Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Doing something different
This week is Easter and it is one of the toughest weeks for a pastor. The reason it is tough is because preparing a sermon for Easter Sunday that is different from the previous year is an almost an impossible task. Easter is the one Sunday of the year where churches all over are filled with people who normally do not go to church. I always feel pressure to come up with a sermon that will prompt these people to come to surrender their lives to Christ and start coming to church every week. This year I'm done with that. I have been trained through seminary classes and books that in order to deliver a good sermon, one must spend hours throughout the week researching it and reworking it till it is perfect. But, is this what is going to compel people to come to Christ? Isn't this a little prideful on our part as pastors, thinking that our words will bring people to Jesus? This year I want to do something different. I want to talk to people. I want to tell people my story of how Jesus changed my life and the resurrection makes all of that possible. I will use Scrpture because it would still be prideful on my part to think my story will bring people to Jesus. But, I do think that people want to hear how Jesus has changed people's lives. I'm not saying this will be any different from any other year. It is still up to God to save people. But, I hope and pray that God will use me to communicate a story, my story, that people can relate to. I want people to see the reality of Jesus. I want people to understand that the resurrection happened and it promises freedom and redemption. It promises freedom from a life that leads only to death and destruction. It means freedom period!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
What this world needs
One thing that frustrates me lately is surface level relationships within the church. We are supposed to be the body of Christ and I cannot understand why we do not go out of our way to love one another like Jesus commanded us in John 13. I think that we love one another to a certain point, but we are too afraid to get too close. But, this is not what the Church nor the kingdom of God is supposed to be like.
In my own church experience growing up, you could easily get lost in the crowd. I felt like a lot of times that I was just a number within the congregation. This is not what Jesus intended for his followers. This was not what he intended for his Body.
Why can't we get past our own insecurities and open up to people and get involved in other people's lives? What is hindering us?
I long to see churches all over the country become more close knit. We like to advertise we are friendly, but we need to be more than that. We all have plenty of friends, just look at our friends list on facebook. What people are longing for is to belong. They want to belong somewhere that cares about them on a more deeper level. People want to be cared for. People need to feel the love of Christ. Christ did not love us superficially. He loved us deeply and intimately. The way the church is going to make an impact on people's lives and an impact on this country as a whole is to love each other and people on the outside more deeply. People don't want just a warm greeting when they come into a place. They want to enter a place they feel like they can belong to. They want to belong to a place where the people will love them on a deeper level.
Jesus loved the Church by dying for the church. How often do we love each other sacrificially? This is a challenge to myself and anyone who reads this. I want to love with the love that is beyond my capabilities as a human. I want to love with the love of Christ because that is the kind of love that this world needs.
In my own church experience growing up, you could easily get lost in the crowd. I felt like a lot of times that I was just a number within the congregation. This is not what Jesus intended for his followers. This was not what he intended for his Body.
Why can't we get past our own insecurities and open up to people and get involved in other people's lives? What is hindering us?
I long to see churches all over the country become more close knit. We like to advertise we are friendly, but we need to be more than that. We all have plenty of friends, just look at our friends list on facebook. What people are longing for is to belong. They want to belong somewhere that cares about them on a more deeper level. People want to be cared for. People need to feel the love of Christ. Christ did not love us superficially. He loved us deeply and intimately. The way the church is going to make an impact on people's lives and an impact on this country as a whole is to love each other and people on the outside more deeply. People don't want just a warm greeting when they come into a place. They want to enter a place they feel like they can belong to. They want to belong to a place where the people will love them on a deeper level.
Jesus loved the Church by dying for the church. How often do we love each other sacrificially? This is a challenge to myself and anyone who reads this. I want to love with the love that is beyond my capabilities as a human. I want to love with the love of Christ because that is the kind of love that this world needs.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The Price He Paid
The title of this blog entry is the title of the sermon series I'm going through at church over the next few weeks leading up to Easter. Something I've been thinking about lately is the price Jesus paid for us. I don't know if I ever stop to really think about the price he paid for us. Isaiah 53 is such a powerful chapter about this topic. Last week at church I talked about how he was familiar with suffering and there was nothing about him that attracted us to him. This is the same Jesus who was worshiped and adored in heaven before he came to earth. Suffering was not a part of his existence, but he willingly chose to live his riches above to become poor and become familiar with suffering for our sakes.
It is so humbling to think about what Christ did for me. He didn't just die on the cross. He lived in poverty. He did not have anything about him that would indicate he was a king, much less the King of Kings. He was denied three times by one of his closest friends and betrayed by another one. His own people, the Jews, rejected him as their Messiah. His own created wanted to have nothing to do with him. His closest friends were nowhere to be found when he was dying on the cross. Even his own Father looked away from him when took the sin of the world on his shoulders. He went even farther than that and became sin on our behalf (II Corinthians 5:21). This is what Jesus went through for us. He was completely innocent, but became guilty to take our place.
If we don't understand and fully embrace this aspect of the Gospel, then we can never fully appreciate the resurrection for the great victory that it was. The resurrection was the conquering of death and a declaration that the wage of sin had been paid on our behalf. This is a powerful truth that we should all think about as we approach Resurrection Sunday.
It is so humbling to think about what Christ did for me. He didn't just die on the cross. He lived in poverty. He did not have anything about him that would indicate he was a king, much less the King of Kings. He was denied three times by one of his closest friends and betrayed by another one. His own people, the Jews, rejected him as their Messiah. His own created wanted to have nothing to do with him. His closest friends were nowhere to be found when he was dying on the cross. Even his own Father looked away from him when took the sin of the world on his shoulders. He went even farther than that and became sin on our behalf (II Corinthians 5:21). This is what Jesus went through for us. He was completely innocent, but became guilty to take our place.
If we don't understand and fully embrace this aspect of the Gospel, then we can never fully appreciate the resurrection for the great victory that it was. The resurrection was the conquering of death and a declaration that the wage of sin had been paid on our behalf. This is a powerful truth that we should all think about as we approach Resurrection Sunday.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Greetings
Hello blogging world! Ever since my wife got into blogging, I really felt like I should start as well in order to be in touch with the 21st century world. I tried this before with another blogging site, but no one ever read it and I kept forgetting about it. So, I'm reattempting to blog. Hopefully people will read this one.
I see this as my chance to ramble on about things that are going on in my life and things I think about. Many times the subject will be about what God is trying to teach me as I journey through this life. My goal is to use this to minister to others who will read it and maybe provide some insight into what I have learned about God over the last 14 years that I have seriously spent with Him. I only know a small percentage about Him, but what I do know, I love passing on to others so that they may grow to love Him as I have.
I guess for this initial blog post I want to ramble on about my wife. I am so proud of her always, but especially lately. She is working so hard on the CCA River Run (which you can check out here: www.ccariverrun.org). She is so organized with everything to do with the fundraiser for the school and she also finds time to keep the school running smoothly as the main secretary. She had more than one person compliment her today on her work and it just makes me proud that I am married to such a wonderful woman. She is also the greatest mom in the world. My son, Caedmon, lights up when she walks into the room. He loves her so much and rightly so because she is the best mommy to him. She is my love and my best friend and I would not be able to do life without her. Thank you, Lord, for blessing me so abundantly with Allie.
I see this as my chance to ramble on about things that are going on in my life and things I think about. Many times the subject will be about what God is trying to teach me as I journey through this life. My goal is to use this to minister to others who will read it and maybe provide some insight into what I have learned about God over the last 14 years that I have seriously spent with Him. I only know a small percentage about Him, but what I do know, I love passing on to others so that they may grow to love Him as I have.
I guess for this initial blog post I want to ramble on about my wife. I am so proud of her always, but especially lately. She is working so hard on the CCA River Run (which you can check out here: www.ccariverrun.org). She is so organized with everything to do with the fundraiser for the school and she also finds time to keep the school running smoothly as the main secretary. She had more than one person compliment her today on her work and it just makes me proud that I am married to such a wonderful woman. She is also the greatest mom in the world. My son, Caedmon, lights up when she walks into the room. He loves her so much and rightly so because she is the best mommy to him. She is my love and my best friend and I would not be able to do life without her. Thank you, Lord, for blessing me so abundantly with Allie.
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