Our new church will begin worshipping in our home at the Y this Sunday. There is
much excitement, thankfulness and true hope.
Our Pastor is doing a sermon
covering Colossians 2:1-7
I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea,
and for all who have not met me personally. 2 My goal is that they may be
encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of
complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God,
namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5 For
though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight
to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in
him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught,
and overflowing with thankfulness.
This is a great passage for a new church. Paul wrote this particular letter to a
particular new church and in it encourages us all to explore the wonders of the
Gospel. About this particular passage the Theologian N. T. Wright says:
“While the process of knitting together the church into a united body clearly includes
the growth of love, it also includes the growth, on the part of the whole community, of
that proper understanding of the gospel which leads to the rich blessings of a settled
conviction and assurance. Living in a loving and forgiving community will assist
growth in understanding, and vice versa, as truth is confirmed in practice and practice
enables truth to be seen in action and so to be fully grasped. All of this promotes the
encouragement, comfort and strengthening of the heart, regarded metaphorically
then as now as the seat of affections and the mainspring of action.”
Abba Father, I pray that this new church; Harbor, will grow more in love, will grow more in size (for your glory),
but also grow in proper understanding of the gospel. I pray we will live in a loving
and forgiving community, that your truth will be affectionately seen in our
actions and that our hearts will overflow with thankfulness. Amen and Amen...
Grace and Peace!
Psalm 19:1-4
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day
they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they
use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their
words to the ends of the world.
Well, spring is upon us and along with it comes daylight savings time. This helps me to enjoy
one of my favorite things; the amazing sunsets we have around here. We are so fortunate that
where we live affords such great sunsets over such a colorful body of water.
It reminds me of a
word that some may consider old fashion, but one that is certainly less used; the word is awe. I
think that is has become less used, less prominent because of a new term; crazy busy. You
know; just the busyness of life these days.
Awe is an amazing concept and the word means an overwhelming wonder, admiration and/or
respect; to be inspired mightily. On my good days when I am able to think clearly when my
days are uncluttered, I still experience awe. I am clearly in awe of creation and the beauty we
find in nature, but there is more to awe. I am in awe of a creator that so love me that he was
willing to sacrifice all to restore a relationship with me. I am in awe of a savior willing to
sacrifice everything just to rescue me. I am in awe of a counselor and comforter that walks with
me daily.
Awe is a condition of the heart – I think we need more of it. It is enjoying and being content in
life, it is taking a deep breath and recognizing all we have going for us and it is knowing that it is
ok to be happy! For the basketball fans out there Jim Valvano understood this. He understood
this and it had nothing to do with his amazing career as a basketball coach.
Valvano fought a heroic battle against cancer and after being given only a few months to live he
said this; “I urge you all to enjoy your life. Every precious moment you have on this earth.
Spend each day with some laughter. Don’t be afraid to feel...to get your emotions going. Be
enthusiastic, because nothing great can be accomplished without enthusiasm. Live your
dreams.”
I read somewhere that “all you have is now.” May we all be amazed, overwhelmed with
wonder, and inspired mightily; may we all experience life in awe.
Grace and Peace!
You know we hear a lot about Christian duty and living the Christian life and if we
are not careful it becomes performance-based obedience. It becomes a struggle to
earn God’s favor. At times I have to remind myself the reason that I share the good
news of Jesus, that I do any good deeds, that I love my neighbor is from a correct
heart position. A position of understanding and focus on all that was done for me.
It is from amazement and a transformed heart that we share, that we love, that we
care. It sometimes can be too complex to grasp or too complex for words. British
theologian and missionary; Lesslie Newbigin, correctly describes our
transformation as an explosion of Joy...I so agree.
“There has been a long tradition which sees the mission of the Church primarily
as obedience to a command. It has been customary to speak of ‘the missionary
mandate.’ This way of putting the matter is certainly not without justification,
and yet it seems to me that it misses the point. It tends to make mission a
burden rather than a joy, to make it part of the law rather than part of the
gospel. If one looks at the New Testament evidence one gets another
impression. Mission begins with a kind of explosion of joy. The news that the
rejected and crucified Jesus is alive is something that cannot possibly be
suppressed. It must be told. Who could be silent about such a fact? The mission
of the Church in the pages of the New Testament is more like the fallout from a
vast explosion, a radioactive fallout which is not lethal but life-giving.”
You know, on my less broken days, when I see clearly, I am so excited, so uhhh,
joyful and ready to share, to serve, to love.
May we all move forward propelled by the explosion of Joy only possible through
Christ!
Grace and Peace!
