Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Allowing

Dear Worshippers,

Last week we began a journey together. Rather, I began talking about the journey we are on to better understand and experience corporate worship in our church. Thank you for walking alongside me for this journey as I endeavor, with our Elders, to walk alongside Jesus. Let us all move along and find our encounters with our living Lord more vibrant than ever before.

We started our journey with a very brief overview of how we arrived at this place. The Elders have accepted the responsibility of defining the Core Values of our corporate worship, and have charged that task to a subcommittee chaired by me. We quickly affirmed the vision of our worship ministries [revelation and response] with this statement. “We are committed to worship the Lord corporately by giving Him the opportunity to reveal Himself and ourselves the opportunity to respond. When we gather to worship, all that happens should serve these two primary purposes, revelation and response.”

In that same meeting the Elders considered the following phrase which fueled the next part of the work for the committee. “We are committed to allowing these things to happen by…” In our most recent meeting the committee discussed the word allowing and I had to remind them of the reasoning behind the choice of that word. As we continue along together, let me bring you in on that discussion.

It is important to look back at the phrase and consider what we are allowing. The statement says “these things”. What are these things? Revelation and response. The committee began saying that we want to take a more active role in worship through possibly changing the word to encouraging. Although that is a part of what we ultimately want to do the reality is that we cannot make either of these things happen. The word allowing captures that humble submission more accurately.

You see, we can not make revelation or response happen. We can declare the Word, exalt Christ, and esteem the moving of the Spirit, but the Lord has to do the work of revealing Himself, and His people have to choose to receive that revelation. Even when they receive it, they have to choose again to respond and God has to enable and empower that response. Though worship is a command (Exodus 20:3), God allows us to choose to worship Him, and in so doing find the greatest delight available on earth. We sing that, “the greatest treasure remains for those who gladly choose You now.” [Come, Now is the Time to Worship, Brian Doerksen]

Even the Father in His infinite power and wisdom allows our worshipful response to Him Jesus said in John 4:23, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” It does not say “they are the kind of worshipers the Father makes.” He allows our response, so we can only take an active role in doing the same. We are committed to doing that.

We will spend some time considering how we do that near the end of this journey, but over the next several weeks we will begin to look at what are some of the Core Values that inform those expressions, actions and elements. I am so glad we are in this together, and am thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to worship Him and lead in such a way that allows others to do the same.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Our Journey into Worship

Dear Worshippers,

Do you think you have experienced all there is of God through your participation in corporate worship? In other words, do you think you have “arrived”? I certainly hope not, for there is always more of Him to see, and more of ourselves to surrender. We are on a journey, all of us at different places, but coming together to go deeper into our understanding of God, and our abandoning of ourselves. Though the journey is joyful, it can also be arduous.

For the next several weeks, I want to share a little bit of that journey the Lord is taking us on as a church. I think it is important for us to know where we are and where we are headed, if we have any hope of moving forward. Are you picking up on the movement theme here? Worship is a journey, from a life of rebellion to resignation, from self to Himself, from pandemonium to peace. Put on some comfortable shoes and we will journey on together.

This journey, or at least the place I feel we should start for now, begins with Pastor David’s annual report. He communicated that the Elders spent our annual Prayer and Planning Retreat in January talking about our corporate worship, enjoying a strong sense of unity and purpose. We affirmed that we were “walking” step in step with each other. Out of this meeting came a subcommittee which I chair that has been laboring to define our core values. It has been a very rewarding journey for us and each time we have brought our work back to the Elders, it has been confirmed.

In March, the Elders adopted this statement, “We are committed to worship the Lord corporately by giving Him the opportunity to reveal Himself and ourselves the opportunity to respond. When we gather to worship, all that happens should serve these two primary purposes, revelation and response.” This was very affirming because it is an adaptation of the vision God has given me for the worship life of our church, centered around these two words, revelation and response. I had wrestled through this process as to how to reconcile the vision while defining the essentials of worship in our church. This assured me that I was on the right path.

Another partial statement that the Elders considered at that meeting fueled the next part of the work for the committee. We are committed to allowing these things to happen by…” The key word in this phrase is not committed, though it is powerful, but instead allowing. Even in our most recent meeting the committee discussed the word affirming and I had to explain the choice of that word. Next week I will attempt to explain that word choice to you, and continue to direct you along this path we are walking together. Thanks for taking the journey with me.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Remembering the Fallen

Dear Worshippers,

It is September 11. I am sure you have been reminded in some way either today or in the last few days that we were approaching this significant date in American history. You probably remember where you were when you first heard of the plane, then planes, colliding into the World Trade Center. You probably remember standing in disbelief as you watched the second plane fly into the second tower, then as they fell. You could hardly believe it when you heard about the Pentagon and the other plane that went down in Pennsylvania. It was a day we will never forget. It was a tragic day in the history of our nation.

Some 3,000 fell that day. Going through their day, minding their own business, living their lives. Struck down, some in their prime, some with unborn children. Many presumably were not prepared to die, having very different plans for the day, the rest of September, the rest of that year. We mourn their loss, and pray for their families who today live it all over again.

But I want to ask you to consider some other fallen. Sarah told me just last night of a missionary that was murdered recently in Afghanistan. This missionary served with my brother-in-laws denomination. I do not know his name. I do not know the date of his death. I do not know the events surrounding his demise. But this I know, he gave his life in the service of the King. I presume he was ready to die, because anyone willing to communicate the gospel in Afghanistan knows the penalty for doing so is death. We mourn his loss, and pray for his family and friends as they grieve.

But let us remember that there are many others that have considered the cost and made their decision to live for, and if necessary die for, Jesus. Against all odds, they have decided to take the good news of the Savior in places that are less than receptive to it. They have placed their lives on the line so that some will have the chance to hear that otherwise might not have. Our missionary that we heard from Sunday in the service, who is laboring in the same country mentioned above, said that she can not leave, dangerous as it may be to here life, because she loves them.

Some of them will likely die in the process. They are our brothers and sisters. Some of them may even be us. Let us not shrink back, afraid to give our all, for the advance of the kingdom of our God is the call that has been placed on us. Let us encourage one another next week during Missions Conference 2007 to do all we can, by God’s grace to communicate the gospel AGAINST ALL ODDS.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott


Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Missions and Mercy

Dear Worshippers,

This weekend the choir will resume their ministry to our congregation as they sing the prayer "Hear Our Praises". Some of the text of this wonderful anthem says, “May our homes be filled with dancing, may our streets be filled with joy. May injustice bow to Jesus as the people turn to pray.” I stopped during our read-through of this last week and challenged the choir with this vision…

Wouldn’t it be a blessing if people across the nation instead of reading about football players or partying running rampant in our city, they could read about dancing filling our homes, joy filling the streets, injustice bowing to Jesus, BECAUSE GOD’S PEOPLE TURNED TO PRAY? What a demonstration of the mercy of God! As we heard on Sunday morning in the video from Gabon, missions and mercy go hand in hand. [Check it out at this link: Alliance Video, then under “Confronting Aids” click the “Watch Video” link]

Isn't that the mode of missions, showing and proclaiming the mercy of God? While we can use language that communicates the truth, we must also live lives that confirm our words. When we truly love others, we will reach out to them with the love of Jesus, extending hope and healing in Jesus to souls torn apart by sin.

The text of the anthem continues, “From the mountain to the valley, hear our praises rise to You; From the heavens to the nations hear our singing fill the air…Hallelujah!” What appropriate words for a bunch of mountaineers to sing. Let our praise rise to You, then echo to the nations. Give glory to God and let others know of Him. That is what Jesus taught in Matthew 5:12, 16b “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Start out praising God for who He is and what He has done, then let your deeds echo the praise of your lips through acts of mercy.

Both lips and lives saying, Hallelujah, praise You, Lord!

In Christ,

Pastor Scott