Some of us had a great time throughout this past season of Lent in our Thursday evening Bible Studies. I and the church board have decided to continue these Thursday evenings even after Lent. So next week, at 7:00 on Thursday, April 3rd, we will begin a new six-week study in First Peter.
I hope to see you there! And in the meantime, you can keep up-to-date by following our Community Scripture Way (including readings from First Peter).
For & Through Christ,
Pastor Jeremy
Pastor Jeremy's Lenten Preparing to Worship
As part of North Street's 40 Days of Lent, every Saturday, Pastor Jeremy is sending out a "preparing for worship" reading. Today's reading is quite long. But perhaps on this Holy Saturday, you would take the time to read it as you prepare to worship tomorrow on Easter Sunday.
Today is the last day of Lent! Tomorrow is Resurrection Sunday, the biggest celebration of the year of Jesus Christ rising from the dead. Of course, every Sunday is a celebration of resurrection, but tomorrow is the culmination of the season of Lent, and our greatest holiday on the Christian calendar.
Followers of Christ all around the world will gather various times throughout tomorrow. Some (like us) will get up early for a sunrise service. Our passages for this week are extensive. We'll read some of them at the sunrise gathering and others during our 11:00 celebration. Here are the passages in full: Jeremiah 31:1-6, Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24, I Corinthians 15:1-11, Acts 10:34-43, John 20:1-18, Matthew 28:1-10, Isaiah 25:6-9, Psalm 114, I Corinthians 5:6-8, and Luke 24:13-49. Click here to read them.
Some of us gathered and watched The Passion of the Christ last night in our home. I've done it every year on Good Friday since it first was show in theaters. I was again reminded last night of the brutality of what Christ went through. While the movie-makers may or may not have over-done some of the brutality, we can be certain that Christ's flogging, mocking, and death by crucifixion was extremely horrible, embarrassing, and painful. It would certainly be grounds for revenge if an innocent human being went through it. Which is what happened...
But we see that Christ's response was certainly not one of revenge.
For today's reading, I'm giving you portion of a sermon we heard last April 15th. That was based upon John 20:19-31 (click here to read it). Let's remind us of where we're at in the story of Jesus at that point: It’s been barely 48 hours or so since Jesus had died when the disciples were gathered in that room together, huddled in fear and confusion. But let’s look back for a second.
Christ died on Friday, the first day. Though not all were present at his death, everyone knew it had happened. All the disciples of Jesus knew that he was dead. So Jesus had suffered and died brutally. The man in whom all these disciples had put their lives and hopes was stripped from them, arrested, put on trial, beaten, mocked, dragged through the city of Jerusalem carrying a cross up to a hill called “death” where he was nailed to the wooden beams of the cross and hung up for all to watch his cruel death. No one doubted it – he was dead. From the perspective of the disciples, it was the end of their hope, all that they knew and believed to be true was gone. The situation of “all things right and proper” and “as it should be” was gone. Jesus Christ, their messiah, their hope, their savior…was…dead. This was the first day.
Then there was the second day, the Sabbath – what we know as Saturday, a day of rest for Judaism, and a day of rest for the dead Christ. We have nothing of this day in John. But we can imagine. Have you ever woken up the morning after a bad day? You wake up and you know in the back of your mind that something bad has happened. Perhaps you were up much later worrying about it and got a bad night’s rest because of it. Regardless, you wake up with a bad feeling. Sometimes, I’ve woken up after a day like this and there’s this slight glimmer of hope that what had happened actually didn’t happen. Have you had this? You know, just for a moment, when you wake up, you think, “Wait, was that a dream?” Well, it wasn’t for the disciples of Christ, it wasn’t a dream at all. Jesus was dead. And they had to go through that whole day of Sabbath, with the knowledge that Jesus was dead. The son of God was dead. God…was…dead. This was the second day.
Then there was the third day, the first day of a new week. And what we know in the text so far is that Jesus had appeared to Mary Magdalene and that Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved had seen an empty tomb. So for a second, let’s look at this from the perspective of these disciples who are gathered in this room, with the door shut and locked for fear of the Jews. Let’s place ourselves in their position – what are we thinking? It’s barely been 48 hours since all of this has taken place – since Jesus has died. I’m no great psychologist, but I’m pretty sure this isn’t enough time for our period of grief to subside. And that’s for anyone’s death. It takes time to get over death. And here, 48 hours or so later, the drastic nature of Christ’s death – the death of our Savior – is probably finally beginning to really set it. We’ve gathered together, in fear of what’s going to happen, and our situation is one of confusion, distress, perhaps even chaos – what are we going to do? We’ve dropped our careers, we’ve given up family, and we’ve sold the farm for this guy Jesus, who’s now dead. Death lingers in the air around us. We can still smell it and taste it and feel it. The anguish of Jesus’ death is still on our minds. We’re disparate, and we’re angry. The last thing on our minds is a peaceful life. Nothing’s right or as it should be.
We need to talk for a second about this word ‘peace.’ ‘Peace’ in scripture is often a bit different than we speak of peace today. Today we hear the word ‘peace’ and our understanding shifts to one of tranquility. We might think of the word ‘peace’ and see a quiet bubbling stream or a slight wind blowing over a grassy knoll. Or we hear the word and think of the opposite of fighting and war, when all sides are in compromise and not killing each other. These two ways of thinking of peace are not wrong, they’re quite appropriate, but the peace of scripture – shalom – goes beyond this. Shalom is a state of being where all is the way it should be. A closely related word shalem means “complete”. Another closely related word l’shalem means “to pay”. Shalom – to pay complete. To give completeness. And Shalom is one of the many Hebrew names for God. God is shalom. Shalom is God. God gives completeness. Satisfaction. Shalom makes things the way they should be. God makes things the way they should be.
So if we’re back again with the disciples during the evening of the third day in the fearful, chaotic, and tense locked room, we’re in a place that lacks any sense of peace, any sense of shalom, any sense of completeness. Our situation is ruin.
So John says that Jesus came and stood among them and said,
“Peace be with you.”
And after showing them his hands and his side, he says it again,
“Peace by with you.”
And the he does something strange. The text says that he breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
All right, sorry, but here’s some more biblical language talk – a related Hebrew word for ‘breath’ and ‘breathe’ is ruach. And it’s this word ruach that’s in play when God breathes into Adam in Genesis that gives him life. Remember, Adam has a whole body with every part and muscle and bone completed, but in Genesis, only when God breaths ruach does Adam know life.
And later on in the Old Testament, in a story in Ezekiel, we see ruach again. But here it plays a couple of meanings. God’s spirit is ruach. And God’s spirit leads Ezekiel to the valley of the dry bones, and God tells Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones for the ruach of life. Remember, they too have complete bodies at this point in the story, bones, and flesh, and sinew had grown upon them, but they’re lifeless until God’s ruach – his spirit, his breath is put within them. All is only well, when with the presence of God’s ruach his spirit, his breath, and our breath. Without ruach, there is no life. Without ruach, there is only death.
An equivalent word in Greek is pneuma. It’s from this word pneuma that we get all sorts of words today – pneumatics, pneumonia, pneumatology, and so on. All these things have to do with air, or our breath – pneuma.
So here, back in the room with the disciples, Jesus breathes on them and says, “Receive the holy spirit.”
And he adds this:
"If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them;
If you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
What the…?
What does that mean?
I’m fine with the holy-spirit-giving and the peace and maybe even the whole breathing thing. It makes sense that people over the years have made this John’s version of the commissioning of the Church and even Pentecost, the giving of the Holy Spirit (in John, ‘advocate’ or ‘counselor’ is perhaps more appropriate). That’s all well and good, but what’s with Jesus’ words on sin, here in this place at this time?
Let’s again remember some things that have happened.
It’s notable that:
- Jesus said, “Put your sword away, Peter…” when Peter begins his great defense of Jesus at his arrest.
- Jesus did not fight back amidst his arrest, his trial, his mocking, his beating, his path to the cross, and on the cross itself. He could have, right? Even he says as much.
- Jesus said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do,” even as they ‘did.’
And after the victory over death, and sin, and the grave, Jesus appears to the disciples who’ve gathered in fear and anger and says, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; and if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
How do you handle the sins of others?
Again, let’s pretend we’re the disciples. We’re fearful and angry that our savior has been killed. And he shows up, alive, breathing, right in front of us. He has risen from the dead, conquered death. This guy’s alive and now I definitely know that nothing can take him down! What’s my response?!?
Let’s go find Pilate! Let’s go find the chief priests! Let’s go find the guys that held the hammer and spear. We’ve got something to settle! Let’s go get ‘em!
But Jesus says, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
Wow! Just hours after being wrongfully accused, beaten, embarrassed, and killed, Jesus - who has every human right to be upset and to seek revenge - is still forgiving, calm, and full of peace.
I look forward to worshiping with you tomorrow on Resurrection Sunday,
For & Through Christ,
Jeremy
North Street Update
Holy WeekWell today is Maundy Thursday. Lent is coming to an end, but not before the events of Holy Week take place. Here's a run-down of our gatherings up through Easter Sunday:
Thursday, March 20 (Maundy Thursday)
7:00 PM - Bible Study (We'll look at the path to the cross in scripture tonight)
Friday, March 21 (Good Friday)
7:00 PM - Good Friday Tenebrae Service
...after... - Viewing of the Passion of the Christ at the Scotts (please note that due to lack of response, the Thursday and Saturday viewings have been canceled, but a few more spots are open for Friday and if you would still like to come, let Jeremy know)
Sunday, March 23 (Resurrection Sunday)
6:30 AM - Easter Sunrise Service
...after... - Easter Breakfast fellowship
11:00 AM - Worship Celebration of the Resurrection!!!
Easter Breakfast Fellowship
After the sunrise gathering on Easter Sunday, everyone is invited for breakfast. Here's a note from our breakfast leader, Heidi Parker:
Hello!
At 6:30 this coming Sunday Morning, we are having a Eastern Sunrise Gathering at the church. After the service we'll all eat breakfast together. It'll be kind of like a potluck breakfast. So, those of you that are planning on coming can bring along some sort of breakfast to share. (drink, food, etc...)
Hope to see you there!
Heidi
Please respond to Heidi if you are bringing something so we can have an idea of what's coming.
The RemembranceI just wanted to update you on how the first gathering of "The Remembrance" went this past Sunday. It was wonderful. About 20-25 of us gathered for high energy music, some time for reflection & prayer, and of course, the remembrance ("communion"). Stay tuned for the next gathering!
Local Mission Trip
There is a sign up sheet for our "trip" to the Dorchester Immanuel Church of the Nazarene in the foyer of the church building. We will be going to perform a number of projects there to help enhance their worship facility. There are projects for all ability levels! The dates are: Friday night, April 4th, Saturday, April 5th, and then on Sunday, April 6th in the evening, we will be worshiping together in Dorchester with the Immanuel Church.
...on the calendar
As always, you can keep up-to-date with North Street happenings, including all of the Lenten events, by using our on-line calendar (click here).
Pastor Jeremy's Lenten Preparing to Worship
As part of North Street's 40 Days of Lent, every Saturday, Pastor Jeremy is sending out a "preparing for worship" reading. This week's passages come from two liturgies - of the Palms and of the Passion. We'll touch on both tomorrow. Here are the passages in full: Matthew 21:1-11, Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29, Isaiah 50:4-9, Psalm 31:9-16, Philippians 2:5-11, Matthew 26:14-27:66. Click here to read them.
Have any of you ever heard a rendition of the poem "The Touch of the Master's Hand"? I remember an evangelist that would come to churches when I was younger and would sing the poem set to song. If you've never heard it, you can click on the title above and hear a rendition of it. But briefly, it's a short poem about a violin up for auction. The bidding started at $1 and worked its way up to $3 before a man came up and played the violin masterfully. The bidding then began again, this time in the thousands of dollars. The worth of the violin was said to change because of "the touch of the master's hand." It was a wonderful story.
An experiment along these lines was conducted a little over a year ago.
Joshua Bell is considered by many the greatest violinist alive. He has played at the major symphony halls across the world. His playing regularly draws sold-out crowds. On January 9th, 2007, at Boston Symphony Hall, Bell drew one of these such crowds, where "merely good seats" sold for $100. As many of the best classical violinists in the world do, Bell plays an infamous Stradivarius violin. He paid $3.5 million for his. Only the best for the best. Bell's playing is accomplished, well-known, and of the best in the world. He's a master of the violin.
Just three days after that Boston performance, Bell was put to an experiment. He donned a baseball cap, jeans, and a t-shirt and carried his Stradivarius violin into a subway terminal - L'Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C., a busy station that services mostly government workers. At 7:51 AM, he set himself up right by a trash can, just by the escalators, and several yards from the stand that regularly sells lotto tickets. And for the next 45 minutes, Bell played his heart out, mostly classical violin songs that only a few ever master. He held nothing back, giving his all as if he was indeed on the stage at Carnegie.1097 people heard him play that morning...but only a handful stopped. And only one person recognized who he was. His total earnings that morning? $52.17 was tossed into his violin case (and $20 of that was from the woman who recognized him). Bell confessed that he felt very uncomfortable after a while. In between songs, a space usually reserved for thunderous rounds of applause, Bell was forced to squeak out a few uncomfortable chords, pretending to be tuning his violin, as the hundreds of people hurried by, too busy to hear greatness.
Apparently context is everything.
It's easy to be caught up in something great when "everyone else is doing it." It's easy to say what is worthy when everyone is expecting something to be worthy. It's easy to be a part of something that's surrounded by greatness, easy to join a movement that's already moving at the full steam of popularity, easy to jump on the bandwagon that's promoted and well-known.
Perhaps this is part of the picture of Palm Sunday. The people are expecting a Messiah. They're ready and waiting for a leader who will conquer and set things straight once and for all. Their hunger has begun to be satisfied by this guy who's coming into town who has supposedly been healing people from their sickness, causing blind people to see, and has even raised people from the dead. You can almost hear the buzz: "Hey...let's go see Jesus!" And the fanfare begins - palms and coats on the road, shouts of "Hosanna!", waving, smiling, and clamor. This guy's got a lot of fans.
But just a week later, the fanfare ends. And this very same guy - Jesus Christ, in a different, darker context: bound by chains, scarred by whips, and mocked by soldiers and institutional leaders - has no fans, no followers, and no fanfare.
Which Jesus are you following?
I look forward to worshiping with you tomorrow,
For & Through Christ,
Jeremy
(You can read the whole story and watch hidden video of the Joshua Bell experiment here.)
North Street Update
The 40 Days of LentWe are on day 33 in our journey through the forty days of Lent. Can you believe it!?
Lent 2008 Explanation
Lent 2008 Schedule
As you look to Holy Week next week, remember the special events in addition to regular Lent activities: our Good Friday Tenebrae Service (7:00 PM), viewings of The Passion of the Christ Thurs-Sat (please e-mail Pastor Jeremy soon to RSVP), Easter Sunrise Service (6:30 AM), and of course, our celebration at 11:00 on Resurrection Sunday.
Gathering to Fellowship - "Spring into Spring" Potluck
This coming Sunday (March 16th) is the third Sunday of the month and we invite everyone to stay to eat and fellowship together after we worship. With the arrival of spring next week, everyone is encouraged to bring cookout-type foods - hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salads, chips & dips, etc.
A NEW WORSHIP GATHERING - The Remembrance
We're just two days out from The Remembrance: this Sunday, March 16th. Gather with us on Sunday evening at 6:00 PM for a service of communion.
Local Mission Trip
Planning is picking up for our "trip" to the Dorchester Immanuel Church of the Nazarene. We will be going to perform a number of projects there to help enhance their worship facility. There are projects for all ability levels! The dates are: Friday night, April 4th, Saturday, April 5th, and then on Sunday, April 6th in the evening, we will be worshiping together in Dorchester with the Immanuel Church. Speak with Herb Newell and Andrew Rankin to sign up.
...on the calendar
As always, you can keep up-to-date with North Street happenings, including all of the Lenten events, by using our on-line calendar (click here).
Pastor Jeremy's Lenten Preparing to Worship
As part of North Street's 40 Days of Lent, every Saturday, Pastor Jeremy is sending out a "preparing for worship" reading. This week's passages are loaded with good stuff! They are Ezekiel 37:1-14, Psalm 130, Romans 8:6-11, and John 11:1-45. Click here to read them.
In worship tomorrow, we'll be focusing mostly on the gospel passage which is the story of Mary, Martha, and Jesus raising their brother, Lazarus from the dead.
Despite how blessed we are living in this country, we still hear a lot of whining going on around us. Whining is a distraction from what we have in the current moment. It directs us to consider what is not rather than what is. How often do you hear the words "if only..."? "If only I had this..." or "if only this had happened instead of this..." or "if only she were like this...". One hears it all the time.
Another word we hear quite a bit that distracts us from the current moment is "someday". "Someday this will happen" or "someday it will no longer be like this." There's nothing wrong with hopeful thinking. But when we become so focused on the future and what will happen, we miss out on the current moment and what is happening.
We see elements of this in our gospel passage. Mary & Martha both tell Jesus that "if only he had been around," then their brother Lazarus would not have died. And Martha tells Jesus that "someday" everything will be okay and Lazarus will rise again from the dead in the final resurrection. Each of these responses - "if only" and "someday" were not satisfactory for Jesus.
Jesus says, "I AM". And again and again in his ministry, Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of God is now and available to us now.
I am just outside Washington, D.C. today for a conference called DeepShift: Everything Must Change. It's organized by pastor/theologian/author/speaker Brian McLaren. I've heard and learned a lot so far and will be going home with a lot to think about.
We sang a song last night called Today. It is very appropriate in light of the nowness of the Kingdom of God:
Today
Words and music by Brian McLaren and Aaron Strumpel, .2007, Brian McLaren.
Publishing, Revolution of Hope Music Group SESAC 2007, all rights reserved.
Today up came the sun
Today’s for everyone
Today the Lord has made
Today now we can see
Today we can be free
Today the Lord has made
So my friends let us be glad
Let’s live in hope
Could be the best day ever
So my friends let us be glad
Let’s live in joy
Could be the best day we’ve had
Today we may dance
Today’s let’s take a chance
Today the Lord has made
Today we can set sail
Today take a new trail
Today the Lord has made
Agents of Progress and Lovers of Justice
You are called to be in the moments of the here and now
So let’s not forget it, this glorious present
It’s like the sweetest kiss, this gift of today
I look forward to worshiping with you tomorrow,
For & Through Christ,
Jeremy
North Street Update
The 40 Days of Lent
We are on day 26 in our journey through the forty days of Lent. How are things going for you? If you haven't begun, it's not too late! Join us tonight at 7:00 PM for a Bible Study on the vision of the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37. Here is the info on the rest of our 40 Days of Lent Journey:
Lent 2008 Explanation
Lent 2008 Schedule
Also, a reminder that if you would like to view the movie The Passion of the Christ with Pastor Jeremy during Holy Week (on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, 3/20-22), please e-mail him soon. Due to copyright and viewing laws, slots are limited.
New England District Church of the Nazarene Gathering of the Saints
This Saturday, March 8, at 2:30 will be our annual district worship service: "Gathering of the Saints". I got a note from our district superintendent this morning inviting us all:
A NEW WORSHIP GATHERING -
The Remembrance
Next Sunday, March 16th will bring North Street the first of our new worship gathering (we had to postpone last month). Christ said few things about our corporate worship gatherings. But one thing that he did say is that when we gather together for communion, we are doing it "in remembrance of him." We'll look together at what this "remembrance" means and what it might look like. A word of expectation: this worship gathering will be quite different than what most of us are used to. Everyone is invited to come. Expect little, but expect to worship as the gathered body of Christ.
Local Mission Trip
We are less than a month away from our local mission trip. We will be going to perform a number of projects at the Dorchester Immanuel Church of the Nazarene. There are projects for all ability levels! The dates are: Friday night, April 4th, Saturday, April 5th, and then on Sunday, April 6th in the evening, we will be worshiping together in Dorchester with the Immanuel Church. Mark your calendars now and plan for this opportunity!
...on the calendar
As always, you can keep up-to-date with North Street happenings, including all of the Lenten events, by using our on-line calendar (click here).
We are on day 26 in our journey through the forty days of Lent. How are things going for you? If you haven't begun, it's not too late! Join us tonight at 7:00 PM for a Bible Study on the vision of the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37. Here is the info on the rest of our 40 Days of Lent Journey:
Lent 2008 Explanation
Lent 2008 Schedule
Also, a reminder that if you would like to view the movie The Passion of the Christ with Pastor Jeremy during Holy Week (on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, 3/20-22), please e-mail him soon. Due to copyright and viewing laws, slots are limited.
New England District Church of the Nazarene Gathering of the Saints
This Saturday, March 8, at 2:30 will be our annual district worship service: "Gathering of the Saints". I got a note from our district superintendent this morning inviting us all:
I would like to say that this is not just “another district event”. As I travel around this great district, I am blessed to see so many different people who are called Nazarenes... We as a body of believers need to come together and experience worship together! The Lord himself wanted people around Him and gathered them unto Himself... We need to come together to worship as a broader community of believers! Could you please re-consider and re-check your schedule and come and be blessed. I sometimes hear people say that they don’t feel connected to the church or to this great movement! You have to be present and “at the table" to partake and be a part! The sole purpose of the Gathering is for us to be together as a worshiping body of believers!
Please Come! Please Connect! Please Contribute by your presence! The service is Saturday, March 8, 2008 from 2:30 to 5:30 at 188 Elliott Street in Danvers, Ma. At the Living Hope Church of the Nazarene!
Hoping and praying that I will see you at the gathering!
Dr. Jossie Owens
A NEW WORSHIP GATHERING - The Remembrance
Next Sunday, March 16th will bring North Street the first of our new worship gathering (we had to postpone last month). Christ said few things about our corporate worship gatherings. But one thing that he did say is that when we gather together for communion, we are doing it "in remembrance of him." We'll look together at what this "remembrance" means and what it might look like. A word of expectation: this worship gathering will be quite different than what most of us are used to. Everyone is invited to come. Expect little, but expect to worship as the gathered body of Christ.
Local Mission Trip
We are less than a month away from our local mission trip. We will be going to perform a number of projects at the Dorchester Immanuel Church of the Nazarene. There are projects for all ability levels! The dates are: Friday night, April 4th, Saturday, April 5th, and then on Sunday, April 6th in the evening, we will be worshiping together in Dorchester with the Immanuel Church. Mark your calendars now and plan for this opportunity!
...on the calendar
As always, you can keep up-to-date with North Street happenings, including all of the Lenten events, by using our on-line calendar (click here).
Pastor Jeremy's Lenten Preparing to Worship
As part of North Street's 40 Days of Lent, every Saturday, Pastor Jeremy is sending out a "preparing for worship" reading.How often do you sit there trying to "figure God out"? When I was younger, I would often get frustrated with life when I couldn't understand something about God. Or I would fall into the trap of the questions of friends at school who knew of my faith in Christ and just wanted to get me going, questions like, "How do you really know that Jesus Christ was the Messiah?" (Yes! Believe it or not, we talked about such things in high school.) And I'd go home and write out the biblical proof for Christ's messiahship.
Or worse yet, sometimes I was wary of the work of the Holy Spirit in my own life, or in what I was seeing in the life experiences of others. I was a skeptical kid. I was affected by the modern forms of intellectual pursuit, particularly that everything has a reason and can be figured out if we just think about it long enough, have the right experimental procedures, and can logically think things through.
Even though they are pre-modern figures, we can see some of this in the religious leaders of John 9. A link to the passage is down below, but briefly, it's the story of the man born blind whom Jesus heals. Once the man has been healed, everyone began questioning. His neighbors wanted to know if he was really the same man. The religious leaders questioned both his identity and his testimony, and then they began questioning him about who Jesus was and how it was that he could heal. Questions and more questions...And it's the response of the man born blind that jumps out the most at us today. Made famous today in hymns and songs (such as John Newton's Amazing Grace), the blind man's response seems to come out of exasperation. After all their questions about Jesus, theology, and the "hows", the man born blind finally just tells the religious leaders: "Listen guys, I don't know about all that stuff. All I know is that I was blind, but now I'm not."
My brother, Jeff, teaches Sunday School for his church. He told me this story this week:
I usually prepare for Sunday School on Saturday. I have a 9 hour shift at work (as a security guard at Harvard School of Public Health) where I pretty much just sit there. So I usually use this time to prepare for Sunday School. I just didn't happen this week. No focus, no insight, nothin'. So, when I got up in front of my class, I told them the truth. Not so much about my week, but that I had little prepared for class. I think my exact words were "I have nothing to offer you this morning." I'm pretty honest. But then I explained that over my years of teaching Sunday School, this had happened many times and that the Holy Spirit always filled in the gaps. So I set them to work on a little project. I won't get into what the project was; it wasn't anything elaborate.
About 5 minutes later a gentleman named Joe - a new Christian - came into class along with a friend. I didn't think I recognized his friend. Honestly, we've had so many new visitors and Christians in church lately I can't remember who I've met and who I haven't- let alone their names! (It's really amazing how the Lord is working in our church.) As it turns out his name was Brian. This was his first time to our church and we'd never met before.
Since Joe and Brian missed the instructions for the little class project I went over to explain it to them. As I did, Joe left for his baptism class and poor Brian was there alone. I sat down with him to introduce myself a bit more and find out why he was with us that day. It didn't take long and he was straight to the point.
I asked what he knew about our church and he said "Nothing, is it like a Catholic church or something?" I asked if he was raised Catholic and he told me, "Yes." I replied that while there are some similarities in a lot of our foundational beliefs, we were a bit different than the Roman Catholic church.
I'll never forget what he said next. It was something like this: "I don't know what this church believes. But my friend Joe here had a life that was real messed up. A lot more messed up than mine, and that says a lot! I can't believe the change in his life and I want it! That's why I'm here today.
We can think and think and think all we want about how God does what he does. And there is certainly time and space for systematic theology and to wonder about the ins and outs of God. But the essence of faith in Christ is not to figure it all out before we accept it, but to accept the invitation to "come and see".
We can apologeticasize all we want to - and try and show people who don't yet know Christ a "logical" explanation of God, how he created the world, or why Jesus is the Messiah. But until they see true change in us, and experience his love through us, I'm not sure how great our "witness" will be.
Our passages for this week are I Samuel 16:1-13, Psalm 23, Ephesians 5:8-14, John 9:1-41. Click here to read them.
I look forward to worshiping with you tomorrow,
For & Through Christ,
Jeremy
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