“So, if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth.” Colossians 3:1-2
Dear Friends,
We are entering a season of renewal. With spring comes the new growth seen in the flowers, bushes, and trees all around us. These are things that happen without our direct involvement. The grass will grow, the leaves will emerge, the flowers will bloom. The first sign of this growth has been for me, the emergence of the crocuses, sometimes appearing even while the snow is on the ground.
This is the work of creation, that continual cycle of life that God so aptly brought into existence out of the void. Regardless of how much we want things to stay the same, the natural world is always creating and recreating itself and becomes adaptive to the changing external environment.
Human beings are not good at adapting. We want things to remain the same and if things do change, we want to go back to the way things were. Usually though that is impossible. We can hope that the clock will run backwards but unless we have a time machine, which is not going to happen. I can easily say the same things about the church. There is always the desire to recreate the good old days of the church, waiting breathlessly for the church to one day be overflowing with people. That can happen, it just might not happen in the same way. If there are those hungering to know God, new life is possible.
In the book, “Shift 2.0”, Phil Maynard, reminds us of the question found in Ezekiel 37, “Can these bones’ live?” This reminds us of the only constant in our life, which is a God that remains the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. God has the power to bring renewal, restoration in the driest of places. Paul Maynard asks the question, “Look around you. Where are you seeing the fresh wind of God’s Spirit breathe new life into dry, brittle bones?”
Even though there are new things happening through the natural world, there are ways that we can encourage new growth by our own activities. As a recent survey revealed, there is a great need that only a faith in Jesus can satisfy.
Sixty-four percent of the people in a survey of 15,000 people, identify as Christian. Only 23% consider themselves practicing Christians, and 41% consider themselves nominal Christians. The nominals seldom go to church and do not believe that faith is significant to their lives.
Something that practicing Christians, understand is that strong faith helps to forgo negative emotions such as, anxiety, depression. Loneliness, isolation, insecurity, and fear. When we seek the “higher thing,” we can enjoy our lives even in the face of illness, disabilities, loss, and negative emotions.
For us, it might mean making a shift toward those things that can bring us together in new ways. With Easter fast approaching, we could seize the good news of the empty tomb and use this time to ignite a new flame within us.
To begin, we may be asking you to fill out a survey to help us understand where we are in terms of our mission and ministry, which will point us towards the things we need to do better to meet the needs of those on the margins.
May we this Easter, turn our eyes toward the things that are above as consider how we can be a” force multiplier” (more on this to come) for the glory of God.
I thank God for you,
Pastor Kathy Nealand
Sermon series beginning this Easter season:
“Catch Fire in 50 Days”
Catch Fire in 50 Days is an opportunity for us to pray and prepare for that new day when we as a Church become a movement again. Let us turn toward God’s vision and God’s world and the call of Christ to get about God’s mission. Let us catch fire as we open ourselves to God through these daily Scripture readings. Let us pray that God would make us a movement again.
After witnessing the resurrected Christ, the apostles were sent to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the first disciples of Jesus became a movement that transformed the world. The beginning of their story is told in the Book of Acts. It continues through Jesus’ followers today
- Sunday, April 20 – “Raised with Christ.” - Easter
- Sunday, May 4 – “Catch Fire”
- Sunday, May 11 – “Keep it Burning.”
- Sunday, May 18 – “Shine Brightly”
- Sunday, May 25 – Fan the Flame”
- Sunday, June 1 – “Spread Wildly”
- Sunday, June 7 – “Start More Fires” (Confirmation Sunday/Pentecost)
“So, here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out.” Romans 12:1-2 (The Message)
“ For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So, they have no excuse for not knowing God.” Romans 1:20
“I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2
“Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’?” Matthew 21:42
"Walk by the Spirit . . . led by the Spirit . . . live by the Spirit . . . keep in step with the Spirit." Galatians 5:16, 25
“[Paul Gives Thanks to God] I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge.” -1 Corinthians 1:4-5
“Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” Proverbs 3:9-10
As we begin a new season in the church, it is good and right to think about what we mean when we pray “give us this day, our daily bread.” It is all about God’s provision. If we see God as a parent, we know that if we have a need, God will provide exactly what we need. The scripture verse above proves the case. Ask and it will be given to you. Knock and the door will be opened.
All children are precious to God. Psalm 139 speaks to God knowing us before we were born. At our conception we are “children of God.” We belong to God by way of grace. However, it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we know that we are children of God (John 1:12). To acknowledge that we are children of God is a sign that our rebirth from above has begun to take place in our lives. It says that we accept the fact that regardless of our age, we need and want to be parented by our heavenly Father.
“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:8-9, NIV)
