The Message and the Mission

Brrr, it has been a cold one this weekend. But the sanctuary was filled with warm hearted souls who braved the cold to be here for our first Sunday in 2010. Pastor Shannon greeted us with enthusiasm and took time to cover a few key announcements before inaugurating the worship service with his customary greeting, "The Lord be with you." He also indicated that the new series he is entering into this next few weeks will be lessons on money.

Announcements
There will be no Sunday School or confirmation next week.

Darlene's introit was a spirited rendition of All Creatures of Our God and King, thoroughly appreciated. Chuck then led us in several hymns and songs as we joined in worship. After the offering, Ryan gave the Scripture reading from Isa 60:1-6 and Ephesians 3:1-12 and our sermon followed.

The Message and the Mission
Brad began by having Brooke project a new blue Mustang GT Coupe on the screen. "How do you like my new ride? It's got a little bling bling, doesn't it? 550 horsepower... 0-60 in a blinding 3.5 seconds, top speed 205 mph. Just what a pastor needs to unwind on a gentle Sunday afternoon." Tongue was firmly planted in cheek here as he described more details about this hot $175,000 car and warmed to his theme, our American "umption for consumption."

Brad pointed out that 2005 was the first year Americans spent more than they make since the bottom of the Great Depression. In addition, despite our propensity for debt, we receive more than 3 billion credit card offers a year. Purportedly more people declared bankruptcy than graduated from college.

In short, the desire to acquire is wreaking havoc on our souls, which is why Jesus so frequently addresses this issue. 16 of His 38 parables deal with possessions and money. And the quantity of Bible verses dealing with finances is quite extensive. There are perhaps 500 verses dealing with prayer and 500 verses on the subject of faith, but over a thousand verses on money.

This week Brad focused on the parable in Luke 12 regarding a successful entrepreneur.

The Parable of the Rich Fool
13Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."
14Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" 15Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

16And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'

18"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '

20"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'

21"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

It's a familiar passage, but as usual Pastor Brad extracted new insights from it. The context is set out in verse one where Luke tells us that many thousands had gathered. This section opens with someone in the crowd shouting to Jesus to intervene in a matter regarding an inheritance. Brad quipped, "Where there's a will there's a relative."

Jesus went on to say be on your guard against greed. Life does not consist of the abundance of possessions we accumulate. He doesn't say possessions are bad in and of themselves, but Jesus indicates that you won't find life in them. Greed is not bad because of what a thing costs, but because of what it costs you. He then goes on to tell the story of a certain rich man who had awesome success in his business endeavors. (Brad told this story with his characteristically entertaining modernization to give it a present day relevance.)

The parable ends with God saying, "You fool!" But what was his fatal flaw. There were other wealthy people in Scripture whom God did not denounce. Men like Solomon and Abraham were favored with wealth. And was it bad to build bigger barns since his yields were more than he could properly store? Brad said no, this was not it.

The failure, Brad noted, was that the man had lived without thinking about God. Jesus did not criticize the wealth, but rather the absence of thought for God.

Brad highlighted three areas where we tend to use wealth incorrectly: to validate our self-worth, for a sense of security, and for satisfaction.

Many there are who validate themselves with bling, whether by having the latest iPod, or most fashionable car. They buy into the notion that unless I have this or that, I'm a nobody. If I'm going to be a somebody, I gotta have this. Money and things become a method for keeping score regarding our accomplishments.

How do we properly value ourselves then? Our value was affirmed at the Cross where God sent His son to die for you and me. Each of us is worth the death and blood of the Son of God. God established our value forever at Calvary on Good Friday. More money will never increase our worth.

Nor does money equate with security. In the end we all die. No amount of money can keep us from this ultimate fate.

Brad told a pair of pointed stories to illustrate this thought. Our security is in heaven. Thieves can steal our stuff, moths can eat our garments, but our giving has eternal value. The problem with this man in the parable is that he never stopped to ask, "How much can my wealth be leveraged to help others?"

The third shortcoming of wealth is that it really doesn't satisfy our souls. The Rolling Stones' "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" has been a theme in this country for more than four decades. Are affluent people really more satisfied? Look at Howard Hughes, the successful financier and businessman who lived many years as a recluse, paranoid about germs and disease, with needle marks in his arms and legs from addictions, rotting teeth, living in a self-made prison. Despite his wealth he never even had a proper will and died like a man in poverty.

Brad recalled for us the plane crash that killed JFK Jr., citing that it was probably caused by spacial disorientation where you can't tell whether you are climbing or plunging while in flight. Spacial disorientation is a confusion of the brain where you think you know where you are but you're not.

So it is with us that money and "things" can cause us to get spacial disorientation so we're flying upside down. Jesus' parable is intended to help us get right side up so we gain not only a sense of self-worth, but also our sense of security and satisfaction. Life does not consist of the abundance of possessions. Sometimes, we just need a little time and space to get re-calibrated.

After the message we shared in the celebration of Communion, proclaiming Jesus as our Lord, our self-worth, our security and our satisfaction.

Blessed Are You

After a very special time of worship Brian Muecke, executive director of Covenant Park Bible Camp, shared with us about the good things that God has done at the camp these past years. “Faith in Action” is the theme for 2008 at Covenant Park, based on verses from James 2:14-17.

Cheryl Borndal led several youth in an entertaining skit on why kids go to camp. Eric Borndal stated it was his desire and goal to see 50 young people from our church participate in camp this summer. For a relatively small church, we sent an impressive 38 kids to camp last summer.

Scripture readings were from Psalm 121 and John 3:1-17

Pastor Brad Shannon delivered a message on The Beatitudes this morning beginning with a story about an incident which he witnessed in a restaurant on a Sunday afternoon while he was in college. A waitress had the misfortune of accidentally spilling a gallon of thousand island dressing onto the head, face and chest of a man in a suit. Being dressed up on a Sunday, one could infer that this man and his family had just come from church, but his behavior resonated anything but Christian character. His rage included cutting and belittling insults, and the demand that the restaurant purchase him a new $350 suit.

Pastor Brad underscored that we, as Christians, are supposed to be different.

In Matthew 5:1-10 Jesus begins his first recorded sermon with the qualities that distinguish a follower of God.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs in the kingdom of God.” Happy are you when you discover you are spiritually bankrupt. This is the starting point. As Isaiah declared upon seeing the Almighty God in Isaiah 6, “Woe to me! I am undone.” When pride has been stripped away, we can only then begin to recognize our need of God.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” This is the second internal reality. When our hearts are broken, we can begin to be instructed of God. As David wrote in Psalm 51, God cherishes “a broken and contrite heart.”

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Meekness is not passive, is not weakness, Brad said. He compared the meek to bridled horses. It is an attitude of heart that is fostered in a manner very different from self-help books. It involves absolute surrender to God.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled.” This is also an inward matter. Sooner or later we must all learn that the things of this earth cannot satisfy this deep hunger. We are to hunger for the things of God. Only when we have this hunger will our lives truly begin to make a difference.

Christianity is not behavior modification, it begins with internal renovation.

The first behavior change that others see is revealed in this fifth beatitude: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

This is followed by “Blessed are the pure in heart.” Purity of heart means “what you see is what you get.” Again citing David, “What God desires is truth in the inmost parts.”

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” There is a difference between thermometers and thermostats. Thermometers adjust to the room. Thermostats, on the other hand, change the temperature of the room. They adjust the room. As Christians, we are not called to be like the world, reflecting the world. Our presence here is intended to change the world.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God.”

We have been blessed. And it is our privilege as God’s people to be part of the fellowship of the unashamed.

There's Just Something About That Name

Pastor Brad Shannon opened the service with the reminder that Christmas is a season, not just a day.

The New Life Trio blessed us with their music and singing this morning, and then we shared in the baptism of Gavin Edward Gimpel.

Today’s Scripture readings:
Isaiah 63:7-9
Hebrews 2:10-18

Pastor Brad's sermon began with a re-cap of the Christmas Eve service beginning with that wonderful proclamation, "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." ~ Isaiah 9:6

Titled, “Shhh... God Is Speaking,” Pastor Brad reminded us of the reality that God still speaks to us today and can guide us. And that God gives us clues when it is important. The most significant and vivid manner in which God speaks to us is through His son.

1In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. ~ Hebrews 1:1-3

Christmas Eve Pastor Brad told a parable by Kierkegaard that revealed two important truths: (1) That God still speaks, and (2) He speaks authoritatively and definitively through Jesus.

This was the supreme revelation, that God set aside His glory for peasants like us. Pastor Shannon implored, “Will you open up your life to let Him speak to you?”

He told a story about a Chicago Cubs fan named Johnny who as a twelve year old idolized the Cubs of the 60’s, a team with many stars including Ernie Banks and Ron Santos, among others. They had a star catcher named Randy Hundley who was also a Christian, and on one occasion was visiting the house across the street. The family across the street knew he was a Cubs fan, and called to say that Randy Hundley would like to come over and meet him. His mother said he was busy and should come play with Johnny “some other time.” Of course when Johnny got home he became depressed upon hearing the news that one of his idols had been so near.

As it turned out, after his speaking engagement, the All-Star catcher stopped by the house and did ultimately meet his young fan. He even pulled out a baseball, signed it and gave it to Johnny, securing his admiration forever.

For Johnny, the glory of Randy Hundley was not his rifle arm or his home run power, but the fact that someone as important as him came to his house, “just for me.”

So it is that the Son of God has come to us. As the Scripture exclaims, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” ~ Rev. 3:20

This is the glory of God.

Sadly, sometimes he knocks for years. We receive promptings, but never respond. Today, I’m asking you to open your door, the door to your heart, to Jesus.

The passage from Isaiah 9:6 cites four names. The first of these is Wonderful Counsellor. Some people have problems or challenging decisions they are wrestling with. Sometimes as wrong decision can mess up your life. In times like these we need God’s wisdom, we need a wonderful counselor.

The second, He is called The Mighty God. When we face things that are too big for us, we need a powerful God, a mighty God. Pastor Brad shared stories of tough situations in which God’s power was needed. To each of us He says, “Let me be a mighty God for you.”

The third name: Everlasting Father. “I will be your Father, you will be my children,” the Scripture says.

The pastor told us a story about a frightened boy who at night felt all alone. When overcome by his fear and aloneness he would go to his father’s bedroom, needing to be with his father. Thus comforted, he could sleep and let go of his fear. “God wants to be for you your Everlasting Father.”

The fourth name, Prince of Peace, speaks on many levels. Individually, Jesus became the way for us to have peace with God. He died on a cross that we can be reconciled.

“Jesus is knocking. Some of you here this morning need to open the door of your hearts. For some of you Jesus is knocking right now.”

A Service of Consecration to the Lord's Future

Our service was structured differently today. Rather than the usual format, we had different people from the congregation share different Biblical principles with hymns and prayers woven throughout.

JoAnn Winship shared with us Biblical Principle # 1: Moving forward into God's future begins with redemptive theology, repentance and prayer, rather than structures, strategies or systems. In Psalm 139:23-24 the psalmist begs God to search his heart and test his thoughts, show in what ways he has offended God and others, and lead him in the right path.

We prayed a prayer together for forgiveness and asked for God's help, grace and mercy. Following that, we sang a Fanny Crosby hymn, "I Am Thine O Lord." Incidentally, when I got home, I found my hymnbook on my kitchen counter open to the same hymn, and I enjoyed singing it again. "....but I long to rise in the arms of faith, and be closer drawn to Thee... Draw me nearer blessed Lord to Thy precious bleeding side."

Biblical Principle #2 was presented by Pam Johnson. Every church is in constant state of renewal, regardless of its current state of health. Isaiah 43:19 admonishes us to not dwell on the past, but to see the new things that God is doing today.

We then prayed together for eyes to see and ears to hear what God is doing, and to allow what breaks God's heart to break ours as well. As a continuation of that prayer, we sang "Open the eyes of my heart Lord, I want to see You." A couple of people then gave thanks for our pastor, and for this body of people who support one another.

The 3rd Biblical Principle given was that to move forward a church must be centered in the mission and the message that flows from the heart of Jesus, rather than just trying to do something, so as to keep from declining. Leonard Armstrong read from John 4:34-35, where Jesus said his food was to do the will of God. Leonard commented that rather than taking energy from us, doing God's work is a source of fuel for us. We prayed for courage to move out beyond the boxes that we live in, and to be salt and light to those in our community who do not have enough.

Nancy Vanderscheuren then shared with us the 4th Biblical Principle, that a church must invest in and take responsibility for joining with God in moving forward. Romans 12:1-2 tells us to present ourselves as a sacrifice to God. Nancy said that when we sacrifice the things that we love, we show that we love God more. We prayed together the well known and loved prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, "Lord make me an instrument of Thy peace..." We then sang a familiar song from childhood, "This Little light of Mine." Pastor Brad then suggested that we each ask God to confirm the best avenue of service for us, and to replenish our souls. Prayers were then given for various people who lead and serve in the church.

So what's the plan? WE are the plan!