MESSAGES
Listen
&
Watch
The Call of Christmas
Together with the kids next door, my brother and I would often spend summer nights sleeping under the stars in the backyard. I remember that sometimes, as we looked up at the stars into the vastness of space, I would feel so very insignificant and yes, alone – even though my brother and friends were around me. It was as if the vast universe had overwhelmed me, yet it was silent. Do you ever feel this way about God? You feel overwhelmed and you long to hear His voice, but all you hear is silence? There was a 400 year span between the last word given by God and written down in the Old Testament and the first coming of Jesus. 400 years where God’s people longed to hear Voice but only heard silence. It was the messengers of God – the angels – who broke the silence first to Zachariah, then to Mary, Joseph, and finally the Shepherds, all of them pointing towards that moment when God would break the silence toward all humankind with the voice of a baby. On these three Wednesdays leading up to Christmas week, we focus on how God broke the silence then and now. On these Wednesdays, will hear anew the call of the angels, the call of Christmas. Where do you feel all alone? Where do you long to hear God’s voice? Where are you desperate to know God’s presence in your life? Where do you especially need Christmas, yet the cacophony of the many voices of bus-y-ness in our world during this time only makes it seem that God is even farther away and even more silent? Right here is where God would speak to your heart on these three Wednesdays in Advent with, “The Call of Christmas.”
Wednesday, November 30th “Hope Grows Where Hurt Was Rooted” (God Breaks the Silence: Zechariah)
Zechariah and his wife were both old. They had vainly longed for children. They had lived in that place where God seemed silent as they poured out their hearts to Him. Hope had gradually faded and died in the seeming silence of God. Where can you relate in your life? But God did not leave them in this place. He broke His silence to Zechariah. He breaks His silence to us as He gently calls us to Christmas.
Wednesday, December 7th “When WeSay ‘Yes,’ It Changes Everything” (An Angel Comes Mary)
Mary was probably just a teenager…a humble believer in Jahweh, the saving God who had promised to send a Savior. She live in a small village. Not many knew she even existed. It would have been understandable if she thought that God didn’t even know she existed…or at least cared that she existed. But God knew. He had plans for her. And when the angel came, in humble faith she said, “May it be to me as you have said.” And it changed everything. He also sees us- you and me, even when we don’t think anyone knows we exist. And the Christmas message is that He comes to us, also, to change everything. What will we do?
Wednesday, December 14th “God Uses the Humble to Do Great Things!” (The Angels Appear to the Shepherds)
Shepherds, in the time of Jesus, were on the low end of the economic and social totem pole. No one would have thought God would choose them to experience the Bethlehem angels! Yet, God chose well. They obeyed the angels and excitedly went in search of the baby. Why? Because they knew they needed Him. Why? Because they knew they needed God and He had spoken to them through the angels. So, God used them and honored them to be the first eyewitnesses to the birth of Jesus! God comes to us, also, through His Word. Most would not understand why He would choose us….but He has and He does! And just like the Shepherds, as we witness to the baby, we do great things for the glory of God! How can you witness to the baby right now?
We Still Need -We Still Long For- Christmas
“Lift up your heads….Look, the King of Glory comes!” Ps.24
Deep down there is a longing in the heart of each of us…a longing to know hope and love, to experience joy, and to live in peace….and to give these things away in our lives. Perhaps this Christmas, you find yourself especially hoping and dreaming and longing for these things. Where is this longing especially great in your life? We dream of a world ruled by these things. We desire these things for those we love. We long for these things in our own lives.
Christmas is a time when these universal longings of the heart that mysteriously are part of every human being bubble up and burst out from beneath the surface in unmistakable ways. Donations to charities go way up as many want to help others experience the hope they themselves so desperately want to know and feel at Christmas. Heart- warming special movies and programs on TV are seen-some newer, and some shown over and over again (Charlie Brown’s Christmas, The Grich that Stole Christmas). Most buy gifts for one another, a tangible way of trying to bring hope, love, joy, and peace into our lives and the lives who are special to us. Certainly, people cry out about the “commercialization of Christmas,” but it seems to me the fact of the matter is that we all are looking and longing for hope, love, joy, and peace, with the giving of gifts just one way we try to find –and give- these things. We may stuff these longings inside of us for a whole year, but finally, it is impossible to keep them buried. We all –every single one of us- know that our world and our lives are broken. Every day we experience hopelessness, lovelessness, joylessness, and no peace in our lives and our world… AND WE KNOW THIS IS NOT THE WAY THINGS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE!
We long for hope in our lives…For love in our lives…For peace in our lives…For joy in our lives. We need Christmas. We long for Christmas…And not just for a moment or a day or a month, but a Christmas that transcends all time…every day of our lives and beyond.
The problem is that so often year after year we look for it in all the wrong places. We try to build it or to find it in all the wrong ways. And like one who is insane, we keep thinking we will get something knew –that we will finally find Christmas - by doing the same things that have not worked over and over again. This year, God would give us the gift of what Christmas really is…His gift of hope, love, joy, and peace that can and does transcend all time, transforming our lives and our world not just for a season but all year through and beyond. Where do you especially need -long for –Christmas? Right in this place, God would bring you the free gift of the hope, love, joy, and peace of Christmas. This is our focus on the four Sundays leading up to our Christmas celebration. Interested? We’d love to have you join us!...and bring a friend! (Bring these gifts into their lives as well!)
“Lift up your heads (from all that would weigh you down!)…Look, the King of Glory comes!" Ps.24
Sunday, November 27th“You Can Know (and give!) Love -Christmas Love- Even Now, Even Today”
Love. We – everyone – seems to know instinctively, deep in our souls, that we both need love and we need to give love away for life to be what it was meant to be. Where do you especially need love in your life right now? Where is your life being turned upside down and you just need someone to hold you close in love? Where do you know you have fouled up and don’t deserve it, but still so desperately need someone to still love you? Where do the dangers and challenges and questions of life seem absolutely overwhelming so that you cry out for someone to stand with you – to be there for you – in love? All of these is what God does- what He offers you and empowers you to give away – in the love of Christmas….the special love called grace. Where do you need this love in your life? To whom can you give it?
Sunday, December 4th “You Can Have (and Give!) Hope –Christmas Hope- Even Now, Even Today”
When I was in Hungary for the first time, my heart went out to a number of people who talked to me about how there was no hope for change amongst the people –and especially the young people- of this proud yet at times economicallystruggling country in Eastern Europe. No hope that anything can or will change….maybe this is a good definition of hopelessness. Where do you need hope - hope that things can change, that things can be different - in your life?...and in our world? To whom can you bring such a hope? Such is the hope of Christmas…a free Christmas gift to you….so you can give it away!
Sunday, December 11th “You Can Experience (and share!) Joy –Christmas Joy- Even Now, Even Today”
Have you ever played with a Beach Ball which has sprung a leak? As the air goes out of it, gradually it loses its form and soon you can’t do much of anything with it. Joy is being filled with a deep happiness. But often we spring a leak and soon lose it, especially if our joy was based on something that was “here today and gone tomorrow.” Christmas joy is a gift that transcends all time. It is a gift that God would give us every moment of everyday and beyond. Christmas joy is meant to fill us up always….and it is a gift that was meant to be given away. Where do you need such joy in your life? To whom can you give it away?
Sunday, December 18th “You Can Live in (and share!) Peace –Christmas Peace- Even Now, Even Today
Peace. It seems like a pipe dream, doesn’t it? Where do you struggle to live in peace?...Peace in body, soul, mind, and spirit. Peace that “passes all human understanding.” Peace that transcends all time, peace that is greater than any situation, any problem, any hurt, any pain, any-thing. Peace to take into our world. This is Christmas peace, a free gift that God would give us today and always. Where do you especially need such peace in your life? To whom can you give it away?
Christmas Eve Worship- With Us.. With You!
Is God there for us?...for you?...For me? Christmas is God’s resounding “YES!” answer to this question. It is our focus tonight. It is for you.
Christmas Day Worship Good News! Joy! For All!
What is Christmas all about – really? How is it to be understood? This morning we remember: “Good News! Joy!...For All!” This is Christmas understood. And it is for you!
Worship in November
Worship in November
Sunday, November 6th “Celebrate, Celebrate, Dance to the Music!” (All Saints Day Celebration!)
We are family in Jesus. While God, the Holy Spirit, invites and gives us a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through the gift of faith, it is never only just “Jesus and me.” Rather, we are part of the family of God! This is what the church is- the people who believe in Jesus and therefore are brothers and sisters (family!) in Him! This, really, is what we celebrate today. The word “saint” means “holy one” – and that is what each one of us is declared to be through faith in Jesus Christ. We are the family of saints! Today, we give thanks to God for our family; Those saints who have gone before us who were faithful so that we might know Jesus. Those saints around us –our living family in this place - who walk beside us in life and mission. And finally all of ussaints as we catch the vision of heaven when we will all be together with Jesus forever! Celebrate! Dance to the music, as today our focus and worship is led by Deacon Rich Toms. May God, the Holy Spirit, richly bless and empower him today as he serves us! And no, you won’t want to miss this celebration!
Sunday, November 13th Signs, Signs, Everywhere is Signs
Do you remember this song? To me, it kind of explores the idea that while you can have a sign that tells you to do something, you can also have a sign that points you to know a particular reality. This is how God talks about the signs he gives us in His Word, the Bible. Today, we look at the signs that Jesus gives us concerning the “end of the age.” Pastor Hank Scherer will lead our worship and what they are to mean for us in our lives until That Day. Interested? Don’t miss it!
Sunday, November 20th Jesus Christ is Lord and King! (Christ the King Sunday!)
Jane and I had three children, each of them two years apart with two of them being boys. It goes without saying that at times it was crazy - with some maybe even saying it was a "nut house!" But in trying to balance understanding, love, and control, I would say to Jane, "I don't mind a 'nuthouse,' I just need to be in charge of it!" Jesus Christ is Lord and king! He is in charge...always. He is the King! On this Sunday we welcome Pastor Mike Lange, the Mission Executive of the CNH District as we celebrate that Jesus is King and what this means for us. Mike will share with us what we are doing together in the CNH District as we partner with our King and Savior, Jesus, in His ongoing mission in this world He created and came to save! You really do not want to miss this as we rejoice in Jesus, our King, but also in the wonderful opportunities we have as together we work in service with our King!
Wednesday November 23 Don't be a Turkey Thanksgiving Worship
500 Years Later... What's a Lutheran?
500 Years Later... What's a Lutheran?
What does God think of me?...or does He? How can I know truth –for sure? Where/how can I know God?...for sure? Where is God for me?....for sure? What do I have to do so I know He is there for me?...
I went to the Seminary in Indiana. Someone from Indiana is sometimes called a “Hoosier” as is the sports teams for Indiana University. “Hoosiers.” The problem is whenever you ask someone from Indiana what a “Hoosier” is, no one - and I mean no one - knows. There may be a lot of conjecture and stories, but no one really knows. Period… Lutheran. What’s a Lutheran, anyway? How would you answer?....or don’t you really know? Exactly 500 years after the seminal event that started this whole business of “Lutherans,” we’re going to talk about it and see what relevance there is in it for us today. And we really know. It’s not look “Hoosiers.”
Money Matters
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” …Jesus
Jesus had a way of bringing out into the light the things that people wanted to keep hidden in darkness and not talk about. Sin. Hypocrisy. Servanthood. Money.
Ah money….the root of all kinds of evil, right? Ah, money…the thing that so often causes us so much stress and worry and despair, poisoning our lives. Ah money, the thing that can so easily disrupt relationships and break up friendships and marriages.
Ah money…the thing that also, used rightly and wisely, can do great and good things in our lives and in our world and for the Kingdom of God… Right?
Ah..money..
Did you know that the Bible talks about money a lot? (2,350 verses worth!!) ... its proper and wise use and place in the life of one who follows Jesus?...Money Matters!
Did you know that Jesus talked more about money than heaven and hell combined?...Money matters!
Did you know that 11 out of 39 of the parables (stories) Jesus told were about money?...Money matters!
Did you know that in one out of every seven verses in the Gospel of Luke Jesus talks about money?...Money matters!
Did you know that it was Jesus who said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth….But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven?”...Money matters!
Money and its proper and wise use and place in the one who follows Jesus does matter…and it matters to Jesus! But do you know why? Because YOU are so important to Jesus…He loves you! He wants your HEART for your sake!...and it was Jesus who said, “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also!”
In the next few weeks, we are going to focus on money. It’s one of those things which, because of our sinfulness, we would rather keep in the shadows, doing it our own way. But taking our que from Jesus, who talked openly and boldly about money in front of crowds of thousands of people, we are going to bring it out into the open –out into the light! We are going to talk about it, wrestle with it, look to grow in wisdom and action with respect to it. We are going to look for His Spirit to guide and convict us, using the stories and words of Jesus as well as other readings from God’s Word, the Bible. By His grace, we will look to catch His Vision for us in this area of our lives, especially as His people who join him in His kingdom work in this place! By His grace we will look to be renewed in living our lives as His people in His wisdom! By His grace we will look to grow in this area of our lives! And by His grace, we will look to take concrete steps on our path of growth and discipleship! For finally, when things are brought out into the light of the victorious death and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we find out how little we need to fear and what it looks like to live anew in His victory!
Money matters! What a blessing of grace that our Heavenly Father empowers and guides us to put money in its proper place, using it for His glory and the good of many from the heart of one touched with the love of the Savior!
Sunday, October 2nd Vision - Catch It! (A Matter of the Heart)
Vision. Perhaps a good definition would be “a reality which is described with words that can almost paint a picture and which communicate a truth or a preferred outcome so it is better grasped by the hearer.” The Bible gives us a number of them. One of these would be the vision of God as our great good shepherd and we as His beloved sheep. From “the Lord is my Shepherd” in theOld Testament to “ I am the good Shepherd in the New Testament, this is a comforting and powerful vision. Another would be the vision of heaven as a never ending feast as well as a place of perfect peace. And yet another would be the words found in Revelation 2; “Be thou faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life.” Today, we are going to focus on the vision that God would give us with respect tomoney. It is at once a freeing, yet empowering vision. Interested?
Sunday, October 9th Renewal – A New Start (A Matter of the Mind)
“Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.” Every once in a while, a sports team gets beat so bad that when the coach asks what they will do he will say something like, “we are burning that game film because there is nothing we can learn from it, we were sobad!” Then he will say something like, “and then we are going to go back to the basics.” Today, we will focus on renewal with respect to our use of the money God gives us. We will not try to justify the past and somehow make us acceptable. Rather we will bury the past in the forgiveness of Jesus and start brand new in Him! How? By being renewed in the “basics” as God teaches us! Interested?
Sunday, October 16th Growth – Where Do I Go from Here? (A Matter of Wisdom)
I remember reading about a coach who, the week after the season was done, would meet with each player on the team, outlining, challenging, and encouraging each player in how he wanted him as an individual to grow in the off season. He perhaps wanted one player to lose some weight so he could get quicker while with another, he wanted him to work on getting stronger by putting on muscle weight, with each player challenged with a specific goal that uniquely fit his situation. Each of us is in a different place in our Christian walk concerning our use of the money God has given us. Today, God comes to each of us individually to guide, encourage, and challenge us to grow in a way unique to each one of us. Have you ever heard the phrase, “grow or die?” It is a life application of the Biological reality that only living things grow. Today, God would uniquely guide each of us who are alive in Him through faith in Jesus Christ what it means to grow in this area of our lives. Interested?
Sunday, October 23rd Action!..Just Do It,Take a Step! (A Matter of the Will)
Newton’s First Law of Motion states, “an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.” This is kind of how we are, isn’t it? It is so hard for us to begin, to change direction, to take a different step! We tend to “stay at rest” or “just stay doing what we’re doing.” This is especially true of us and money – right? Thank God that Jesus and our being alive in Him is that “unbalanced force” that empowers us to make a new beginning - to get going again – and to even change direction! This is what He would empower each of us to do today. “Just do it – take a step!..” Interested?
Living for What Matters –A Gift From God!
Have you ever been sailing? A friend and I bought a sailboat when I was in college and I can still remember the exhilarating times when the wind was screeching and we were flying so fast in the water that the full-keeled boat was leaning so far over that I could almost reach out and touch the water! It was great! But sometimes, when there was no wind at all, the sail would hang limp, and we went nowhere until we fired up the engine. I can even remember one day when we were half way between Catalina Island and the mainland and not even the engine would fire up! We just sat there rocking gently on the water. No wonder they call it being “in irons” – it’s as if you are in irons because you certainly can’t move!
Does your life ever feel like it’s “in irons?” Does it ever feel like someone just “took the wind out of your sails?” Perhaps you have had the experience that what you have poured so much energy into wasn’t really worth it? (and maybe it wasn’t!!) Perhaps what you have influenced your child to be a part of or to do has proven to be a negative in his/her life? Perhaps you have suffered a setback or tragedy that has you wondering if any of it makes sense? Perhaps you have been on such a treadmill, going faster and faster, that you have forgotten why you ever got on it in the first place? Perhaps there has been such a change in your life that you feel disoriented and confused? Perhaps, in a darker moment, you are just unsure that anything you have really “lived for” made any difference at all?...and in an even darker moment you perhaps even wonder if anything at all is really worth living for??
There is an old song that Dionne Warwick, among others sang. It is called, “What’s it all about, Alphie?” This is the question we will focus on. Do you ever ask this question? Are you perhaps asking it somewhere in your life right now?
In the next few weeks we will focus on “living for what matters.” This says two things. 1. It can be done. There are things that matter and that are worth living for. And 2. We can know what they are. Both of these are a gift from the God who gave us life and who would lead us in the gift of living it for what matters. Interested?
Sunday, September 4th You Matter!!....to GOD!!
I was very young and I knew nothing about politics, but on the TV news I remember seeing Jesse Jackson talking to a group of young black people having
them repeat after him again and again, “I am a somebody! I’m not a nobody! I am a somebody! I’m not a nobody!” Tell me, why do you think he felt compelled to lead these young people in such a chant?....What do you think of yourself? What are you worth? Are you a somebody?...or a nobody? How do you know? Do you think what you do can have meaning and purpose? Why? Do you think that you CAN live life for things that count? Again, how do you know? This is our focus. Everything starts here. Interested?
Sunday, September 11th Jesus Christ is Lord!
I can remember one game in high school where, as a linebacker, I was just a little late on a counter play to the other side of the field that they ran a couple of times in the first series of plays. So, what I did when I came off the field was to go ask the cheerleaders what to do –right? No, no, no, that’s not right. I went and asked the trombone player in the band –right? Of course not. I asked my position coach who then had me make a small adjustment that made all the difference in the world! Jesus Christ is Lord! He is the voice of authority! He is the king of all! This was the first Creed of the first Christians – Jesus Christ is Lord!...And it changed the way they lived their lives…it gave them authoritative confidence and direction as they looked to live for what matters! And it can do the same for you! Interested?
Sunday, September 18th Jumping in with Both Feet
Have you ever watched a court room drama on TV or in a movie and one attorney says, “objection!” to which the other attorney says, “goes to frame of mind!” Today is all about “frame of mind” as we look to live our lives for the things that matter. It too is a gift from God! Interested?
Sunday, September 25th Take a Step!
What is the saying? “Once begun is almost done!” On the other hand, “never begun leaves you a bum.” (ok, ok, I made this last one up.) When Jesus called his disciples, he said, “follow me.” It meant that they had to take a step and then another and then another. Today, our focus is on taking a step as we look to grow in living for what matters. What will this mean for you?
Life Animated
He (Jesus) did not say anything to them without using parables. Matthew 13:34)
Can you believe it? August marks the beginning of a new school year!! Back to school we go! What a great time to do this fun and exciting special focus using the films Toy Story, The Lego Movie, Frozen, and Up. This is going to be a blast! It will be like “going to the movies” but even better as we will have a take home gift for you every Sunday! Also, the feel of a movie theater complete with popcorn will add to the fun! Come and check it out! And bring your friends! It just may make “going back to school” a little easier! Oh, and we just may have an “ah-ha” experience or two as we see how these stories reveal things about ourselves and how our stories intersect with the story of God for us in Jesus! Don’t miss out on this fun adventure!
Our lives are made up of stories. Perhaps this is why we are story tellers. Books. Plays. Musicals. Films. Aesop’s Fables. Ancient Greek tragedies. Shakespeare. It seems that humankind has always had a need to tell stories. Stories are meant to explain our existence. They point to a voice within each of us that whispers to us of a “backstory,” a great story behind our stories which somehow intersects with our individual stories to make sense of our lives. Through these stories we almost instinctively try to answer “the big questions” that are part of each of us. Stories are a window into our soul. They can touch our hearts or communicate a point to us in a way that mere words cannot hope to do. They can give us that aha moment of truth like no other medium. Jesus often told stories, called parables, even coming to the point where He only spoke using these stories. In this way, He intersected God’s story with our stories. Embedded in the stories we tell are the longings of our souls…which all, finally, point to the only place these longings can be met; Jesus. In these four Sundays in August, we will use four modern stories to examine our human condition, the longing of our souls, our need for a greater story, and how the greater story of God in the Savior meets us squarely in this place of need. Whatever your age, this series will connect with you in your story with the story of Jesus!
Sunday, August 7th A Story From Toy Story
Ok. Have you seen the movie? What could Buzz Lightyear and Woody possibly teach us about ourselves and our stories….and how God’s story connects with our stories? Come and see!...and maybe, for the fun of it, before this Sunday gather together your family and/or friends and watch the movie one more time!
Sunday, August 14th The Lego Movie
I have this HUGE plastic box of legos at home from my when my kids were young. Whenever I have young (and not so young) children in the house I get it down from up high in the garage and they LOVE it! How about you? Why is it we love to build things and create things? Why were we made this way? And what does this say about our creator? And what does it mean for us right now in the stories we are living out? Come and see!...and maybe, just for the fun of it, before this Sunday gather your family and/or friends to watch the movie one more time!
Sunday, August 21st Frozen
Did you know that this movie borrows its story line, albeit loosely, from a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale first published in 1870? Tell me, why do you think this story is being retold in the movie 150 years after it was written? What does it touch within us? What does it reveal about our stories? And how does God’s story intersect with it? Come and see! …and maybe, just for the fun of it, before this Sunday gather your family and/or friends to watch the movie one more time!
Sunday, August 28th Up
It has happened almost every time I have mentioned the movie “Up” to someone. They have said, “What a great movie! I just love that movie! Don’t you think it’s great?” Tell me, why do you think people respond almost universally, in my experience at least, in this way when I mention the movie “Up?” It seems to me it is because this story really touches something down deep within us that is at the heart of our stories. And just maybe it gives us a hint of how God’s story intersects with ours. How about you? Does this movie touch you? Why do you think that is? And where is God’s story in all of this? Come and see!...and maybe, just for the fun of it, before this Sunday gather your family and/or friends to watch the movie one more time!
The Summer of Love
“Love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus
“Remember, when I’m gone, I want you guys to love each other.” My dad used to say this to us, his children, all the time. And as the years went by and he got older he said it more and more often. In fact, he said it to me on the phone the week before he died. “Remember, when I’m gone, I want you guys to love each other.”
On the night before Jesus would die on the cross, He met with his disciples before He was arrested. He had an intimate meal with them as family and established His personal, mysterious, presence with them from that day forward - and with us – as His family. Yet, before they left for the Garden of Gethsemane where He knew He would be arrested and go the way of the cross, where He knew it would be the beginning of Him not being with his followers visibly in the way He had been for three years, He looked at them and said, “My children, I will be with you only a little while longer…A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you so you must love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” ...
This Summer-“The Summer of Love” – we will focus on what this means in our lives. What does it mean –what does it look like – for God’s people to love one another?...as Jesus loves us? How does God, in His Word, flesh this out in our lives? Where can we rejoice in what God is doing among us? What do we need to begin to do brand new? How is God leading us to think differently or act differently or speak differently? Where is He calling us to soften our heart? Where is He calling us to receive a new heart and mind? Where is He calling us to grow in His love toward each other? And what do we need to turn away from? That is, what sins of thought, word, and deed –in what we have done and not done - toward each other do we need to recognize, confess, and turn away from? And what do we need to be renewed in doing? Where do we need to be renewed in our minds? And how would God change our actions toward one another through this? What does it mean, what does it look like, for us to love one another in such a way that people recognize us –identify us - through the way we love one another as disciples of Jesus? And what does it mean for us that we more and more love in this way?
In I Corinthians 13, it says what it seems to me every human being knows deep down in our souls: “Without love, we are nothing.” And while humanity so often frantically searches vainly in all the wrong places for love to fill up our souls, it is only truly found in Jesus. He IS love. He reveals love. He births us and grows us in true love. He has come so that we might have “life to the full” in the love that can only be known and lived in through Him.
In our time together this Summer, we would be changed by God to more and more live in this love toward one another….and through this, be empowered to live in love toward all. For it is true. “Without love, we are nothing.”
“Remember, when I’m gone, I want you guys to love each other.”
“As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
Sunday, June 5th Love Never Fails
I see it in the faces almost every time these words –from the book of First Corinthians in the Bible – are chosen to be read in a wedding. The stare that says that somehow while we like these words and we want these words to be true and we even desperately hope they can be true for this couple…and maybe even somehow also in our lives…. what we have experienced is that love does fail…again and again and again. But the Bible –God’s Word to us – says that love never fails, that we can have and live in this certain hope and reality. How is this possible?
Sunday, June 12th Love is Patient (And It is About Community)
Jeff, my oldest son, was two years old when James was born. Almost as soon as James could move they would play together, with Jeff delighting in letting James maul him. It didn’t matter what James did, Jeff just laughed and loved him and put up with him, even when James started to scratch his face to such an extent that it looked like a cat had scratched him. But as the years went by I noticed a reciprocal relationship growing….where each one “put up” with the other in patience and love and longsuffering when it was needed. Tell me, how do you think their relationship is today? This is the gift that God would work in us as we live together in community – be patient with one another in love - as the people of God.
Sunday, June 19th In the Brokenness, Love Reigns!
Stand Alone Father’s Day Celebration (We Celebrate the Love of Fathers!)
Today is kind of a “stand alone” day. We step out of our series to remember and give thanks for God’s gift of fathers! Today, we unabashedly and joyfully celebrate fathers! We will talk about fathers. We will remember our Heavenly Father. We will have “manly” donuts. And we will give away not only a devotional to guide and strengthen our fathers as they look to live out their lives as Christian fathers, but also a manly coffee mug so every morning as they drink their coffee they can be reminded of who they are in Christ as Christian fathers!
But in those places of our brokenness where this celebration brings sorrow, anger, the pain of loss, and perhaps even tears - or even a bad conscience - God would touch us anew with Christ’s love that has overcome all brokenness and made us family in Him! He through Jesus would bring forgiveness, renewal, restoration, and a brand new beginning. Let’s celebrate!
Sunday, June 26th Love is Kind
Have you ever had the experience of having to take care of a business matter on the phone and the person was KIND to you? It really is not something we have grown to expect, is it? Or perhaps in a store? The other night with a very tight time schedule, I was waiting in a crowded quick check lane in a grocery store and the clerk who was running it, seeing that I only had 4 items, waved me forward and actually took me at an auxiliary cash register that he had. Again, he was really kind! And honestly, I did not expect it! Kindness is akin to grace, undeserved love. The Bible says that God is always kind towards us. And He calls us to be kind to one another.
Sunday, July 3rd Freedom!
Stand Alone 4th of July Celebration
I remember in Jr. High School going on a retreat at the Claremont Colleges entitled “Freedom through Slavery.” They gave us a little chain with a padlock and a key in it. We talked about how so many different things –even good things – can enslave us…and how true freedom is only found in Jesus. Today we remember and celebrate the freedom we enjoy as citizens of this nation. To our God be all praise and thanksgiving for this wonderful gift! But we also pause to ask what it means to live in the freedom that Jesus gives as servants to our nation and fellow citizens.
Sunday, July 10th Love Keeps No Record of Wrongs
My mom lived almost 90 years. She was as sharp as a tack until the day she died. She did her own bookwork preparing everything for her tax advisors –to the point where they said they really did not have much to do! She lived in the home I grew up in, taking care of everything that needed to be done. As a retired nurse, she could still, with great knowledge, converse on the subject with my son who had gotten his Bachelor’s degree in nursing. And she remembered everything!.... …except one thing. Whenever we would bring something up where we, as children, had fouled up, she honestly could not remember what we were talking about. It was as if she had forgiven us and wiped them from her brain. She only saw us as her dear children –and only the good stuff as she honestly did not remember the bad stuff. It’s a pretty good way to live with those whom you love. It is a gift that God would give us with one another.
Sunday, July 17th Love is Not About “Me”
“Love is something to be given away, given away, given away…Oh yes, love is something to be given away and given away some more.” Do you remember this song? What it says is simply this, “love is not about ‘me’.” It is about giving it away to the other. Today we focus on what this looks like as we live together as the people of God, joining Jesus on His continuing mission in our world. This too is a gift for without love –and living in it – we are nothing!
Sunday, July 24th Love Does Not Delight in Evil But Rejoices with the Truth!
Authentic. That’s a good word to describe my father. What you saw is who he was. He stood for the same things no matter what. I remember one time where a man who he worked with and who also went to our church engaged in behavior that was clearly wrong and immoral. It really “shook my dad up” as he honestly couldn’t understand why this man would do it and even went and talked to him, just the two of them. Jesus –His truth and His way of life – was joyfully and authentically real for my dad. It was who he was. And so it was just natural for him to authentically come alongside of others, including us, encouraging and exhorting us in our walk with Jesus. This is also a facet of us “loving one another as Jesus has loved us.” This is our focus today.
Sunday, July 31st Love Always Protects, Trusts, Hopes, Perseveres
Sounds like the love of a parent, doesn’t it?...always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.. Wouldn’t it be great if someone loved us in this way? Wouldn’t be great if we could love another and maybe another and maybe another in this way? Just as we began with Jesus and never really left Jesus in this “Summer of Love,” we come full circle back to Jesus, marveling in this gift he gives us. “Love one another as I have loved you.”
The Celebration Continues
Memorial Day. The 4th of July. President’s Day. Birthdays. Anniversaries. Special days of remembrance and celebration are powerful in our lives. They remind us and renew in us powerful things. In the Old Testament, God set up certain Festival Celebration times of worship on which His people were to remember and be renewed in the powerful, saving acts of their loving God. These reminded them and by the power of the Holy Spirit renewed in them who they were, who their God was, and what they were to be about. Do you ever need this?
In the same spirit, the early New Testament people of God also set aside special days of worship to remember and be renewed in the acts of God for them in the Resurrected One…to remember who they were, who their God was, and what they were to be about. The following Sundays are the celebrations of three such days.
Note: While Ascension Day is on May 5th as well as Pentecost and Trinity Sundays falling on May 15th and May 22nd respectively, we will celebrate them on the following three Sundays.
Sunday, May 8th In the Brokenness, Love Reigns Mother’s Day
When Jane was pregnant with our first child, we had some very close friends who were also pregnant with their first child. Our due dates were so close together that we were in the hospital at the same time having our babies. What joy we had as we greeted our first born – a healthy baby girl! Our friends also had great joy as they greeted their first child…but it was mixed with sorrow and concern as their baby had a number of special needs that would last a lifetime. Today, we celebrate mothers, a gift of God’s love to us! But in those places of our brokenness where this celebration brings sorrow, the pain of loss, and perhaps even tears - or even a bad conscience - God would touch us anew with Christ’s love that has overcome all brokenness and made us family in Him! Let’s celebrate!
Sunday, May 15th Where do We fit in?.. Bringing the Now Into Focus Ascension Day
Have you ever seen one of those “Where’s Waldo?” children’s books? Every page is completely filled with all kinds of different things, but somewhere on that page, camouflaged and hidden, is Waldo. You just have to find him. Do you ever feel like your hunting for Waldo as you are trying to figure out where you “fit in” to things? Today, God brings everything into focus and with it, He reveals our place in it all. Let’s celebrate!
Sunday, May 22nd Wind and Fire; Power to Live In! The Day of Pentecost
“I’m tired.” “Worn out.” “Done.” When is the last time you have said this?...or thought it? The followers of Jesus were told to wait for power from on high. It came in the form of wind and fire, like the roaring and power of a spreading brush fire….and it has never left us. Where are you weary? Tired? Worn out? Done? Where do you need to remember and be renewed in God’s power for you? Today is for you! Let’s celebrate!
Sunday, May 29th The Gift of Certainty Trinity Sunday
Have you ever tried to decide which restaurant to go to when neither one of you really cared and you both have problems making decisions? It is hard - even frustrating - to live in uncertainty. A couple of weeks ago, I saw the advertisement for a Television show where the host traveled the world exploring how humanity connected with God, kind of throwing them all “into the same pot.” Tell me, do you think they could all be right even if some were as diametrically as opposite as black and white? Today, God would give us the certainty of knowing who He is and what this means for us, no question about it. Where do you need this gift? Let’s celebrate!
Unshakable Faith
Have you ever heard of the “Unsinkable Molly Brown?” She was a real person! She was a Denver socialite who was aboard the Titanic when it sunk….and she survived! Even though over 1,500 people lost their lives she survived! But what was most remarkable is how she survived. In accounts written later, it was told how she had heroically and selflessly aided in the evacuation of the ship, even taking an oar once she was safely in a lifeboat, to help row to safety. Yet, once the ship went down, it was reported that she urged the crew of her lifeboat to return to the capsize sight in order to try to save others even though the crew of the lifeboat was afraid to do so. She was, in many remarkable ways, “unsinkable,” even when many others around her were not!
Unshakable Faith. This is our focus in the next few weeks. As we bask in the glow of the certainty of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ –He is risen! He is risen indeed! – how do we live in this reality in the challenging times of our lives (when the “boat” is sinking and many others are “going down!”) with “Unshakable Faith?” And what does it look like to live in this “Unshakable Faith?”
Where are you especially challenged right now in your life of faith? Where is the “boat” sinking around you? Where are others sinking around you? Where do you long to live in “Unshakable Faith?” Where do you need to be lifted up, empowered, to live in “Unshakable Faith?” And where do you need to know what this looks like? This is our focus in the next few weeks. We pray it is a blessing to you….and to all.
Sunday, April 3rd Facing Trouble - Catastrophic Trouble – with Faith
Catastrophic trouble. How would you define it? How about something like, “the crumbling away in our lives of the pillars that we thought would never crumble?” As a nation perhaps the Great Depression of the 1930’s is a good example. Individually, maybe the unexpected loss of a job. Or perhaps a relationship that disintegrates before our very eyes which we can do nothing to prevent. What would this look like in your life? What does it look like right now? Today, the question is, how can we face these things with “Unshakable Faith?” And what does it look like?
Sunday, April 10th Facing Failure With Faith
It is hard to try again when you have failed –or even feel like you have failed, no matter what others say, isn’t it? When children –or even adults – flunk a test or maybe a number of tests, it is so hard for them to have the confidence to continue, isn’t it? On the other hand, when we experience success, it is so much easier to confidently take the next step, true? Today, we talk about “Unshakable Faith” in the midst of absolute failure. Where is this for you right now in your life? Where do you feel like a failure? Or, Where have you failed? Where do you need the power – the confidence – to take the next step?...to try again?...to go forward? Where do you need to know what this looks like?
Sunday, April 17th Facing Doubt With Faith
We all have doubts –right? While we would like to vilify Pontius Pilate when he asks Jesus, “what is truth?” if we are honest, we can, at times, identify with his doubts, can we not? The problem with doubts is that they tend to paralyze us with respect to doing the right thing. Just ask any basketball player who, after shooting and making a particular shot perhaps hundreds of times, for some reason loses their confidence – doubting their ability to make it – and so passes the ball instead of taking a wide open shot. Where do you have doubts? Where do you need to be empowered to face them with “Unshakable Faith?” Where do you need to know what this looks like?
Sunday, April 24th Facing Grief With Faith
There are many types of and reasons for grief, but they all involve loss. How have you experienced grief? What - or who – have you lost? Where in your life are you grieving today? And how has this threatened your faith? Today, in His unshakable love for you, God would come to you right in this place to empower you to live in “Unshakable Faith” in the things that you will never lose! Today, He will show you what this looks like! Today is for you!
Sunday, May 1st Facing Illness –and Death – with Faith
This is where the rubber hits the road. None of us are getting out of here alive. Death touches each of us. And illness is not far behind, ravaging and destroying lives that once had such promise. It is THE human condition.
The temptation is to see only death and defeat and hopelessness. How has this temptation touched you? But there is a greater reality. It is the foundation and reason for an “Unshakable Faith” even in the face of illness and death. And in it is the power to live like it! Today, we see what this can look like in our lives!
Turning Point
The Example of the Savior…in the Turning Points of Life
Have you ever heard or read the poem by Robert Frost which begins, “Two Roads Diverged in a Yellow Wood?” It is about a traveler who simply comes to a fork in the road....a turning point in his walk…for he must decide which fork he will take. And, as the poem says, the fork he takes “will make all the difference.” Life is full of forks in the road, isn’t it? It is full of turning points. In the next few Sundays, as we approach the celebration of Easter, we will look at a number of Turning Points in our lives and the example of Jesus as He leads the way. Turning Points are tough. Sometimes it’s hard to know which direction to take. Thank God Jesus is with us. He will guide us – not simply by telling us what to do, but also by His example in the life He lived for us! Need a little help in the Turning Points of your life? This series is for you!
Sunday, February 14th In the Face of Great Temptation, He Listens to the Father
“I think I saw a “puddy cat.” Do you remember the cartoon? The main characters were a parakeet and Sylvester, the cat. Often, Sylvester is pictured with a Good Angel speaking in one ear and an evil angel speaking in the other ear…And when Sylvester listens to the wrong one, he always -and hilariously- suffers for it. But in the Turning Points in our lives, amidst the cacophony of voices, is there one that we can trust and listen to? Come and see what Jesus did. Turning Point! He is our example, our template, our Savior, our King!
Sunday, February 21st As the Storm Approaches, He Prays
Do you remember the last time a hurricane hit the Florida coast? Do remember seeing film during the Newscast of people boarding up their windows and generally “battening down the hatches” in preparation for the storm? That’s what wise people do; they prepare for the storms in life. How? Come and see what Jesus did. Turning Point! He is our example, our template, our Savior, our King!
Sunday, February 28th When All Hell Breaks Loose, He Heals
I remember seeing a movie where, in a very difficult and dicey situation, as “all hell is breaking loose,” a man named Faramir says to himself, “this is an opportunity for Faramir to show his character.” What do you do –how do you show your character – when “all hell breaks loose” in your life? Come and see what Jesus did. Turning Point! He is our example, our template, our Savior, our King!
Sunday, March 6th When All Depends on It, He Makes the Good Witness
Have you seen a movie or watched one of those shows such as Law and Order where the conviction of a horrible criminal hinges on someone testifying to what they know and saw in court, even though their life has been threatened and may be forfeited if they do? It’s always easy to say, “Oh, they need to testify,” ….but what if it was you? Whether we realize it or not, we often come to such Turning Points in our lives, where we have the opportunity to make the Good Confession. What should we do? Come and see what Jesus did. Turning Point! He is our example, our template, our Savior, our King!
Sunday, March 13th In the Face of Impending Death, He Gives
Have you ever heard the phrase, “where the rubber meets the road?” It means something like, “when you scrape all the veneer of life away and you are faced with a foundational issue and question, what will be your answer, your reaction, and your action?” That is, on the most basic level, who are you and what will you stand for….and what will it look like? Such is the question of facing impending death…a question, really, once you scrape the veneer away, that we face every day. So, what should we do? Come and see what Jesus did. Turning Point! He is our example, our template, our Savior, our King!
Sunday, March 20th When He Could Have Turned Away….. Palm Sunday He Embraces the Road of Suffering
Have you ever read the poem, “Into the Valley of Death Rode the 600?” It is the account of an English Calvary charge during the Crimean War. In the poem, it acknowledges that everyone knew immediately –with canon to the right and canon to the left of them – that someone had made a mistake….yet they rode on. And in stanza four it says, “Then they rode back, but not –not the 600.” Sometimes, in the Turning Points of our lives, we are challenged to be “all in” on something, no matter what. How do we know what to do? Come and see what Jesus did…and why! Turning Point! He is our example, our template, our Savior, our King!
Sunday, March 27th He is Risen! End Game! Slam Dunk! We Win! Easter Sunday
Approaching the Super Bowl, all the pundits make their picks but then say something like, I just hope we have a good, close game. Well, not me. I want the champion to be the champion. I want the champion to win overwhelmingly convincingly so that no one can say, Well, they were lucky to win that one, or It could have gone either way. I love it when the champion blows out the other team so there is no doubt! In fact, that's the way I think it should be!
Easter is God's blow out victory for you and me. God left NO doubt! Jesus is The overwhelming champion. End Game! Slam dunk! Scoreboard! We win!
Today, we celebrate!....And we remember what this means for us!
40 Days With Jesus
The cross of Jesus. The main thing. For well over a thousand years many Christians have set aside the 40 days (not counting the Sundays) prior to Easter as a time of self-examination, reflection, and renewal in order to keep the main thing –Jesus and His cross - the main thing. This is why we add Wednesday worship during this time. This year, we will focus on Jesus as he enters the lives of those around Him; and in so doing, enters our lives as well. He is the main thing. These Wednesdays are meant to help us as we refocus our eyes on Him!
Wednesday, February 10th Simon Peter: It Feels Like We Lost (Failure) Ash Wednesday
Failure. I remember losing a championship game 3 yards from the winning touchdown. Devastating. Failure. I remember embarrassing my father because of something wrong I did. Devastating. Failure. I remember failure after failure before God. How about you? It’s not hard. My life is full of them. Devastating. Failure. It always feels like I lost. But no matter how I feel, Jesus is greater…and he won for me….and for you! From ashes….to victory!
Wednesday, February 17th John the Baptist: It Feels Like God is On the Move! (Starting Over)
When I was growing up, we spent hours shooting hoops on the basket that my dad had put up on the garage. Every once in a while my dad would get home from work, and seeing us playing, would walk over and say, “one shot!” We would, of course, joyfully pass him the ball...and if he made it, great. If not, he often would say, “One more,” “one more,” “one more,”….until he finally made one. Where do you need “just one more?” Where do you need to “start over?” As we will see with John the Baptist, this is what Jesus is all about!
Wednesday, February 24th Simon Peter: It Feels Like Dad Strength (A New Mindset)
Have you ever heard of the West Coast Offense? If you are a football fan, you have. Before the San Francisco 49’ers with Bill Walsh popularized it, the mindset of almost all of the coaches of the NFL was that an offense had to be built around running the football –and only then could you pass effectively. Bill Walsh with the West Coast Offense turned this thinking around. Mindset. It is the way we see something or someone. It is very hard to change. It takes someone strong and influential in our lives to change our mindset. Enter Jesus….for both Peter and for us!
Wednesday March 2nd Widow in the Temple: It Feels Like Being Rescued (Good News!)
Both of my sons were lifeguards. One of the things that always amazed me was that how in their training they were taught to be explosive –almost violent- in order to rescue someone. Have you ever been rescued…when you really needed it? What did it feel like? How strong and explosive did your rescuer need to be? Today, we focus on those life and blood things from which Jesus rescues us. He is strong, explosive –almost violent – and powerful for you! Good News!
Wednesday, March 9th Nicodemus: It Feels Too Good To Be True (Freedom!)
But wait! We will give you another one absolutely free…just pay shipping and handling… Sometimes things are too good to be true, aren’t they? Today, we join Nicodemus as he was “blown away” by the things of Jesus which, while perhaps too good to be true, are true. And they are true for you as well. Freedom!
Wednesday, March 16th God’s Voice in the Thunder: It Feels Like Something’s Going To Happen (Anticipation)
A child waiting for Christmas…on Christmas Eve. A football fan waiting for the kickoff of the Super Bowl when your team is playing in it. A parent waiting for their child’s name to be called at their college graduation ceremony. Anticipation. It’s like you can feel the excitement in the air. Today, we join the anticipation of hearing “God’s Voice in the Thunder.”
Maundy Thursday, March 24th Flesh and Blood Presence
Have you ever seen or read about those massive radio transmitters that are searching the galaxy for other life? It seems that we just don’t want to believe that we are alone. It is scary…and somehow, deep down, we know not right. Today, we remember that we are not alone and that Jesus took time out “on the night that He was betrayed” to make sure we know it. We are not alone. He is present in our flesh and blood reality with His true flesh and blood. He is not far away. He makes His home within us!
Good Friday, March 25th Father, Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit
The bottom line. After the beating and the crown of thorns and the nails and the crucifixion and the jeering and the ridicule….even after being utterly forsaken by the Father, how could He do this? And more importantly, can we?
Does Everything Just Go Back In The Box?
(Christmas Insights For Every Day Living)
How quickly do you put the “Christmas stuff” away? The day after Christmas? New Year’s day?..or the day after? When does the extra stuff on display in your home lose its excitement and luster and just become clutter? When does the tree become a “fire hazard?” When does leaving the outside lights up just become silly? When do you “put everything back in the box?” When do you just “get into the swing of things” again?
Can I make a suggestion this year? Maybe the things that really matter shouldn’t just “go back in the box.” Maybe they were meant to be lived in. Maybe this is what Christmas was really meant to give us; not a flash in the pan that we bask in for a short while but rather a living reality that we can experience every day.
In the next few weeks we will focus on “Christmas Insights for Every Day Living”… for some things were never meant to just “go back in the box.”
We all long for Christmas. We all need Christmas. What if the gifts of Christmas that spring from Jesus, the gifts that really mattered, were meant to be lived in every day?
Sunday, January 10th Who Am I? (The Gift of Identity)
There is a great scene in the “Lord of the Rings” second movie, where King Theoden, overcome with the great evil and seemingly overwhelming destructive force that is against him and his people, with all that he thought secure crumbling around him, for a moment loses his perception of who he is –his very identity - and cries out, “Who am I?”…to which a loyal soldier replies, “You are our king, sire.” Do you ever struggle with your identity?...especially when there is great changes and upheavals around you? Jesus came at Christmas revealing who He was and is and always will be. Today, He would open our eyes to see anew our identity in Him, the Rock who never changes.
Sunday, January 17th Never Alone? (The Gift of Presence)
In every text book that talks about care for the sick and hurting, there is always a section that in Christian circles we would call, “the ministry of presence.” In short, the idea is that the greatest thing one can bring is themselves; to be actively “there,” listening and focusing with a caring heart on the one who is sick and hurting. It is a such a powerful gift to give another who is sick and hurting your presence so that they know and feel that they are not alone. As I have shared with countless people who are a little hesitant about visiting someone, this “ministry of presence” is the second greatest gift a Christian can give someone. What is the first? The presence of Jesus. During Christmas, we focused on Jesus as Immanuel, God with us always. Where in your life right now do you need to know and receive His presence brand new? And where is God calling you to the “ministry of presence” as you share His presence?
January 24th What Am I Doing Here? (The Gift of Meaning)
“So, what are you going to be when you grow up?” “Where do you want to go to college?” “What do you want to major in?” “What kind of job do you want to get?” These are tough questions!...especially for a 16 year old –or even an 18 year old! Yet, we ask them…often! We try to guide them, at least the thought process. We hire counselors on the High School level to give them direction and help them to think it through. And many of us tell stories about how we struggled with these questions mightily (and still might be!). Why? We all seem to agree that it is important to have a purpose and direction in our life. In fact, we all seem to know intuitively that we were meant to have a purpose and a meaning –a reason for our existence and why we do what we do. Jesus knew what He was about and He knew why. In Him, we can also. This gift too is tied to Christmas.
January 31st A Little Help, Please? (The Gift of Power)
In the book of 2 Chronicles, there is a verse where the writer says, “this enemy is too great for us!” And in the book of Psalms there is another verse where the writer says, “our hands hang limp,” again because they are overwhelmed by the power of the enemies which are against them. When is the last time you came up against an enemy that is too great for you? Where is this happening right now? When is the last time your strength failed you?...when you needed “a little help?” What if Christmas was about someone coming who had the power to help, no matter what? What if Christmas was about so empowering you that you also could be one who could help?
February 7th How Will It All Turn Out? (Glory, Glory, Hallelujah!)
Some would say that we live in a scary time. Terrorism. Lawlessness among nations. Economic chaos and upheaval. Ecological concerns. Does it frighten you? Do you ever wonder, as many have who have lived before us, how it will all end? Christmas is about God entering our world. He is Immanuel – God with us! But it is also about a plan – God’s plan; “In the fullness of time God sent forth His Son, born of a woman…” Gal. 3. How will it all end? And what does it mean for us in our lives right now? This is God’s Christmas gift for us, today!