The 95 RE's of Jesus for 2017!

Well – in true reformation spirit I want to share 95 words that begin with RE – words that put us into God’s lap 100% - no holding back – leading us in our identity and mission!

You ready?? Let’s go!

 

First – we must repent if we refuse to reignite that which God has given us.

 

Then we can resume that which Jesus lived, died, and was raised for – so that the whole world could come to him and have life abundantly.

 

That is why we must return to him, respond to him, receive him, recognize him, remember him, rehear him, refocus on him, reinstate him as the Lord of your life, reveal him to others, recommit to him, be reconciled in him, to let our whole life revolve around him, to be reborn in him, to resubmit to him, to resume a daily relationship with him, to reclaim him as Savior of the world, to rely on him for every need, and to experience redemption in him, because he will make all things new.

 

This means being receptive to change

Reinventing the old to make new

And then – refining the new

Reinforcing the word as a powerful force in life

Reliving the love of Christ daily

Restoring God to the center of life

 

This requires Realizing, relearning, removing, replacing, resigning,

The us, we, and I from the center and letting God alone dwell there

 

Then we can begin to Rearrange, retrain, renegotiate, remodel, revise, redesign, restructure, rework, reformulate, reassess, and reorder - Why we do what we do and for whom are we doing it

 

After that the We, You, Us will experience

Relief, refreshment, remarkable relationships

There will be revival in our lives

Rebar in our foundation that makes us stronger than before

We will have a rebuilt definition of life

A reenergized spirit

Reheated hearts that burn bright

Renewed responsibilities for sharing the gospel

Refreshed resources in the Lord

And have a reshaped mission for the church

 

We will have all this in the Lord

Regardless of the resistance, recoiling, redoing, regulations, repacking, retrying, reservations, rerunning, restarting, redundancy, resentment, remaking, rescheduling, reactivity, and retakes

 

Through all things

Let your reflexes in this world be reflections for him

As Jesus is to be reincarnated in you

Replay the stories of faith

Retreat to pray, reconvene with the people of faith as often as possible

Reach out with outstretched hands

And recommend Jesus to all

Rejoicing in his remarkable victory

 

And Do all this while remaining on the foundation

 

There you will find the resilience that is required

There you will be redirected

Realigned, renewed, reassured, resized, refitted, retooled, reelected, reused, and resent for the world

 

The reason why?

It all results in – not just an ongoing reformation

But a daily resurrection for the life of this world!

 

Whew! Thank you Jesus! Thank you Jesus!

Becoming a FIRST FRUITS giving congregation

At our recent Trustees/Council meeting we voted to step forward in becoming a FIRST FRUITS Giving Congregation. What does this mean?

It means that the very first financial gifts that are offered each month are given to our local, synodical, and global outreach partners. The current practice has been to give roughly 5% of our total approved congregational spend plan to these partners, sometime throughout the year. We are now moving to a plan where we will step toward a 15% congregational giving goal that goes beyond our doors. Most important, is that those gifts are given each month, with our mission partners notified in advance as to what they can expect from us as their ministry partners in the year ahead. It allows a true accompaniment model of partnership where we fully walk together, counting on one another, and making missional plans for what can be accomplished. By living this way we are putting our trust into God that through our Generous Living and Giving there will be blessing, spirit filled energy, expectant hope, and abundant resources!

In 2018, we are taking that first step. While we dream of going to 15%, we know that we need to grow in our generosity and capacity in making this possible. Our first step in 2018 will be to get closer to 10%. One change that goes along with this is that our monthly Mission Focus envelopes will no longer be used for monthly outreach giving. We will give to our outreach partners through our congregationally approved spend plan. This will allow all of us to increase the amount that we commit to on our Generous Life Commitment Cards for 2018. 

The Mission Focus envelopes will still be available, and will be utilized when natural disasters strike, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, etc. Lutheran Disaster Relief does amazing work and we will support by growing awareness as those things take place. Also, if someone feels the call to give above and beyond to a felt need that they have heard about, they can utilize those envelopes as needed. Those gifts would add to our outreach impact as a congregation but they are not part of our overall congregational plan.

Mission Moments will still take place each month. Our wonderful Missions Team will organize those speakers and will work to identify where our monthly outreach gifts are allocated. We will share each month where those dollars went and the impact that they made.

Our hope is that in 2019 we will realize the goal of again being a congregation that gives the first 15% of all that we have to the most vulnerable among us. Just imagine the joy that God and we will experience when these gifts are shared! Lives will be transformed! New life will be experienced by all!

May we live and love generously!

Pastor Chad

Apprenticed To Jesus

As it states in The Message written by Eugene Peterson, “you’re blessed when you have worked up a good appetite for God.” This phrase speaks volumes, especially when it comes to us looking upon ourselves and this world as apprentices of Jesus. 

 

The disciples were those first apprentices. Everyday of their life following Jesus was marked by his ministry. His teaching, healing, prayer, voice of power and praise of pointing to the Father, his compassion, forgiveness, clear words of redirection and purpose, sacrifice, peace, centeredness, footsteps on the way to the cross, his pouring out of body and blood, and his profound joy lived in light of the resurrection, all was gifted to the apprentices.

 

Imagine on this day being apprenticed by Jesus himself. Imagine the above elements being front and center in your daily life. Imagine God giving God’s best to you. When the leader speaks the apprentice listens. When the Savior shows how to live, the apprentice follows that same way of life. 

 

In the living of our days, we need a Savior to apprentice us. We need the Word of God poured out into the very situations we find ourselves in. We need to be showed how to live as the full people of God. We need to witness the marks of discipleship in order to fully live as the Church. What a gift to receive – for God’s own Son to be the One who apprentices us. 

 

God looks upon God’s creation and says, “You’re hired!” “You’re the Ones that I raise up for real life and love.” “You’re my people with whom I seek to shape the world into Gospel living.” “You are my heart, hands, and feet in this world!” 

 

As we hear in Matthew, blessed are those who live as Jesus lived, who model their apprenticeship and thus become a shaping force so that others may receive that same apprenticeship gift that we ourselves have received - for they will receive the kingdom of heaven - the comfort, the inheritance, the being filled up, the mercy, to see God, to be children of God! 

 

May we be apprenticed by Jesus and may we pass that gift, that legacy, that Christ-like life onto future generations.

 

From one apprentice to another, 

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Psalm 23

As the church, the body of Christ, we live in the already but not yet. We already are experiencing resurrection, but often times not fully. We already are experiencing the abundant life that is found in Jesus, but often times missing the mark in our own humanity. 

We are called to journey together through the highs and the lows, the bummers and the blessings, the joys and the sorrows. Weekly worship centers our lives around the pivot point that is Jesus. This crucified yet raised Jesus shapes and changes how it is that we are called to live!

One of the age old Scriptures that inspires us in this life is Psalm 23. Spend some time this week reflecting on the meaning of those verses. I have included a key word to meditate on with each phrase. 

Psalm 23

The Lord is my Shepherd -Relationship 

I shall not want - Supply 

He makes me lie down in green pastures - Rest 

He leads me beside still waters - Refreshment 

He restores my soul - Healing 

He leads me in right paths - Guidance 

For His name’s sake - Purpose 

Even though I walk through the darkest valley - Testing 

I fear no evil - Protection 

For you are with me - Faithfulness 

Your rod and your staff they comfort me - Discipline 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies - Hope 

You anoint my head with oil - Consecration 

My cup overflows - Abundance 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life - Blessing 

And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord - Security 

My whole life long - Now through Eternity

May we live this story of Jesus in the already but not yet time in which we find ourselves and may it bring life to all!

In the midst of brokeness

Like so many, my mind and soul is numb on this morning.......my heart hurts for all in the midst of the mass shooting in Las Vegas. 

Words often feel inadequate. Who among us has not felt completely at a loss of what to speak in the midst of this world’s brokenness?  

I found this quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer in the midst of my searching silence, “For Christians, the beginning of the day should not be burdened and haunted by the various kinds of concerns that they face during the day. The Lord stands above the new day, for God has made it. All restlessness, all impurity, all worry and anxiety flee before him. Therefore, in the early morning hours of the day, may our many thoughts and our many idle words be silent and may the first word and the first thought belong to the one to whom our whole life belongs.”

I remember well that day in April of 1999, when the Columbine High School shootings took place. Our staff had just completed our morning devotions. Helicopters began to swoop overhead and community sirens rang out. I spent the afternoon at the elementary school working with the FBI going over school bus rosters, class attendance lists, and releasing kids to their parents. When I went home that night, we still could not account for over fifty Columbine students. As we gathered the following night for a Prayer Vigil, we still did not know the names of those who had lost their lives. It seemed that chaos, cruelty, and despair ruled our lives. We clung to the hope that God was in the midst of this senselessness. 

God was on the floor of Columbine High School with those students who had lost their lives. God was with their families. God was present in community. God was grieving and crying with us and for us. God was beginning the hard work of raising everyone up. 

This much is true in Las Vegas right now. This will always be true wherever evil seeks to rush in and destroy life. Life and love will win. We the church are called to bear witness to that promise. The world is counting on us to come through. And if God is who God says God is in the person of Jesus, then we are free to bet our lives on him to bring life to all!

Knowing the world that we are raising our kids for and releasing them too, we have much work to do. We get to participate in making all things new. May our witness be one of life and love and service…..even in the face of the great challenges of violence that mark our days.

Peace and Hope,

Pastor Chad