Okay, now that that's over with...
This Past Lord's Day
... from vacation and rest and study and times of refreshment.
Yesterday was the first Sunday morning back in our church, in our sanctuary, with our congregation, worshipping together. It was wonderful. The week prior was our church picnic and that was truly wonderful also, but this was the first time to be back “in the pulpit” in four Sundays. I’ll leave all judgment to the Lord and any other assessment to the people. Let’s put it this way though: I was thankful to worship with God’s people, to celebrate the Lord’s Supper with them and to be able to open the Word before them.
It was also a time to gather the kids from our youth group for the first time in over a month. The neighbors let us use there pool and what a gorgeous day for swimming.
James, the Tuber (is that like a potato?)
Alex the Human Cannon Ball
Jonathan makes a big splash
Heather showing great form
This Past Lord's Day
God has blessed us as a church, so we took the time to give thanks to Him, as well as encourage one another with testimony to the grace lavished upon us through His church. Our sharing focused upon how God has used His church early in our lives. Great memories, thanks everyone. My only disappointment was that Erica didn't share about cherry lifesavers from the sound booth (com' on, Erica; share with all of us). And how great is it when God's children share how others in the church are used by Him to bring us to faith in Christ. Add to all this joyous witnessing was a young man, Jonas, who had just returned from a country in the Middle East, where he and several others ministered, shared the gospel, experienced life with other believers in the church there and praised the Lord for it all.
Here's a list of the songs we sang (all a cappella, since we were outdoors):
- Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
- Praise the Name of Jesus
- O Worship the King
- All Hail King Jesus
- The Solid Rock
- My Faith Has Found a Resting Place
- Love Lifted Me
- Servant of All
- Beloved
- Bind Us Together
- The Family of God
- When We All Get to Heaven
- I'll Fly Away
- Sweet By and By
I trust your Lord's Day was blessed. Let me know how.
So... it's come to this
A pastor is "selling" himself and his family on ebay.
Deplorable. Despicable. Outrageous. Woeful.
And I think I'll even add sinful.
It would be bad enough for him to "sell" himself and his "services" to the highest bidder. Yet he doesn't stop there... he goes on to add his family to this ignominy. I don't know whether they all agreed to this or not (I'm assuming they did). Beyond this, there are too few details to know what he wants out of this, except he wants a church that is untraditional. Well, look at the pictures he offers of, what? I guessing these are visual aids for his sermons? Untraditional would be one of the least powerful words I would use, but oh well.
Maybe I'm too traditional. Maybe I'm too old. Maybe my mind just won't get "out of the box" to think this way. When I read passages about pastoral ministry, however, I find it difficult to see where "untraditional" is one of the most sought after characteristics to be seen in a pastoral candidate. It's not even there in the Greek text. You do the searching, at least in these two passages:
1 Timothy 3.1-7, ESV
Titus
1.5-9, ESV
Titus
2.1-8, ESV
Oh well.
I've been wrong before and will be again. And I've no
doubt it will get pointed out to me by someone, if I
tag this post appropriately. So get ready for
it.
2Tim.
4.1-5,
ESV I
charge you in the presence of God and of Christ
Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and
by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be
ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke,
and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For
the time is coming when people will not endure sound
teaching, but having itching ears they will
accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own
passions, and will turn away from listening to the
truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always
be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an
evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Where Was Christ?
This
was one of the first questions I asked myself
halfway through a funeral I attended recently. I
really didn't know the deceased, but I did know
a couple of the immediate family members. I
can't comment on the young man's faith, or lack
thereof. I simply did not know if he had ever
professed belief in Christ as His Savior and
Lord. I do know this: I sensed a disturbing lack of Christ during the service. From the attendees (decorum and a few words overheard), to the singing, to the liturgy followed, to memories shared and even to the short message, there was a distinct sense that Christ was absent. Oh sure, the reverend spoke of Christ during the prayers clearly read (I'm not against written prayers... if they're read with great heart's passion unto the One to whom we're praying; but when they are read with dread and drab lips, with withered heart that seems not to know how to even pray a liturgical prayer with heart & soul & mind - what the Puritans would have called "affection" - unto God, then I don't have much time for it). He mentioned Christ during his short homily, that Christ was the way, the truth and the life; that Christ died for our sins and that faith in Him was necessary for us all. We even sang "Amazing Grace" as the funeral procession came into the sanctuary.
But memories shared of the deceased were devoid of any Christian testimony. I'll not take away from the obvious: he loved his wife, he loved all those around him unconditionally (really? I can barely do that). I'm sure it was moving that the last sight his sister would ever have of him was him flipping her the "bird" as they parted ways because she knew he loved her. There were obviously special meanings to two recorded songs that were played:
"Good
Riddance (Time Of Your Life)"
by Green
Day
Another
turning point, a fork stuck in the
road
Time
grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to
go
So
make the best of this test, and don't ask
why
It's
not a question, but a lesson learned in
time
It's
something unpredictable, but in the end it's
right.
I
hope you had the time of your
life.
So
take the photographs, and still frames in your
mind
Hang
it on a shelf in good health and good
time
Tattoos
of memories and dead skin on
trial
For
what it's worth it was worth all the
while
It's
something unpredictable, but in the end it's
right.
I
hope you had the time of your
life.
It's
something unpredictable, but in the end it's
right.
I
hope you had the time of your
life.
It's
something unpredictable, but in the end it's
right.
I
hope you had the time of your
life.
And this
one too:
Lonely Day
lyrics
by System
of A Down
Such a
lonely day
And
its mine
The
most loneliest day of my life
Such a
lonely day
Should
be banned
It's
a day that I can't stand
The
most loneliest day of my life
The
most loneliest day of my life
Such a
lonely day
Shouldn't
exist
It's
a day that I'll never miss
Such
a lonely day
And
its mine
The
most loneliest day of my life
And if
you go, I wanna go with you
And
if you die, I wanna die with
you
Take
your hand and walk away
The
most loneliest day of my life
The
most loneliest day of my life
The
most loneliest day of my life
Life
Such a
lonely day
And
its mine
It's
a day that I'm glad I
survived
Apparently,
he loved music (and not to be disrespectful, but
apparently any kind of music, especially that with
really awful lyrics). Probably very moving to some
closest to him, but at a funeral? I don't think
so.
I know
this is probably a dangerous post. Commenting about a
funeral is risky; it's a very sensitive time of life
for those who remain. But if there is going to be a
"celebration of life" (words directed to us in
attendance of how to think of this gathering), then
let's do just that: celebrate the reason any of us
have life, any of us can have eternal life, and
celebrate the One who sustains our very life this
instant. Proclaim Christ, my brother pastor. Proclaim
Christ boldly, with confidence, not with Casper
Milquetoast whispers and emotive phrases that mean
nothing because they're devoid of the Living Word of
God. Proclaim Christ in the songs, in the hymns, in
the prayers. If the one who has passed from this life
really knew Christ, then tell those who have gathered
to remember him that he knew Christ savingly,
lovingly, longingly. If he didn't know Christ; if all
he had ever done was get baptized when he was an
infant, yet never darkened the door of God's Church
again, then still, proclaim Christ. Confess our
righteousness for the dirty, filthy, putrid pile of
rags that it is. Confess our sins, for the
wrath-deserving stuff of the pit they are. Confess
that it is only through the blood and righteousness
of Christ that we are saved. For God's sake, for
Christ's sake, and for the sake of those who
attended, dead even though breathing - proclaim
Christ.
I know it
is highly unlikely that any who attended that funeral
would ever stumble across this blog. However, if you
do and you recognize it from my description, I do ask
two things:
First,
please forgive me if I have caused you hurt and pain.
That was not my intent, but sadly, I have learned
that even the best intentions go
awry.
Second,
allow that hurt to drive you to Christ and His cross.
Look up from the weight of the burden of sin, see Him
who died there for your life and trust Him. Let Him
remove that awful encumbrance from you; know the
lightness of freedom in Christ and rejoice. Then go
tell others.
Doing Hard Things
If you're
not familiar with the Rebelution,
I'd encourage you to check out their
site,
blog
and
other
information on the
site. Alex & Brett
Harris are twin
19-year-olds with a passion for God and seeing His
people – specifically teenagers – rise above the low
expectations our culture has of us. The three teens
with us really enjoyed the day (even though it was a
lot of sitting for the two guys, who like to be busy
outdoors).
One of the
facets of this conference that blew me away and
thrilled me when I found out was it was almost
entirely run by teenagers. Alex & Brett's
slightly older brother, Joel (24), and their dad,
Greg Harris, were about the only non-teens
participating or leading. A 14-year-old was running
the entire multimedia portion of the conference:
sound, visuals, lighting, camera crews, etc. Teens
were in the worship band (with the exception of Joel
Harris, lead singer & guitarist). Teens were
serving as conference assistants. Teens were running
the bookstore and registration. It was truly amazing.
They all did a great job.
All this
was to show how youth can rise above the low cultural
expectations of teens today. It was to bring glory to
God through the doing of hard things. Moving out of
your comfort zone was put on public display for us.
Risking failure was definitely a reality, but I
barely noticed a single glitch. Working together (one
of the core concepts of the Rebelution) was
exemplified in wonderful ways. Alex & Brett have
seen a world-sized need, have risen up to meet it and
are bringing 100s, if not 1,000s along with
them.
I would
encourage you, if you're a teen, to buy their book,
Do Hard Things, and pour over it. If you're the
parent of a teen, do the same. If you're in ministry
somewhere, read this book and then pass it along to
those in your congregation who work with teens. Our
group will be working through the book, along with
the Study Guide the guys provide for
free.
I, for
one, will be waiting with great anticipation to see
the hard things Cornerstone's teens set out to do for
God's sake.
Godly Men
Since I
gave the women in our church "what for" for a coupl-a
Sundays, it was only fitting for me take aim at the
men and let fly. Actually, I used the Word of God
(Ephesians 5) and sought to be gentle, encouraging
and filled with as much God-honoring, Christ-exalting
exhortation as I possibly could, through God's
grace.
"Godly Men"
Text:
Ephesians 5.22-33
Theme:
Christ is glorified when husbands take on the task of
leading & loving like Christ.
Remember
the importance of the context here, in Ephesians 5:
understanding the will of God by being filled with
the Spirit, which flows from the four descriptions
(participles in Greek, I believe) that follow in vv.
19-21. From the broad, general outlook on this, God
has Paul move to the very specific: how men &
women submit to each other and still uphold the
God-ordained roles given them at Creation BEFORE the
fall into sin. For the wife, this means simply, to
submit to her husband as the head as she would to her
Lord and Savior. Single command, very
simple.
Men, we
get a greater "burden" laid upon us because we have
the weightier role as the head of our wives. But
notice, the command to men is not: Be the head of
your wife. No, that's simply the reason laid out to
the wife of why she should submit to her husband. No,
the clear command to the husband, who is by virtue of
his God-ordained role already the head, is to love
his wife as Christ loved the
church.
I then
spoke briefly about what headship is
not:
• it's not a trump card to be pulled out and
abused
• it's not permission to be lazy, yet
domineering from our La-Z-boy
recliner
Headship
is: humble, loving servanthood that seeks the good
& beauty of one's wife through leading her,
protecting her and providing for
her.
That
definition provided the three keys to living out this
headship given by God.
My closing
exhortation really had an exhortation and
encouragement rolled into one concluding
point:
All By God’s Grace
for God’s Glory
•
far more to say that can be said in one Sunday
•
but conclude with exhortation & encouragement to
men
• exhortation:
love as Christ loved
• have you given up, abdicated, left the throne?
• pray you get it back & then take it back, by
& with God’s grace
• have you abused & twisted this position?
• pray for forgiveness and then seek it from your
wife
• encouragement:
you ask: How can I do this, love like Christ loved?
• Philippians 4.13 –
I can do all things through Him who strengthens
me
• you can do this – through & in Christ
• on your own, your hopeless – I’m hopeless
• but in Christ, who loves us & saves us &
changes us & perfects us
We can!
This Past Lord's Day
Things were quite hectic leading right up to the moment of beginning the service. I wish there were some way around that. No matter how well prepared I seem to be, there's always something that cries out for attention, someone's question from Bible Class preceding that needs answering, or something which I (or someone else involved in the service) forgot. Then it's run-huff-puff-get-the-item-copy-the-song-sheet-grab-the-object-lesson-for-kids-tell-the-elders-what-they-need-to-remember-greet-the-new-guest-family-find-my-wife-so-I-can-tell-her-to-invite-the-new-people-for-dinner-and-get-the-microphone-pinned-on-in-the-right-place. Plus, this week, for reasons that were out of my control (I'm thankful I've handed that responsibility off, but I feel so much for those who have taken all the details upon themselves), the songs were chosen quite late in the week, the bulletin finished Sunday morning, the worship team didn't practice until during the Bible Class hour and I knew not the full order of service 'til I "walked in the room". For one who likes to be well-prepared, I barely felt that way.
Add to that, the sense of weariness I've been feeling and it all led up to a second Sunday in a row where I really didn't feel like preaching. It's taken me 18+ years to get to a point where, when our family goes on vacation and we visit another church on the Lord's Day, I can sit under someone else's preaching and not feel like I'm shirking my responsibilities. This is completely different. At least during those times away I'm still looking forward to the opening of God's Word (well, okay, there were the two churches this summer that when it was time to do just that, it didn't happen and to me, at least, it was tremendously noticeable). The past two weeks have not been like that for me. It's not that I've dreaded not having anything to say – my messages were ready, notes were in hand and I had the theme picked out for some weeks. It's just that I didn't want to preach. I was too discouraged or overwhelmed or weary and felt like I had nothing to give to the task.
This is really disturbing to me. I think I know some, perhaps even many, of the reasons. I'm just not sure what to do about it at the present time. I spoke with another pastor/friend yesterday and sought advice from him. What he had to offer was quite good. It's getting that person to be "invited" to sit down with my leaders that concerns me. I don't want it to seem like I'm promoting myself and my own agenda. Yet the conundrum exists: if I don't, who will; and if I don't how long might this season go on; and, if I don't, how long before the congregation begins to notice (or how long will they tolerate what they've already noticed!).
This coming Lord's Day will be our emphasis upon missions. One local agency we support and participate with will be here at Cornerstone helping us remember Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. Then a couple whom the church has supported for many years will be here, all the way from Alaska. Our daughter, Rebecca, will also share a bit about an upcoming trip she's going on to Taiwan. This will make for a full service with no time for a "typical" message. I'm always eager to hear from a variety of God's servants in various areas, working and seeking to spread the grace of God through the Gospel. Yet when little consideration is given to whether there will be time for preaching, and if there's not, well, it's no big deal, that weighs on me. And at this present time, it weighs upon me quite heavily.
Usually, my solution to these seasons is just to do more. If you get busy, you won't have time to sit around and mope about how tired you are. Problem is, I know that this mind-set will not prove helpful at all right now. I've been there in the past and it hasn't helped then either. I do know it calls for patient and steadfast endurance. Faith perseverance and trusting that our sovereign Lord will grant rest when He deems it necessary.
This Past Lord's Day
Yesterday's theme was on being people of the Word. It was one of those let's-start-the-year-off-right kind of sermons. One of the choruses we sang was Lynn DeShazo's "Ancient Words." I really, really like this song; I mean, if a song about the Words power to sustain and change doesn't move a pastor's heart then you probably shouldn't be in ministry. I've included the song in this post. Don't hit the play button and expect to hear Michael W. Smith singing at the top of his lungs from his Worship Again CD. What you'll hear will be Cornerstone's version of it yesterday. Here are the lyrics, in case you'd like to sing along with a handful of humble saints:
Lynn Deshazo
Verse
1
Holy
words long preserved
For our walk in this
world
They
resound with God's own heart
O let the ancient words impart
Words
of life words of hope
Give us strength help us cope
In
this world where'er we roam
Ancient words will guide us home
Chorus
Ancient
words ever true
Changing me changing you
We
have come with open hearts
O let the ancient words impart
Verse
2
Holy
words of our faith
Handed down to this age
Came
to us through sacrifice
O heed the faithful words of
Christ
Holy
words long preserved
For our walk in this world
They
resound with God's own heart
O let the ancient words impart
Chorus
Ancient
words ever true
Changing me changing you
We
have come with open hearts
O let the ancient words impart
Verse
3
Martyr's
blood stains each page
They have died for this faith
Hear
them cry through the years
Heed these words and hold them
dear
Chorus
Ancient
words ever true
Changing me changing you
We
have come with open hearts
O let the ancient words impart
We
have come with open hearts
O let the ancient words impart
O let the ancient words impart
2001 Integrity's Hosanna! Music
CCLI #432103
My sermon was focused on challenging us to be
people of the Word. Ken Sande once said that the
reason it's necessary to repeat that which sounds so
obvious and so basic to us as Christians is that we
leak. So, it's always a good reminder and exhortation
to stay in the Word, stay grounded upon the Word. If
we wonder why some Christians seem so powerless and
so immature, it can probably be traced back to little
time in the Word beyond a Daily Bread reading. Little
contact, little Christ-likeness. Little input, little
growth. It's just that simple.
We also began a new teaching series in the
Adult Bible Class using
Modern
Parables.
I think this is going to be a great time in the
Word, studying six of the parables (yesterday's
was
Hidden
Treasure).
The goal is to grow in our knowledge of the
Kingdom of God and to live out that calling in
this world at present. Check out the web site and
the previews. Then come and join us for the full
deal each week.
This Past Lord's Day
Our opening hymn of praise was "Lead On, O King Eternal", not your typical Advent/Christmas carol. But that's good; we need a frequent reminder in the midst of the world's crush of economic stupor that Jesus is King; that He only came once as a baby, but He'll always reign as King.
From there, our voices cried out, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"
| O come, Thou Rod of
Jesse,
Free Thine own from Satan’s tyranny; From depths of hell Thy people save And give them victory o’er the grace. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel! |
My sermon was from John 1.14: "He Is... With Us" Oh the wonder of that statement: the eternal Word, ever-existing with the Father, one with God, the great Three-in-One, took on flesh. Praise be to Immanuel, Jesus Christ, "... who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men." (Philippians 2.6-7, ESV) God was and is among us. Jesus told us it would for our good that He go away, for then the Father would send His Spirit, who would "tabernacle" within each of His children.
We have also seen His glory, although not like the disciples. They beheld Hm with their eyes, heard His authoritative teaching with their own ears, and with their very hands, touched His resurrected body. We have seen His glory through the written Word, through the eye of faith. Some might say that we see Him in each Christian. While that is true, only to the extent the Holy Spirit has taken up residence within each believer, I'm very uncomfortable with that expression. I, like Paul before me, want to live in such a way that I can say, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11.1, ESV).
This glory is tremendous; if we could see it, feel it, experience it, it would be weighty. And it is the glory of the One and Only Son, sent from the Father above. He, the Deliverer, has come
Lord willing, next Sunday, we'll take a closer look at the fullness of His grace. He is grace entirely, but not exclusively. He is truth, God's truth, spoken and revealed in God's Word.
Conclusion – And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Do you see and know the power, the glory, the weight of Immanuel, God with us? Have you come to embrace that reality: Jesus, the Son of God, took on flesh and lived among mankind, in order to bring God’s grace to us? And more than just understanding a doctrinal truth – the Incarnation – have you seen the daily glory of that truth? Do you have the comfort of knowing that Jesus understands your physical ailments and maladies just like you, because He took on a body just like yours or mine? Do you have the peace deep within you, knowing that Jesus identifies with all your temptations? He was tempted like you and me, but He never gave in, He overcame them: He has power. Do you have the joy in realizing that Jesus was among us, and is even now, through His Spirit? You don’t go through your days alone, without notice; He is there with you, beside you.
And have you also laid hold of the glory that because He became man, He would also die? He came to live in perfect obedience to God’s laws and commands, and He did just that. But He also came to die as the perfect sacrifice for our sins, and He did that, too. Unless God became a man, He could not die as that sacrifice. Unless He took on flesh, we could never have offered enough sacrifices to cover our sins. His becoming flesh is a glory, for by it, we can be saved.
This Christmas, let your eyes be fixed on Him, the One who came to live & die for you. Push out the world’s screaming voice to follow; instead, look to Jesus, the Perfecter of our faith. Cast your gaze upon Him, who suffered and died so that we might live in glory. May we see Christ, today, on Christmas day and every day. He is Immanuel, God with us
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Ancient Words |