The value of community

All the believers were together and had everything in common.  Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.  Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.   Acts 2:44-47

Monday is my day off.  It is pretty sacred to me.  I need that time to rest and relax.  I don’t do church stuff on Mondays.  One exception I make is my Monday night small group, the YSG (Youngish Small Group).  There are about ten of us if we were all able to be there at once.  We meet every other Monday night for a couple hours.  We have snacks, study the bible, or discuss a spiritual book.  We challenge each other and are trying to do what they did in the first Church:

“They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts….”

This Monday we discussed the material from Pete Wilson’s Plan B.  http://www.planbbook.com/  It was totally awesome.  Here are a couple challenging questions we confronted:

·         What dreams did you have for your life while growing up?

·         What dreams came true and which ones shattered?

·         Have you ever been hurt or angry at God when plan A didn’t work out?

Deep questions, right?  And we all had a chance to express in a safe place how we struggle when God doesn’t show up the way we thought He would. 

I also like this study because the study guide also has a daily devotional to keep challenging us between meetings.  Very cool!

So if you aren’t in a small group, get one!  It is a huge part of a Christian’s spiritual growth.  And if you aren’t studying Plan B along with us at Knox, my question is – Why not?!  : )

Blessings on this beautiful Midland day!

-A 

www.knoxmidland.ca 

Joyful ministry, even when it stinks?

 In his letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul, not being one to mince words, throws out a challenge to all followers of Christ:

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Ephesians 4:1

This calling, which in a general way is the calling to be a disciple of Christ, and more specifically is also a calling to ministry, is a calling that I think sometimes we undervalue.  Do we really appreciate that Jesus Christ - the Creator of the universe and Saviour of the world - has uniquely gifted and called us each to a specific ministry? 

“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up….” Ephesians 4:11-12

I’m being challenged lately to appreciate the calling that I have been given as pastor.  Even when it stinks.  Because a lot of the time I don’t.  I prefer to grumble and complain.

But I am blessed beyond belief to be able to preach and teach the Word of God and care for the people that God puts in my life.  I actually get to lead God’s people, at least in my little corner of the world, and that is a huge responsibility, but it is also a huge privilege.

Being is a pastor is an honour so great that every Minister of Word and Sacrament should thank God each day for the calling.  Even when the finances are in trouble, or the pews aren’t exactly full, or those three negative people that every church has are trying to block every move you make forward. 

But this isn’t just a message for pastors.  You know as well as I do that people not fortunate enough to cover the rent by doing ministry can also grumble and complain about their calling in the Church.  Whether you are an elder, music leader, Sunday school teacher, caretaker, greeter, youth worker, or whatever it is that Jesus has gifted you to do - you are commissioned by Christ to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

Part of that is being thankful for the job you get to do for Jesus, even when it stinks.[1] 

So what do you do when you misplace your joy in your ministry?  

-A

www.knoxmidland.ca

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[1] “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds…” James 1:2

What do you do when God doesn’t show up the way you thought He would?

This Sunday at Knox Midland, we are starting a new series entitled, PLAN B

Eventually we all have dreams, wishes and goals that don’t happen. Sometimes it’s clearly our fault. Maybe we made a poor decision and took the wrong path.  Other times our Plan B’s and unmet expectations seemingly happened because of someone else’s poor decision. Sometimes honestly it's a combination of things.

-Some of you here have had the dream of finishing your life with the partner you married but it's clear that your marriage is ending. And you’re hurt and disappointed.

-Some of you are wrestling with the fact that you can't have kids. It has been a dream of yours to have kids and you don't understand why it's not happening.

-Some of you have a career dream. You were convinced God wanting you to go into ministry but no doors are opening up. You were convinced you were going to make it in music and it's not happening.

-Some of you are single and you desperately want to be married and it's not happening.

And to make matters worse you feel like everyone else is achieving their dreams. We look around and it looks like everyone else's dream is coming true. Everyone else is getting married. Everyone else is having kids. Everyone else is successful. Everyone else is happy in their marriage.  Everyone else is healthy. 

You get the idea.

No matter what has happened or how you feel, please know you’re not alone.  So that’s why we are looking at PLAN B together this Sunday.  See you there.

-A

What can happen in just one week?

I NEED to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who made the Easter events at Knox, Midland, a meaningful and powerful experience.  I can’t possibly list everybody who pitched in, because there are simply too many to name. Every time I try I know I’ve forgotten a name or two. But please know this: we all appreciate your great service.   From Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday it was a week of blessings and surprises. 

 

On Palm Sunday we put ourselves in the place of the crowd who greeted Jesus at the gates of Jerusalem with palm branches and triumphant proclamations, but when we were asked to then put ourselves in the place of those who five days later called for Jesus’ death, we learned the extremely uncomfortable lesson that we have a role to play in His crucifixion as it was for our disobedience and rebellion that He gave his life. 

 

On Thursday evening 37 disciples gathered in the Family Room.  We sat at two long tables and shared in the potluck feast that included ham, potatoes, and Kentucky Fried Chicken, among other things.  We shared communion together in much the way the first Christians would have celebrated the Lord’s Supper, by simply giving thanks for the bread and the wine and sharing it together at the start of our fellowship meal.  People were smiling and laughing and I think this intimate and casual communion got many of us ready for the Easter weekend to come.

Good Friday was a little bit different this year as we entered a darkened sanctuary to behold a black curtain at the front of the sanctuary.  As people disappeared behind the curtain throughout the service, we wondered what surprise lay in store for us.  During the sermon I invited us to name the barriers that we place between us and God and then to rip a small piece of cloth, which represented those barriers.[1]  We declared as a group that through the cross there are no longer any barriers between us and the Lord our God.

During the final song, as P33 led us in worship through music, I tore the curtain in two and revealed the surprise message that people had been creating for us throughout the service: a collaborative painting that simply read, “LIFE.”[2]   This was a dramatic reminder that though Good Friday is a day of mourning, there is new life to come in three short days.

 

Finally, on Easter Sunday we proclaimed, “He is risen!”  We celebrated with vibrant music led by our passionate band, P33, and featured an opening piece on the organ.  I spoke about three reasons (among many) that the empty tomb (resurrection of Jesus) is good news:

1.) Because it means that death is DEFEATED.[3]

2.) Because it means that God LOVES us.[4]

3.) Because it means that we ALWAYS have a chance at new life[5]

Throughout the service we celebrated together that in the fullness of Easter we always have hope because it proves that God is for us.  He lived, died, and rose again for us, and he did it all – he saved the world – in just one week. Amen?

All in all it was an amazing week for me, and I sincerely hope that you also experienced the presence of God in a special way this Easter.  What can happen in just one week?  You tell me.  I’d love to hear about what God did in your life this Easter.  Feel free to post your comments below and share.

-A

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[1] Mark 15:38-39

[2] Galatians 5:1

[3] "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:55-57  

[4] "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17  

[5] He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."  He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.  He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. Revelation 21:5-7