So Thankful!
A Heart for 300
If our hearts are focused on the caring, the serving, the gathering, and the healing, then the numbers will take care of themselves. This week we look at Vision 2020 and what we are attempting to do as a church. Come spend some time reflecting on your heart and be inspired to keep climbing.
See you at church,
Pastor Chris
Future Promises
Pastor Chris
Freedom!
What image or idea really resonates when you think of freedom? Is it something like the freedom experienced those in bondage who are finally free? Unfortunately that is not an image that is only for yesteryear. We continue to have people who are sold as sex slaves even in our area. Maybe you think of the freedom to do as you choose or say what you like. Increasingly that freedom seems to be getting smaller these days. Maybe you think of freedom from debt, that moment when you can burn your mortgage or no longer have to make payments on your car. Whatever experience helps you relate, it is universally true that humans relish freedom.
It is for this reason that the promise of God for freedom is so powerful. We all feel the weight of slavery to sin. We all experience the paralysis that comes when we experience the bondage of fear. The pressure to perform or achieve can also so entangle as to make us completely unproductive. And when temptation comes our way to feel trapped and unable to resist is its own brand of slavery. The good news is that God has made us free from all of these!
This week we will focus on the promise of freedom. “….whoever the Son has set free, is free indeed!”
Come be encouraged in freedom!
Pastor Chris
Safety Net
Recently there have been a couple of really crazy things done by some daredevils. One that was completely nuts was the feat of Luke Aikens from Grahm, WA. He dove out of an airplane at 25,000 feet with out a parachute. He did have a safety net, but that is all he had. So many things could have gone wrong that would have resulted in his death. But through his skill and fortune he was successful and landed in the net.
A second daredevil was a fellow by the name of Nik Wallenda. He did something that was at least similarly dangerous. He first walked across the Grand Canyon on a tight wire without a safety net. Wind gusts, stretching wire, the concentration needed, all of it came together with his incredible walk. He too could have been killed had something gone wrong.
There is a part of us that likes the crazy adventure aspect of what these people did. But the more reasonable part of us understands that what they did was simply a special brand of insanity. In both of these instances there were no do overs, there was no grace, and there was no opportunity for failure. I am so glad our Savior had a better plan than to have us walking without a net. Jesus Christ is our safety net.
It is not that we can somehow take sin less seriously or have no concern for sin. Sin is horrible and it always introduces death into what ever it touches. Sins natural consequences should be enough to deter us, but all too often they do not. We hypothesize, rationalize, or in some other way justify our sin. Our hearts are deceitful and will convince us that it is ok, its not. But imagine the fear, the paralysis of that would occur if there was no safety net. Constantly afraid of failure, impurity, fear would be our new master. How great the fathers love for us …… and it is His love that drives out fear. Without fear we can dare be in the world but not of it. Without fear we take on great challenges, even in our human frailty. Without fear we can know that we are not in relationship with Christ because of our perfection, but rather it is because of His perfection.
This week continuing on in looking at The Promises we will be looking at the promise of forgiveness. How blessed we are to have a safety net.
See you at church,
Pastor Chris
Trimmings
Fall is falling and soon it will be time to trim and prune fruit trees. Now I don’t really know a whole lot about trimming trees. I just make it look the way I want. My brother on the other hand, knows a lot about pruning trees. He has a horticulture degree from Oregon State, and has done a fair bit of pruning. If you prune a tree correctly then the tree will actually bear more fruit the next year. If you do it incorrectly you can end up with lots of leaves and little fruit. It pays to know how to prune your trees.
Jesus says that God is the gardener and He is the vine. God prunes the fruitful to help them produce more fruit, and to the unfruitful He cuts off. The branches that are cut off die, wither and are eventually gathered together and burned in the fire. The key says Jesus is to remain in Him. If we remain in Him we will bear fruit. But if we don’t remain in Him then we can produce nothing, and that is to risk the possibility of being cut off. So it seems that the question we then need to be asking is what do we do to remain in Him?
Having looked at God’s self revelation, our opportunity to begin a relationship with Jesus, and what it means to be baptized; this week we will look at how we stay connected in communion with God. No one wants to end up in the pile of trimmings!
See you at church.
Pastor Chris
Remember
It was hot, but not oppressively so. We went down a road to the river. It was a new spot. I think we only used it the once because there were some monster ruts in the road. I remember clambering over the round river rocks, the sweet smell of the cottonwoods, and flitting of the neon blue dragonflies. People all gathered round as my dad and I went in the water. There were others who would be baptized that day as well. It was cold but it kind of felt good. I don’t remember the look on my dads face, or really very much about the event itself. But I remember after we got out of the water and were standing on the bank, with the Elders praying over me, I felt powerful. I felt like there was nothing I couldn’t and wouldn’t do for Christ. I remember feeling happy.
When I think back on it now I realize that the meaning and the significance of the event has only grown over time. At one point I may have only understood it as my next step, or something I was to do out of obedience. But the richness of Baptism has only continued to blossom in both my understanding and the depth of worship that it truly is.
This week in the New Beginnings sermon series we are going to talk about baptism. I will talk about its significance, and not only what it means but also why each person should personally participate in this great remembering sign. Have you personally participated in baptism? If not you will have opportunity to consider it. If you have then I encourage you to remember it.
God bless,
Pastor Chris
What does it take?
A rich young man asked about it and found out it would cost him a lot of money. A short cheater fellow felt he had to make things right. A woman at a well had to change her lifestyle and learn to get water from a new well. A Centurion acknowledged a higher authority. Hard to imagine, but a prostitute humbled herself even more than before. A couple of fishermen left their nets and went out of business. A church leader snuck into a secret meeting just so he could find out straight from the Teacher. Each example is useful in understanding just what it takes to follow Jesus. The cost is always higher than one would think.
I heard a person talking about the cost of an expensive yacht one time. He said there is a point in yachts where if you have to ask it is probably too much. You see if you are wealthy enough to own it, you are probably wealthy enough not to care, or at least don’t have to ask what it costs. The good news is that a relationship with Jesus is available to every one regardless of our gender, race, and especially income. But make no mistake it will cost, but considering the reward is priceless it is a good thing someone else paid the price for it.
This week as we continue on talking about New Beginnings, we will be talking about what it takes to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Come find out what it will take for you.
See you at church,
Pastor Chris
A New Place
Climbing
Sometimes there are outside forces that make us continue. When a bear is chasing you, finding your motivation is usually not a problem. But most of the time it is what is on the inside that move us. Reaching the goal, getting to the top, challenging ourselves and accomplishing it, not wanting to give up no matter what, these are things that compel us forward. We want to hear the words “ Well done….”
The goals of Vision 2020 are the mountain tops for our church. It is no surprise that the going will be tough, they are tall mountains and the trail is steep. Our motivation too is not ambiguous. The world is in chaos. People are dying without Jesus Christ and he has called us to go into all the world. Every one of the goals of Vision 2020 are calling us to be effective for Jesus Christ. Still what moves you to keep going forward?
This week as we start the new ministry season I want to challenge you to consider what keeps you going. I want to call you to embrace some of the Biblical attitudes that will help us get to the top. We must keep climbing.
See you at church.