Culture Can Be Redeemed – Being Salt

We think of salt as seasoning, and also a melting and water-softening agent.  But until recent times, its primary use was to preserve.  That made it a metaphor for permanence.

The term translated “everlasting covenant” in Numbers 18:19and 2 Chronicles 13:5, is literally “covenant of salt.”

“Season all your grain offerings with salt,” God told his chosen people (in Leviticus 2:13), “to remind you of God’s eternal covenant.”

 

Interact with God’s Word

Matthew 5: 13-16

1. What is the value of seasoning that has no flavor?  What is implied here about the value of Christians who make no effort to affect the world around them?
2. What are some ways Christians can affect their society positively, bringing out its best flavor?
3. What warning does Jesus’ remark about flavorless salt being thrown out carry for Christians who simply blend in with their culture?
4. What qualities of Jesus’ disciples make them a source of light in their communities?
5. What are some ways in which Christians hide their light?
6. How can our good deeds lead not to smugness but to praise for our heavenly Father?

 

Spend Time in Prayer

Ask God for courage to stand out from the crowd coupled with a selfless caring that makes the faith you live attractively compelling.

Matthew 5:13-16

13 You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

14 You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

 

 Prayer for the Week:  Since you’ve called me to be salt and light, I’m not free to just blend in.  Empower me to make a positive impact where you’ve placed me.

 

 

 

All Saints Day – November 1, 2020

Historically, the Church has confessed a belief in the “communion of the saints,” which includes not only all living believers, but also all who have gone before us.

When we celebrate Holy Communion, we experience the communion of saints, feasting with believers past, present and future. The author of Hebrews 12 reminds us that these saints, a “great cloud of witnesses,” surrounds us and cheers us on.

On All Saints Day, United Methodists publicly remember and honor those who have passed away. Celebrated on the first Sunday in November, many congregations light candles, ring bells of remembrance, and call the names of those lost in the previous year as a way of honoring the impact their lives have had on us.

• This year, on All Saints Day. Central Church is again inviting our folks to bring a flower or two in memory of a saint in their lives who has passed.  We will combine our flowers into a large vase in front of our Sanctuary as we remember the lives of those who have preceded us.

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A Prayer Meditation for All Saints Day

by Safiyah Fosua

We give you thanks, O God, for all the saints who ever worshiped you
Whether in brush arbors or cathedrals,
Weathered wooden churches or crumbling cement meeting houses
Where your name was lifted and adored.

We give you thanks, O God, for hands lifted in praise:
Manicured hands and hands stained with grease or soil,
Strong hands and those gnarled with age
Holy hands
Used as wave offerings across the land.

We thank you, God, for hardworking saints;
Whether hard-hatted or steel-booted,
Head ragged or aproned,
Blue-collared or three-piece-suited
They left their mark on the earth for you, for us, for our children to come.

Thank you, God, for the tremendous sacrifices made by those who have gone before us.
Bless the memories of your saints, God.
May we learn how to walk wisely from their examples of faith, dedication, worship, and love.

A Hymn of Hope and Comfort: “For All the Saints”

Here is a recording of the great Vaughan Williams tune (SINE NOMINE) by the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge.

Revised Common Lectionary – Bible Passages for Sunday, November 1, 2020 – All Saints Day

In preparation for our worship service this Sunday, for both in-person and online, here are the designated Bible passages from the Revised Common Lectionary.

Pastor Jan’s sermon will focus upon the passage concerning God’s children and sin in 1 John 2:28 – 3:10.

1 John 2:28 – 3:10

²⁸ And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.

²⁹ If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.

3 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. ² Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,^[a] we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. ³ All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

⁴ Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. ⁵ But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. ⁶ No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

⁷ Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. ⁸ The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. ⁹ No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. ¹⁰ This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.

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Other Scripture Readings for All Saints Day are:

Revelation 7:9-17

7:9 After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.

7:10 They cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

7:11 And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,

7:12 singing, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

7:13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?”

7:14 I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

7:15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.

7:16 They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat;

7:17 for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Psalm 34:1-10, 22

34:1 I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

34:2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad.

34:3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.

34:4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.

34:5 Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed.

34:6 This poor soul cried, and was heard by the LORD, and was saved from every trouble.

34:7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.

34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good; happy are those who take refuge in him.

34:9 O fear the LORD, you his holy ones, for those who fear him have no want.

34:10 The young lions suffer want and hunger, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

34:22 The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

1 John 3:1-3

3:1 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.

3:3 And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Matthew 5:1-12

5:1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.

5:2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

5:11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

5:12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

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Joshua 3:7-17

3:7 The LORD said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that I will be with you as I was with Moses.

3:8 You are the one who shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.'”

3:9 Joshua then said to the Israelites, “Draw near and hear the words of the LORD your God.”

3:10 Joshua said, “By this you shall know that among you is the living God who without fail will drive out from before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites:

3:11 the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going to pass before you into the Jordan.

3:12 So now select twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe.

3:13 When the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan flowing from above shall be cut off; they shall stand in a single heap.”

3:14 When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests bearing the ark of the covenant were in front of the people.

3:15 Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water,

3:16 the waters flowing from above stood still, rising up in a single heap far off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while those flowing toward the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

3:17 While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan.

Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37

107:1 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.

107:2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those he redeemed from trouble

107:3 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.

107:4 Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to an inhabited town;

107:5 hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.

107:6 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress;

107:7 he led them by a straight way, until they reached an inhabited town.

107:8 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.

107:9 For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things.

107:33 He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,

107:34 a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.

107:35 He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.

107:36 And there he lets the hungry live, and they establish a town to live in;

107:37 they sow fields, and plant vineyards, and get a fruitful yield.

Micah 3:5-12

3:5 Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who cry “Peace” when they have something to eat, but declare war against those who put nothing into their mouths.

3:6 Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision, and darkness to you, without revelation. The sun shall go down upon the prophets, and the day shall be black over them;

3:7 the seers shall be disgraced, and the diviners put to shame; they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer from God.

3:8 But as for me, I am filled with power, with the spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.

3:9 Hear this, you rulers of the house of Jacob and chiefs of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and pervert all equity,

3:10 who build Zion with blood and Jerusalem with wrong!

3:11 Its rulers give judgment for a bribe, its priests teach for a price, its prophets give oracles for money; yet they lean upon the LORD and say, “Surely the LORD is with us! No harm shall come upon us.”

3:12 Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height.

Psalm 43

43:1 Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people; from those who are deceitful and unjust deliver me!

43:2 For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you cast me off? Why must I walk about mournfully because of the oppression of the enemy?

43:3 O send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.

43:4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.

43:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.

1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
2:9 You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.

2:10 You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was toward you believers.

2:11 As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children,

2:12 urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

2:13 We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.

Matthew 23:1-12

23:1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,

23:2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat;

23:3 therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.

23:4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.

23:5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.

23:6 They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues,

23:7 and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi.

23:8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students.

23:9 And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father–the one in heaven.

23:10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah.

23:11 The greatest among you will be your servant.

23:12 All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.

Central Church on WBVP Sunday!

Although Central Church has resumed its in-person worship services at 11 am on Sundays, some people may not yet be able to attend due to COVID-19 concerns.

For anyone who does not feel comfortable with attending an in-person worship service, tune in at 10:30 A.M. on Sunday, November 1, to hear a recorded version of this week’s message from Central Church by Pastor Jan!

Here’s where to tune in:

• AM Radio – WBVP at 1230

• AM Radio – WMBA at 1460

• FM Radio – WBVP/WMBA at 99.3; and

• Online –   The Beaver County Radio Live Audio Stream at https://radio.securenetsystems.net/cirruscontent/WBVP

Be sure to tune in this Sunday at 10:30!

Remember to Turn Your Clocks Back 1 Hour Saturday Night

Christian Family Flees for Their Lives After Husband Sentenced to Death in Pakistan for ‘Blasphemy’

A Pakistani Christian’s wife and family have gone into hiding after he was sentenced to death for allegedly committing blasphemy against Islam.

The Independent Catholic News (ICN) reports Asif Pervaiz, 37, was sentenced to die last month after finally receiving his trial after his arrest seven years ago. He was falsely accused of sending blasphemous text messages.

Pervaiz’s wife Marilyn Asif and her four young children have had to flee for their lives since his conviction and sentencing.

“She is in hiding because she feels threatened,” Release International, an organization that supports persecuted Christians, told ICN. “She is trying to keep her three sons and daughter safe.”

As CBN News reported in September, Pervaiz was charged with blasphemy after his former supervisor at his job in a garment factory accused him of sending sacrilegious text messages from his cell phone.

“This case should have been thrown out by the judge,” Pervaiz’s attorney Saiful Malook told Morning Star News, adding the prosecution had no evidence and he would be appealing the verdict to the Lahore High Court.

“He has already spent seven years awaiting the court’s decision. Who knows how many more years he will have to wait ’til this is over?” Malook asked.

Pervaiz has maintained that his supervisor accused him only after he refused to renounce his Christian faith to convert to Islam. He quit his job, but his supervisor continued to hound him at his new workplace.

Malook said his client lost his SIM card a few days before the alleged incident and theorizes that the supervisor found the card and used it to send the text messages to Pervaiz’s phone.

Malook is a Muslim who represented Asia Bibi, a mother who was also sentenced to death before her case gained international attention and she was freed in October of 2018.

As CBN News has reported, blasphemy under Islamic law is a crime punishable by death in certain countries like Pakistan. Bibi was falsely convicted of blasphemy in 2010. A coworker accused her of insulting Islam after a dispute. The Christian mother spent almost a decade on death row before finally being released.

Bibi now resides in Canada with her children.

“It’s tragic that Pervaiz has already spent seven years in prison during the trial, and God knows how many more years he will have to remain incarcerated till the high court takes up his appeal,” Malook told MSN. “The worst thing in blasphemy cases is that the accused are left to rot in jail for years ’til their innocence is finally proved.”

Release partners in Pakistan supported Asia Bibi and are now helping Pervaiz and his family, according to ICN.

“Pakistan’s notorious blasphemy laws are often used to target individuals and take out rivals,” said Release International CEO Paul Robinson. “A disproportionate number of Christians have been charged.”

“Even the unjust accusation of blasphemy can result in extensive legal action and vigilante attacks – as in the Asia Bibi case. Mobs called for her death and assassins murdered key Pakistani politicians asking for a review of the blasphemy laws,” Robinson continued.

Christians and other religious minorities continue to be prime targets for abuse under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. 

There are around 80 people now in prison in Pakistan accused of blasphemy, with half of those facing life sentences or the death penalty, according to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

In Pakistan, false accusations of blasphemy are widespread and often motivated by personal vendettas or religious hatred. These accusations are often highly inflammatory and have the potential to spark mob lynchings, vigilante murders, and mass protests.

As CBN News has reported, some of the accused never make it to trial. Back in July, Tahir Ahmad Naseem, a US citizen, was shot and killed in a courtroom in Peshawar, Pakistan. The assailant claimed to have shot Naseem because he had belonged to the Ahmadiyya religion.

Culture Can Be Redeemed – Deep End Economics

Key Bible Verse:  They share freely and give generously to those in need.  Their good deeds will be remembered forever.  – Psalm 112:9

Bonus Reading  2 Corinthians 9: 7-13

An Arizona church had a clothing drive to help a ministry that operates a summer day-camp for hundreds of poor children.

One of their favorite activities is going to a city swimming pool.  But a swimsuit is required at the pool, and few children own one.  When this need was announced at the church, an out-of-town visitor was moved to donate $1,000 to buy swimsuits!

David, a church member, checked out several stores.  At the store that offered the best discount, he carefully selected 150 children’s swimsuits, and piled them all in front of the cashier!  Several people behind him reacted with dismay, knowing this big purchase would delay them.  An older woman asked if he had a large family.  “No,” he laughingly replied, and explained who the swimsuits were for.

The woman continued to watch as the clerk totaled the cost.  Finally, the total reached $1,000, which paid for 125 suits.  David told the clerk he’d put the remaining 25 swimsuits back on the sales rack.

“No!” the woman interjected, “I’d like to pay for those.”  David, astounded by this woman’s generosity, was sure he’d just seen another example of Kingdom mathematics.

—Bob Moffitt in If Jesus Were Mayor

 

My Response: A community need my church is—or could be—addressing is …

 

Thought to Apply:  [A true community’s] members are making the transition from “the community for myself” to “myself for the community.” —Jean Vanier(Canadian social worker)

Adapted from If Jesus Were Mayor (Monarch, 2006

 

 

Prayer for the Week:  Since you’ve called me to be salt and light, I’m not free to just blend in.  Empower me to make a positive impact where you’ve placed me.

 

 

 

“Catch Up with Jesus!”

(Every Sunday at 11 am!)

45 Children Rescued in Ohio; Traffickers Are Targeting Christian Girls, Ministry Says

On Monday October 26, 2020, an operation called “Autumn Hope” rescued 45 children from human trafficking. According to the U.S. Marshals Service, over 175 individuals connected to human trafficking have been arrested in Ohio during the month of October. Over 100 human trafficking survivors have been rescued during the operations; 45 of those were missing children.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost explained the difference between prostitution and human trafficking, or “modern day slavery,” as he referred to it.

The difference between simple prostitution and human trafficking is the difference between two and three. Prostitution is simply a John and usually a woman, the person who is selling sex. Human trafficking involves a third person, who is typically taking a cut of the money. And that’s what elevates the simple prostitution into the evil of modern day slavery.

In a CBN News report, former Army Ranger Jeff Tiegs who leads All Things Possible Ministries, provided a startling discovery regarding who traffickers are targeting. Tiegs, whose ministry helps law enforcement identify traffickers, said, “There are particular traffickers that will target Christian girls,” all for an ego boost.

The former Army Ranger continued, “To get the girl that comes from a broken, abusive relationship, that didn’t stroke his ego. But for him to be able to pluck a pretty young woman from a Christian family in the suburbs and turn her out to sell her body for sex through him, to be trafficked, that was an ego boost for him.”

Tiegs encourages parents to talk to their children about what is out there. “Parents have to talk to their daughters very candidly about what’s out there,” Tiegs said, “especially in this Christian bubble that we live in we don’t fully appreciate the evil that’s out there and the evil that’s trying to work its way into our lives.”

This isn’t the only rescue that has happened this year. In August a bust called “Operation Not Forgotten” that covered 20 counties in the Atlanta area saw 9 suspects arrested and 39 children rescued.

Respected former NFL athlete Tim Tebow and his wife Demi-Leigh fight human trafficking through the Tim Tebow Foundation. This year in honor of his 33rd birthday, his foundation launched a public initiative called “Rescue Her” for the sake of building awareness in hopes of it resulting in building an army of people who will fight against human trafficking.

Tebow says, “Every person on this earth is created in the image of God—uniquely, beautifully, and perfectly. Their value is priceless, and they are not for sale.”

Central Church

Culture Can Be Redeemed – Extreme Outreach

Key Bible Verse: … shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.  – Philippians 2:15

Bonus Reading: Mark 2: 14-17

A striking example of engagement with the world is the story of Craig Gross and Mike Foster and their quest to redeem the porn industry.  Founders of xxxchurch.com (now under the umbrella of Fireproof Ministries), these two men have withstood withering criticism from within the Christian community for their attempts to reach out to the purveyors (and the victims) of the multibillion-dollar pornography empire.

They attend porn conventions (with their wives, no less), handing out “Jesus loves porn stars” T-shirts and challenging people to go without porn for seven days.  They even inaugurated a “porn Sunday” in 2005, calling on churches to wake up to the reality of porn and porn addiction in their midst.

I don’t know these men personally but I have benefited from their ministry (their accountability software is on my computer) and admire their courage in seeking to bring the light and life of Jesus into the darkest of places.  They didn’t wait for the lost to come to them—they went to where those people were and by their actions demonstrated the grace and truth of the gospel.

—Mike Erre in The Jesus of Suburbia

 

My Response: A hangout for the unchurched that I could “salt” with a Christian presence is …

 

Thought to Apply: Every Christian should be both conservative and radical; conservative in preserving the faith and radical in applying it. —John Stott (British preacher)

Adapted from The Jesus of Suburbia (W Publishing, 2006)

 

 

Prayer for the Week:  Since you’ve called me to be salt and light, I’m not free to just blend in.  Empower me to make a positive impact where you’ve placed me.

 

 

 

Are You Cheating on God? 8 Questions to Reveal Your Heart’s Desire

Are you cheating on God? What’s your ultimate heart’s desire?

Here in an article by Frank Powell that asks 8 questions that show your heart’s desire.

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A pastor at a large church in Florida admitted to an affair. Shortly after the admission, he resigned. It’s a gut-wrenching story. Lysa Terkeurst and her husband Art Terkeurst walked through an affair and reconciliation to remarriage.  Cheating on a spouse is a serious offense. Rightfully so. When a covenant is broken, there are ramifications. But as I read this story, God spurred another question in my mind.

“Frank, are you cheating on me?”

Hey God, nice to talk with you too.  Can you not say hey first? Anyway, the question sunk deep into my heart.  And I want to ask you the same question.

Are you cheating on God?

Our Ultimate Heart’s Desire

You and I are in a relationship with God. And there are many ways to spend time with God. Our relationship parallels (and exceeds) the one between a husband and a wife. When Tiffani and I exchanged vows, I knew what I signed up for. From that point forward, she wasn’t competing with other women. She was the only woman. I pledged to remain pure and faithful to one woman … for the rest of my life. That’s heavy.

And if vowing faithfulness to one person is heavy, how much more so with God?

When Moses delivered the Ten Commandments to the Israelites in Exodus 20:2-3, the first commandment was, “You will have no other gods before me.”

When God says, “You shall have no other gods before me,” he is also saying, “Don’t cheat on me. Don’t place anything in front of me. Vow to remain faithful to me.” You get the idea?

God is jealous (Exodus 20:4-5). He relentlessly pursues you because he infinitely loves you. And when anything other than God sits at the apex of your desires, values, worth and identity, destruction is certain. You place a weight on something only God can bear.

So, I want to ask you again … Are you cheating on God?

The following eight questions will reveal your ultimate heart’s desire.

Heart’s Desire Question #1: What thoughts occupy your mind when you have nothing else to think about?

If you realized how powerful your thoughts were, you would never think a negative thought. Peace Pilgrim

What we think about most determines what we value. And what we think about most is eventually who we become. Thoughts are powerful. Dr. Caroline Leaf, a Christian pathologist, wrote a fascinating book (the book is titled Switch on Your Brain) about the power of thoughts. In the book, she says this: “Nothing happens until you first build the thought … the thought produces words, actions and behavior.”

That’s real.

Your thoughts expose the desires of your mind and heart. So, where does your mind wander when you are alone? Is your mind turned toward God? If God is the love of your life, your ultimate heart’s desire, your mind will gravitate toward him. You will set your mind on the things above. Your desire to know him and grow toward him will increase.

Heart’s Desire Question #2:  If everything was taken from you and only God was left, would he be enough?

Really, take a moment to consider this question. If you are a follower of Jesus, this is the end goal. You are on a one-way trip to dwell with God. Forever. That’s weighty stuff. And if God is most important, the thought of dwelling with God forever should excite you.

God is faithful. But is God enough? Just being honest, many days I don’t believe he is. I love my stuff. I love my family. I love golf. If all of these were taken from me, I am not sure God would be enough. Unlike Job, I would probably want to curse God and die.

The story of Job is a crazy, powerful example of a man whose ultimate heart’s desire is God. Satan comes in and takes everything. Family. Possessions (and Job wasn’t a middle-class man … he had stupid wealth). Livestock. Health. Everything. How does Job respond? Faithfully. He never curses God. This is only possible when God is the ultimate heart’s desire.

Could you honestly say you would respond like Job if everything you own was taken? It would be hard for me. I have some work to do in my own life with this question.

Is God enough for you?

Heart’s Desire Question #3: Who or what triggers worry, anxiety and/or depression?

This is a great Scripture for anxiety: Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

As I wrestled with this question, God revealed several areas that spark worry, anxiety and depression. Speaking publicly. Grades in school. Negativity toward my family or ministry.

Even though I enjoy public speaking, I usually worry about my effectiveness. Did I prepare enough? Will the audience be receptive? In school, I made decent grades, but I always had anxiety before tests and exams. Did I study enough? What if I bomb the test? The only seasons of depression in my life were preceded by a vicious attack on my family and ministry. Are their words true? Am I not good enough for this?

What does this reveal about me? I value acceptance and affirmation from others more than God. I want people to like me. I also have a tendency to elevate performance to an unhealthy level, mostly due to my desire to be accepted and affirmed.

Here’s the point. The “gods” I am tempted to pursue are acceptance, affirmation and fame. When I place these in front of the true God, I am cheating on him. Thankfully, God’s grace is sufficient, and he forgives me. But I must destroy these “gods” for my relationship with God to reach deeper levels of intimacy.

So, what triggers worry, anxiety and depression in your life? (Check out these Bible verses for depression.)

Heart’s Desire Question #4:  Who in your life can you not forgive and why?

Some of you have experienced unimaginable pain. I remember talking with a young man when I lived in Mississippi. He explained, in graphic detail, being sexually abused from the time he was a small child. As I listened to him, my heart overflowed with sadness and anger. How could someone do this to a child? How?

Even though I can’t empathize with his particular pain, I empathize with his general pain (if that makes sense). The world is broken. People will hurt you. Many times these people are the ones we love, trust and respect most. And when you are hurt, you have to make a decision. Will you forgive or harbor animosity and bitterness?

And forgiveness isn’t words. Anyone can say, “I forgive you.” Forgiveness is letting go. Letting go of the false power that comes with refusing to forgive. Letting go of the bitterness and animosity. This is essential for those who love God. He is the author of forgiveness. And if he is the most important relationship in your life, you must be able to look at someone who hurt you and say (as Jesus did), “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

It might take weeks, months or years, but if God is first, you must come to a place where you release the power of revenge, bitterness and anger toward someone else.

Heart’s Desire Question #5:  When you are stressed, where do you turn for relief?

Americans are overcome with stress. And while some stress is normal (this is called stage 1 stress), other types of stress are incredibly toxic.

What is your medication for stress? Where do you turn to relieve stress?

Alcohol? Shopping? Medication? Sex? Drugs? Video games? Notice some of these “medications” are obviously dangerous (alcohol and drugs). Others seem harmless (shopping and video games). But anytime your “medication” isn’t God, you are corroding your heart. You are hardwiring it to rely on something that can’t fill the void.

To say it another way, the “what” of where you turn to relieve stress isn’t as important as the “why.”

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” is a declaration from Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30). Ironically, this is often the same message we hear from other “gods.”

“I am really stressed, let’s go enjoy some retail therapy.”

“It’s been a long week, let’s grab a case of beer and forget about our worries.”

 “Do you still have some drugs? My girl just left me. I need something to ease the pain.”

Some “medications” we take to relieve stress are illegal. Others are amoral in nature. The question is whether you rely on these things to fill a void only God can fill. If so, you are cheating on God.

If God is most important, he will be our source of relief from stress. He will be our “medication.” And his “medication” never needs a refill.

Heart’s Desire Question #6:  What have you sacrificed most for?

Who or what receives the largest majority of your time, money, energy and resources? Here’s what I found. If God is not the one thing you sacrifice most for, you will sacrifice God when your “one thing” is threatened.

Your ultimate heart’s desire is the one thing you sacrifice most for.

What is an idol? In high school, I devoted hours every day to football. I wanted to play in the NFL. Seriously. Football received the largest majority of my time, money, energy and resources. And I would do anything to prevent my dream from slipping away.

I skipped church on Sunday to practice. I neglected time alone with God to work out. I participated in immoral and illegal activities because I thought the activities would move me closer to my goal. Toxic stuff, right?

I am now in full-time ministry, but the same principle is in play. In Christian circles, people don’t necessarily participate in immoral activities (some do, of course, but this isn’t the norm). But many Christians cheat on God every day. They refuse to accept a new truth about God because it goes against what they preached for 30 years. Even if the new truth leads them to deeper intimacy with God.

If you sacrifice more for status, fame and knowledge than you do for an intimate relationship with God, you will do anything to protect the status, fame and knowledge … including an intimate relationship with God.

What have you sacrificed most for?

Heart’s Desire Question #7:  Where do you spend your time and money?

Time is the most valuable resource on earth. It can’t be renewed or recycled. It is not for sale. So, it would make sense to look at your most valuable resource to determine your heart’s greatest desire.

Money is similar to time. So similar that metaphors for currency are often used to describe time. And there are many Bible verses about money.

“Time is money. Invest your time well. Don’t waste my time.”

Money and time are intertwined because they are both extremely valuable. They are also extremely dangerous. And they compete for our allegiance to God daily, hourly. Mark Twain says it this way,

Some men worship rank, some worship heroes, some worship power, some worship God, and over these ideals they dispute and cannot unite—but they all worship money.

My youngest son is awkwardly in love with the words “my” and “mine.” Tiffani and I try to correct him, but if we corrected him every time he said “my” or “mine,” we would do nothing else. Seriously. Nothing.

What about you? Do you have a “my” and “mine” attitude toward money and possessions? If so, a red flag should pop up in your head.

Here’s a nugget of truth: Nothing you have is yours. Everything you have is from God. Every dollar in your bank account and every possession you own will either be thrown into a garbage dump or be given to someone else.

If God is your ultimate heart’s desire, your time and money will reflect it.

Heart’s Desire Question #8: Is your relationship with God burdensome? 

Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3

“Most Christians give just enough of their lives to God to make them miserable.” I heard a preacher make that statement one time. It’s convicting. It’s also true.

A relationship with God should never be burdensome. But when God isn’t the ultimate heart’s desire, a relationship with him will be burdensome. Just like a marital relationship.

If I am committing adultery against my wife, our marriage is going to crumble. Marriage is designed to be pure, having desires for only one person. When we cheat on God with anything, a relationship with God feels burdensome.

Is following God a burden for you? If so, why?

____________________

You say I love God, but maybe you need to break-up with some “gods” in your life. Things cripple your relationship with God. Only the true God can fill the longings of our heart. Only God completely satisfies.

How might your life be different if God wasn’t just number one in your hierarchy, but the only one?

Culture Can Be Redeemed – Refurbished Reputation

Key Bible Verse:  Let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.  – 1 John 3:18

Bonus Reading:  1 John 3: 16-19

Our church recognized that its reputation in the community had deteriorated as the church grew.  We were known as “the church that causes traffic jams.”

Add this to the fact that we paid no taxes and you’ll see why the local government saw us as takers rather than contributors to the community.

So we went to the city manager and asked, “What can we do to serve the community?”  He looked at us skeptically and said, “I’ll get back to you.”

Three months later he called and asked us to deliver more than 17,000 town directories to every household.  “Can you do it?” he inquired.  We said yes.

Our church is large, but it was still a challenge to martial more than 200 volunteers to give a September Saturday to deliver these directories.  We found the volunteers, and we decided to make this practical service event into a prayer walk—praying for every home in our community as we walked.

The service project/prayer walk opened new ideas and opportunities for community outreach, and we entered that fall with a new sense of anticipation of God working through us.

—Paul Borthwick in Stop Witnessing and Start Loving

 

My Response: Is my church viewed as a negative, irrelevant, or positive factor in my community?  What might change that?

 

Thought to Apply:  According to the New Testament, God wills that the church be a people who show what God is like. —Stanley Grenz (theologian)

Adapted from Stop Witnessing and Start Loving (NavPress, 2003)

 

 

Prayer for the Week:  Since you’ve called me to be salt and light, I’m not free to just blend in.  Empower me to make a positive impact where you’ve placed me.

 

 

 

6 Essential Reasons Why Worship Matters

Although worship should never be simply a matter of habit, during the coronavirus pandemic, many people have gotten out of the weekly practice of Sunday worship at their church.

Here for your consideration is an interesting article by Philip Wagner about the importance of worship.

Philip Wagner is Lead Pastor of Oasis Church in Los Angeles and founder of Generositywater.org. Oasis is an innovative and racially diverse church, largely comprised of people in their 20’s & 30’s. Oasis is known for its local and global outreach to the impoverished; especially orphans and widows, and funding clean water projects. Philip and his wife, Holly, started Oasis in 1984, in Beverly Hills with10 people. Today they’ve grown to 3000+ members.

Whether you are able to attend Central’s in-person worship on Sunday, participate with our online worship services on our website or Facebook page, or simply listen in to Pastor Jan’s message on WBVP each Sunday morning, we hope that you will make regular worship a priority in your life, regardless of how active COVID-19 is in your area.

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The importance of worship is huge.

Worship Matters.  Worship matters to God.  Worship matters to you.

Often, we allow personal distractions to get in the way.

Sometimes we go to church, but we don’t worship.
We sing songs, but we don’t worship.
We listen to sermons, but we don’t worship.
We serve in a ministry area—but don’t worship.

All of these things are elements of worship, but they are not worship in and of themselves, which means that you can do all of them and yet have failed to truly worship God.

Worship is a lifestyle. It’s the gathering of believers to practice our beliefs and celebration of Him.

Praise is the expression we give to the ‘worship’ we live.

Worship involves more than we realize.

6 Reasons for the Importance of Worship:

1.   Worship Involves Surrender of Our Lives

“I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”  – Romans 12:1

2.   Worship Is Putting Our Focus on Him

True worship is based on the desire to honor God.  It requires a personal revelation of God as found in the Scriptures.  Worship is not based on my likes or dislikes. It is not based on my personal preferences or priorities.  It is a focus on Him.

3.   Worship Involves ‘Getting Out of the Way’

We have to learn to remove our worries, our opinion, our questions and ourselves—so we can worship with appropriate honor.  It’s letting go.  Sometimes, we get in the way of our own experience of genuine worship.

4.   Worship Involves Personal Sacrifice

Praise can be easier when times are good or we have had the big victory. 

It requires a sacrifice of our own feelings and fears so we can give Him the focus He deserves.

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess His name.”– Hebrews 13:15 

5.   We Must Worship in the Face of Pain & Loss

King David demonstrated what it means to worship in the face of loss and pain. His baby died. He prayed and prayed, but the baby died. I can’t imagine the pain that would come from the loss of a child. The loss of loved ones is too great to bear.

After the baby died, the Bible tells us—

Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped.  – 2 Samuel 12:20 NIV

It is so important that in times of pain and loss, we move toward God rather than ‘away’ from Him.  David showed us that we have to say, “I feel so much pain, I’m in agony, but I’m going to go toward God because I need Him more now than ever.”

6.   Worship Is Celebrating Who God Is and What He Has Done

¹ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the Earth. 
² Worship the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. 
³ Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
⁴ Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. 
⁵ For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.  – Psalm 100:1-5, NIV

Thanksgiving – Closed Stores 2020

Culture Can Be Redeemed – Proactive Culture Changer

Key Bible Verse:  Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.  – Philippians 4:8

Bonus Reading:  2 Cor. 10: 3-5

Film executive Micheal Flaherty, now 40, was first an educator who designed a program that dramatically increased the enrollment of minority students at elite Boston prep schools and co-founded a successful charter school.

After the Columbine tragedy of 1999, Flaherty noted that while Cassie Bernall and Rachel Scott loved wholesome films, the gunmen preferred dark flicks like Natural Born Killers.

This inspired him to transition professionally to Hollywood to make movies that would positively influence youth. He contacted his old college roommate Cary Granat, then president of Dimension Films.  Granat caught Flaherty’s vision and they co-founded Walden Media.

Most of Walden’s films are adaptations of well-known novels.  Flaherty hopes to provide librarians, teachers, pastors, and parents with resources for teaching kids positive, even biblical, values.

In an industry skittish about portraying religious themes, Flaherty is bucking the trend. “We’re after great stories,” he says, “and a key element of a great story is faith.”

Walden’s credits include The Chronicles of Narnia megahits, plus adaptations of children’s classics such as Charlotte’s Web, and Amazing Grace, about the life of William Wilberforce.  They are starting to give Hollywood a good name.

—Drew Dyck in Today’s Christian

 

My Response: I think Christians are known more for darkness-cursing than candle-lighting because …

 

Thought to Apply: Better to light a one small candle than to curse the darkness. —Chinese proverb

Adapted from Today’s Christian (3-4/07).

 

 

Prayer for the Week:  Since you’ve called me to be salt and light, I’m not free to just blend in.  Empower me to make a positive impact where you’ve placed me.

 

 

Daily Bible Readings – Revised Common Lectionary – October 25-31, 2020

Here for your personal daily devotions are the daily lectionary readings for October 25-31, 2020:

• • Monday, October 26, 2020:
    Semi-continuous: Psalm 119:41-48 ; Numbers 33:38-39; James 2:8-13
    Complementary: Psalm 119:41-48; Deuteronomy 6:1-9, 20-25; James 2:8-13

• • Tuesday, October 27, 2020:
    Semi-continuous: Psalm 119:41-48; Exodus 34:29-35; James 2:14-26
    Complementary: Psalm 119:41-48; Deuteronomy 10:10-22; James 2:14-26

• • Wednesday, October 28, 2020:
    Semi-continuous: Psalm 119:41-48; Deuteronomy 26:16-27:7 ; Matthew 19:16-22
    Complementary: Psalm 119:41-48; Proverbs 16:1-20; Matthew 19:16-22

• • Thursday, October 29, 2020:
    Semi-continuous: Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37; Joshua 1:1-11; Romans 2:17-29
    Complementary: Psalm 43; 1 Samuel 2:27-36; Romans 2:17-29

• • Friday, October 30, 2020:
    Semi-continuous: Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37; Joshua 2:1-14; 2 Peter 2:1-3
    Complementary: Psalm 43; Ezekiel 13:1-16; 2 Peter 2:1-3

• • Saturday, October 31, 2020:
    Semi-continuous: Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37; Joshua 2:15-24; Matthew 23:13-28
    Complementary: Psalm 43; Malachi 1:6-2:9; Matthew 23:13-28

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What is the Revised Common Lectionary?

The Revised Common Lectionary is a three-year cycle of weekly lections used to varying degrees by the vast majority of mainline Protestant churches in Canada and the United States.  The RCL is built around the seasons of the Church Year, and includes four lections for each Sunday, as well as additional readings for major feast days.

During most of the year, the lections are: a reading from the Hebrew Bible, a Psalm, a reading from the Epistles, and a Gospel reading.  During the season of Easter, the Hebrew Bible lection is usually replaced with one from the Acts of the Apostles.

The seasons of the Church Year reflect the life of Christ.  Consequently, the gospel lections for each Sunday provide the focus for that day. The other lections for a given day generally have a thematic relationship to the gospel reading for that day, although this is not always the case.

In Ordinary Time, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two sets of readings for the lessons from the Hebrew Bible.

• One set proceeds mostly continuously, giving the story of the Patriarchs and the Exodus in Year A, the monarchial narratives in Year B, and readings from the Prophets in Year C.
• In the other set of readings for Ordinary Time, the readings from the Hebrew Bible are thematically related to the gospel lections. Denominations or local churches generally use either the semicontinuous readings or the thematic readings during Ordinary Time. They do not typically move back and forth between the two over the course of a single season.

The gospel readings for each year come from one of the synoptic gospels according to the following pattern:

• Year A – Matthew
• Year B – Mark
• Year C – Luke

Readings from the Gospel of John can be found throughout the RCL.

Central Church

Culture Can Be Redeemed – Who Do We Appreciate?

Key Bible Verse: So let’s not get tired of doing what is good … We will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.  – Galatians 6:9

Bonus Reading:  Romans 12: 9-13

A group wanted “to do something special beyond [its] church walls to make God smile!”

They decided “to honor, encourage, respect, and applaud” the young adults working as cafeteria workers and nurse’s aids at a nursing home.  They sent a warm letter to 14 workers, inviting them to a dinner and celebration in their honor at the home of one of the group members.

After an icebreaker, a group member thanked the workers for their service to the elderly and announced the team’s plan to serve them this evening.  The church women cooked, and the men served the dinner and cleaned.

After the meal, the guests and hosts each told a little about themselves.  Several group members spoke, and the leader read scriptures [such as today’s Key Bible Verse] designed to affirm that each person is created in God’s image for a special purpose.

Each guest received a decorative bowl from Mexico, a houseplant, and an encouraging book.  To end the evening, the workers stood in a circle and received a group blessing.

One letter of thanks said, “It was wonderful to be appreciated.  I’ll never forget it.  The book really made me think how much I can achieve.”

—Bob Moffitt in If Jesus Were Mayor

 

My Response: A way I’d like to “make God smile” is …

Adapted from If Jesus Were Mayor (Monarch, 2006)

 

 

Prayer for the Week:  Since you’ve called me to be salt and light, I’m not free to just blend in.  Empower me to make a positive impact where you’ve placed me.

Central Church – Online Worship Service – Sunday, October 25, 2020

On this 21st Sunday after Pentecost, when the coronavirus prevents many of us from gathering in Central Church’s Sanctuary to worship in body, let us join together in spirit for with our online worship experience!

To begin, simply click on the photo below to join with the folks who have already made their way into our digital Sanctuary:

Central Church

New Electrostatic Disinfecting Sprayer!

The current forecast is for the next 6-8 weeks to be the most severe upswing in the United States for global pandemic to date.

Europe is currently being hit hard, and the thinking is that the United States is running 2 weeks behind Europe.

With all of that dire news, the good news is that our electrostatic sprayer has finally arrived!

Electrostatic sprayer systems deliver electrically-charged disinfecting droplets that are actively attracted to surfaces, including the back, sides and crevices of objects, regardless of the direction of spray for wrap-around disinfection coverage.

Completely touchless, electrostatic sprayers are a quick and efficient means to completely disinfect a space efficiently and effectively.  They can disinfect surfaces that can’t always be reached with traditional spray and wipe methods in a fraction of the time.  They’re an emerging system that many industries are widely adopting for use in their new and improved disinfecting protocols.

At Central, we’re using EarthSafe’s EvaClean Infection Prevention Solution system, which combines a Protexus sprayer with EPA-approved PURTABS to kill SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, in 60 seconds.

So celebrate!  We finally have our most important single piece of equipment to date in our never-ending battle against deadly pathogens!

 

Culture Can Be Redeemed – Three Ways to Relate

Who Said It … Mike Erre

Mike Erre is the teaching pastor at Rock Harbor Church in Costa Mesa, California, where he lives with his wife, Justina, and their two children.  He is the author of Why Guys Need God.

Mike is an avid fan of Buckeye football, the music of Pearl Jam, and the mythology of Star Wars.

What He Said … Three Ways to Relate

The Jews of Jesus’ day responded to the Greco-Roman culture of their occupiers in three ways: embracing it (Sadducees), separating from it (Pharisees), or attempting to take it over (Zealots).

Today’s Christians relate to culture in similar ways.  

• Some, like the Amish and Mennonites, attempt to withdraw from culture.  

• Many evangelicals partially withdraw by forming a Christian subculture with its own schools, music, novels, and movies.  

• Still others—today’s collaborationists—have excised those parts of the Bible offensive to modern ears.

• And Zealots no longer advocate armed revolt but rather use political and legal power to attempt to return the West to its “Christian” roots.

Jesus only direct response was to the many questions of his contemporaries, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (Mark 12:17).  

But how he interacted with his culture speaks volumes.  He didn’t withdraw from it (like the Pharisees) nor embrace it (like the Sadducees).  He didn’t advocate armed revolution (as did the Zealots).  He simply sought to redeem culture wherever he found it.

Adapted from The Jesus of Suburbia (W Publishing, 2006

Prayer for the Week:  Since you’ve called me to be salt and light, I’m not free to just blend in.  Empower me to make a positive impact where you’ve placed me.

 

 

Church After COVID19 — Why Bother Going Back?

Church After COVID19 — Why Bother Going Back?

It’s Sunday morning. I sit by the gas fireplace snuggled up in a warm blanket, relishing the quiet. Before long, the rest of the family will stir, and we’ll have a choice to make:

Get ready to go to church?
Livestream the service at home?
Watch it later?
Or skip it altogether?

Some of these options have emerged in 2020, thanks to COVID19. After 6 months of worship at home with church on Zoom or YouTube, rhythms that used to be automatic are no longer a given.

In our county of rural Alberta, Canada, we currently have zero cases of COVID19. Province-wide, K-12 students are back in class, and churches are allowed to meet again. Still, many precautions are in place. Attending church is more complicated now. Some churches require pre-registration, masks, and hand sanitizer. Most have chairs spaced apart or pews blocked off to ensure social distancing. Some won’t let you sing. Many have cancelled programming for children. And frankly, with no handshakes and no visiting in the lobby—in one door and out another—why bother going?

During the stay-at-home orders, many churches stepped up to the challenge of livestreaming services, investing in equipment and training to foster a sense of continuity. Churches that did this well are facing a new challenge: making the case to return to in-person services.

One rural pastor told me that his low-budget, inexperienced attempt at connecting digitally with his congregation has had a happy result: no one is clamoring for him to continue online services! They are all eager to come back to church. Another pastor told me that re-starting his church was proving harder than starting it in the first place.

Frankly, our church has done an excellent job of digitizing services, and our leaders have decided to continue livestreaming now that we’re meeting in person. This is partly for the sake of those who cannot yet safely gather because they are immuno-compromised, partly for those who are sick or in quarantine, partly to reach a wider audience beyond our small town, and partly because we can’t all fit into the building Sunday mornings with the chairs six feet apart.

Let me first say that if your state or county is prohibiting services, then by all means, stay home. Your government leaders are doing their best to keep you safe. This will not last forever. Eventually the restrictions will lift. When that day comes . . . why shatter the peace of the weekend by going through all of the COVID19 rigmarole, exchanging distant greetings, and singing muffled songs? Why not just tune in at home?

COVID19 has foisted an even bigger question on all of us—what is the point of church anyway? Can it be done online as well as in person? And if so, then why go back at all?

Depending on your church tradition, an obvious answer may present itself: communion. If you are Anglican, Episcopalian, Catholic, or Lutheran, you have gone without communion for 6 months or longer. Even for Baptists, crackers and juice at home are not quite the same. Likely, you feel the ache of its absence and you are eager to return. Communion is one important dimension of gathering for Christian worship that YouTube cannot replicate. It points toward a broader issue: embodiment.

Almost 500 years ago, the Heidelberg Catechism described the Christian experience in a way that anticipates our modern dilemma. It begins with a question: “What is your only comfort in life and death? I am not my own, but belong body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ” (Heidelberg Catechism, Question & Answer 1). My body belongs to Jesus. By extension, I also belong to his means of grace in the world, the church. Of course there is much more to being the church (and following Jesus) than attending a weekly service, but gathered worship is one significant aspect of being part of the church. When I choose not to attend, something is missing.

My absence diminishes what Christ can accomplish in and through the church, while my presence is a tangible means of participation in the kingdom. Ultimately, it’s not about “what I get out of it.” The church cannot fully accomplish her purposes in the world when I withhold my presence. Physical participation matters.

The writers of the Heidelberg Catechism could scarcely have anticipated the options we have to worship from home. Still, they insist that we belong to Jesus body and soul. They acknowledge the importance of embodied worship. Something happens when we are physically present together that is simply not possible when we log in online.

According to James K. A. Smith in his excellent book, You Are What You Love (Brazos, 2016), our physical participation has consequences that may be imperceptible now, but these add up to something significant. Our habitual acts shape our loves. Our loves shape who we become. Smith says that in order to cultivate virtue we must immerse ourselves in practices that inscribe them in our heart over time. He insists,

… counterformative Christian worship doesn’t just dispense information; rather, it is a Christ-centered imagination station where we regularly undergo a ritual cleansing of the symbolic universes we absorb elsewhere. Christian worship doesn’t just teach us how to think; it teaches us how to love, and it does so by inviting us into the biblical story and implanting that story in our bones (You Are What You Love, 85).

With this in mind, here are four reasons I am choosing to attend church in person again, now that it is allowed where I live:

1. Weekly fellowship in a church body orients my loves.

Each week my heart is re-calibrated in tiny ways that keep me facing Jesus rather than drifting in another direction. This is true even if I don’t feel particularly inspired or challenged on a given week. Church is not a vending machine, designed to meet my immediate needs. It is a field that, when cultivated year after year, will produce spiritual nourishment. The fact that I don’t walk out every Sunday with a full belly does not mean it is pointless to go. Little by little, week after week, I tend this field until it yields an abundant harvest.

2. Weekly fellowship in a church body reminds me that following Jesus means joining God’s family.

When I signed on as a Christian, it was not a transaction designed primarily to secure my eternal destiny. Becoming a Christian means becoming part of God’s family and changing how I live here and now. Spending week after week with these people, sharing this experience, eventually adds up to a network of caring relationships. It doesn’t happen overnight (remember, it’s a field, not a vending machine), but as we do life together, we lend support to each other on our faith journeys. Simply watching from home positions me as a solitary consumer rather than an active participant. While digital worship has been a gift to keep us connected during this strange season, it is not a sustainable way to cultivate the community of faith.

3. Weekly fellowship in a church body enables me to participate in God’s work of grace in others.

My effort to show up encourages my leaders, upholding their ministry. Any pastor who has tried preaching to a camera knows that it is not the same. My presence supports the work of my pastor and worship leader to study, plan, and prepare. It lends energy and solidarity to their message.

My presence also affirms the value of corporate worship for all those in attendance. My smile and my wave from six feet away and my voice lifted in praise (behind my COVID19 mask) manifest the Spirit’s presence to others who have come. This is what it means to be the image of God. Our identity as God’s image is expressed physically—an embodied reminder of the presence and rule of God. We represent the unseen God to one another. I am not my own. I am a member of something bigger than myself—Christ’s body on earth. For those who have been isolated at home and traumatized by the incessant trials of this difficult year, my physical presence may be a lifeline. Caring eye contact may lend strength for another week.

4. Weekly fellowship in a church body is a means of declaring allegiance to the kingdom of God.

On the outside, the church may not seem like much. It may seem weak. But the church is a visible witness to the unseen reality of God’s kingdom. Being present each week testifies to this. It acknowledges that God’s invisible kingdom is more substantial and more lasting than the other concrete institutions in my community. It will outlast the postal service, local businesses, schools, and politicians and their offices. It will outlast COVID19 and the hurricanes and the wildfires and the ugly inequalities in our world. My participation ensures this. It testifies to that greater and lasting kingdom.

So, for these and other reasons, I go. I hope that as soon as you are able, you will go, too. Our circumstances may still be less than ideal, but the long-term benefits of embodied worship far outweigh the hassles. Whether I feel excited about it or not (and usually I do!), the church is my family, and I cannot be who I am meant to be without it.

This article originally appeared here.

Converting to Wind Power – Sending the Holy Spirit

Jesus described the Spirit he was promising with an unusual word (Greek parakletos, “called alongside”).

This term, used for a legal representative who spoke in a person’s defense, is translated “Advocate” in the New Living Translation.  The current therapeutic connotations of “Counselor,” another translation, have rendered it misleading.  And “Comforter” is accurate only in its older English meaning of someone who strengthens or encourages.

Interact with God’s Word:  John 14:15-26

1. What is Jesus’ basic assignment to his disciples (vv. 15, 21, 23) in these paragraphs?
2. What unspoken fear of the disciples (v. 18) is his disclosure about the Holy Spirit addressing?
3. How is the sending of the Spirit equivalent to Jesus again being with them?
4. Why are many (vv. 17, 19, 22) unaware of the Spirit’s activities?  How have I experienced the Spirit recently?
5. When (vv. 17, 20) did the Spirit’s presence shift from external to internal for Jesus’ disciples?
6. On what is the Spirit’s teaching and reminding (v. 26) based?
7. Are you confident (v. 21) that Jesus is revealing himself to you?  Does this affirm that you know the Spirit?

 

Spend Time in Prayer

Ask God for strength to obey his commands through the instruction, encouragement, power, and sustaining presence of the Spirit in your life.

 

John 14:15-26:

John 14

15 “If you love me, obey my commandments.  16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.  17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.  The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him.  But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.  18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.  19 Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me.  Since I live, you also will live.  20 When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.  21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me.  And because they love me, my Father will love them.  And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”

22 Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but the other disciple with that name) said to him, “Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?”

23 Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say.  My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.  24 Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me.  And remember, my words are not my own.  What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me.  25 I am telling you these things now while I am still with you.  26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

 

 

 

Revised Common Lectionary – Bible Passages for Sunday, October 25, 2020

In preparation for our worship service this Sunday, for both in-person and online, here are the designated Bible passages from the Revised Common Lectionary.

Pastor Jan’s sermon will focus upon the passage in Matthew 22.

 

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Deuteronomy 34:1-12

34:1 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the LORD showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan,

34:2 all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea,

34:3 the Negeb, and the Plain — that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees — as far as Zoar.

34:4 The LORD said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.”

34:5 Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord’s command.

34:6 He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day.

34:7 Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated.

34:8 The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.

34:9 Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the LORD had commanded Moses.

34:10 Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.

34:11 He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land,

34:12 and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17

90:1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.

90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

90:3 You turn us back to dust, and say, “Turn back, you mortals.”

90:4 For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night.

90:5 You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning;

90:6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.

90:13 Turn, O LORD! How long? Have compassion on your servants!

90:14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

90:15 Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil.

90:16 Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.

90:17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands — O prosper the work of our hands!

Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18

19:1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

19:2 Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.

19:15 You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor.

19:16 You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor: I am the LORD.

19:17 You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself.

19:18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

Psalm 1

1:1 Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers;

1:2 but their delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law they meditate day and night.

1:3 They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.

1:4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

1:5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

1:6 for the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

2:1 You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain,

2:2 but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition.

2:3 For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery,

2:4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts.

2:5 As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed;

2:6 nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others,

2:7 though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children.

2:8 So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.

Matthew 22:34-46

22:34 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together,

22:35 and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.

22:36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”

22:37 He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

22:38 This is the greatest and first commandment.

22:39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

22:41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question:

22:42 “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.”

22:43 He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,

22:44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”‘?

22:45 If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?”

22:46 No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Central Church on WBVP Sunday!

Although Central Church has resumed its in-person worship services at 11 am on Sundays, some people may not yet be able to attend due to COVID-19 concerns.

For anyone who does not feel comfortable with attending an in-person worship service, tune in at 10:30 A.M. on Sunday, October 25, to hear a recorded version of this week’s message from Central Church by Pastor Jan!

Here’s where to tune in:

• AM Radio – WBVP at 1230

• AM Radio – WMBA at 1460

• FM Radio – WBVP/WMBA at 99.3; and

• Online –   The Beaver County Radio Live Audio Stream at https://radio.securenetsystems.net/cirruscontent/WBVP

Be sure to tune in this Sunday at 10:30!

Converting to Wind Power – A Life of Its Own

Key Bible Verse:  But you are not controlled by your sinful nature.  You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you.  – Romans 8:9

Bonus Reading:  Romans 8:12-14

My hand moved like it had a life of its own, as if detached from my arm.  It was flat, horizontal to the ground, and floating like a leaf on the water.  If there was a ripple of air, it flowed with the ripple.

For an eight-year-old boy, that’s what it was like when I’d put my hand out the window of our car while traveling at 55 miles an hour.  Somehow my hand didn’t belong to me.  I just stuck it in the wind and the wind gave it life and power.

The wind had control of my hand, making it go up or down, forward or backward.  That’s why it didn’t seem like it was mine, because I’d surrendered control to the wind.

How then do you convert your life to wind power, to God’s power?  

Like my hand, you let the wind of God’s Spirit blow over your life.  You detach your life from your own control.  You let go.

You place your life so that it floats on the wind of God’s power, and let him empower you.  You place your life in the wind of God’s power, and let him control you.  You place your life with the wind of God’s power, and let him lead you.

—Joe Williams in Ohio

 

My Response:  Am I increasingly becoming an instrument in God’s hand (Rom. 6:13)?

 

Thought to Apply:  The Spirit’s control will replace sin’s control.  His power is greater than the power of all your sin. —Erwin Lutzer (Illinois pastor)

 

 

Prayer for the Week:  I’m not strong enough, Lord, to live up to your standards on my own.  Teach me how to rely on the internal power your Spirit provides.

 

 

 

Converting to Wind Power – Sending the Holy Spirit

Jesus described the Spirit he was promising with an unusual word (Greek parakletos, “called alongside”).

This term, used for a legal representative who spoke in a person’s defense, is translated “Advocate” in the New Living Translation.  The current therapeutic connotations of “Counselor,” another translation, have rendered it misleading.  And “Comforter” is accurate only in its older English meaning of someone who strengthens or encourages.

Interact with God’s Word:  John 14:15-26

1. What is Jesus’ basic assignment to his disciples (vv. 15, 21, 23) in these paragraphs?
2. What unspoken fear of the disciples (v. 18) is his disclosure about the Holy Spirit addressing?
3. How is the sending of the Spirit equivalent to Jesus again being with them?
4. Why are many (vv. 17, 19, 22) unaware of the Spirit’s activities?  How have I experienced the Spirit recently?
5. When (vv. 17, 20) did the Spirit’s presence shift from external to internal for Jesus’ disciples?
6. On what is the Spirit’s teaching and reminding (v. 26) based?
7. Are you confident (v. 21) that Jesus is revealing himself to you?  Does this affirm that you know the Spirit?

 

Spend Time in Prayer

Ask God for strength to obey his commands through the instruction, encouragement, power, and sustaining presence of the Spirit in your life.

 

John 14:15-26:

John 14

15 “If you love me, obey my commandments.  16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.  17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.  The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him.  But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.  18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.  19 Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me.  Since I live, you also will live.  20 When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.  21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me.  And because they love me, my Father will love them.  And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”

22 Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but the other disciple with that name) said to him, “Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?”

23 Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say.  My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.  24 Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me.  And remember, my words are not my own.  What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me.  25 I am telling you these things now while I am still with you.  26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

 

 

 

Converting to Wind Power – The Force Be With You?

Key Bible Verse: “The world … doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.”  – John 14:17

Bonus Reading:  1 Corinthians 2: 9-12; 1 Corinthians 2: 12:11; Ephesians 4:30

Several years ago, I attended a bizarre weekend at a retreat center in the Colorado mountains.  Two groups—leaders from the evangelical Christian community and leaders from the new age movement—had been invited to see if any bridges of understanding could be erected.

Both groups referred to “the spirit” to articulate their positions.  But it soon became obvious that to the new age group the “spirit” was some kind of impersonal cosmic energy force.  You could possess more or less of this force, and of course, it was always with you.  Their explanations gave me the sensation of entering a theological “Twilight Zone” or of becoming an extra on the set of Star Wars.

But the Holy Spirit is not a force. He’s a person.

As Jesus told his disciples [in today’s Key Bible Verse] he’s a he, not an it.  Consistently throughout the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is referred to with masculine personal pronouns.  

The significance of the pronoun isn’t so much in its gender as in its being personal.  It’s possible to become a modern gnostic, even as a Christian, when we think of the Spirit in terms of a force or entity rather than person.

—Bob Beltz in Becoming a Man of the Spirit

 

My Response: How do the Bonus Readings demonstrate the intellect, volition, and emotion of a person?

 

Thought to Apply: No human power can replace the power of the Spirit. —Lewi Pethrus (Swedish pastor)

Adapted from Becoming a Man of the Spirit (NavPress/navpress.com, 1999)

 

 

Prayer for the Week:  I’m not strong enough, Lord, to live up to your standards on my own.  Teach me how to rely on the internal power your Spirit provides.

 

 

 

7 Real Reasons Why People Are Turning to God

God is on the move. Two thousand years ago Jesus made a promise to Peter, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18), and He has been doing that ever since.

Why are people turning to God?

Here are seven real reasons:

1. Influence of family. Parenting is a sacred opportunity not just to shape a life but to shape a soul and teach children the truth about the God that loves them. For many who turn to God, their primary influence is their family. As one wrote, “My mom always taught me about God and tried to take us to church. I remember our family praying together to get a house and God answered our prayer.”

2. Exposure to church. Simply showing up to church on a regular basis can have a profound impact on your life and faith. If a church can create a warm, welcoming environment where people are accepted and embraced, lives can be changed! As one wrote, “Listening to the sermons helped me understand more about faith in Christ and what it means to be a Christian.”

3. Taking Jesus to their world. More than simply waiting for lost people to go to us, four of the six baptized this past Sunday made a decision to trust Jesus because Jesus was brought to them in their world: their school. Through an after school program led by our church volunteers, the gospel is shared on a regular basis. As several wrote, “This year at Good News Club, I prayed to receive Jesus as my Savior.”

4. Inability to find purpose and meaning on their own. Ecclesiastes 3:11 states that God has placed eternity within our hearts, spurring us on a life-long quest for meaning and purpose, which ultimately finds its fulfillment in God Himself. As one wrote, “What describes my life before Christ is that I was lost. I had no sense of direction until I started seeking for God.”

5. Overwhelmed by the pressures of life. We all come to an end of ourselves, when we are at the bottom, drowning in the overwhelmingness of life. In those moments of need, our hearts are naturally drawn upwards towards God. As one wrote, “I faced a lot of difficulties and problems which made me go into deep depression. Life was so hard and I was under lots of pressure. I was desperately looking for something to help me feel better, but nothing worked.” Even though he originally grew up in a different religion, this man’s desperation led him to accept an invite to church.

6. The invitation of a friend. Never underestimate the power of a simple invitation. For you it might be a habit or even an afterthought, but God has a way of divinely orchestrating life-changing events through a simple invitation. As one wrote, the moment his life changed was the moment when “one of my coworkers invited me to go with him to church.”

7. Realization of who God is. Since God has placed eternity in our hearts, God is always working in us, always drawing us to Himself. Through a myriad of different opportunities, God will reveal Himself to us. As one shared, “I really didn’t start thinking about God until I got older. As I got older I realized that God is important and I started to believe more in Him.”

Be aware of what God is doing around you. Look for people who are hurting because they need the hope you have found in Jesus. Never underestimate the power of an invitation, because God is always working!

QUESTION: What reason, circumstance or influence brought you to faith in Jesus?

Converting to Wind Power – Reality Check

Key Bible Verse:  Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind … so you cannot understand the activity of God.  – Ecclesiastes 11:5

Bonus Reading:  John 3: 3-9

When trees are waving wildly in the wind, journalist G.K. Chesterton once observed, people have historically thought that it is the wind that moves the trees—that the invisible gives energy to the visible. More recently others have concluded that the motion of the trees creates the wind—that what they see and hear and touch is basic reality and generates whatever can’t be verified with the senses.

The word translated “spirit” in our English Bibles carries in Hebrew the primary meaning of “wind” and “breath.”  Imagine how our perceptions would change if we substituted these words for “spirit” in our language.  

For our ancestors, spirit was not “spiritual”; it was sensory.  Although invisible, it was not immaterial.  It had visible effects.  Air, after all, provides the molecules for the quiet breathing that is part of all life, the puffs of air used to make words, the gentle breezes that caress the skin, the brisk winds that fill the sails of ships, the wild hurricanes that tear roofs off barns and uproot trees.

It would clarify things enormously if we could withdraw “spirit” and “spiritual” from our language stock for a while.

—Eugene Peterson in Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places

 

My Response: Can I honestly repeat Paul’s claim that “we live by believing and not by seeing” (2 Cor. 5:7)?

 

Thought to Apply: Those who have the gale of the Holy Spirit go forward even in sleep.—Brother Lawrence

Adapted from Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places (Eerdmans, 2005).

 

 

Prayer for the Week:  I’m not strong enough, Lord, to live up to your standards on my own.  Teach me how to rely on the internal power your Spirit provides.

 

 

 

‘Why I give’: United Methodists speak out

United Methodists share why they give to their local churches. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News

Even during a pandemic, when many face financial struggles, United Methodist churches rely on the generosity of their members. These United Methodists share why they give.

“I give because it is a privilege to answer God’s call to support the unmet needs of others and transform the lives of homeless families through Family Promise. I give because I believe in being a part of the collective good and understand the importance of supporting my neighbors and community.” — Kim Lewis, First United Methodist Church, Billings, Montana, Mountain Sky Conference

“Because our church not only ministers to the needs of our congregation of all ages from infancy to the very mature, it exemplifies Matthew 25:35-36. ‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'” — Jack Layfield, Trinity United Methodist Church, Opelika, Alabama, Alabama-West Florida Conference

“I give to my church, because not only does God ask us to support financially the work He does in reaching out to and meeting the needs of others in and through our faith communities, but it shows a trust in His provision on our part, especially if we give with a cheerful heart as Paul encouraged us to do in 2 Corinthians 9:7.”— Denise Dix, Donelson Heights United Methodist Church, Nashville, Tennessee, Tennessee Conference

“I give to my United Methodist Church because everything I have belongs first and foremost to God and because I owe everything that I am, both spiritually and personally, to my church. We are but stewards of God’s gifts, and I feel that it is my duty to give in thanks for the abundance which I have received.” — Dylan Mulligan, Glennville United Methodist Church, Glennville, Georgia, South Georgia Conference 

“I give to my United Methodist church because being a wife, mother, and working a full-time job doesn’t always allow me to go and do all the things, but through donations I am able to help my church be the hands and feet of God, which is so important right now, and always.” — Morgan Hennis Shaw, Sedge Garden United Methodist Church, Kernersville, North Carolina, Western North Carolina Conference

*Crystal Caviness works for UMC.org at United Methodist Communications. Contact her by email or at 615-742-5138. Published on September 29, 2020.

Converting to Wind Power – The Impossible Challenge

Key Bible Verse: “I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.”   – John 14:18

Bonus Reading:  John 14: 15-17

“Life is difficult.”  That’s the opening sentence of M. Scott Peck’s best-selling book, The Road Less Travelled.  

The opening words of Peck’s sequel,,Further Along the Road Less Traveled, are “Life is complex.”

Let me take these observations one step further: “Life is impossible.”  This statement is always true when we view life from the perspective of a man who desires to be the kind of man God wants him to be.

“You are to be perfect,” Jesus instructed.

“I can’t,” the honest man replies.

One night, Jesus met with 12 ordinary men in an upper room in Jerusalem to share the Passover meal.  Jesus startled them by assuming the household slave role of washing their feet, and then telling them that they were to serve one another in the same way.  He then told them that the guiding rule of their lives was to have a love for one another that equaled his love for them.  These ordinary men should have been thinking, “This is impossible!”

This is the dilemma of the spiritual person living in a fallen world.  You and I don’t have the ability to live the way God intended us to live.  That is, not under our own power.  We need help.  We need a helper.

—Bob Beltz in Becoming a Man of the Spirit

 

My Response: How could Jesus say “It is best for you that I go away” (John 16:7)?

Adapted from Becoming a Man of the Spirit (NavPress/navpress.com, 1999)

 

 

Prayer for the Week:  I’m not strong enough, Lord, to live up to your standards on my own.  Teach me how to rely on the internal power your Spirit provides.

Daily Bible Readings – Revised Common Lectionary – October 19-24, 2020

Here for your personal daily devotions are the daily lectionary readings for October 19-24, 2020:

• • Monday, October 19, 2020:

Semi-continuous: Psalm 63:1-8; Exodus 40:34-38; Revelation 18:1-10, 19-20

Complementary: Psalm 98; Daniel 3:1-18; Revelation 18:1-10, 19-20

• • Tuesday, October 20, 2020:
    Semi-continuous: Psalm 63:1-8; Numbers 12:1-9; Revelation 18:21-24
    Complementary: Psalm 98; Daniel 3:19-30; Revelation 18:21-24

• • Wednesday, October 21, 2020:
    Semi-continuous: Psalm 63:1-8; Numbers 13:1-2, 17-14:9; Matthew 17:22-27
    Complementary: Psalm 98; Daniel 6:1-28; Matthew 17:22-27

• • Thursday, October 22, 2020:
    Semi-continuous: Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17; Deuteronomy 31:14-22; Titus 1:5-16
    Complementary: Psalm 1; Numbers 5:5-10; Titus 1:5-16

• • Friday, October 23, 2020:
    Semi-continuous: Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17; Deuteronomy 32:1-14, 18; Titus 2:7-8, 11-15
    Complementary: Psalm 1; Deuteronomy 9:25-10:5; Titus 2:7-8, 11-15

• • Saturday, October 24, 2020:
    Semi-continuous: Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17; Deuteronomy 32:44-47; John 5:39-47
    Complementary: Psalm 1; Proverbs 24:23-34; John 5:39-47

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What is the Revised Common Lectionary?

The Revised Common Lectionary is a three-year cycle of weekly lections used to varying degrees by the vast majority of mainline Protestant churches in Canada and the United States.  The RCL is built around the seasons of the Church Year, and includes four lections for each Sunday, as well as additional readings for major feast days.

During most of the year, the lections are: a reading from the Hebrew Bible, a Psalm, a reading from the Epistles, and a Gospel reading.  During the season of Easter, the Hebrew Bible lection is usually replaced with one from the Acts of the Apostles.

The seasons of the Church Year reflect the life of Christ.  Consequently, the gospel lections for each Sunday provide the focus for that day. The other lections for a given day generally have a thematic relationship to the gospel reading for that day, although this is not always the case.

In Ordinary Time, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two sets of readings for the lessons from the Hebrew Bible.

• One set proceeds mostly continuously, giving the story of the Patriarchs and the Exodus in Year A, the monarchial narratives in Year B, and readings from the Prophets in Year C.
• In the other set of readings for Ordinary Time, the readings from the Hebrew Bible are thematically related to the gospel lections. Denominations or local churches generally use either the semicontinuous readings or the thematic readings during Ordinary Time. They do not typically move back and forth between the two over the course of a single season.

The gospel readings for each year come from one of the synoptic gospels according to the following pattern:

• Year A – Matthew
• Year B – Mark
• Year C – Luke

Readings from the Gospel of John can be found throughout the RCL.

Central Church

Central Church – Online Worship Service – Sunday, October 18, 2020

On this 20th Sunday after Pentecost, when the coronavirus prevents many of us from gathering in Central Church’s Sanctuary to worship in body, let us join together in spirit for with our online worship experience!

To begin, simply click on the photo below to join with the folks who have already made their way into our digital Sanctuary:

Central Church

New Sanctuary Wall Banner!

Barb has just finished another beautiful wall banner for our Sanctuary, and Jeff kindly was able to find the best combination to hang it on the 6th Avenue Tower wall in the rear of our Sanctuary.

It had its grand debut during our morning worship service today.  Take a look at it the next time you’re at the Church!

Thanks, Barb, for all of your hard work in helping to make our Sanctuary a place where of beauty!

Converting to Wind Power – Sweat, Drift, or…

Who Said It … John Ortberg

John Ortberg is the senior pastor at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park, California.

He is passionate about “spiritual formation,” which is how people become more like Jesus. His teaching brings Scripture alive and invariably includes practical applications and warm humor.

The latest of several books John has written is Faith and Doubt. He and his wife, Nancy, have three teen and young adult children.

 

What He Said … Sweat, Drift, or …

Significant spiritual transformation is a long-term endeavor that involves both God and us.  I liken it to crossing an ocean.

Some people try, day after day, to be good, to become spiritually mature.  That’s like taking a rowboat across the ocean.  It’s exhausting and usually unsuccessful.

Others have given up trying and throw themselves entirely on “relying on God’s grace.”  They’re like drifters on a raft.  They do nothing but hang on and hope God gets them there.  Neither trying nor drifting are very effective in bringing about spiritual transformation.

A better image is the sailboat, in which if it moves at all, it’s a gift of the wind.  We can’t control the wind, but a good sailor discerns where the wind is blowing and adjusts the sails accordingly.

Working with the Holy Spirit, which Jesus likened to the wind in John 3, means we have a part in discerning the winds, in knowing the direction we need to go, and in training our sails to catch the breezes that God provides.  That’s true transformation.

Adapted from Leadership Journal (Summer.02)

 

Prayer for the Week:  I’m not strong enough, Lord, to live up to your standards on my own.  Teach me how to rely on the internal power your Spirit provides.

 

 

Central Church on WBVP Sunday!

Although Central Church has resumed its in-person worship services at 11 am on Sundays, some people may not yet be able to attend due to COVID-19 concerns.

For anyone who does not feel comfortable with attending an in-person worship service, tune in at 10:30 A.M. on Sunday, October 18, to hear a recorded version of this week’s message from Central Church by Pastor Jan!

Here’s where to tune in:

• AM Radio – WBVP at 1230

• AM Radio – WMBA at 1460

• FM Radio – WBVP/WMBA at 99.3; and

• Online –   The Beaver County Radio Live Audio Stream at https://radio.securenetsystems.net/cirruscontent/WBVP

Be sure to tune in this Sunday at 10:30!

Revised Common Lectionary – Bible Passages for Sunday, October 18, 2020

In preparation for our worship service this Sunday, for both in-person and online, here are the designated Bible passages from the Revised Common Lectionary.

Pastor Jan’s sermon will focus upon the passage in 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10.

 

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Exodus 33:12-23

33:12 Moses said to the LORD, “See, you have said to me, ‘Bring up this people’; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’

33:13 Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.”

33:14 He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

33:15 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here.

33:16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth.”

33:17 The LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”

33:18 Moses said, “Show me your glory, I pray.”

33:19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, ‘The LORD’; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.

33:20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.”

33:21 And the LORD continued, “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock;

33:22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by;

33:23 then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.”

Psalm 99

99:1 The LORD is king; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!

99:2 The LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples.

99:3 Let them praise your great and awesome name. Holy is he!

99:4 Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.

99:5 Extol the LORD our God; worship at his footstool. Holy is he!

99:6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called on his name. They cried to the LORD, and he answered them.

99:7 He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept his decrees, and the statutes that he gave them.

99:8 O LORD our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings.

99:9 Extol the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the LORD our God is holy.

Isaiah 45:1-7

45:1 Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him and strip kings of their robes, to open doors before him– and the gates shall not be closed:

45:2 I will go before you and level the mountains, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron,

45:3 I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who call you by your name.

45:4 For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, I surname you, though you do not know me.

45:5 I am the LORD, and there is no other; besides me there is no god. I arm you, though you do not know me,

45:6 so that they may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is no one besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.

45:7 I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe; I the LORD do all these things.

Psalm 96:1-9, (10-13)

96:1 O sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.

96:2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.

96:3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples.

96:4 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods.

96:5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.

96:6 Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

96:7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

96:8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts.

96:9 Worship the LORD in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth.

96:10 Say among the nations, “The LORD is king! The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity.”

96:11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it;

96:12 let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy

96:13 before the LORD; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.

1:2 We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly

1:3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

1:4 For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you,

1:5 because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake.

1:6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit,

1:7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

1:8 For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it.

1:9 For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God,

1:10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead–Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

Matthew 22:15-22

22:15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said.

22:16 So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality.

22:17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?”

22:18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites?

22:19 Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.

22:20 Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?”

22:21 They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

22:22 When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

Encouraging and Supporting Your Friends – Supportive Friends

Today’s Bible passage looks at only four brief verses from Proverbs.  But like all of the adages found throughout this wisdom-filled book, these tersely crafted verses are jam-packed with powerful, practical, and timeless insights.

And in keeping with this week’s theme, the insights go straight to the heart and soul of what it means to be someone who seeks to bring out the best in his friends.

So, dig into these four short verses and then put them to work in your friendships.

Interact with God’s Word:

Proverbs 27: 5-6, 9, 17

1.      When have you been grateful for a friend’s “open rebuke” (v. 5)?  Why was this rebuke helpful to you?

2.      How does a wound from a “sincere friend” (v. 6) differ from a wound from an insincere friend?

3.      Why are wounds from a “sincere friend” better than “kisses from an enemy”?

4.      When was a time “heartfelt counsel” (v. 9) kept you from making a mistake or gave you the courage to do what was right?

5.      Who is a friend you could “sharpen” (v. 17) through an encouraging word, a piece of timely advice, or a loving rebuke?

6.      Take time to memorize one or two of the verses from this week’s study.

 

Spend Time in Prayer:

Thank God for friends who offer you encouragement and who seek to bring out the best in you; ask God to guide you and give you wisdom as you seek to encourage and challenge your own friends to greater godliness.

 

Proverbs 27: 5-6, 9, 17:

5 An open rebuke
is better than hidden love!

6 Wounds from a sincere friend
are better than many kisses from an enemy.

9 The heartfelt counsel of a friend
is as sweet as perfume and incense.

17 As iron sharpens iron,
so a friend sharpens a friend.

 

 

 

Encouraging and Supporting Your Friends – We Need Each Other

Key Bible Verse: I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.   – 2 Corinthians 13:11

Bonus Reading:  Romans 15: 4-6

Mark (not his real name) took the courageous step of joining a church group that encourages men who want to grow out of destructive patterns.

I had been urging him to take advantage of this group. When he did so, I told him how my respect for him had risen. But as I looked with the eyes of God, I saw a shadow in his face, a touch of discouragement, even a hint of fear. He needed some encouragement.

“But you know,” I added, “when you read the classics, they stress how once a believer begins taking God more seriously, Satan is likely to unleash his most fierce temptations against that person.”

The relief that flooded Mark’s face was immediate. “Thank you for sharing that,” he said. “It helps me understand what’s been going on.”

Just hours before I talked to Mark, two of my friends had spoken to me, ministering God’s presence and wisdom.  If they hadn’t lifted me up, I don’t know if I would have been available to encourage Mark.  True transformation is a community effort.  We need each other.

—Gary Thomas in The Beautiful Fight

 

My Response: Who is a friend I need to thank for being there to encourage me?

Adapted from The Beautiful Fight (Zondervan, 2007

Thought to Apply: A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down. —Arnold Glasgow (writer, humorist)

 

 

Prayer for the Week:  Dear Father, show me how to best encourage and challenge my friends to deeper faith; show me how to support them during their struggles.

 

 

 

Coronavirus – October 2020 Update – The Surging Virus

The following information appeared in today’s New York Times:

The autumn wave of the coronavirus has reached a dangerous new stage. The number of new daily cases has risen almost 50 percent in the U.S. over the past month. The situation is even worse in Europe.

For the first time since late March, the per capita number of new cases in Europe exceeds the number in the U.S.:

“The virus is everywhere in France,” the French president, Emmanuel Macron, said yesterday, while imposing a nighttime curfew in major cities.

The onset of cooler weather, which is driving more people indoors, seems to be playing a big role. And many people seem to have grown tired of pandemic restrictions, leading politicians — in both Europe and the U.S. — to lift restrictions prematurely.

In late June, as The Times’s Mark Landler writes from Europe, residents in Prague held a dinner party stretching across the Charles Bridge to celebrate what they called — wrongly — the end of the outbreak. Italy and Spain welcomed summer tourists.

But the pandemic hasn’t gone away. While treatments are getting better, many people are still dying — including almost 6,000 in India over the past week, 5,000 in the U.S., 1,700 in Iran, 850 in Spain and about 600 in both Britain and France. A widely available vaccine is still months away, even if the current research trials go well.

Amid all of this bad news, it’s worth keeping in mind that some countries continue to fight the virus successfully. The per capita rate of new cases in Canada is less than half as high as it is in the U.S. In Australia and much of Africa and Asia, the rate remains near zero.

In many places where case counts are rising, political leaders are reluctant to impose new lockdowns, because the public is tired of them. But that creates something of a Catch-22: The most reliable way to reverse big outbreaks of this virus has been through strict crackdowns.

In the U.S.: The virus is spreading in every region, with the highest case counts in the South and Midwest, as you can see in these charts.

• After a huge aid expansion kept millions of people out of poverty this spring, the help is largely exhausted, and poverty in the U.S. has returned to levels higher than before the pandemic.  8 Million have slipped into poverty since May as federal aid has dried up.

Central Church

 

 

Encouraging and Supporting Your Friends – Get Real, Go Deep

Key Bible Verse: Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet.  Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs.  – 1 Thessalonians 5:14, The Message

Bonus Reading:  1 Thessalonians 3:2-3

If you were to share with a trusted friend that you struggle with watching television shows you know you shouldn’t, your friend could react in a number of ways.  The reaction you receive will most likely reveal the depth of your friend’s commitment to you.

Your friend could say to you, “Well, just turn off the TV and pray about it.”  In this case, your friend probably can’t really relate to your problem, but he thinks telling you this will help.  He might be truly concerned, however, even though he doesn’t really understand.  Or he may simply practice doling out spiritual-sounding advice.

On the other hand, imagine the difference if that friend makes a committed effort to help you.  Think how you’ll feel if your friend says, “Let’s talk about your problem some more.  Why do you think you’re having this struggle?  Let’s pray about this together.”  The two of you spend some time talking over the struggle you’re experiencing—and then you spend some more time beside each other in prayer.  Your friend is committed to helping you—as long as it takes—until you get through this problem.  Now that’s a committed friendship.

—David Wardell and Jeff Leever in Daily Disciples

 

My Response: How can I best demonstrate empathy toward a struggling friend?

 

Thought to Apply: We are born helpless. … We need others physically, emotionally, intellectually; we need them if we are to know anything, even ourselves.—C. S. Lewis(British scholar, Christian writer)

Adapted from Daily Disciples (Promise, 2001)

 

 

Prayer for the Week:  Dear Father, show me how to best encourage and challenge my friends to deeper faith; show me how to support them during their struggles.

 

 

Encouraging and Supporting Your Friends – Was It Worth It?

Key Bible Verse:  When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.  – Romans 1:12

Bonus Reading:  Philemon 1:7

To encourage the guys in a Bible study I recently led, I telephoned each of them every week, asking how things were going and how I could pray for them.

One of the men was reticent on the phone, often answering my general questions with one or two words.  Our typical conversation lasted for only a minute or two.

Was he uncomfortable talking with me?  I wondered after each call.  Was I annoying him with my repeated phone calls?  Did he not even like me?  Perhaps I should just stop calling him.

Before making any decisions, though, I needed some expert advice.  I talked to my wife.

“I wouldn’t give up,” she said.  “Those calls probably mean more to him than you think.”

I took my wife’s advice and called that man again.  As usual, he shared little and offered no prayer requests.  As I began to wrap up another uncomfortable conversation, he said something that stunned me.

“Jon,” he said, “I just want you to know that I really appreciate your calls.  It’s encouraging to hear a friendly voice every week.”

With tears forming in my eyes, I thanked him for his kind words.  I hung up the phone and looked forward to calling him the following week.

—Jonathan Wakefield

 

My Response: How do I react when guys don’t seem to respond positively to my attempts to reach out and encourage them?

 

Thought to Apply: “Q: How can you tell if a person needs encouragement? A: If they are breathing.” —Truett Cathy (founder of Chick-fil-A)

 

 

Prayer for the Week:  Dear Father, show me how to best encourage and challenge my friends to deeper faith; show me how to support them during their struggles.

 

 

 

Encouraging and Supporting Your Friends – A Team of Huggers

Key Bible Verse:  Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.   – Hebrews 10:24

Bonus Reading:  Acts 4:36, 11:22-24

Coach Peacock’s team had just won a state championship.  They were celebrating in the locker room, and Coach was hugging his players right and left.

As the congratulations continued, the coach noticed one player in particular sitting alone on a bench, watching him.  Coach Peacock knew that the young man’s parents were divorced and also that his dad was an alcoholic who never attended any of his son’s games.  So he walked over to the player and asked if he was okay.  The young man responded, “Yes, Coach, but I was just wondering … could I have another hug?”

The experience was a milestone in Coach’s life, leading him on a campaign to become a “team of huggers.”  Starting with the coaching staff, Coach Peacock wouldn’t settle for a wimpy hug.  It had to be a “bear hug.”  Soon, the coaches began sharing hugs with their players.

Most of us would agree that hugs encourage us and remind us that someone cares about us.  Of course, there are many ways to encourage others.  Hebrews 10:24 says that we are to consider how to stimulate and encourage one another to good deeds.

Let’s consider all the ways that we might encourage our fellow coaches, teachers, players, family members, and neighbors.

—Bill Burnett in Heart of a Coach

 

My Response: How do I feel about hugging my guy friends? Why do I feel this way?

 

Thought to Apply: There are high spots in all of our lives and most of them have come about through encouragement from someone else.—George M. Adams (writer)

Adapted from Heart of a Coach (Regal, 2005)

 

 

Prayer for the Week:  Dear Father, show me how to best encourage and challenge my friends to deeper faith; show me how to support them during their struggles.

 

 

 

Daily Bible Readings – Revised Common Lectionary – October 12-17, 2020

Here for your personal daily devotions are the daily lectionary readings for October 12-17, 2020:

• • Monday, October 12, 2020:
    Semi-continuous: Psalm 97; Exodus 32:15-35; Jude 17-25
    Complementary: Psalm 34; Exodus 19:7-20; Jude 17-25

• • Tuesday, October 13, 2020:
    Semi-continuous: Psalm 97; Exodus 33:1-6; Philippians 3:13-4:1
    Complementary: Psalm 34; Amos 9:5-15; Philippians 3:13-4:1

• • Wednesday, October 14, 2020:
    Semi-continuous: Psalm 97; 2 Kings 17:7-20; John 6:25-35
    Complementary: Psalm 34; Song of Solomon 7:10-8:4; John 6:25-35

• • Thursday, October 15, 2020:
    Semi-continuous: Psalm 99; Exodus 33:7-11; 3 John 9-12
    Complementary: Psalm 96:1-9; Judges 17:1-6; 3 John 9-12

• • Friday, October 16, 2020:
    Semi-continuous: Psalm 99; Exodus 31:1-11; 1 Peter 5:1-5
    Complementary: Psalm 96:1-9; Deuteronomy 17:14-20; 1 Peter 5:1-5

• • Saturday, October 17, 2020:
    Semi-continuous: Psalm 99; Exodus 39:32-43; Matthew 14:1-12
    Complementary: Psalm 96:1-9; Isaiah 14:3-11; Matthew 14:1-12

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What is the Revised Common Lectionary?

The Revised Common Lectionary is a three-year cycle of weekly lections used to varying degrees by the vast majority of mainline Protestant churches in Canada and the United States.  The RCL is built around the seasons of the Church Year, and includes four lections for each Sunday, as well as additional readings for major feast days.

During most of the year, the lections are: a reading from the Hebrew Bible, a Psalm, a reading from the Epistles, and a Gospel reading.  During the season of Easter, the Hebrew Bible lection is usually replaced with one from the Acts of the Apostles.

The seasons of the Church Year reflect the life of Christ.  Consequently, the gospel lections for each Sunday provide the focus for that day. The other lections for a given day generally have a thematic relationship to the gospel reading for that day, although this is not always the case.

In Ordinary Time, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two sets of readings for the lessons from the Hebrew Bible.

• One set proceeds mostly continuously, giving the story of the Patriarchs and the Exodus in Year A, the monarchial narratives in Year B, and readings from the Prophets in Year C.
• In the other set of readings for Ordinary Time, the readings from the Hebrew Bible are thematically related to the gospel lections. Denominations or local churches generally use either the semicontinuous readings or the thematic readings during Ordinary Time. They do not typically move back and forth between the two over the course of a single season.

The gospel readings for each year come from one of the synoptic gospels according to the following pattern:

• Year A – Matthew
• Year B – Mark
• Year C – Luke

Readings from the Gospel of John can be found throughout the RCL.

Central Church

15 Powerful Bible Verses About God’s Deep Personal Care for You – Verse #15

Do you ever feel like God is far off? Do you need Bible verses about how God cares for you? That maybe he has forgotten about you? That he isn’t that involved in your life? Do you ever wonder if God really cares for you? We will all be tempted to feel like that from time to time. I think we can all relate to how David felt in Psalm 22:

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? Psalm 22:1

We can feel like God has forsaken us. That he is far away. That he doesn’t see our pain or hear our groaning.

One of the greatest challenges believers face on a regular basis, is what will we believe – our feelings and emotions or God’s Word. Our feelings are real. We really feel them. They are strong.

But our feelings are a poor barometer of the truth. Though they are true feelings, they are not always the truth. God’s word is the truth, whether we feel it or not.

So when we FEEL like God is not near, we must remember his Word. We must remember his promises.

Here is powerful Bible verse #15 about how God cares for you.

15. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When we are afflicted, we can run to “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” And there is no affliction he will not comfort us in – he comforts us in “ALL OUR AFFLICTION.” So much so that we can pour out God’s comfort on others in their pain.

I hope these verses encourage you. Isn’t our God wonderful? God cares for you.

 

 

Encouraging and Supporting Your Friends – Training Partners

Key Bible Verse:  If one person falls, the other can reach out and help.  But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.  – Ecclesiastes 4:10

Bonus Reading:  Proverbs 27: 6, 9, 17

For a runner, there is nothing as wearing or as boring as a solo workout.  The workout seems endless.

For this reason, I always appreciated having training partners.  When I ran with them, I was stretched, pulled, and extended beyond what I thought I could do.  That’s the benefit of having quality training partners.  They push and press us to better performances.

To me friendships are life’s training partners; they push and press us through everyday life.  Henry Van Dyke once wrote that the mark of a friend is that he makes you wish to be at your best while you are with him.

Good friends, like good personal training partners, pull us forward.  They make us better.  They stretch us.  Good friends challenge us when they see blind spots in our lives.

Poor friends have the exact opposite effect—they drag us down.

That’s why I believe friends are such a critical component to a successful life and are to be chosen wisely.  It does matter who we hang out with.

Proverbs 13:20 reads: “He who walks with wise men will be wise.  But the companion of fools will be destroyed” (NKJV).  Let us be wise people in the company that we keep and the friends that we make.

—Jim Ryun in The Courage to Run

 

My Response: How am I encouraging and challenging my friends?  How are my friends encouraging and challenging me?

Adapted from The Courage to Run (Regal, 2006)

 

 

Prayer for the Week:  Dear Father, show me how to best encourage and challenge my friends to deeper faith; show me how to support them during their struggles.

 

 

 

Central Church – Online Worship Service – Sunday, October 11, 2020

On this 19th Sunday after Pentecost, when the coronavirus prevents many of us from gathering in Central Church’s Sanctuary to worship in body, let us join together in spirit for with our online worship experience!

To begin, simply click on the photo below to join with the folks who have already made their way into our digital Sanctuary:

Central Church

15 Powerful Bible Verses About God’s Deep Personal Care for You – Verse #14

Do you ever feel like God is far off? Do you need Bible verses about how God cares for you? That maybe he has forgotten about you? That he isn’t that involved in your life? Do you ever wonder if God really cares for you? We will all be tempted to feel like that from time to time. I think we can all relate to how David felt in Psalm 22:

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? Psalm 22:1

We can feel like God has forsaken us. That he is far away. That he doesn’t see our pain or hear our groaning.

One of the greatest challenges believers face on a regular basis, is what will we believe – our feelings and emotions or God’s Word. Our feelings are real. We really feel them. They are strong.

But our feelings are a poor barometer of the truth. Though they are true feelings, they are not always the truth. God’s word is the truth, whether we feel it or not.

So when we FEEL like God is not near, we must remember his Word. We must remember his promises.

Here is powerful Bible verse #14 about how God cares for you.

14. “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Isaiah 49.15

I love this verse. Human mothers have a deep care and affection and concern for their nursing children. Human mothers have deep compassion on their infants. Yet sometimes, they may forget. Yet God has more compassion and care for us than the most loving mothers on earth. He will never forget to care for us or fail to have compassion on us.

 

Encouraging and Supporting Your Friends – Push Each Other to the Top

Who Said It … Max Lucado

Max Lucado grew up in west Texas and pretty much partied his way through high school—giving little attention to God.  But then he encountered Jesus through a required Bible course at Abilene Christian University.

Today, this best-selling Christian author has sold more than 65 million books—including Bible studies, commentaries, devotionals, and books for kids.

Max regularly preaches his down-home, story-driven sermons from the pulpit of San Antonio’s Oak Hills Church.

What He Said … Push Each Other to the Top

Every Thursday during a Young Life summer camp, four hundred students make the fourteen-thousand-foot climb up Colorado’s Mount Chrysolite.  Several Young Life leaders and I walk with them.

On a recent trip, somewhere around the number four thousand, Matthew decided to call it quits.  I coaxed him, begged him, negotiated a plan with him: thirty steps of walking, sixty seconds of resting.

Finally we stood within a thousand feet of the peek.  But the last stretch of the trail rose up as straight as a fireman’s ladder.

We got serious.  Two guys came up beside Matt, each taking an arm.  I pushed from the rear.  We all but dragged Matt past the timberline and to the awesome view at the top.

That’s when we heard the applause.  Four hundred campers on the crest of Mount Chrysolite gave Matt a standing ovation.  As I slumped down to rest, a thought steamrolled my way: There it is, Max, a perfect picture of my plan.  Do all you can to push each other to the top.  Was this a message from God?  Well, it does sound like something he’d say.

Adapted from The Cure for the Common Life (Thomas Nelson, 2006

 

Prayer for the Week:  Dear Father, show me how to best encourage and challenge my friends to deeper faith; show me how to support them during their struggles.