doing. The purpose of the conference is to understand exactly what will happen the next three years (okay, so not exactly...it's more like the "fog" that hits in a Dave Smith Greek class). Once we get back, we'll relay what we've learned to our leadership team and begin the refocusing process. More on all this in the future. For now, here's the sermon.
Introduction: Jesus is Leaving
It was night. You had gathered together for one last meal. But this wasn’t an ordinary meal. This meal was filled with apprehension, tension, dread, endless questions of the future. The Master had said you will leave me. All of you.
“Master, no we won’t. We will die with you.”
“No you won’t. Especially you Peter. You will leave me. You will leave me alone to die. You will deny me three times.”
And now Jesus said he was leaving too. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You know the way to the place I am going.”
“But Jesus, how do we know the way? We don’t know where you’re going, so how can we know the way? What do you mean you’re leaving? Jesus, don’t leave.”
“In a little while you will see me no more, and then you will see me, because I am going to the Father. You will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. But your grief will turn to joy, and no one will take away your joy. Don’t worry friends. I will return. But now I must go to the Father.”
And then Jesus began to pray. “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him….
"I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction, so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
"I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them. I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.”
Then Jesus leaves, taking you across the Kidron Valley to an olive grove. Wait, what’s that you hear? Footsteps, loud footsteps. They’re coming this way. The Romans! And…is that..it is! It’s Judas!
“No! Judas don’t do this. You can’t take Jesus away. You won’t take Him!”
“Peter, put down your sword. I must drink the cup the Father has given me.” And then you run. You run faster than ever before, not worrying about the olive branches, not caring if any of your friends have been captured too. They’ve taken your Master away.
It would not have been the place to be that evening. To be associated with Jesus, known as one of the Twelve, would have been awful. In your heart you thought it was all a dream. There’s no way Jesus can leave us now. We’ve been together for three years. But in your mind, you knew he was right. This was the end. We’ll never see Him again. Back to fishing. Back to your home, where all your friends would be waiting, ready to mock you for following the crucified One. It was over.
Can you feel it? Can you feel the despair, the pain, the sadness of the disciples? For the disciples, Jesus’ prayer wasn’t an ordinary prayer either. It was one filled with truth they would cling to in His absence. They would need to know that even though He was gone, they would be okay. So turn to John 17, beginning with verse 6. There are three key themes spoken of throughout the prayer that are all things they needed to hear as a type of assurance that everything was going to be fine. The first is of God’s revelation.
God’s Revelation
Jesus revealed God to them in two ways. The first is shown in verse 6. Jesus says, “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world.” He literally said, “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me out of the world.” One’s name was equated with one’s character in Biblical times. So for Jesus to say He revealed the Father’s name, it meant that He showed the disciples the character of God. And when Jesus says that God had given Him His name, it meant that the name of Jesus was equal with that of God, and that Jesus and the Father have the same characteristics. Just as Jesus addressed His Father as holy, so He is holy. Just as Jesus’ name means “the LORD saves,” so we know God is our Savior. There is no separating Christ and the Father. They are one.
God’s name held power. It had the power to protect the disciples. Jesus was able to keep and guard the disciples while He was with them. As one of the disciples, you are comforted, because every time you pray in the name of Jesus, you know he hears you. Every time you call His name, you know He’s there. Every time you preach the name of Jesus, you know that it has the power to draw men to Him. Even when you are scared, when you are being killed for your faith in Christ, you know there is power in the name of Jesus. For us, the same truth applies today. There is still power in the name of Jesus, power to save, to keep us, and to make us one.
Jesus also reveals God in that He gave His disciples the words the Father gave Him. Through His teachings, the disciples received God. It says that they obeyed, or kept, that word given to them. What’s interesting about this is the tense of the verb “obeyed.” It would appear that it says the disciples kept God’s Word in the past and that’s it. But this verb is in the perfect tense, one that refers to an action having been completed in the past, but with effects felt in the present. Through their obedience to the Word and belief in Jesus, they were given eternal life. And this eternal life began the moment they believed and kept His word. It did not begin after they died, but sometime even before Jesus prayed that prayer. What a relief to know that even though Jesus had gone, they would one day be with Him. He had given them eternal life. We too can have eternal life, if only we would believe in Jesus and keep His words.
Truth About His Disciples
The second thing the disciples needed to hear was the truth about themselves. When Jesus left, you can bet Satan came in like a flood, trying to convince them that their doubt, their betrayal, meant Jesus could never accept them again. You can bet Satan made them feel like dirt. But they knew the truth about themselves.
First, they were “those who the Father had given to Jesus.” They could know for certain that God would not let them go. They would be protected from Satan’s attacks.
Second, they were hated by the world. Yeah, this doesn’t sound too encouraging. But Jesus had said in John 15:18-19, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” So this is a good thing! They were like Christ. They were not of the world just as much as He is not of the world. This is great! Have you ever thought that you and I are not of the world either? We’re not. Sure we live here and all, but we’re not really of this world. It’s like getting married. You say “I do” and you become one with your spouse. Sure, you’re still the same person. There’s plenty of time you’re not even together, but you’re one. Your voice won’t suddenly match your spouse’s, you won’t always like the same food, and you’ll still like watching football on Sundays while she takes a nap, but you’re still ONE—you have common goals, you share the checkbook, you have the same last name. We may live in this world, but we are not of it. The moment we receive Christ, we become His. Good to hear when you think all hope is lost and your Master is gone.
Christ’s Desire For Us
The third thing they needed to hear was what Christ prayed for them. Jesus prayed first that they would be one as Jesus and the Father are one. One in character, one in passion, one in purpose. By the power of God’s name, they would be one. They could no longer be known as Peter, James, John, Andrew, Matthew. They had to be known as His. They had to become so fully enveloped in Jesus’ name and mission that they would be one. The reason we are not one body of Christ today is not that we believe different things, or have differing opinions about how to worship. Those could be resolved. The reason we are not one today is that we have not all committed to be known as His. Some of us have, and some of us haven’t.
Second, Jesus prayed for them to NOT be taken from the world. If I were a disciple, I would have wanted to go to heaven when Jesus did. Take me home and we’ll continue like we have the past three years. That was the easy way out. All throughout John’s gospel, the world opposes Christ and His disciples. They are hated by it. The same world Jesus created hates Him. And so the disciples are called to stay in the world in order to…LOVE it. For God so loved the world that He gave His Son. And the Son so loved the world that He gave His followers. The disciples would need to hear this word because the world had taken their Master from them. It had crucified Him. How could they love it? And we need to hear this because we know the world does not know Christ. Things happen every day that we are opposed to: abortion, violence, theft, rape, murder. We hear people use our God’s name as a curse word. Yet we are called to love the world.
And third, Jesus prayed for them to be sanctified. “Sanctified” in this context means being set apart for service to God. The disciples were already separate from the world. They needed to be separated to God. They would be sanctified through God’s word. The Word of God sets Christianity apart from any other world religion. It comes from God and is truth. We cannot love a world which hates us, we cannot be one in purpose as Jesus and the Father are one, if we do not hold the Word of God as truth.
Conclusion: Remember...
So what does this all mean to us? We’ve heard a lot today. So if there’s anything I want you to remember, it’s the last point: the things Jesus prayed for us. That we would be one, that we would be in the world and love it, and that we would be set apart for service to God.
And one last thing. Remember that the soldiers took hold of Jesus. He carried His cross up Golgotha’s hill, and was crucified between two criminals. With His last breath he cried, “It is finished.” He was then buried, and three days later, when Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, Jesus appeared to her. He rose from the dead and is seated at the right hand of God the Father. And before He ascended into heaven, He said, “Surely I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
New Table!
Jamie and I bought our first new dining room table Saturday. We have a small 4-seater in our kitchen now that's cluttered with mail and bills (and a dozen red roses from Jamie's birthday :). So needless to say we don't eat at that table too often. Dinner is normally served at the couch, which isn't all that bad when it's just us, but now that we are pastors, people come over for dinner. It will be nice to feel like we can host others without worrying about seating. If I can figure out how to put the picture in, you'll be able to see it. We bought it at Slumberland Furniture for... a bit of cash. It's our "we sold our house in Marion, let's go spend the money" purchase.
Wednesday, September 13
Sunday's Sermon
This may or may not be the best idea, but I hope to post sermons from each week. Maybe Nate and Maria will find them helpful alongside CWC tapes. It's nice to only preach once a week. I'd rather start with once a week and move to twice or more than to jump right in at multiple sermons/week. This week's sermon was from Psalm 62. We talked about how solitude gives God control of our lives, and how it brings clarity to the tough situations we face (such as the BIG changes to come at Parkway). Feel free to let me know if posting the whole sermon is a good idea or not. I can always just give a brief overview. Anyway, here it is.
Introduction
As you know, tomorrow is the 5-year anniversary of the bombing of the twin towers. And as you know, our lives are very different because of what happened that day. Gas prices are much higher, our military is overseas fighting a war, and we worry daily about the threat of another attack. Our Department of Homeland Security warns us about “being prepared.” Do we have enough equipment and resources to warn people or protect them? Are there terrorists here now? And we worry and worry and do all we can to stop it from happening again. It may be overdone, but it’s called “preventative care.”
It’s the same thing as going to the dentist or eye doctor regularly for a check-up. Not only are they looking for what could be wrong with your teeth or eyes, they are there to take care of you so nothing bad happens down the road.
And it’s the same thing as spending regular time with God—both in church and out of church. And I believe that many of us do take regular time to be with God. We read our Bibles, we pray, we come to church. And if we all do that, you may wonder why you need to hear this sermon. You need to hear this sermon because, while you are great at reading Scripture and coming to the Bible study, I can almost guarantee you are not that great at solitude.
Solitude is getting away from the hectic or not-so-hectic lives we lead. It’s running away from everything, whether for a few minutes or a few hours. And in that time, we seek the presence of God. Solitude is a state of mind and heart. It is seeking to hear God. Solitude is part of this preventative care too. And yet we miss it.
I’m not saying that a few hours alone and quiet will prevent all the bad things from happening. That’s impossible. The preventative care I’m talking about is being prepared for the next day, and the next day, no matter what happens. You see, spending time alone with God is essential now because the future is not predictable. You and I have no clue as to what this afternoon holds. We could be taken to the hospital, or get in a car accident, or numerous other things. And we also don’t know what God has in store for the future. He could want to use us to reach out to a friend in need, or to share Him with a stranger, or to encourage a guest to Parkway. My question is: How will we be ready for the future, whether good or bad, unless we have spent time with God first? Look at Psalm 62 with me.
"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. How long will you assault a man? Would all of you throw him down—this leaning wall, this tottering fence? They fully intend to topple him from his lofty place; they take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse.
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath. Do not trust in extortion or take pride in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done."
Overview of the Psalm
The psalmist who wrote Psalm 62 began by saying, “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” My soul finds rest literally means my soul is silent. He has come before God, surrendering control of the situation to Him. He is so confident that God is strong. There is no way he will be shaken. He is making God his foundation, thus, when the assailants come, he already knows God. Preventative care. His foundation is secure because he has been with God.
And now they come. It sounds like he is talking about another man, but from the rest of the chapter, we see knows the situation all too well for him to be speaking of someone else being attacked. He is speaking of himself as a weak man. The man is weak, like a leaning wall, and these men want to hit him when he’s down.
The words translated “throw him down” mean “murder, especially an enemy.” These men aren’t just lying and cursing, they are out for blood. And if you think about it, we have an enemy who does the same thing to us. He hits us when we’re down, piling one problem onto the next. He is a liar, but that is only a means to an end. His ultimate goal, like these assailants, is murder. And this is where time with God becomes so important. It is impossible to stand up to an enemy when you are weak, as in verse 3. But, your enemy stands no chance against you when your God is so strong.
The psalmist shows that one time with God will not suffice. To him, God is strength. And if God is strength, all the more reason to be with Him. Solitude with God will not make you a stronger person. It allows God to show His strength through you.
And this time he urges himself, “Find rest.” It is not as easy this time as it was the first, there is a real enemy. God is still strong to the psalmist. In fact, there is such a trust in God that he can tell the people, “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” We’ll look at the rest of the passage later. But you see how this solitude thing works. Even before these assailants came, the psalmist was silent before God. And then after they came, he did the same thing. He almost makes it look easy. If only it came that naturally to us.
Reasons Why We Won’t Spend Time In Solitude
But it doesn’t. so let me give you some reasons why it doesn’t come naturally. First, because silence is awkward. (SILENCE FOR 30 SECONDS). You didn’t like that did you. We’re so used to noise. I like to have music on when I prepare for sermons, just for some background noise. It’s our culture influencing the way we live.
Second, because we’ve tried and failed. Solitude is not about listening to God or about telling God your feelings. It’s about feeling God. And we’ve tried so many other ways to feel God, whether through worship or reading our Bible. And each avenue is a dead end. We don’t feel God. There’s no vitality in our relationship. And so we give up and assume solitude is a hoax too.
And third, because we like control. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “One reason we can hardly bear to remain silent is that it makes us feel so helpless. We are so accustomed to relying upon words to manage and control others. If we are silent who will take control? God will take control: but we will never let Him take control until we trust Him.” When we can tell God how we feel, or explain something, we have a sense of control over it. But when we close our mouths, we feel helpless. And we’re afraid of being helpless.
Reasons Why We Must Spend Time in Solitude
First, because it brings clarity to our lives. The psalmist was a weak man. And after being quiet before God, he was able to see how weak his attackers were too. Verse 9 says, “Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance they are nothing.” In reality, these assailants were nothing. The word “breath” is the same word translated “meaningless, meaningless” in Ecclesiastes. They were nothing, but it took time with God for him to realize that.
Second, because it brings clarity of who God is. All throughout the passage the psalmist declares God to be his rock, his salvation, his fortress, his hope. And at the end, he declares what he has heard from God: You O God are strong, and you O Lord are loving. When did God say this to him? In his times of solitude.
And third, because it gives control to God. If you look at it, we can’t control the future anyway. We can only control our time with God. For the psalmist, verses 3-4 were coming no matter what. I would say that if he had not been with God first, verses 5-12 would be different. Would he have hope for the future? Would he be able to tell others to trust in God? And would he realize how these men compare with Almighty God? No. He would not have been able to face this future event the way he did. And neither could we. And so, will we relinquish control? Will we give God the right to our lives and the right to our future? Will we give God control of our church and its future?
Conclusion: Practical Ways to Find Solitude
In closing, I realize it’s tough to be quiet. We hate it, and our culture screams anything but silence in our ears. We don’t practice it at church, and so many of us don’t know how to do it. So here are some practical ways for us to be quiet.
Take advantage of the little solitudes that fill our day. In the morning getting ready, or driving in our car, or walking in a state park. All these little times can be spent focusing on God.
You can also designate a place in your yard or house that is your quiet place. Discipline yourself so that your words are few. Know when to speak and when not to. Try going a day without speaking.
And finally, you could withdraw on a regular basis for three to four hours. Remember, solitude is meant to feel God. And so to get us started on this part of preventative care, let’s take five minutes to be quiet before God. After that I will pray.
Introduction
As you know, tomorrow is the 5-year anniversary of the bombing of the twin towers. And as you know, our lives are very different because of what happened that day. Gas prices are much higher, our military is overseas fighting a war, and we worry daily about the threat of another attack. Our Department of Homeland Security warns us about “being prepared.” Do we have enough equipment and resources to warn people or protect them? Are there terrorists here now? And we worry and worry and do all we can to stop it from happening again. It may be overdone, but it’s called “preventative care.”
It’s the same thing as going to the dentist or eye doctor regularly for a check-up. Not only are they looking for what could be wrong with your teeth or eyes, they are there to take care of you so nothing bad happens down the road.
And it’s the same thing as spending regular time with God—both in church and out of church. And I believe that many of us do take regular time to be with God. We read our Bibles, we pray, we come to church. And if we all do that, you may wonder why you need to hear this sermon. You need to hear this sermon because, while you are great at reading Scripture and coming to the Bible study, I can almost guarantee you are not that great at solitude.
Solitude is getting away from the hectic or not-so-hectic lives we lead. It’s running away from everything, whether for a few minutes or a few hours. And in that time, we seek the presence of God. Solitude is a state of mind and heart. It is seeking to hear God. Solitude is part of this preventative care too. And yet we miss it.
I’m not saying that a few hours alone and quiet will prevent all the bad things from happening. That’s impossible. The preventative care I’m talking about is being prepared for the next day, and the next day, no matter what happens. You see, spending time alone with God is essential now because the future is not predictable. You and I have no clue as to what this afternoon holds. We could be taken to the hospital, or get in a car accident, or numerous other things. And we also don’t know what God has in store for the future. He could want to use us to reach out to a friend in need, or to share Him with a stranger, or to encourage a guest to Parkway. My question is: How will we be ready for the future, whether good or bad, unless we have spent time with God first? Look at Psalm 62 with me.
"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. How long will you assault a man? Would all of you throw him down—this leaning wall, this tottering fence? They fully intend to topple him from his lofty place; they take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse.
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath. Do not trust in extortion or take pride in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done."
Overview of the Psalm
The psalmist who wrote Psalm 62 began by saying, “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” My soul finds rest literally means my soul is silent. He has come before God, surrendering control of the situation to Him. He is so confident that God is strong. There is no way he will be shaken. He is making God his foundation, thus, when the assailants come, he already knows God. Preventative care. His foundation is secure because he has been with God.
And now they come. It sounds like he is talking about another man, but from the rest of the chapter, we see knows the situation all too well for him to be speaking of someone else being attacked. He is speaking of himself as a weak man. The man is weak, like a leaning wall, and these men want to hit him when he’s down.
The words translated “throw him down” mean “murder, especially an enemy.” These men aren’t just lying and cursing, they are out for blood. And if you think about it, we have an enemy who does the same thing to us. He hits us when we’re down, piling one problem onto the next. He is a liar, but that is only a means to an end. His ultimate goal, like these assailants, is murder. And this is where time with God becomes so important. It is impossible to stand up to an enemy when you are weak, as in verse 3. But, your enemy stands no chance against you when your God is so strong.
The psalmist shows that one time with God will not suffice. To him, God is strength. And if God is strength, all the more reason to be with Him. Solitude with God will not make you a stronger person. It allows God to show His strength through you.
And this time he urges himself, “Find rest.” It is not as easy this time as it was the first, there is a real enemy. God is still strong to the psalmist. In fact, there is such a trust in God that he can tell the people, “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” We’ll look at the rest of the passage later. But you see how this solitude thing works. Even before these assailants came, the psalmist was silent before God. And then after they came, he did the same thing. He almost makes it look easy. If only it came that naturally to us.
Reasons Why We Won’t Spend Time In Solitude
But it doesn’t. so let me give you some reasons why it doesn’t come naturally. First, because silence is awkward. (SILENCE FOR 30 SECONDS). You didn’t like that did you. We’re so used to noise. I like to have music on when I prepare for sermons, just for some background noise. It’s our culture influencing the way we live.
Second, because we’ve tried and failed. Solitude is not about listening to God or about telling God your feelings. It’s about feeling God. And we’ve tried so many other ways to feel God, whether through worship or reading our Bible. And each avenue is a dead end. We don’t feel God. There’s no vitality in our relationship. And so we give up and assume solitude is a hoax too.
And third, because we like control. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “One reason we can hardly bear to remain silent is that it makes us feel so helpless. We are so accustomed to relying upon words to manage and control others. If we are silent who will take control? God will take control: but we will never let Him take control until we trust Him.” When we can tell God how we feel, or explain something, we have a sense of control over it. But when we close our mouths, we feel helpless. And we’re afraid of being helpless.
Reasons Why We Must Spend Time in Solitude
First, because it brings clarity to our lives. The psalmist was a weak man. And after being quiet before God, he was able to see how weak his attackers were too. Verse 9 says, “Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance they are nothing.” In reality, these assailants were nothing. The word “breath” is the same word translated “meaningless, meaningless” in Ecclesiastes. They were nothing, but it took time with God for him to realize that.
Second, because it brings clarity of who God is. All throughout the passage the psalmist declares God to be his rock, his salvation, his fortress, his hope. And at the end, he declares what he has heard from God: You O God are strong, and you O Lord are loving. When did God say this to him? In his times of solitude.
And third, because it gives control to God. If you look at it, we can’t control the future anyway. We can only control our time with God. For the psalmist, verses 3-4 were coming no matter what. I would say that if he had not been with God first, verses 5-12 would be different. Would he have hope for the future? Would he be able to tell others to trust in God? And would he realize how these men compare with Almighty God? No. He would not have been able to face this future event the way he did. And neither could we. And so, will we relinquish control? Will we give God the right to our lives and the right to our future? Will we give God control of our church and its future?
Conclusion: Practical Ways to Find Solitude
In closing, I realize it’s tough to be quiet. We hate it, and our culture screams anything but silence in our ears. We don’t practice it at church, and so many of us don’t know how to do it. So here are some practical ways for us to be quiet.
Take advantage of the little solitudes that fill our day. In the morning getting ready, or driving in our car, or walking in a state park. All these little times can be spent focusing on God.
You can also designate a place in your yard or house that is your quiet place. Discipline yourself so that your words are few. Know when to speak and when not to. Try going a day without speaking.
And finally, you could withdraw on a regular basis for three to four hours. Remember, solitude is meant to feel God. And so to get us started on this part of preventative care, let’s take five minutes to be quiet before God. After that I will pray.
Sunday, September 10
A Rainy Birthday
It's my turn to write on this thing...Josh has been so good at updating you on our lives...and so I am just now learning the details of blogging...
This week has been BUSY. I thought that as a non-working wife (those are still foreign words to me!), I would have oodles of time on my hands...I'd even get bored sitting in my house staring out my picture window. But, that has not been the case, at least not in the last week. We've visited with church people every day this week...and in between that, I've made a gazillion Wal-Mart runs to pick up things for the house...I always intend to be quick and get right back home...but then I see a new store, and it draws me in, so that I am gone from the house for hours! That's probably not a shocker for most of you who know me though...shopping is my way of relaxing:). I found out that the Farm & Fleet store has lots more than just farm equipment...it's actually full of clothes, wall pictures, kitchen and dining items and a really cool craft table/armoire that I'd like for Christmas (hint hint!).
Today was our second Sunday at the church, as well as my 26th birthday (I don't look that old, do I!?). And it was an emotional roller coaster. The good news is that we had 6 kids in service today...and I spent all yesterday preparing a Sunday School lesson (for kids ages 2-10) and kids packets that went along with the Sunday school lesson and sermon passage for them to do during service because we don't have a children's church yet and as of last week we didn't have anything to offer kids at all. So, this 1st Sunday was a learning curve. The kids packets were a hit with the kids--however, I have learned that I can't use paper gift bags to hold the contents...because they are so LOUD. In a small church used to quiet listening, six children with paper bag kids packets are definitely a disruption...so I failed there. But it's hard to know how to minister to them (and we definitely WANT kids to be part of our church AND they are AMAZING kids), and lead worship (which I did for the 1st time today), and teach Sunday school, and meet the adults of the church all at the same time, and not feel completely overwhelmed when my idea doesn't quite hit the mark. Any suggestions? (Earlier today, if given a suggestion, I would have left crying, but I've adjusted now, and could use all the help I can get...and if you have a burning desire to move up to the Wisconsin Dells area and give me another hand, I'll put you up in my new blue guest room for free!!!).
The problem is...right now it's just Josh and me who are able and willing to help (especially with kids). Tons of great ideas abound, but there are not yet enough hands to do the work. And our church needs updated badly...a new crib, a chair for the nursery, new-kid-friendly paint downstairs, welcoming colors and decoration upstairs...an overhead projector light bulb, current kids curriculum for a variety of ages, volunteers to teach AND people to just come to Sunday School, and so forth.
Needless to say, Josh and I both cried today for quite awhile after church...it's hard to see your husband sobbing because he is homesick...and frustrated and overwhelmed. And Wisconsin wasn't pretty today...just rainy and dreary, so we weren't even tempted to keep living here. We both just wanted to pack up our little car and head home to Indiana.
But we are not quitting...we've unpacked too many boxes and have too much hope for the kids here and the church...and God wouldn't let us anyway...
I did get to talk to my family this afternoon (yea!), and Josh took me out for dinner (I got a huge dose of Packers football sitting in front of 5 large screen TVs at Damon's). And I now know that GB means Green Bay on the score board, and this is the first game they have not scored in for 4 years...so I am adjusting.
In all of this, I KNOW that God is still faithful, and He is still with us...and I am not supposed to be strong, but I am supposed to lean on Him, because He is always strong. (That was part of Josh's sermon today--I am so proud of him..that boy can preach, even with distractions!)
So to all of you reading this, know that we love and miss you...keep praying for us...we need that!...and know that we are not giving up. May God be praised!
This week has been BUSY. I thought that as a non-working wife (those are still foreign words to me!), I would have oodles of time on my hands...I'd even get bored sitting in my house staring out my picture window. But, that has not been the case, at least not in the last week. We've visited with church people every day this week...and in between that, I've made a gazillion Wal-Mart runs to pick up things for the house...I always intend to be quick and get right back home...but then I see a new store, and it draws me in, so that I am gone from the house for hours! That's probably not a shocker for most of you who know me though...shopping is my way of relaxing:). I found out that the Farm & Fleet store has lots more than just farm equipment...it's actually full of clothes, wall pictures, kitchen and dining items and a really cool craft table/armoire that I'd like for Christmas (hint hint!).
Today was our second Sunday at the church, as well as my 26th birthday (I don't look that old, do I!?). And it was an emotional roller coaster. The good news is that we had 6 kids in service today...and I spent all yesterday preparing a Sunday School lesson (for kids ages 2-10) and kids packets that went along with the Sunday school lesson and sermon passage for them to do during service because we don't have a children's church yet and as of last week we didn't have anything to offer kids at all. So, this 1st Sunday was a learning curve. The kids packets were a hit with the kids--however, I have learned that I can't use paper gift bags to hold the contents...because they are so LOUD. In a small church used to quiet listening, six children with paper bag kids packets are definitely a disruption...so I failed there. But it's hard to know how to minister to them (and we definitely WANT kids to be part of our church AND they are AMAZING kids), and lead worship (which I did for the 1st time today), and teach Sunday school, and meet the adults of the church all at the same time, and not feel completely overwhelmed when my idea doesn't quite hit the mark. Any suggestions? (Earlier today, if given a suggestion, I would have left crying, but I've adjusted now, and could use all the help I can get...and if you have a burning desire to move up to the Wisconsin Dells area and give me another hand, I'll put you up in my new blue guest room for free!!!).
The problem is...right now it's just Josh and me who are able and willing to help (especially with kids). Tons of great ideas abound, but there are not yet enough hands to do the work. And our church needs updated badly...a new crib, a chair for the nursery, new-kid-friendly paint downstairs, welcoming colors and decoration upstairs...an overhead projector light bulb, current kids curriculum for a variety of ages, volunteers to teach AND people to just come to Sunday School, and so forth.
Needless to say, Josh and I both cried today for quite awhile after church...it's hard to see your husband sobbing because he is homesick...and frustrated and overwhelmed. And Wisconsin wasn't pretty today...just rainy and dreary, so we weren't even tempted to keep living here. We both just wanted to pack up our little car and head home to Indiana.
But we are not quitting...we've unpacked too many boxes and have too much hope for the kids here and the church...and God wouldn't let us anyway...
I did get to talk to my family this afternoon (yea!), and Josh took me out for dinner (I got a huge dose of Packers football sitting in front of 5 large screen TVs at Damon's). And I now know that GB means Green Bay on the score board, and this is the first game they have not scored in for 4 years...so I am adjusting.
In all of this, I KNOW that God is still faithful, and He is still with us...and I am not supposed to be strong, but I am supposed to lean on Him, because He is always strong. (That was part of Josh's sermon today--I am so proud of him..that boy can preach, even with distractions!)
So to all of you reading this, know that we love and miss you...keep praying for us...we need that!...and know that we are not giving up. May God be praised!
Friday, September 8
We Made It!
We're here, safe and sound. I know it's been a while since our last post, so we apologize for all seven of you reading.
The first week and a half has been full of ups and downs, loneliness and meeting new people, phone calls home and dinner at parishoners' houses, a sense of God's peace and waves of overwhelming AAHH! The area is gorgeous with bluffs and trees everywhere. Devil's Lake State Park is amazing even though we were only there for 10 minutes. The Wisconsin Dells offer lots of water parks and shopping (Labor Day weekend=headache!). Just so you don't think we've been relaxing the whole time, read on.
I've been adjusting to life as "Pastor Josh." It's weird to hear that title. God has been here from day one, and I know He has because of, well, everything. He was with me on Sunday when I was sick. He helped me preach a message on trust. On Wednesday he was there at the Bible study (we're going through Matthew). A woman from the church came and was honest about struggles she'd been having. We were able to encourage her. And we've started to meet kids around our neighborhood, four of whom came to church last Sunday. One man owns a Christian bookstore in town and serves as a lay minister at the Presbyterian Church. He was there Sunday to encourage me and has sent people my way who are looking for a church home. And so in all this and more, I've seen God at work. He took me away from everything I know and trust so I could know and trust Him more. I couldn't ask for a better first week and a half.
On the other hand, I've learned some startling things about ministry at a dying/refocusing
church.
1. Everyone expects you to change things immediately. They expect to restart the Wed. morning Bible study (which we did), begin an evening service, start a ministry to people with addictions, and they want it done now. It's enough just to begin learning new names, procedures, streets, and prep for Sunday so far. Whew!
2. You get compared to the last pastor all the time. "Pastor did this and he was so sweet. I'm glad you're better than him at or maybe you should try this..." Talk about being in the spotlight. Everything you do needs commentary. And,
3. People talk about each other to you. I can't begin to count the number of times I've heard one church member give me a record of someone else's attendance or lack thereof, someone's beliefs, bad habits, sins, etc. It's crazy. Jamie and I are having "Meet the Pastor" times where we go to their houses for a few hours and talk. The majority of what we hear is about other people in the church. Even if it's not bad stuff, it still is frustrating to listen to.
Don't get me wrong...our church is a wonderful, caring church. Everyone genuinely loves each other. It's just a new way of life to adjust to. They are all past retirement and have known each other for decades. Perhaps they just feel like the new pastor needs to know everything all at once. I guess I'm just going through culture shock.
Jamie has had a good time unpacking and decorating the house. She will begin leading worship this Sunday (her birthday!). And she's going to start taking piano lessons from a worship leader in town. We're going to a pastor's house in Madison tonight for dinner and a scrapbooking party. I think I'll sit the party out and hang out with the pastor.
Hopefully Jamie will get to update the blog soon too. We'd love to get a post from you. Off to Madison,
Josh
The first week and a half has been full of ups and downs, loneliness and meeting new people, phone calls home and dinner at parishoners' houses, a sense of God's peace and waves of overwhelming AAHH! The area is gorgeous with bluffs and trees everywhere. Devil's Lake State Park is amazing even though we were only there for 10 minutes. The Wisconsin Dells offer lots of water parks and shopping (Labor Day weekend=headache!). Just so you don't think we've been relaxing the whole time, read on.
I've been adjusting to life as "Pastor Josh." It's weird to hear that title. God has been here from day one, and I know He has because of, well, everything. He was with me on Sunday when I was sick. He helped me preach a message on trust. On Wednesday he was there at the Bible study (we're going through Matthew). A woman from the church came and was honest about struggles she'd been having. We were able to encourage her. And we've started to meet kids around our neighborhood, four of whom came to church last Sunday. One man owns a Christian bookstore in town and serves as a lay minister at the Presbyterian Church. He was there Sunday to encourage me and has sent people my way who are looking for a church home. And so in all this and more, I've seen God at work. He took me away from everything I know and trust so I could know and trust Him more. I couldn't ask for a better first week and a half.
On the other hand, I've learned some startling things about ministry at a dying/refocusing
church.
1. Everyone expects you to change things immediately. They expect to restart the Wed. morning Bible study (which we did), begin an evening service, start a ministry to people with addictions, and they want it done now. It's enough just to begin learning new names, procedures, streets, and prep for Sunday so far. Whew!
2. You get compared to the last pastor all the time. "Pastor did this and he was so sweet. I'm glad you're better than him at or maybe you should try this..." Talk about being in the spotlight. Everything you do needs commentary. And,
3. People talk about each other to you. I can't begin to count the number of times I've heard one church member give me a record of someone else's attendance or lack thereof, someone's beliefs, bad habits, sins, etc. It's crazy. Jamie and I are having "Meet the Pastor" times where we go to their houses for a few hours and talk. The majority of what we hear is about other people in the church. Even if it's not bad stuff, it still is frustrating to listen to.
Don't get me wrong...our church is a wonderful, caring church. Everyone genuinely loves each other. It's just a new way of life to adjust to. They are all past retirement and have known each other for decades. Perhaps they just feel like the new pastor needs to know everything all at once. I guess I'm just going through culture shock.
Jamie has had a good time unpacking and decorating the house. She will begin leading worship this Sunday (her birthday!). And she's going to start taking piano lessons from a worship leader in town. We're going to a pastor's house in Madison tonight for dinner and a scrapbooking party. I think I'll sit the party out and hang out with the pastor.
Hopefully Jamie will get to update the blog soon too. We'd love to get a post from you. Off to Madison,
Josh
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