Prayer requests:
· That the river levels would continue to decrease, the waters quickly recede, and the weather conditions would not bring higher water levels.
· That the dikes would protect people, property, and possessions and that any breaches or leaks would be quickly detected and fixed.
· Thanksgiving for the city officials, emergency and military personnel, residents, and volunteers who have contributed to the fight against the flood.
· For the families who have been separated from one another, displaced from their homes, and burdened with anxiety. That their travel and alternative housing arrangements would be safe, that they would be supported and encouraged in their time of stress, and that the ability to be reunited with family and returned to homes would be imminent.
· That the sense of unity and community would be maintained throughout the river’s crest and into the clean-up and any rebuilding efforts.
· For the residents of the Good Samaritan Center who were evacuated this week. That they would be kept safe in times of transportation and that the stress of a different environment, staff, and schedule would not be detrimental to their health.
· For healing for those with aches and pains, colds, and fatigue resulting from the past week.
· Many, many more requests with specific names that we each can plug in.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
March 29 Worship: Word
This isn’t the way things are supposed to be. A Sunday morning message isn’t supposed to be without ears to hear. A church building isn’t supposed to sit quiet and empty on a Sunday morning. A pastor isn’t supposed to be without people. (As I finish writing this, it is one of the most difficult moments of my week knowing that we cannot share this time together in person. Weeks like this one necessitate the strength and encouragement and support that is derived by a community of people gathered around God’s Word and united in prayer.) And a river isn’t supposed to flood. Psalm 98:8 says that the rivers are supposed to clap their hands as part of a creation-wide symphony praising God.
But the rivers in the Fargo-Moorhead area are flooding. Neighborhoods, yards, and homes have been over-run by water. Schools, businesses, and even churches have adjusted their schedules. The community, and the lives of its people, has been turned upside-down. But the response has been far from giving up. Instead the people have united in an effort to build walls. Sand, soil, and special military equipment have been combined with determination, cooperation, and perseverance to erect walls designed to separate us and our homes and our possessions from the water. Our feet have gone numb from the cold, our legs have tired, our arms and shoulders have throbbed, our backs are now the subject of chiropractors’ dreams, our hands have been banged up, bruised, and broken from the wrist to the tip of our finger nails, and our emotions have endured a roller-coaster ride that would churn any stomach. All in the name of building walls and all in the hope of keeping the water and its muck and stench out of our lives. At this time, we continue to pray for the integrity of the dikes, a quick lowering of the river, and the most minimal damage to homes which do take on water.
During weeks like this it is hard enough to keep track of what day it is. The concerns of each hour and the importance of every minute over-shadow everything else. It is the season of Lent and at Crosspointe we have been using this time to journey with Jesus through the final 24 hours of His life. This morning we would have watched as He carried a large wooden beam toward a place called Golgotha which means “place of the skull.” The detail is easy to miss in the Bible. With the cross on His back, Jesus walked outside of Jerusalem. Hebrews 13:12: So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through His own blood. Jesus stepped outside of the gate to the other side of the wall.
Throughout the Bible, people are sent outside of the gate for a number of reasons. The remains of the animals used in the sacrificial system were sent outside of the gate to be burned. Those who broke God’s commands and anything or anyone that might bring impurity to the community were sent outside the gate. Outside of the gate was the place for filth and stench. Outside the gate was the place for garbage and refuse. Outside the gate was the equivalent of icy, smelly river water mixed with the sewage sludge you do not want coming back up your drains. But Jesus willingly placed Himself on the wrong side of the wall. Hebrews 13:12 says He did it in order to sanctify you by His death. That means He died outside of the camp so that you could be clean from and undefiled by sin. He died on the wrong side of the wall so that He could keep you safe and secure on the right side of the wall where God’s grace and love and faithfulness flow in abundance and without end.
We all have stories from the past week, some that bring us to tears of laughter and others that will bring us to tears of sorrow for years to come. If we were gathering together around God’s Word this morning, this would be the point in the message when I would actually ask you to share your stories… weeks like this allow for the risk of an interactive sermon. But instead I will look forward to the hearing and telling of flood stories in the coming days and weeks. We have been united by our common fight against the Flood of ’09, that story is OUR story. This morning let us also be reminded that we share the story of Lent. The story of Jesus carrying a cross outside of the gate where He died on the wrong side of the wall so that we can live in the reality of God’s Easter promises. A story of hope and healing. A story of restoration and renewal. This is the way things are supposed to be.
But the rivers in the Fargo-Moorhead area are flooding. Neighborhoods, yards, and homes have been over-run by water. Schools, businesses, and even churches have adjusted their schedules. The community, and the lives of its people, has been turned upside-down. But the response has been far from giving up. Instead the people have united in an effort to build walls. Sand, soil, and special military equipment have been combined with determination, cooperation, and perseverance to erect walls designed to separate us and our homes and our possessions from the water. Our feet have gone numb from the cold, our legs have tired, our arms and shoulders have throbbed, our backs are now the subject of chiropractors’ dreams, our hands have been banged up, bruised, and broken from the wrist to the tip of our finger nails, and our emotions have endured a roller-coaster ride that would churn any stomach. All in the name of building walls and all in the hope of keeping the water and its muck and stench out of our lives. At this time, we continue to pray for the integrity of the dikes, a quick lowering of the river, and the most minimal damage to homes which do take on water.
During weeks like this it is hard enough to keep track of what day it is. The concerns of each hour and the importance of every minute over-shadow everything else. It is the season of Lent and at Crosspointe we have been using this time to journey with Jesus through the final 24 hours of His life. This morning we would have watched as He carried a large wooden beam toward a place called Golgotha which means “place of the skull.” The detail is easy to miss in the Bible. With the cross on His back, Jesus walked outside of Jerusalem. Hebrews 13:12: So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through His own blood. Jesus stepped outside of the gate to the other side of the wall.
Throughout the Bible, people are sent outside of the gate for a number of reasons. The remains of the animals used in the sacrificial system were sent outside of the gate to be burned. Those who broke God’s commands and anything or anyone that might bring impurity to the community were sent outside the gate. Outside of the gate was the place for filth and stench. Outside the gate was the place for garbage and refuse. Outside the gate was the equivalent of icy, smelly river water mixed with the sewage sludge you do not want coming back up your drains. But Jesus willingly placed Himself on the wrong side of the wall. Hebrews 13:12 says He did it in order to sanctify you by His death. That means He died outside of the camp so that you could be clean from and undefiled by sin. He died on the wrong side of the wall so that He could keep you safe and secure on the right side of the wall where God’s grace and love and faithfulness flow in abundance and without end.
We all have stories from the past week, some that bring us to tears of laughter and others that will bring us to tears of sorrow for years to come. If we were gathering together around God’s Word this morning, this would be the point in the message when I would actually ask you to share your stories… weeks like this allow for the risk of an interactive sermon. But instead I will look forward to the hearing and telling of flood stories in the coming days and weeks. We have been united by our common fight against the Flood of ’09, that story is OUR story. This morning let us also be reminded that we share the story of Lent. The story of Jesus carrying a cross outside of the gate where He died on the wrong side of the wall so that we can live in the reality of God’s Easter promises. A story of hope and healing. A story of restoration and renewal. This is the way things are supposed to be.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
New Perspective: Love (Part 2)
At seminary there are a lot of traditions, some of which involve Valentine's Day. Every year, there is a big dinner and dance for students and their wives. The menu for the evening is elevated well above the typical cafeteria fare, decorations are put up and tables hold special floral arrangements, the lights are dimmed, the mood is set, and the soupy St Louis air grows even heavier with love. As this was going on, I could be found elsewhere on campus. The more important Valentine-related seminary tradition involved the single dorm students who had absolutely positively no need for love. We loved the absence of love in our life. While couples sat around tables and laughed at jokes that weren't really funny and navigated the dance floor in the only manner that a future Lutheran pastor can (awkward), we were playing poker, watching sports, drinking a beer, smoking cigars, and feeling sorry for the chumps who had been informed that they would be wearing a tie to dinner that night.
This was the ideal Valentine's Day in my book. Still is. Like I said in Part One, I do not want the sappiness of a Nicholas Sparks novel on my hands. A rising chorus of sentimental "ooohs" filling a movie theater gets on my nerves as much as the sound of people chomping ice (that's an exaggeration, the sound of people chomping on ice is the WORST!) But, the story of love that flows out of the book of Hosea is one that I cling to with all I've got. Hosea speaks of two loves. The book is best known for a husband's love for an unfaithful wife. Later, it also offers a glimpse at a parent's love for a wandering child (11:1-4). The parent had walked with the child, led the child by hand, stooped down to care for the child, and worked to ease the child's burdens but the response by the child is to reject the love. The harder the parent tries the more dismissive the child becomes. Both relational pictures describe the state of the relationship between God and His people when Hosea was alive.
When Part One of this two-part post ended there didn't seem to be much hope for love. The relationship looked ruined beyond repair. But Part Two moves in one direction, restoration. God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He is not quick to give-up on people and relationships, but maintains a loyal, faithful, unwavering, constant, unending love. By His help, the relationship takes a turn (the unfaithful spouse returns to the open arms waiting at home, the estranged child dials the number and says "Mom, dad, it's me!") so that we can cling to the love He gives (12:6). God will speak tenderly and will allure us or win us over by His love(2:15). He will love us freely, unconditionally (14:4), and this love will fill our hearts and soften our hearts and open our hearts and transform our hearts- the Bible speaks of getting a new heart - so that we are able to love Him and one another. Novels, movies, tales of the best Valentine's Day ever... they all awaken you to what you are missing out on, reminding you of what you wish you had. The story told in Hosea points you to the love that is yours - already and always and forever.
This was the ideal Valentine's Day in my book. Still is. Like I said in Part One, I do not want the sappiness of a Nicholas Sparks novel on my hands. A rising chorus of sentimental "ooohs" filling a movie theater gets on my nerves as much as the sound of people chomping ice (that's an exaggeration, the sound of people chomping on ice is the WORST!) But, the story of love that flows out of the book of Hosea is one that I cling to with all I've got. Hosea speaks of two loves. The book is best known for a husband's love for an unfaithful wife. Later, it also offers a glimpse at a parent's love for a wandering child (11:1-4). The parent had walked with the child, led the child by hand, stooped down to care for the child, and worked to ease the child's burdens but the response by the child is to reject the love. The harder the parent tries the more dismissive the child becomes. Both relational pictures describe the state of the relationship between God and His people when Hosea was alive.
When Part One of this two-part post ended there didn't seem to be much hope for love. The relationship looked ruined beyond repair. But Part Two moves in one direction, restoration. God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He is not quick to give-up on people and relationships, but maintains a loyal, faithful, unwavering, constant, unending love. By His help, the relationship takes a turn (the unfaithful spouse returns to the open arms waiting at home, the estranged child dials the number and says "Mom, dad, it's me!") so that we can cling to the love He gives (12:6). God will speak tenderly and will allure us or win us over by His love(2:15). He will love us freely, unconditionally (14:4), and this love will fill our hearts and soften our hearts and open our hearts and transform our hearts- the Bible speaks of getting a new heart - so that we are able to love Him and one another. Novels, movies, tales of the best Valentine's Day ever... they all awaken you to what you are missing out on, reminding you of what you wish you had. The story told in Hosea points you to the love that is yours - already and always and forever.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
New Perspective: Love (Part One)
Kudos if you took the time to read through Hosea when it was the content of the "Taking the Message Home" which would have been the week after Valentine's Day. And an extra gold star if you made it all the way through the fairly short book. Talk about putting a damper on love in the days following love's biggest commercial day. Hosea is dense. I don't mean to say that the prophet himself was not that bright. Rather the words that he recorded through the guidance of the Holy Spirit are steeped in poetry and historical references and imagery that either necessitates multiple readings of the same verse or leads to reading without comprehending.
The book of Hosea was written as a warning. The people of Israel had been enjoying great comfort and luxury. But their success brought great brokenness in their relationships with each other and with God. The better life got, the more prevalent sin became. In their success they no longer needed God. Instead they worshiped and trusted what they made with their own hands. To ensure success, nothing was off limits. They would lie, steal, murder, and sleep their way to the top. Personal pleasure became the only law of the land. Hosea 4:1 says that faithfulness and love and knowledge of God had all disappeared.
Much of Hosea serves as a wake-up call to this behavior and to the consequences (both individual and collective) of ordering life apart from God. Again, the language was meant to give people clear images: what comes to mind when you think of a lion tearing apart its prey, of a vulture circling above, of something infested with dry rot or covered in filth or eaten by a moth? If Hosea was trying to paint a picture for the people of Israel, it was not pretty. I remember not wanting to show my school pictures to friends. On the day that the folders would be passed out right before the final bell, with one picture there for everyone to see, I would stuff the envelop in my bag as quick as possible and zoom out the door. "What, pictures? No, I don't think mine came back today." But when Hosea hands the people of Israel their portrait, the first response is not "Who could love someone who looks like me?" They take pride in what they see and they flaunt their picture in front of everyone before being asked about it.
Does this sound like the makings of a love story, a proposed plot for a 2-hour television special airing on Valentine's Day? Actually, let's consider it a two-night mini-series. The first part ends with the relationship in shambles and any possibility for love apparently shot. But the "to be continued" invites you back to the couch the next night to see what might happen. I've never read a Nicholas Sparks novel (I probably and prayerfully never will), but if they moisten your eyes you may want to bring a box of kleenex. Because this love story is beyond belief.
The book of Hosea was written as a warning. The people of Israel had been enjoying great comfort and luxury. But their success brought great brokenness in their relationships with each other and with God. The better life got, the more prevalent sin became. In their success they no longer needed God. Instead they worshiped and trusted what they made with their own hands. To ensure success, nothing was off limits. They would lie, steal, murder, and sleep their way to the top. Personal pleasure became the only law of the land. Hosea 4:1 says that faithfulness and love and knowledge of God had all disappeared.
Much of Hosea serves as a wake-up call to this behavior and to the consequences (both individual and collective) of ordering life apart from God. Again, the language was meant to give people clear images: what comes to mind when you think of a lion tearing apart its prey, of a vulture circling above, of something infested with dry rot or covered in filth or eaten by a moth? If Hosea was trying to paint a picture for the people of Israel, it was not pretty. I remember not wanting to show my school pictures to friends. On the day that the folders would be passed out right before the final bell, with one picture there for everyone to see, I would stuff the envelop in my bag as quick as possible and zoom out the door. "What, pictures? No, I don't think mine came back today." But when Hosea hands the people of Israel their portrait, the first response is not "Who could love someone who looks like me?" They take pride in what they see and they flaunt their picture in front of everyone before being asked about it.
Does this sound like the makings of a love story, a proposed plot for a 2-hour television special airing on Valentine's Day? Actually, let's consider it a two-night mini-series. The first part ends with the relationship in shambles and any possibility for love apparently shot. But the "to be continued" invites you back to the couch the next night to see what might happen. I've never read a Nicholas Sparks novel (I probably and prayerfully never will), but if they moisten your eyes you may want to bring a box of kleenex. Because this love story is beyond belief.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
New Perspective: One Another
I bragged in the last post of a seamless "perfect" transition that was in the works for the blog. That was a month ago and you may be thinking that a transition usually leads to something new. I obviously need to learn not to brag because my follow-through is lacking.
Before the transition resumes and we actually get caught up, I'll remind you to open another web window and listen to some of the songs we'll be doing in worship in the coming weeks on Youtube... that's what I am doing as I write. Bebo Norman's Nothing Without You; Jesus Messiah, Holy is the Lord God, and Give Us Clean Hands all by Chris Tomlin, and Our God Reigns by Brandon Heath. Listen along so you can sing aloud!
A number of weeks ago our theme in worship flowed from the truth that we NEED one another. 1 Corinthians moves us away from thinking about our relationships solely in terms of what we want. We need some relationships that we may not want. We need some people close to use that we may not want close to us. People who tell us the truth that we deny with every ounce of our energy. People who help us do things that we cannot do reminding us of our weaknesses. People who clean up our mistakes. People who tell us to get up off the couch when we are too content and people who put us back on the right road when we have lost our way. We have a NEED for people that transcends the question of whether we WANT them around. Paul gives a great line in 1 Corinthians 12:21 reminding us that we do not have the power or the ability to say to one another "A need for you I am not having!"
Throughout the first year of Crosspointe's ministry this has been a major goal of mine: to help worshipers not only meet new people and begin getting to know one another, but also to help you see a need for one another, to see that those around you have something to offer to you that you need and that you have something to give to them that they need, to see that the people who join with you to become a church are a gift from God and that He is purposefully connecting people together to fulfill His mission. In 1 Corinthians 12 this is the message of verse 18; God is arranging the members of His body (the people of the church), each as He choses. As we begin the move as a new church toward talking about membership and what it means to be a member of a church it's good to remember that it's less about "me" choosing Crosspointe as the place I "want" to worship and it's much more about God choosing "me" (fill in your name) to put at Crosspointe to be connected with others so that I can contribute my needed part to our collective effort to impact lives with the love of Jesus Christ.
Before the transition resumes and we actually get caught up, I'll remind you to open another web window and listen to some of the songs we'll be doing in worship in the coming weeks on Youtube... that's what I am doing as I write. Bebo Norman's Nothing Without You; Jesus Messiah, Holy is the Lord God, and Give Us Clean Hands all by Chris Tomlin, and Our God Reigns by Brandon Heath. Listen along so you can sing aloud!
A number of weeks ago our theme in worship flowed from the truth that we NEED one another. 1 Corinthians moves us away from thinking about our relationships solely in terms of what we want. We need some relationships that we may not want. We need some people close to use that we may not want close to us. People who tell us the truth that we deny with every ounce of our energy. People who help us do things that we cannot do reminding us of our weaknesses. People who clean up our mistakes. People who tell us to get up off the couch when we are too content and people who put us back on the right road when we have lost our way. We have a NEED for people that transcends the question of whether we WANT them around. Paul gives a great line in 1 Corinthians 12:21 reminding us that we do not have the power or the ability to say to one another "A need for you I am not having!"
Throughout the first year of Crosspointe's ministry this has been a major goal of mine: to help worshipers not only meet new people and begin getting to know one another, but also to help you see a need for one another, to see that those around you have something to offer to you that you need and that you have something to give to them that they need, to see that the people who join with you to become a church are a gift from God and that He is purposefully connecting people together to fulfill His mission. In 1 Corinthians 12 this is the message of verse 18; God is arranging the members of His body (the people of the church), each as He choses. As we begin the move as a new church toward talking about membership and what it means to be a member of a church it's good to remember that it's less about "me" choosing Crosspointe as the place I "want" to worship and it's much more about God choosing "me" (fill in your name) to put at Crosspointe to be connected with others so that I can contribute my needed part to our collective effort to impact lives with the love of Jesus Christ.
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