Inside Out

The big surprise this morning was seeing the progress that had been made across the street in the vicinity of our parking lot. Trees had been cleared and logs of various lengths set aside for removal.Looks like we're underway.

After welcoming us, Pastor Brad shared that today's theme would be along these lines. We live in a world that glorifies giftedness. But there's something more important.

Today's chief announcement had to do with the upcoming Fish Fry, Saturday, August 24, from 1-4 p.m. with fish donated from Gordy's Hi-Hat in Cloquet, plus donations from Sam's Club, Super One, and McDonald's as well as Ken and Vicki Smith. (Thank you all.) Your only responsibility is to bring bars and spread the word about our event.

The service opened with the Trio singing "You Raise Me Up."  Brad made note of Elsa's presence with us as we entered into worship. She is leaving soon for Pasadena, California where she will be attending Fuller Seminary. 

Today's message, titled Inside Out, dealt with these contrasting sets of values, between the world we live in and God's values. There have been many sermons over the years about God's gifts and discovering our own gifts, but the giftedness spoken of here has to do with talents and skills, which may be valued by our celebrity culture but can be at odds with Kingdom values when not accompanied by Christlike character.

Judges 14-16 formed the basis for today's sermon. It was the story of Samson, a Nazarite from birth who was himself gifted but lacking in character. In the end, people without character become their own worst enemies.

Brad underscored one of the saddest verses in all Scripture that appears near the end of Samson's story after he's violated the third of his three Nazarite vows. "But he didn't know the Lord had left him."

Near the close he shared this maxim for Christians of all ages: We overestimate what can be done in the short term; we underestimate what can be done in the long term. This is our basis for hope.

For the Glory of God Alone

On a sunny cool August morning Pastor Brad opened the service with his usual welcome ("I'm grateful you're here") and, noting the chattering going on, said it's nice how much we all enjoy one another's company, that we could probably chat all day if we didn't start the service. He summed up the past few messages stating that we've been doing a series on the basics of our faith… Jesus alone is our savior. Grace alone is good enough. An that Elsa Holmgren would be bringing us the message today on the theme, "For the Glory of God Alone."

Announcements included the following:
1. Council meets Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.
2. Gail noted that there is a large assortment of fresh vegetables downstairs
3. It's time to sign your kids up for Sunday school.
4. Sept 9 we’ll be worshiping at the park to kick off the new year…
5. Tonight at 6:30 there is a special evening of Old Time Gospel Music with a free will offering to benefit the vulnerable and homeless of Duluth.

Darlene and brother Darrell ushered us into worship with a piano and violin medley that included Fairest Lord Jesus as an interlude.

Brad led the worship today. The offering taken, followed by a reading from John 6:35, 41-51 and a time of prayer. Brad then invited Elsa to come forward and deliver the message.

For the Glory of God Alone

I’m going to come at this topic in a roundabout way… I've been reading book about the prodigal son. It's the story of a son who asks for his inheritance in advance. The son squanders it and sinks so low that he has nothing so that he ultimately comes back and asks permission to be his father's servant. The father celebrates this son’s return and kills the fatted calf.

There is a second part to the story though. The older brother is paralyzed by resentment. He is angry that the father celebrates instead of punishing the younger son. "All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!" (Luke 15: 29, 30)

The Father says to this son “You have always been with me. Everything that I have is yours.”

Too often we do not take advantage of all that God has for us. This enormous gift of being sons and daughters of the God of the universe is ours.

The Old Testament is filled with stories where the glory of God shows up in amazing ways. The glory of the Lord appeared on Mount Sinai after Exodus. In chapter 24 it is written, "To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain."  

Moses later asks to see God’s glory, and God places Moses in the cleft of the rock and passes by but it would kill him to actually see God’s glory.

The Hebrew word actually means dwelling. It is understood in Scripture as the visible manifestation of the presence of God… God who is everywhere, localized. Ezekiel writes that when he saw the glory "I fell on my face…" He was  lifted up and the glory filled the temple.

For years this was what was meant by the glory of the Lord. But then one day there is a baby born and the baby is the radiant glory of God, in human form. Here is the radiance of the glory of God… The very same God who said "Let light shine out of darkness." II Cor 4:6

The whole earth is full of the glory of God. The heavens declare the glory of God. Paul wrote to the Colossians that all things were created through Him and for Him and that in Jesus all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.

When Moses came down from Sinai he put a veil over his face to hide radiance. But in Jesus we behold God's glory and as we do are being transformed into the same image of Christ Himself.
This is God’s huge promise to us. “YOU will be the radiance of My glory” God says.

It is God’s gift to us… those of us who are beholding Christ are being transformed…

In His last hours Jesus prayed, "The glory you have given to Me I have given to them." (Jn 17:22) It's not because we've earned it or have done such a good job of praying for it.

If your eyes and heart are fixed on Jesus, God promises you are being made into the image of Christ. The forgiveness of sins is the first step only, not the end point. God’s aim is to make us like His firstborn son…

The cherry on top: It is not your job to make yourself into the glory of God. That is His promise. Most of us can’t lose five pounds let alone trying to transform ourselves into the replica of His glory.

Trust in Jesus and leave it there. Believe God’s promises and receive it.

Too many of us settle to serve a miniature God instead of letting this enormous God move our mountains and fulfill His grand plans for each of us.

God Is Big Enough To Comfort My Suffering

Brad welcomed us and then stated that our sermon today would be a walk through the book of Job.

Announcements included mention that we had two babies born into the church family this week. Sam and Kelly had baby Isabella on July 4. Jessie and Lisa Smith brought Lincoln Jessie Smith into the world. Because the latter was a C-section birth, meals would be welcome for the next three weeks. (Sign up in the back or call Brooke)

The Scripture reading today was from Mark 5:21-43

Before our time of prayer we prayed for those going to CHIC in a few weeks.

God Is Big Enough to Comfort My Suffering 

Some books in the Bible are wintery in that they talk about times when God seems distant. But it’s a great place to learn about how big our God is.

The story of Job begins in Uz, which was somewhere east of there… Job is righteous, pious and blessed. In the beginning of the story there is a correlation between his good deeds and his blessing. But beginning with verses 6-12 there is a change in the story.

Picture a theater with a lower stage and an upper stage. Job, his family and friends live in the lower stage. Theater goers see that God resides in the upper stage, but Job is unaware of what is going on there, a transaction between God and Satan.

The story moves to the lower stage and we see Job smitten, but he remains faithful to God.

The next scene is back at the upper stage and we see Satan asking for permission to cause yet more suffering. Satan says, in essence, to God, "Job loves you because everything is going his way. God, you turn off the faucet of blessing and you will see Job turn his back on you because the core of this man is like all men. People are fair weather friends. People are basically selfish." This is exactly the point Christopher Dawkins tries to paint in his book The Selfish Gene. 

In contrast, God says the core of the universe and our lives is self-giving, self-sacrificial love.

But things do get worse for Job. In the end Job is diseased, covered with scabs, sitting on a dung heap as his wife say, “Curse God and die.”

Brad made an interesting observation at this point. Many people paint Job's wife with a dark brush, but in reality keep in mind that she has suffered immensely as well. She lost her family, her home, all her possessions, and now her life is centered on taking care of a diseased man who will soon die, the man she loved and who has been providing for her all these years. It is a very challenging time for her. Brad's comments exhibited a merciful approach toward her remark that showed a special kind of compassion.

Yet, in all this Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. (Job 1:22)
After the second round of disasters, the Bible says Job did not sin in what he said. But the astute reader can see that he is struggling in his heart.

Job, once famous for his wealth and influence now is famous for his sorrow and suffering. So when Job’s friends arrive, begin to weep when they see him. They see immediately what a bad way he is in. They sit with him for seven days and nights…. Being there is a form of comfort

Paul says mourn with those who mourn. He does not say “give good advice” or suggest they “snap out of it.”

Job pours out chapter after chapter of bitterness. His friends reply, saying essentiall that "whatever you are experiencing is because of what you did." It's a common perspective that is with us to this day. If things are going well, it is because your choices and your troubles are because of your choices. It's conventional wisdom: you must have done something wrong. Otherwise, how do you explain this?

Job says he was the same person both before and after these mind-numbing events that occurred. So that line of argument doesn't make sense.

Yes, there are times when choices and consequences are related. But sometimes it has nothing to do with anything we have done.

"If only I could talk to God. I would present my case," he say. 

When everyone has said their piece and re-hashed all their arguments, God shows up and speaks to Job out of a storm. (Job 38)

God does not answer the questions Job asks, however, or explain what happened. Instead, God points out that Job has a finite mind, and that we can’t see the whole picture from our vantage point.

God asks questions. And the questions reveal the character of God who cares for land where people don’t even live. There's a whole section about God creating and how He is involved in things that have no value for anything other than just because they are. In short, God reveals Himself to be irrationally loving and gratuitously good.

Job never finds out what happened on the upper stage, and Job’s story is our story. We, like he, can’t see the why of anything, but we can see who God is. We can see His character. And in this the Book of Job is a foretaste of the cross, where God sent Jesus into the lower stage, and showed what kind of God He is.

Self-giving, self-sacrificial love is the core of this book.

In the last chapter, chapter 42, God let’s Job’s friends know that Job was right, and the friends, who thought they were defending God, were put on notice that they were wrong.

Brad took a moment to highlight another feature of the story. In the end, Job 42, everything Job lost was restored double. He also had seven more sons and three daughters,which has a twist to it here.

There are a lot of things in the story that we would miss today. The names of daughters mentioned, instead of the sons. And the names of Job’s daughters are all about beauty: a dove, cinnamon and makeup. And Job gave a portion of his inheritance to these daughters, not a typical act in those days. Why? Because what you gave as inheritance can be siphoned by in-laws. But his character is revealed and being hilariously giving and generous, like the creator whom he loves.

Can a human being hold on to God when it doesn’t seem to pay off at all? Job  was broke, sick, confused, suffering, in anguish… and he didn’t know how long it would go on. Yet he was faithful… he did not give up.

Our suffering matters…

But our response matters as well, more than we can ever imagine. So friends, don’t let go because our God is a big and great God.

Consolation and Hope

During Advent there have been special services during the Sunday School hour. The turnout was strong downstairs preceding the service, and fun. Once we were assembled in the sanctuary, Brad greeted us with his traditional "Good morning!" and reminded us that it was the second week in Advent, the season of anticipation for the coming of light.

Two important announcements
If you are planning to make cookies for people in jail, we'll need your cookies by the 15th. Contact Ruth Anne for details.

Also, next Sunday will be out Christmas program with dinner, starting at 4:00 p.m. Children who are to be in the program should come to the church next Saturday morning to practice from 10 a.m. till noon.

Darlene helped us transition into worship with another nice introit. Brad and Elsa led us in three hymns after the lighting of the second Advent candle. The offering was followed by Leonard's reading of Isaiah 40:1-11. Then Brad took the pulpit and shared from the Scriptures.

Consolation and Hope

Pastor Brad began by reading to us from Hebrews 1:1-4.

1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

"When people speak about something with extraordinary importance," he said, "they give us cues." For example, when a teachers says, "This will be on the final," the students takes notes. And when watching TV, when a flashing red bar goes across the bottom of the screen declaring, "Weather Alert" you know it is a message to pay attention to.

This passage underscores that the birth of Jesus into this world was something important. In the past, God spoke through prophets, but here now is a new thing. God speaks to us through his son. Not only is the son the radiance of God's glory, but He is "the exact representation of His being." Jesus is God's ultimate declaration to the world: "If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus."

So what do we see when we look at Jesus. God's entrance into human history was not in a palace, rather it was in a stable, and the infant --God of very God -- was laid in a feeding trough for cattle.

There's much misunderstanding about Jesus, Brad said. But it doesn't have to be. We need to slow down, be still. God doesn't slam a gavel to get our attention. He speaks in a quiet way and we have to listen. Take time to be still and read your Bible. Study the Gospels, what Jesus says and does. Jesus, who was God in human form, lived among us.

Brad then asked us to imagine that God was in the room. He said to imagine the person next to us being God in bodily form. Then he asked us to imagine what must have gone through the minds of Mary and Joseph and those who knew who He was.

Why would God come to a family in a remote part of an obscure country who were an oppressed people? Why not come in a more glorious manner?

In an attempt to answer this question, Kierkegaard once shared a parable about a very great king who fell in love with a common woman who was not royalty. She was a peasant girl, dressed in rags. If he attempted to bring her to the palace to show all his wealth and power, she'd be scared and run away. So he thought and thought, and finally it occurred to him that if he left his throne, removed his crown and set aside his robes, he could approach her as a peasant and perhaps win her heart by declaring his love for her.

To some extent this is the story of Jesus, who thought about these ragged creatures whom he'd made. "How do I tell them that God loves them? How can I keep them from being overwhelmed?" And there was a way. The Bible puts it like this:

6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

God traded a palace for a hovel.

Who Jesus really was and is goes far beyond these stories alone. Isaiah writes,

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

God speaks in quiet nudgings. And He speaks to us through His Word when we still ourselves.

Here we see Jesus is not just a wise person, but a Wonderful Counselor. A Prince of Peace... and an Everlasting Father who will always be there for us.

"We need to quiet ourselves and listen."

After the message we celebrated the Lord's Supper by singing and sharing "A Carol Setting for Holy Communion."

Connecting Point

With Pastor Brad not yet returned from his conference, Chuck Vanderscheuren led our service today, welcoming us warmly.

There were a host of announcements. Here are the main ones.
1. Darlene is starting an adult choir which is open to anyone with a heart sing. Practices will be held noon to one on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month.
2. There will also be a children's choir, with practices on Wednesday evening the 1st and 3rd week of each month.
3. Adventure Club is beginning on Wednesday October 7, a weekly program for children preschool to 6th grade. Volunteers always welcome. Contact Brooke for more information.
4. There will be an Old Fashioned Hymn Sing at the Newmans next Sunday at 4:00 p.m. It will also be a potluck meal, with meat provided.
5. Paula noted the Annual Women's Luncheon on Saturday, October 10. A very powerful speak will be sharing.
6. The deacons toured Caribou Lake School this past week to determine its viability as a potential new building to grow into. This was a very preliminary review and there are many variables. Please pray for wisdom for the church leadership.


Chuck then opened the service with the traditional, "The Lord be with you." To which the congregation replied, "And also with you."

The worship team consisted of Ken, Darlene and Chuck, who opened by reading Psalm 105. Then they jumped right in to a rousing version of Your First Day In Heaven, followed by a very powerful Midnight Cry. After a set of worship choruses, Gwen read to us from I Corinthians 12:12-27, the famous passage about the interconnectedness of the body of Christ.

Prayer needs and praises were shared. Then Walt Cresman came forward to share the message.

Connecting Point

Walt brought to church individual bags of Legos for every person in the congregation which were distributed just as he began his message. His aim was to use these Lego sets to share a number of insights pertaining to church life, family life and our purpose in life.

He first drew attention to the fact that all the pieces were different. So it is in the body of Christ and our church family, that we are all different. God forms each of us in different ways and for different purposes.

If you have ever had Legos, you will notice how the one thing they all share is the ability to connect to other Legos. These connecting points enable us to build relationships in various ways. One other thing Walt noted at this time is that the individual pieces may be a variety of colors, but color is not a variable that has any impact on our ability to connect.

He then shared this passage from Ephesians 4:1-6

1As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Walt asked, "What does God intend our church to look like?"

Walt said he purchased nearly every Lego set in town in order for us to experience this set of object lessons today. Only one had a steeple, but that is O.K. After showing us how the steeple piece prevents additional connections on the top, he suggested that the best form for a church would be flat, wide and broad. This would allow the maximum number of open connectors for bringing people in to the church family.

Walt also showed how families are an important part of the church. The broad connectivity strengthens a community of believers.

The passage from Luke 10:25 and following was referenced, the wonderful story of the Good Samaritan. Walt noted that acts of kindness make an impact on people. This is one of the ways we make connections.

Walt also asked us to consider how Legos can show a marriage relationship. What does marriage look like?

He showed one example, of two single piece Legos, in which they are connected, but one is on top of the other. A second example was a single Lego with two connectors. The side by side relationship was good, but then he showed us a three piece Lego and cited the role of the Holy Spirit in our marriages. A three-fold cord is not easily broken.

At this point Walt went a bit sideways to make an important point. He spoke about expectations, how our disappointments are in proportion to the disparity between unmet expectations and reality. It is very true that the variance between our expectation and reality can cause us hurt.

He noted then that we're all wired differently, and for this reason we all, like the Lego blocks, have varying numbers of connectors. This was a setup for a profound observation. Like the Lego blocks our pastor and his wife also have a finite capacity for deep connections. Our expectation is often that because our pastor and family is so wonderful we all want to be in a tight connection there. However, the truth is, only God has unlimited, infinite connectors. God can connect to all of us in a manner which is deep and significant.

This was a profound observation, and your faithful blog scribe was impressed by it. America's pastors have one of the toughest jobs in the world. We can play a significant role in providing encouragement and praying for him as he strives to bring us God's truths.

It was a good service, and I believe there were many good messages for all.

Finishing Well

Sunshine on a chilly February morning, but lots of warmth in our sanctuary today as we prepared to celebrate another baptism, which always seems to bring out a little extra passion from our pastor Brad Shannon who welcomed us by noting today’s theme, Finishing Well. “None of us run this race alone,” he said. “As those who follow Jesus we do this together…. It’s not how you start, but how you finish.”

After announcements – a board meeting Tuesday evening, and the Valentine’s Banquet postponed till next Saturday – an Introit was played (Crown Him With Many Crowns) and Pastor Brad read to us Psalm 150, with its exultant celebration of music and song, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”

A youth group from River Falls Covenant in Wisconsin had spent the weekend here with our youth. Two musicians, Ryan & Tyler, shared a song, followed by a time of congregational worship. The baptism of River Lee Strom came next, with special music by Ed Newman, O Love That Will Not Let Me Go. Brad reiterated a recurring theme from his ministry: “We’re in this together.”

After the children were dismissed, Eric Borndal read from the Scriptures: II Kings 5:1-14 and Mark 1:40-45.

During the time of prayer we remembered Leonard Armstrong who was hospitalized Friday evening while in the process of preparing his gift to the church, our Valentine’s Banquet, now postponed a week. Leonard joined Lillian Peterson at St. Luke’s Hospital, with Lillian having fallen on the ice while retrieving mail.

It was also noted at this time that a donation for $100 had been made toward a professional quality food processor to help Leonard and our other kitchen services contributors. The target is $300 if you wish to pitch in and upgrade our kitchen.

Finishing Well

Pastor Brad began by reading portions of Hebrews 11, initially pertaining to Moses in vss. 23 and following, but noting that many others have demonstrated their faith throughout history.

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The message, in a nutshell, was this: "Just keep running. Just don't quit." But his sermon elaborated. He began by asking how many of us run for exercise. "Anyone tempted to quit?" he then asked. Laughter followed because that's the nature of running.

With marathons you especially see this pattern. In the beginning there's a kind of a high, a runner's high. All is well. How long this high lasts is directly related to the runner's condition. Brad jokingly said he lasts about seventeen steps.

Once the run begins there is a sequence that follows. After the initial exhilaration, there comes the laborious part, followed by exhaustion and fatigue. Then there's the wall. To keep going requires determination, and those who determine to finish must keep going.

The start is fun, finishing is hard. Finishing well is glory.

It's a metaphor for our Christian walk, of course. And to this end Brad asks, "Will you run the race to the very end? Will you finish well? Will you remain steadfast?" And once more he affirms, "Just keep running."

Returning the the life of Moses, around which our recent messages have centered, Pastor Brad picked up the thread of the story where Moses and Aaron finally believed that God indeed would do the amazing thing of liberating Israel by their hand. (Exodus 4:31)

In chapter 5 of Exodus, we see that, like the marathon runners, they begin boldly, with confidence. "Let my people go," Moses exclaims to Pharaoh.

Pharaoh, ruler of the world's greatest empire, is not impressed. Moses adds a "Pretty please" to the somewhat confrontational dialogue, and Pharaoh indeed responds by making life tougher for the Hebrews. Instead of supplying straw for their quota of bricks, they must now gather their own straw, with no diminution of the quota.

This is where Moses hit the wall. The Hebrews he had come to liberate were less than encouraging, a little more obstinate. To paraphrase, their response to Moses was, "You have made our fragrance stink."

Here's where we get tempted to quit. It seems like we're alone, that it's just us against the world. Moses was left alone with Aaron, with Pharaoh and Egypt and his fellow Hebrews against him. But Moses was not alone. And we're not either.

Moses turns again to the Lord. In chapter 6 God speaks to Moses: "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh... I will make Myself known..." What's more, God has not been indifferent to the suffering of His people. He has heard their groaning.

If you're going to persevere in this race, like Moses you will have to persist in prayer. Moses, every step of the way, kept turning to God. He begins, continues and finishes in prayer.

Brad then told two stories from the life of Jesus which were especially amusing because of the way Brad makes them relevant to our contemporary situations. The point of each is that God cares about us, our needs, our circumstances, and we are to seek him, with persistence.

Turning now to each of us, Pastor Brad asked, "Can you identify the greatest need in your life right now? Make a commitment to persevere... to pray saying, 'I'm going to do what Jesus commands me to do, no matter what.' Draw a line in the sand. Will you do that with me today?"

At this point, Brad revealed his motivation for being so passionate about this theme. "I can't have friends falling off the side of the road." His heart was thus opened up to us with that wide transparency so needed in our world today.

"Just keep running," he implored. "Don't quit, friends."

Amplifying these thoughts, he states that the church needs to be a place where we encourage one another.

Ultimately, however, the Bible is not a book about our persistence. It is a revelation of God's persistence. He will not give up on you. As it is written "I will never leave you, I will never forsake you."

This is the word of the Lord.

Why Show Up

With a few days of warmer weather under our belts we arrived this morning bathed in the glow of sunny skies. Inside our little country church there was additional sunshine as today's worship service was entirely conducted by the women leadership of our church. It was a very special time.

Paula Saxin welcomed us and we began with a few announcements, taking care of the business before commencing with worship.

Announcements

1. There is a rummage sale coming soon which will be a fund raiser for ministry and outreach purposes.
2. Secret Friend sign-up sheets are in the narthex. All women are invited to participate.
3. The Valentine Sweetheart Banquet is next Saturday night. Only $7 per person for a great meal, fellowship and musical entertainment by Dave Peterson.

Darlene opened with an introit followed by congregational worship. Robin Bergquist performed a moving rendition of the song Porcelain Heart during the offering.

Scripture readings included Hebrews 8:8-12 and passages from I Corinthians 12 about spiritual gifts and the life of the body. Pam Johnson led our prayer time. Then Brooke Shannon took the pulpit.

Why Show Up?

"Why did you show up today?" Brooke began. Why did you bother rolling out of bed and come here, especially since you only have two mornings a week when you can stay home and be with your family in the morning. She jokingly said she knows why her kids showed up. Because she made them... or maybe because they get free cookies and goodies.

Brooke noted that coming to church is a choice, whether it is out of tradition or whether someone made us come, or maybe you're just checking things out.

The better question however is this one, "Why NOT come?"

Brooke detailed three of the primary reasons she comes to church: because God is real, God cares, and God's covenant.

God Is Real

Because she grew up in Colorado, she has often compared her faith journey to climbing mountains there. Mountain climbing is difficult, but rewarding. It requires preparation and perseverance. At times, you are unable to see the peak, yet must continue... and once you have reached the top, achieved your goal, there is a wholeness you experience. You just sit, rest and soak it in.

Yet, ultimately as you hike back down the mountain to the reality of the valley where you live you hold onto to the truth you experienced up there. It is difficult to live on those high places.

Brooke shared how in spite of her faults and inadequacies, Jesus has allowed her to grow as a person, and she knows the Lord is by her side to help her do the best she can.

"Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." ~ I Peter 1:8-9

Brooke said God's character is very transparent. And we come to church because we know He meets us here. As Jesus said in Matthew 20:20, "Wherever two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them."

Brooke laughed as she noted how she is occasionally hooked on reality shows on TV. She cited the show True Beauty as one example. The show isn't about external beauty alone, but on their inward as well. What she found interesting is that these people are all really just like us, desiring to be accepted and treasured. This is the reality of God... He loves us no matter what.

As the Scripture states in Hebrews 10:23-25...

23Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

God Cares

The second characteristic of God that keeps me coming is this, that God cares. When we show up, our needs are met. Brooke noted how God works through others in our time together.

Many of us come here broken from week to week... Finances, relationships, work issues, family. We all experience hardships. And in our culture there is a tendency to discard broken things. So many things are disposable, from old razors, snack packs, cups, plates or replaceable, like TVs, computers, cars.

But here, in the fellowship, we find healing, wholeness. Where the world discards, Jesus redeems. To redeem means to rescue, save, deliver... Jesus came so we are not exchanged or cashed in.

Colossians 1:9-14 says, "9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

God's Covenant

The last characteristic of God that keeps Brooke coming is His Covenant. She shared her family's response when she told them on the phone that she was dating a pastor. Silence. When she said he was a pastor in the Covenant Church, they might as well heard her say she was joining a cult or convent.

But there's a reason Brooke says she attends a covenant church, not just because of the great location, cozy atmosphere, warm people or that her husband works here. She said she comes because she belongs. Having dedicated her life to Christ as a teen, she has found a home in the Covenant. She also said the Covenant name is distinctive to God's character.

The word covenant means an agreement between two parties. It's a solemn promise or vow, especially between God and people.

Brooke told about Abraham, the founder of our faith. But even with his remarkable faith and special relationship with God, Abraham messed up. In fact, the Bible is filled with stories of people who God used, despite their failings. God fulfills His covenants even though our human nature fails us.

Even when we fail, we're in it together. This is the nature of a church family. In fact, I hurt for others in our church family as if they were my own family, just as we celebrate and praise together.

We're all in this together, a church family. The church should be a place of unity with our diverse abilities. And we share common aims: to know God, love God and serve God.

I pray that you choose to show up because you too desire to be a part of God's kingdom, and participate in sharing it with others.

Decisions for the New Year

Eleven inches of snow had been predicted, so it was a relief to find less than a half dozen inches on this chilly Sunday morning in Northern Minnesota. Unploughed rural roads reduced our numbers a bit, but the service was still very special for those who were here, culminating in our celebration of the Lord's Table.

Pastor Brad Shannon welcomed us warmly. He then asked us two questions to take home with us into 2009. Are you willing to listen to God this year? And are you willing to put your trust in Him?

Several announcements followed.
1. Deacons will meet Wednesday evening on the 7th.
2. The Wednesday night youth group/Adventure Club will resume the following Wednesday on the 14th.
3. The first meeting of the Women's Bible Study will be January 23rd at 6:00 p.m. They will be reading together the book, An Ordinary Day With Jesus. Contact JoAnn Winship for details or if you would like a book.

After a time of worship and the offering was taken, Bev read the Scriptures, Jeremiah 31:7-14 and Ephesians 1:3-14.

During our prayer time we became aware of many needs in our midst. With so many hurting and going through trying times, let's continue to keep one another lifted up in prayer.

Decisions for the New Year
Pastor Brad began by noting that sometimes our familiarity with Scripture is a detriment. The result of being familiar with some of these passages hinders us from drawing new understandings. We've heard them so often, we stop really engaging the Word.

The psalmists knew that life was complicated and that the world was a dangerous place. They had experienced this, and for this reason their words are quite relevant to us today.

Today's sermon is based on Psalms 1 and 2.

1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

Read Psalm 2 here

There are two ways to walk, Brad said. It is our choice. We can choose one way or the other. Pastor Brad indicated that if we were to sum up the message of all 150 Psalms in one concise maxim, it would be "Friends, choose wisely."

A couple years ago the U.S. News & World Report offered up 50 ways to improve your life in the new year. The list included things like renovating your local part to unplugging your television set, or learning to print better photos. The number one way, they said, was to get happy.

While the suggestions may be interesting, they're not exactly inspiring. As an alternative, Pastor Brad suggested we improve our lives by asking two simple questions which are raised in Psalms 1 & 2.

The word "Blessed" is the very first word of Psalm 1. "Blessed is the man...." Interestingly Psalm 2 ends with a blessing. "Blessed are all who take refuge in Him."

Psalm 1 and much that follows is a study in contrasts between the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. The righteous bear fruit. The righteous are rooted. The wicked are like chaff which the wind blows away. They have no roots. They are dispersed with the wind. There's not a whole lot too them.

The writer of Ecclesiastes made many references to the futility of chasing after wind. The wicked are caught up in the pursuit of vapor, a meaningless, empty existence.

The pattern that emerges, however, is that the wicked are the ones who choose to put themselves in their situation as outsiders looking in. Jesus, the source of life, invites all. But the choice is ours to draw near and put down roots, or remain aloof. We can choose to be receptive, or to withdraw and close ourselves off from God's free offer of blessing.

Will we be receptive to God's instruction? The blessed life comes from being willing to hear, and a willingness to be pliable.

Psalm 2 begins more globally in scope. "Why do the nations conspire and plot in vain?" But in the end it is personal as well.

The kingdom of God is unique, distinct from the kingdoms of this world. God does not find the actions of this world amusing. The question being asked here in this Psalm is, "Will we acknowledge God's rule and live in fundamental dependence on Him?"

In Psalm 1 we're reminded to live attentive to His Word. In Psalm 2 we're asked, will we acknowledge God's rule this new year and live in complete dependence on Him? Or will we choose self interest and live in fundamental dependence on ourselves?

Brad then asked rhetorically, "Who's in charge?"

Psalm 1 is clear: you must let God teach you. Psalm 2 is also clear: let God rule. As we enter the new year, let's hold fast to both of these commitments.

The service ended with the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.

Sardis

After a warm welcome and announcements, Darlene opened the service today with a beautiful medley, weaving together “As the Hart” and “Fairest Lord Jesus.” It was a quite moving introduction to our worship time.

Today’s sermon was a continuation of the messages we have been hearing based on the letters to the seven churches, from Revelations chapters 2 and 3. This morning’s message was drawn from Rev. 3:1-6, the letter to the church at Sardis.

1"To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Pastor Brad opened with comments about one of the number one TV shows today, CSI, which stands for “Crime Scene Investigation.” This popular show has expanded to include CSI Miami, CSI New York and CSI Las Vegas. Brad jokingly noted that the show’s popularity is such that we may even have a CSI Twig one day.

The show always begins with a death. Then it’s the job of the CSI team to do an autopsy and find the real cause of the death.

Then Pastor Brad turned the tables toward the direction of his message. “At one time in my life I was on a Crime Scene Investigation,” he said. “Only is was a Church Scene Investigation.” Instead of a murder victim, there was a dead church body. “One of the saddest things in the world is to see a church dying,” he explained, a fitting intro to his exposition on the letter to the church at Sardis.

“I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.” (vs 1)

Sardis had been a wealthy city. It had been a cultural trendsetter. This was a city which had been formerly filled with splendor, a city of wealth and luxurious living, something akin to another TV show, “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.”

The church of Sardis, too, had initially been a beacon of light. It had been a vibrant witness for Christ, making a difference. In the past this church had been a trauma center for wounded people and a lighthouse for the lost. But no more.

In this brief letter to the church at Sardis there are no words of commendation. Where it really counted, this church was dead.

Interestingly enough, unlike the troubles at some of the other churches, the downfall was not due to false prophets, persecutions, pressures from outside. The problem was from within.

Referring back to his own life lessons, Brad stated, “I learned that if a church is not being continuously renewed, it will die.” He said he labored hard to make the church relevant. He had a great vision for the church, but its methods were old fashioned and ineffective.

It is an interesting oxymoron: Dead Church. Because Jesus once said, “I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

In point of fact, the Church, the body of Christ, has prevailed through the ages. But individual churches can, and do, die. Currently, in this country, 2700 churches a year close their doors, permanently.

Brad’s passion for New Life Covenant is that we be continuously renewed, for we can die, too.

Typically, historically, churches expand and decline over a course of thirty years. He said that when he arrived at the church he has been referring to, it had been dying for five years.

To the church at Sardis Jesus says, “Wake up… Strengthen what remains.”

Brad aimed to make five points based on this passage.

1) Wake up.
Death in the future comes by living in the past. The church at Sardis had become self-centered and apathetic by resting on its laurels, self-satisfied based on its previous reputation. This letter is a wake up call, a call to spiritual vigilance.

Something is at stake. Living in the past makes it impossible to move forward. We cannot glamorize the past.

Brad noted that learning from the past is different from living in the past. “I’m proud, thankful, to be in a place where people matter more than whether a pastor wears a tie or not,” he said.

This was a lead in to another church killer, being inflexible.

2) Strengthen what remains.
A church needs to hold fast to its core values. Being flexible does not mean letting go of unchangeable truths or realities. Some things should never change.

Hebrews 13:8 states, “Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.”

In the culmination of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says that our lives must be founded on a rock, on the unchanging truths, God’s word. The Bible is an unshakable, immovable rock.

And in Luke 21:33 Jesus declared, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

On the other hand, we need to be flexible in our methods. Living churches evaluate their methods in an effort to stay relevant. Because one of the most dangerous things that a church can do is fall in love with its methods instead of being in love with the lost people those methods are used to reach.

3) Remember what God alone can do.
The only way to be continuously dynamic is to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. Remember, there is a supernatural piece to church growth.

4) Hold on.
Hold on the primary mission. Hold on to the core value: people are what matters to God. Lost people matter to God.

5) Repent.
Jesus says this with urgency.

At this point it was evident Pastor Brad had much more to say than his heart could contain. With passion he exhorted us in a flood of heartfelt words that this scribe was unable to record. Lost people matter. God wants to us to stay vibrant, to be concerned about the things Jesus is concerned about.

Jesus says whoever has ears to hear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches.

With this, stepping to the communion table our pastor said, “Communion is our sacred privilege…”

Gwen then offered up a beautiful song to usher us into the celebration of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.

How To Really Love Someone

Pastor Brad Shannon, in his opening remarks, began by outlining today’s theme, introducing the new series he will be speaking about for the remainder of the summer.

He also shared some announcements, including the meeting of our building committee this coming Thursday at 7:00 p.m. In commenting on the building committee, he noted that it is often easier to talk about studs and nails, and not so easy to discuss the foundational issues of why we build and what is our mission. He cited a note someone had written that our purpose here is to be God’s light and hope in Grand Lake Township. We can do this by helping those in need and learning how to articulate God’s mission.

Other announcements included a mention that Sunday school is coming soon and that there is a still a need for teachers.

Darlene ushered us into worship with a beautiful prelude. The Scripture readings were from Genesis 29:15-28 and Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52.

As prayer needs were shared, we recognized that there are many among us in challenging circumstances. The author of this blog was particular grateful to be part of such a caring church family.

How To Really Love Someone

Pastor Brad opened by pointing out that the passage in Galatians 5:22-23 has one of the best list of words describing how to love. This summer he will be looking at five words from this list, and this morning the word is love.

For a Biblical definition of love, Pastor Brad put it this way: “I will sacrificially and unconditionally love and forgive others.”

To prepare us for a context to this sermon he had us open our Bibles to the table of contents. He shared how from Genesis to the book of Esther, the Old Testament is a collection of history books. The middle group of books, from Job to Song of Solomon, are considered the poetic books. Isaiah to Malachi are the prophetic books.

Beginning in early Genesis with the story of Abraham (Gen. 12:1ff) we find the birth of Israel, God’s people. Abraham, who lived around 2000 B.C., formed a covenant with God and was given the promise that one day his descendants would have this land. It was not until 600 years later that this promise was fulfilled in Joshua.

In I Samuel, after 400 years without a king, the people of Israel asked God for a king, and received the first in the person of Saul. Essentially, the bulk of the sermon was an overview of this period in the history of Israel, drawing attention particularly moments in the relationship of Saul, David and Saul’s son Jonathan. The Book of I Samuel is an interesting section of Scripture with many key insights and well worth the investment of time to read. Pastor Shannon only skimmed the crests of the waves in order to highlight a few key points.

In chapters 13 and 15, we see how Saul is disqualified from being king. In chapter 16, David is anointed to be the next king of Israel. Note that there is a fourteen year time span between the anointing / promise and its fulfillment. God’s schedule and ours are not always the same.

The crucial phrases in this chapter are found in verse 13, “the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power,” and in verse 14, “Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from God tormented him.”

A few chapters later we see the fruit from this change of fortunes. All David touches turns to gold. He experiences success in everything he puts his hand to. Chapter 17 details the epic conflict between David and Goliath, the giant Philistine who stood taunting the weakness of Israel. By the end of the story, Saul notices David for the first time, vs. 55.

Immediately following, we see the depth of friendship that emerges between David and Jonathan, Saul’s son. The two made a covenant together, and became one in spirit.

This friendship proved difficult as the tormented king alternated between being reasonable and being an irrational, jealous hothead. The first incident to set him off was the singing in the streets by Israel’s women: “Saul has slain his thousands, David his tens of thousands.” The next day, overcome by rage, he attempted to pin David to the wall with a spear.

In chapter 19 Saul again attempts to have David killed, but Jonathan warns his friend and they make a plan together. Jonathan strives to persuade his father to have a change of heart, but it is futile.

In chapter 20, Jonathan consoles David and reafffirms his commitment to him. In David’s absence, Jonathan serves as his friend’ advocate, protector and defender. But Saul will not be dissuaded from his hatred and in the end David is forced into exile to save his skin. Verses 41 and 42 in Jonathan and David’s last moments together each wept, but “David wept the most.”

Ten years later, fourteen years after the initial anointing by Samuel, David becomes king of Israel as Saul and Jonathan, father and son, are slain in battle. David laments.

Pastor Shannon summed up with this closing thoughts. How do we learn to love like David? Recall to mind that love is a commitment to sacrificially and unconditionally love and forgive others.

1) I make a “no strings attached” covenant with them.
That is, we make a commitment that says, “I am going to be with you all the way through.” In a covenant relationship we make a promise.

2) I will be an advocate for this person.
That is, you will go to bat for them. You are commited to speak and act in their defense and on their behalf.

This is what Jesus does for us. Satan is the accuser. He stands before God pointing out our failings, but Jesus, our Advocate, speaks on our behalf.

3) I help them see God’s vision for their life.
If we have to grab by the ears to waken them and make them see, we’ll do what it takes. “Look, you are significant, you have gifts… a purpose for God.”

4) I’m going to sacrifice my rights to make them succeed.
By laying down your own rights and plans, humbling yourself, you reveal the totalness of your love.

To repeat the definition: “I will sacrificially and unconditionally love and forgive others.”

This is the word of the Lord.

The Best Way To Live

Blue skies and warm temperatures ushered us into week two of our summer schedule with services beginning at nine-thirty a.m. The sanctuary was abuzz with energy from the beautiful morning here.

Pastor Brad welcomed everyone and noted that his sermon today was going to be more of a journal entry than a sermon. If we were to take nothing else away from this service, he underscored James 1:22 as a lynch pin in this morning’s message.

Announcements included two especially big events taking place in June. First, on June 29 we will be celebrating our 50th Anniversary. Stayed tuned for more information about this big event. And finally, Vacation Bible School will begin in two weeks, always an exciting time in the life of the church.

Today’s Scripture readings:
Genesis 6:9-22
Matthew 6:24-34

The Best Way To Live
Why would you ever want to place your life under God’s authority? Because it is the best way to live. He’s bigger than you, knows more than you, sees how things are for you, and more. God loves you, knows what's best for you and wants to lead you.

At the beginning of His ministry, when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by Satan even He never considered going His own way. God’s way was the only way for Jesus.

Temptation comes to all of us. The enemy of our souls is relentless. But we can overcome temptation. We win by hiding the Word of God in our hearts. Preceding even this, we win when we become convinced that God’s way is best for us.

James 1:13-15 says that God does not tempt us.
13When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

To illustrate how temptation works Pastor Brad told a story about fishing with a friend who had a fish finder. The bait was dropped into the water and he watched as the fish came over to it, enticed. It was interesting watching as the fish looked at it from this angle and that, and after examining from all sides, he nibbles. Then after another nibble he grabs the whole thing and runs with it. Next things you know he’s hooked, cleaned, filleted and fried.

The congregation laughed out loud because of the vividness of this apt illustration.

Don’t be deceived, James write. God has good things for us, perfect gifts. These gifts are ours through the word of truth.

Pastor then underscored verses 19 and 20.
19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

Quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. Anger screws up your relationships, he said, calling it a “weapon of mass destruction.” Referencing Job 5:2, he said that anger hurts the angry person, so you need to let it. go.

Our culture encourages revenge and the nurturing of anger, resentments and bitterness. But God’s word says, “Justice is mine, says the Lord.” This is true freedom.

Verse 21 states, “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.” Humble acceptance of the word of life is an attitude for life.

The key verse that Pastor Brad emphasized was verse 22. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” The word “listen” in this passage is the root word we use for our word audit. In other words, don’t just audit, don’t be passive about it. Rather, apply it to your life. If you listen and do not act, you are simply deceiving yourselves.

The last verses in this section flow out of this thought. 26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

If your heart isn’t growing toward the people God loves, then you’re missing something. Words without practice is one of the great self-deceptions. If you’re just talking about it, and not living it, you’re just kidding yourselves.

God’s word is a mirror. And it is life to us. Drink it in, live it out. God’s word can change your life. And God’s ways are absolutely the best ways to live. He’s not out to wreck your fun.

Read and re-read these passages. Truth leads to confession and action. Resolve now to apply it to your life.

25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

Why obey? Because we’re grateful for what He’s done for us. And it’s the right way to live.

After a closing hymn we shared in the sacrament of communion.

Restoration & Transformation

Pastor Shannon opened with announcements that included a reminder that next week is Mother’s Day and there will be no Sunday School. Instead the men will be making a breakfast for all, to honor the mothers.

Our May 4 service was then turned over to the ministry of Teen Challenge Duluth.

Teen Challenge is an organization whose aim is to help drug addicts and others find liberation from their addictions through Jesus Christ. Founded fifty years ago in New York City by David Wilkerson, Teen Challenge has spread far and wide to wherever there is need.

The Teen Challenge center in Duluth houses forty men of all ages, united by their common need for restoration and transformation. Twenty of these men were with New Life Covenant today, and the other half at another church in this region. The men sang songs of God’s grace, and shared their personal stories.

What follows are a few of the testimonies which were shared with us today.

Dave was a business major, well educated who seemed to have good things going in his life. A 1983 skiing accident resulted in his requiring “oceans of pain medicine” for a short period of time. Afterward, he eventually became a heavy drinker. When his best friend, a former police officer, drank himself to death he likewise began a binge, starting down the same path as his friend. Recognizing the pattern in his own life that he had seen in his friend, he reached out to Teen Challenge, knowing that alone he was unable to turn things around.

Eric’s story began when he was young. At age ten Eric suffered from nightmares which kept him awake with fear. The demonic torment went on for two years until at age twelve he went to a Bible camp and accepted Christ in his heart. But over time, this influence diminished and in ninth grade he gradually became involved with drugs, including meth. The meth kept him from sleeping so that he could avoid the nightmares that had returned. His crimes caught up with him and in the end he had lost all to meth. With his arrest and probation violations, he turned to Teen Challenge for help. His future was transformed from hopeless to hopeful.

Michael shared how he began smoking pot and drinking in ninth grade. A combination of pride, depression and being alone characterized his life. After freaking out on LSD he was brought to Miller Dwan. He was given a choice between commitment to the hospital or submission to Teen Challenge. This proved to be the first step toward his personal liberation.

The choir sang a song about the prodigal son, concluding with the powerful affirmation, “I know there’s a place called grace.”

Jason’s story begins with being kicked out of school. His life consisted of drugs and drinking every day. He lived in an unclean room with rodents, maggots on the floor. His sixteen months at Teen Challenge have helped in his healing. Jason stated that the battle is for our minds.

Rob, age 22, said that his life essentially revolved around alcohol and partying until ten months ago when he entered Teen Challenge. He was broken, not knowing what to do with his life. He spoke with gratitude of God’s intervention in his financial affairs and shared how God spoke to him through the worship songs there. He likewise stated the role of the body of Christ in making this new life possible.

In truth, God’s amazing grace is amazing.

Entropy

The service today began by noting the passing of Hannah Swenson, longtime member of this church who had a large impact on the church. We stood together for a moment of silence in memory of Hannah. The funeral will be at 11 A.M. Tuesday, visitation beforehand starting at 10 A.M.

The Pastor gave a children's message. He challenged the children to try to jump over a dollar bill, which he set on the floor, while holding onto their toes. If they could the dollar would be theirs. No one was able to do this until one who received help from the pastor jumped (or was lifted) over it. The point was that we don't have to do life alone. Some things can only be accomplished with help from others or from God.

Today's Message: Entropy

The glory of Easter tends to fade as real life comes crashing down on us. Our journey is a continual process.

Max Dupree, a writer on leadership was asked what the most difficult thing was for him personally that he had to work on, and his reply was "entropy."

Entropy has to do with the idea that the universe is winding down. The second law of thermodynamics relates to the fact that everything that is left to itself has a tendency to deteriorate.

This is true not only in science but in our human lives. When we become apathetic our dreams die, our hopes fade and we learn to live with mediocrity. Entropy is the great enemy of the human spirit.

Prov. 27:23 tells us to pay close attention to the condition of our flocks and herds. We need to be on the lookout for entropy every day. If we put any area of our life on autopilot we risk withering on the vine.

There are people around us who need Christ, and sometimes we who are in the church go from living as servants to living as consumers. We begin to argue about things that don't matter and lose focus of what is important.

Proverbs 24: 30-34 speaks about the condition of a vineyard belonging to a sluggard. It was in ruins, and covered with thorns and weeds. Vineyards do not happen by themselves. Someone is behind them. To be an owner of a vineyard is to have the opportunity of a lifetime. When you were born you were given a vineyard. You got a chance to do a good work, it's your only shot in this lifetime. God never forces anyone to take action and to care for their vineyard. The vineyard in the proverb fell drastically short of its potential due to sheer negligence on the part of the owner.

"Sluggo" is not content in his job but blames others. He has grandiose dreams but will never take a single step from where he is. This is your only life. Prov. 12:11 says that those who work their land will have abundant food but those who chase fantasies have no sense.

Pastor Brad spoke of many who have had fantasies of becoming a writer. They want to write a best selling book and become famous. When they are told that becoming a successful writer involves many rejection letters first before ever becoming published they prefer to live in their fantasy. We must start with reality. Work with YOUR life. Your vineyard is what you have and is all you have. Take the next step that God wants you to take.

"How long will you lie there, you sluggard?" We justify our inactivity... "just a little while, I'll take action soon."

A story has been told about a man who visits a house he lived in long ago and finds an old jacket of his in the attic. He puts it on and discovers an old claim ticket for some shoes he had brought to the repair shop 15 years previous and never remembered to claim. Just to see what would happen he then goes to the shoe shop and gives them the ticket, asking if his shoes are ready. The man studies the ticket, goes to the back, returns and says "they'll be ready a week from Thursday."

The danger is not that we say "never" but that we say "a week from Thursday" The mind of a sluggard has an excuse. As sluggards we don't see our own sluggardism. Prov. 26:16 says that sluggards are wiser in their own eyes than seven people who answer discreetly. Blindness comes with the condition of entropy.

Some of us suffer from selective entropy. We avoid the one vineyard that we don't want to look at, the one area in our lives that is a mess. We all have some vineyard that is full of weeds. Proverbs 6:6 tells us to learn from the ants. The ant doesn't wait for a commander to get things in order. Motivation has to come from within us. I am responsible for my own life.

Overcoming entropy on our own is too much, but is not too much for our risen Lord. Entropy does not have to have the last word in our lives.

The question for today is: Where is God wanting you to call on Him for help? Your work? Finances? Your physical health? We are to honor God with our bodies. Are you doing that?
How about your soul? What will it profit you if you gain the whole world but lose your soul?

God never follows the path of least resistance. Take a step toward God today. Do it now. This is your day. This is your vineyard. God will respond. This is the word of the Lord.

The Day Jesus Cried

In his opening welcome, Pastor Brad Shannon said, “I’m delighted you are here today to worship with us. We have a God who meets needs and who meets people where they are at.” This introduction set the tone for today’s message.

Announcements of importance this morning included notification that we will be celebrating a Good Friday Service at 7:00 p.m. on March 21, and that Easter morning we will be having a breakfast here are the church 9:00 a.m. instead of Sunday School.

Today’s Scripture readings were from Psalm 130 and Romans 8:6-11.

Today’s sermon was titled The Day Jesus Cried from the well known account of Lazarus in chapter eleven from the Gospel of John.

My favorite verse as a child, Pastor Brad said, was John 11:35. “Jesus wept.” The reason was not noble, he noted. It was the shortest verse in the Bible. “It only took me two days to memorize,” he said, tongue planted in cheek.

He recalled for us instances in Jesus’ life demonstrating our Lord’s strength and authority. It was a powerful man who challenged the moneychangers in the temple, turning over their tables, driving them out with a whip. He was a man not afraid to confront demons, casting them away wherever He encountered them. He essentially told the disciples to follow him, men who were rugged themselves and accustomed to hardship. He said, “Follow me,” and they followed.

So, why would the God of the universe cry? It is a question Brad asked at Bible Camp as a youth and the reply was not unlike what many people might have said. “Jesus is human, just like you, so when His friend died He was saddened by this.” Which sounds like a good enough answer, until you actually read what the Bible really says.

There are a number of clues that point to the real reason Jesus wept. But before we go there, Pastor Brad said, he asked us to close our eyes and think about the things that trouble us today, the burdens we are carrying. After this brief moment of reflection, we returned to the sermon.

Clue #1
The first clue can be found in verses 3 and 4. Jesus’ friend Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha, was sick. The sister sent word to the Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death.”

Jesus planned from moment one to raise Lazarus from death. Death is a period, not a comma. Dead is dead. But Jesus knew He had come to change this all around.

One day there will be a funeral here (at New Life Covenant) and it will not be the end. Instead, we shall proclaim, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

Clue #2
In verses five and six we read that even though He loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus, “when he heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days.” A better translated shed light on verse five that it was because He loved them that He waited two more days. Jesus is excited about what He is going to do. There is no sadness in the text at this point.

And so, at verse seven He says they should go back to Judea. One of the disciples, speaking up on behalf of all, said, “But Rabbi,a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?”

The Lord’s response is a curious one here. "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light." Essentially He is saying, “If you are with Me, it doesn’t matter.”

Clue #3
As if to sum up what is really going on, Jesus spells it out: “Lazarus has fallen asleep.” It’s a temporary state of affairs.

Clue #4
When the disciples fail to “get it” Jesus spells it out. “Lazarus is dead.”

How did the disciples respond to this news? Thomas showed his confidence (or lack thereof) by saying, “Let us also go that we may die with him.”

Was Jesus, who knew everything that was going on here, sad going into this? No. He had the gift of life and was about to deliver it.

Clue #5
Verse 23 is clue five. “Your brother will rise again,” He said. But Martha responds in a dismissive way. She still doesn’t get it.

This is the context for that wonderful affirmation of Jesus, “I am the resurrection and the life.”

Pastor Brad made several powerful statements here that our blog writer is inadequate to convey. First, that it is no good to sing songs and feel good unless we really believe what we’re doing. “And the only proof that we really believe what we’re singing is when we act on what we believe.”

Then the other sister came out and said, “If only you’d been here my brother would not have died.” Jesus saw her weeping and the other Jews who had come along weeping and He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. It does not say that when He saw the grave where Lazarus had been placed he wept, but rather when He saw His people suffering needlessly, carrying on their own shoulders a burden He didn’t want them to carry, oblivious to the promise and hope He had just offered, burdened and buried in the sin of disbelief...

It was here that Jesus wept.

When I got up the day before yesterday, God almighty Himself was standing beside my bed, like He stood by yours this morning and mine this morning. And He says to each of us, “You’re going to face some things today that you have no idea what’s coming.” Perhaps it will be a relational conflict that will break your heart. Or some other kind of pain or crisis. Jesus says, “I have what you need. Trust Me. I can feel the pain in your heart. Give it to me.” Jesus has promised to make your yoke lighter.

When we wallow in our sorrow, the Lord weeps. What gives the Lord great joy is when we put our trust in Him.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.