Surrounded & Surrendered!

HEBREWS 11:29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.

31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated-- 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

HEBREWS 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

On Friday August 6, 2010, ten medical and relief workers were killed in Afghanistan. Some of these people, motivated by their faith in Christ, went to that country to serve the poorest and most remote villages. Dan Terry, one of the slain workers, had dedicated 30 years of his life providing health and relief services in this war-torn country. The medical team never tried to hide the fact that they were Christians. They served under an organization recognized and registered by the government. At Terry’s memorial service in the States, a tribute was made to him that read:

“When people cry for punishment
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,
We commit to offering eye-care and dental care to any who suffer.”

A Taliban spokesman claimed credit for the attack, accusing the workers of trying to convert Muslims to Christianity. The father of one of the murdered women said, “They try to be the hands and feet of Jesus, not the mouth of Jesus.” These people, motivated by their faith in Christ, reaching out in peace and compassion to the least of the least, are executed by the Taliban.

Where is God when this happened? Why didn’t their faith protect them from death? Our passage today speaks to these questions.

The author of the book of Hebrews has spent a lot of time and space in this letter to remind God’s people about faith and faithfulness. Go back and read Hebrews 11 and think about the various ones who are lifted up as examples of faith. These are people, human beings, who also wavered in their faith—men and women who took side-steps away from God’s best! But they are still held up as examples of faith—people who repented and returned to God.

If you go back to the beginning of this chapter you see Sarah and Abraham—we know Sarah laughed at God’s promise of a son in her old age. She attempted to provide a son by offering her servant girl to Abraham—but Sarah is held up as a woman of faith along with her husband Abraham.

Moses’ parents defied Pharaoh’s decree and hid their baby son, Moses. Moses grew up to be a leader of Israel. We know the people who passed through the Red Sea under Moses’ leadership soon became disobedient complainers, even murmuring against Moses—yet they are commended for their faith.

Rahab was a Palestinian prostitute—yet her faith becomes an example for us to follow. Her name appears in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel. She turned her back on her culture and on her traditions to embrace the God of the Israelites who were about to invade her country.

The point I am trying to make is for us to see these people (and ourselves) realistically—human beings, full of faults and imperfections. Gideon questioned the values & practices of his parent’s generation; he experienced rejection because of his faith—he questioned God! Yet Gideon brought Israel back to the Lord. Samson was a worldly man, weak when it came to women, but used by God to call the people back to the Lord. David, said to be a man after God’s own heart, the song writer who pours himself out in the psalms, this man committed adultery with another man’s wife—and then had this man killed in battle. Yet David is held up as a man of faith because when God exposed the evil intent of his heart David repented.

Having faith in God does not mean a person is perfect. Having faith in God does not mean everything is going to be hunky-dory! God has not promised us a rose garden.
God has not even promised us that the object of our faith will be realized
in this life. Read Hebrews 11:13.

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.

Living by faith means we look at this world with different eyes—we relate to this world in a different way. Some people of faith died without receiving the things promised—then in v32 we see that some …gained what was promised…

A true paradox—almost a contradiction!

Remember …faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Look at verse 32 again. We find more paradoxes of faith!

Some became conquerors and others became prisoners—some were powerful in battle and others were flogged and jeered—some escaped death by sword and others were tortured
and put to death by the sword! Yet all of these were commended for their faith…

The point I am trying to make is that faith is not a magic formula that manipulates God. You can’t judge someone else’s life by your life. In this list there are kings who lived in palaces, royally clothed and there are others who wore animal skins and slept in caves—yet all these are held up to us as examples of faith.

The point I am making is that faith is not measured by poverty or prosperity. Faith is not measured by the circumstance of your life.

V39 repeats what v13 said: …none of them received what had been promised.
But in spite of that, faith perseveres—trusting that God has a better plan—God can bring good out of the worst situations. The Lord is with us in all circumstances of life—from the worst to the best.

So this is the great cloud of witnesses that surround us—common, flawed human beings, but men and women of faith who persevere in spite of their weaknesses, who cheer us on as we persevere in the race set out before us. But now the author of this letter adds another element to strengthen our faith.

We have an example to follow that the earlier saints did not have. v2: Look at Jesus—fixate on the man who lived and died and rose again. How was Jesus able to stay on message right up to the end? Listen and learn from him. Put his words into practice.

How was Jesus able to resist temptation? Find out and follow him.

How was Jesus able to glorify his Father in doing the most menial tasks that were set before him? Look at his life—his attitude—his actions—and follow him.

We are surrounded by this great cloud of witnesses. Be encouraged by the faith of those who have gone before us. Be inspired by those who are willing to lay down their lives for others. We can look to Jesus for further instruction and example—and then we are admonished to surrender!

To lay down everything that hinders us from following him. Take a moment to surrender yourself to the Lord. What are you carrying that is too heavy for you to carry?

…let us lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before u…,

Pastor's Notes for August 15, 2010

WATERMELON FEED, was on Sunday night @ 6 p.m. in our Fellowship Hall, thanks to Jim Pope. Everyone was invited & the melons were sweet. The Youth Group met in the Annex after the watermelon feast to continue their preparation for Youth Sunday.

OUR PANTRY is in dire need of restocking. Please bring lots of pasta, mac & cheese, peanut butter, rice, sugar, flour…. Last month we served 12 households (19 children, 28 adults) out of our crisis pantry.

TERRIFIC TUESDAY, for 3rd – 5th graders, will begin on Tuesday, September 7, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. This weekly after school gathering will include Bible stories and related activities in the Fellowship Hall. Mary Horn & I are working on this outreach. We invite you to work with us on Tuesdays through December 7.

On Saturday, August 20, Mary and I plan to go door-to-door on the blocks nearest our building to invite children to take part in Terrific Tuesday. If you want to join us, call the office for more details. Bring a friend because we will go two together as we knock on doors and invite our neighbors to join us.

PETER CHEI’S BOOKS will be available for check out soon. Kathy Dains has catalogued them & arranged them in the Library-Prayer Room. A dedication service is being planned. If you have books that belong to the Chei collection, please return them to Kathy or the library. A couple of books are missing and need to be processed and labeled.

COMMUNION MEDITATION Hebrews 11:1-2 ~ 12:1-3
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.
Abel—Enoch—Noah—Abraham—Sarah—Jacob & Esau—Joseph & the sons of Joseph—Moses—the children of Israel—and the list goes on—the great cloud of witnesses—those who testify with their lives to God’s faithfulness.

…since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus….
We remember Jesus so that we do not lose heart, so that our faith is strengthened, so that we persevere in our faith, so that we become faithful people.

On the night he was betrayed Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it saying, “This is my body given for you. Take and eat. Do this in remembrance of me.”

After the meal Jesus took the cup, blessed it and passed it to them saying, “This is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sin. Do this in remembrance of me.”

As often as we eat this bread and drink from this cup we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.





Reflecting on the Scriptures: Surrounded & Surrendered!

Isaiah 5:1-7 is a tribute to the vineyard of the Beloved. He planted with great expectations but was disappointed, so the vineyard was left without protection. The vineyard = God’s people! God’s expectations = justice & righteousness.

Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19. The vineyard cries out for restoration!

Luke 12:49-56. Jesus proclaims a purifying fire but his words bring division! He expects spiritual discernment but finds his followers can better predict the weather than discern the spiritual impact of this world on their souls!

Hebrews 11:29—2:2. The 11th chapter of Hebrews recounts the faith of God’s people through the ages in spite of their falling short of the Lord’s expectations from time to time. Surrounded by this faithful cloud of witnesses we surrender to the Lord’s leading and persevere in our faith.

Vacation is winding down...

The Minton brothers, Bob, Frank, and Thomas, with their sister, Jeanie, and all the spouses gathered for a Sibling Reunion in Alpine, AZ. From oldest to youngest we were Bob & Rose from Mt. Pleasant, SC (near Charlotte); Frank & Barbara from Crockett, TX (and yes, two of the Minton brothers married a Barbara!); Thomas & I from El Dorado Springs, MO; Jeanie & Densell from Snyder, TX.

We spent Thursday, Friday, and Saturday together, enjoying one another, remembering days gone by, laughing together, and shedding some tears. The days were precious. Early this morning we all packed our cars, ready to depart, but before departure we paused for communion together.

With bread and cups before us Thomas read from Ephesians 4.

"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called--one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."

He continued, "The four Minton siblings started out together, in church, participants in the one body and one cup. Even though we are different, our spouses are different, our paths have taken different directions and geography separates us we still participate in the one body and one cup. We continue to be united in Christ and nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord."

I continued the meditation with a word from 1 Corinthians 10.

"Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf."

I continued, "It is appropriate that we have a piece of Passover bread for this communion. The Passover bread was bread for the journey as the Israelites left Egypt. Today this bread is bread for our journey. The Passover cup Jesus took for this special meal was the fourth cup in the Passover meal, the Cup of Redemption. This is the bread and the cup that we share today--for the journey ahead of us."

Thomas blessed the bread and the cup and we passed it to one another. After the communion we had opportunity to share our hearts with one antoher and to express our appreciation for the reunion. To close our time together we anointed Bob and Rose with oil and prayed with them for the days ahead.

Pastor's Notes August 1, 2010

CAMP REPORTS. There are four Sundays in September and four campers from our congregation! Sooo… in September each camper will have an opportunity during Children’s Moment to share his or her experiences with us.


CITY WIDE YARD SALE, August 6 & 7, will start in our parkng lot at 7:00 a.m. Areas of the church building are being cleaned and culled items will be put out to sell. If you have personal items in the building please take them home this week—or else they might be sold! Can we bring items from home to sell? Yes, but you must also dispose of them if they don’t sell.

PASTOR’S VACATION begins Tuesday, August 3rd. Lord willing, I will be back in the office on Tuesday, August 9th.

REV. TOM PICKARD will fill the pulpit next Sunday in my absence. He preached 20 years in TX and now has a small counseling ministry in Springfield. Tom grew up in Oklahoma City and attended Abilene Christian Universtiy.

Reflecting on the Scriptures: Hidden in CHRIST
Colossians 3:1-11. One gift that we receive when we are raised with Christ in baptism is that we are incorporated into a like-minded, life-filled, community gathered in the risen Lord! We (plural) are hidden in Christ & are being renewed. Get rid of anything that disrupts our living together in Christ.

Luke 12:13-21. Jesus says greed disrupts our life together (v15; Col 3:5). So he asks us to redefine life (v15 & 20; Col 3:3-4).

Hosea 11:1-11. The community of faith that fails to recognize the Lord’s love and provision is scattered as they turn away from God and refuse to acknowledge God.

Psalm 107:1-9, 43. When the faith community gathers to worship the Lord grateful praise comes forth with testimonies of redemption, deliverance, God’s steadfast love & guidance.

Pastor's Notes for July 18, 2010

CITY WIDE YARD SALE, August 6 & 7, will start in our parking lot at 7:00 a.m. Different groups, committees, and individuals will clean various areas of the church building and prepare items for the sale. The Men’s group
has volunteered to do the Annex Basement and the area under the stairwell in the Fellowship Hall. Other areas to be cleaned and gleaned are the kitchen, the choir room, and baptistery rooms. Call the office to volunteer for an area.

A HUGE THANKS to everyone who volunteered in the Picnic booth and to all who came by to visit. Special thanks to Jennie Barrett for chairing the project and Don Wooldridge for set up and transport of items to our space. Eighteen volunteers filled the hours at the booth so that our congregation could have a presence at the picnic.

OUR YOUTH, facilitated by Lisa Cochran, parked cars during the picnic to help supplement the camp tuition and replenish the youth fund. Appreciation to Lisa for her oversight and to Kendall Voris for painting the parking lot. Also our thanks to Quentin Walsh for mowing the lot and bringing the sawhorses to hold the signs.

During the picnic project the story of the loaves and fishes kept coming to my mind. The little boy brought his little bit and offered it to Jesus and Jesus expanded it to be more than any of them could have imagined! And so it was with our picnic/parking lot project. We each brought our little bit--an hour here and an hour there. We trust Jesus to bless and expand the little bit we brought to him to accomplish his purposes.

Last Sunday, July 11, our worshiping attendance was 58. Today, the Sunday after the picnic (traditionally a much lower attendance) Doug counted 58! That in itself is beautiful and encouraging, but after the count 2 or 3 people came in, so the unofficial count for the Sunday after the Picnic is 60 or 61. We give our little bit--an hour here, an hour there. We trust Jesus to bless and expand the little bit we bring to him to accomplish his purposes.

Reflecting on the Scriptures: The Hope of GLORY
Colossians 1:15-28. We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God—but Christ in you is the hope of glory! Jesus brought reconciliation, forgiveness and hope—a mystery hidden for generations revealed to the saints!

Luke 10:38-42. In his life Jesus pointed away from the worries and distractions of this world. His teachings call us to listen and learn from him. Christ in us shaping our values and priorities is the hope of glory. Choose the better part.

Amos 8:1-12. R rated due to violence! God’s judgment is promised to those who reject God’s word, ignore God’s warnings and continue to use, abuse and cheat others.

Psalm 52. When evil prevails our only hope is a faithful God in whom we take refuge—a faithful God revealed in Jesus Christ! Christ in you, the hope of glory!

Pastor's Notes for July 11, 2010

OUR SUMMER BULLETIN has our order of worship on the left opening; the prayer concerns, week’s activities, and servers for today and next week on the right. On the back of the bulletin you find my notes and on the front the office information and services. Nothing’s missing!

Our desire in minimizing the bulletin and the order of worship is to bring the service into a concise hour. Endurance and patience are important characteristics for the gathered worshipping community of faith.

COMMUNITY WORSHIP in the Park, sponsored by El Dorado Springs Ministerial Association, experienced God's rain even as we prayed for God's reign! But the moisture didn't dampen our spirits.

GG Cole from Abundant Life Ministry Center led congregational worship and special music was provided by the reassembled community choir and by the Johnston family.

The community choir, directed by Judi Willman of Park Street Christian, represented six congregations:
Abundant Life Ministry Center
Church of God (Holiness)
First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Park Street Christian Church
Presbyterian Church
United Methodist Church

The Johnston Family made up of Dennis, Chelsea, Stacy and Josh brought a bluegrass flavor to the worship.

Participating ministers included three pastors new to our community:
David Woods at Herriamn Chapel Church of God (Holiness)
Ron Marsh at First Baptist Church and
Larry Daniel at Park Street Christian Church

They served alongside Howard McPeak (Pape Christian), Mike & GG Cole (Abundant Life), Dennis Johnston (Bethel Freewill Baptist), and Barbara Minton (Disciples).


REMEMBER
~ Monday, July 12, @ 5 p.m. Picnic Booth Orientation in the annex.

~ Thursday—Saturday, July 15, 16, & 17

~ Youth parking cars from 4 to 6 p.m.

~ FCC Picnic Booth 6 to 10 p.m.

YOUTH GROUP service project at Second Chance Barnyard was postponed again--this time due to rain. Hopefully sometime in August we will be able to make our trip to the Barnyard.


Reflecting on the Scriptures: Inheriting LIGHT
Amos 7:7-17. The message of the prophet does not set well with the priest or the king! Truth spoken to power is like light shone into darkness. Despite rejection Amos speaks truth.

Psalm 82. The weak plead with God to bring light into the darkness of ignorance, to judge the earth with justice.

Luke 10:25-37. Knowing the right answer and living out the truth of what one knows can be like day and night! Jesus says, live what you know… “Do this and you will live.”

Colossians 1:1-14. The Father has enabled us to inherit light! He rescues us from the power of darkness, empowers us to speak truth to power, equips us to seek justice for the weak, and expects us to live out what we know! Wow!

Pastor's Notes for July 4, 2010

SUMMER WORSHIP will be more casual and, we hope, contained within the hour. The order of worship has been modified, but none of the essential elements are missing. Come with a grateful heart as we gather together in Jesus’ name. With this in mind the service last Sunday was almost as long as usual--at least an hour and fifteen minutes. As one person said, its over when its over. We come to worship, not watch the clock. Enter to worship, depart to serve.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THESE DATES:

Sunday, July 11 at 4 p.m. Community Worship in the Park.

Thursday—Saturday, July 15, 16, & 17
~ Youth parking cars from 4 to 6 p.m. See Lisa Cochran to volunteer.
~ FCC Picnic Booth 6 to 10 p.m. See Jennie Barrett to volunteer.
~ We still need volunteers in both places. We also need someone to help the youth mark off the parking lot.

Sunday, July 25, 6 p.m. Youth Cookout @ Minton’s
Youth will host a cook out , inviting their families and the hosts and their families. More information will follow.

Reflecting on the Scriptures: …LEST WE GROW WEARY
2 Kings 5:1-14. Naaman, army commander in Aram, weary of his leprosy, took the advice of a little servant girl from Israel and went to a prophet in Samaria to ask for healing. Read the rest of the story. The servants are the heroes!

Psalm 30. The psalmist reflects on a time of weariness—weeping, dismayed, crying out to the Lord. But his mourning turns to dancing, joy replaces sack cloth and praise prevails.

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20. The Lord sends his followers out with a mission and specific instructions. Be faithful, be frugal, be grateful for your provision—yet expect rejection from time to time. Above all, Jesus says, be intentional and consistent with the message of the kingdom …lest you grow weary.

Galatians 6:1-6) 7-16. We reap what we sow, so be mindful of your actions because actions have consequences. Look at the big picture, beyond the present to the end …lest we grow weary in well-doing.