Getting Back Together Again

There’s light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel.

Lord willing, by July 4th (based on Governor Scott’s plan) the risk of COVID transmission will be low enough to gather indoors in unlimited numbers without masks or physical distancing. This means we can worship indoors as one church again. It means a return to meals, hugs, handshakes, and unmasked smiles. (Click here for the full explanation of our plan for Sunday worship up to and after July 4th).

But this won’t be as simple as “getting back to normal.” As we move toward July 4th and beyond, there will be anxiety to overcome, old habits to recover, new habits to learn, choices to navigate, and plenty of opportunity to show love in the process.

Let me share four things we need to do in order to lovingly and faithfully navigate the changes ahead:

1. Be Kind

Kindness goes a long way. You may be annoyed that some people continue to wear masks in church after July 4th, or you may feel critical of those who are not wearing masks. You may take offence that someone isn’t ready for a hug, or that someone is trying to hug you! There may simply be tension as we all deal with unnamed anxiety under the surface. Our natural bent is to judge one another, to take offence quickly, and to lack empathy for others. Ask the Holy Spirit to ripen the fruit of kindness instead (Galatians 5:22). True kindness is more than tolerance or non-judgment; it is seeking to understand, love, and serve your brother or sister in Christ.

Also, be kind to yourself! We are all learning as we go. We will make mistakes. We will sometimes not know what to do—and all of that is OK. Don’t judge yourself harshly or expect that you should have it all figured out.

2. Be Open  

The path ahead will hold new things, surprises, and changes of plan. So keep an open mind and heart. We need to hold the July 4th date loosely and be open to delays or changes. If you’ve been away from church for a while, you may return to find a new family sitting where you usually sat. If you’ve started attending during the pandemic, you may be surprised by some of the cherished traditions that others want to restart. All of us should recognize that our church is not the same church it was in February 2020. Be open to getting to know new people and dynamics.

Most importantly, be open to what God wants to do. When changes happen, we often crave what is familiar and we look to the past for security. But God’s plans for us aren’t in the past. He is calling us forward as a church. Start praying right now, “Lord, give me an open heart and mind to accept what you have for me and for this church.” 

3. Be Intentional

Re-integrating as a church family won’t happen by accident. Let’s intentionally re-kindle friendships and make new ones. Let’s intentionally reach out to those who have been away and invite them back.

If you have been away from church, plan your re-entry. Prayerfully decide when you will return to in-person worship and what you will need for that to happen. If you have compromised health, when will the risk be low enough for you to return? If you were part of a small group, when will it get back together again? If your kids are out of Sunday School, when will they come back?

If we’re not intentional about these decisions, life has a way of deciding for us. Anxiety will decide, “It’s never safe enough to be indoors with a group.” Inertia will decide, “It’s just so convenient to stay home and watch the livestream.” Your schedule will decide, “Now that I’m out of the habit of going to church, I realize that I enjoy doing other things with my Sunday morning.”

Instead, make a decision based on what you know matters most. If you do decide to stay home for a while longer out of health concerns, at least make that choice prayerfully and in conversation with others. Please reach out to me, a deacon, or other members of the church family if you are struggling with these decisions.

The Deacons, Trustees and I will be intentional about the pace at which we return to pre-pandemic life. After July 4th there may still be some socially-distant seating available in the church. We will keep using prepackaged communion for a time. We will come up with a system that each person can use to communicate how much touch they are ready for. (For example: green sticker means, “I’m ready for hugs!” Yellow sticker means, “I’m still keeping a little distance.”) We will be intentional about communicating these kinds of things to the church family.

4.  Be Confident in the Lord

Above all, maintain confident trust in the Lord. God has been faithful in the past and he will be faithful in the future. He allowed this pandemic to happen and he has been with us every step of the way. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13) and he is the living Lord of his church. We will falter and stumble in our attempts to move forward, but with our eyes on Jesus, we will not fall.

The Resurrection of Jesus

The resurrection of Jesus is, arguably, the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Here’s why:

• The resurrection proves that Jesus is the son of God (Romans 1:4)

• The resurrection authenticates Jesus’ saving work on the cross—it shows that God accepted the payment for sin. (1 Corinthians 15:17)

• The resurrection tells us that death is not the end. We will share in a resurrection like Christ’s (Romans 6:5)

• The resurrection gives hope in an otherwise futile world where death reigns.

Further Resources:

Questions for Reflection or Discussion

• Is it difficult or easy for you to believe that Jesus bodily rose from the dead? Why?

• How would your faith change if you found out that Jesus had not literally risen from the dead?

• Do you agree that the resurrection is the cornerstone of the Christian faith? Why or why not?

• What would you tell a friend who doubted the historical resurrection?

• How does contemplating the resurrection encourage you or give you hope?

The Lord's Supper

To hear the sermon on this topic, click here. (Preached on 3/14/21)

Image by hudsoncrafted from Pixabay

Further Bible Study:

• 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

• Luke 24:13-35 [esp. 30-35]

Going Deeper:

Have you ever wondered why we use grape juice instead of wine? Here’s a helpful, short, explanation. It might not be the reason you think!

This essay goes into more detail about the different views and practices of the Lord’s Supper.

Here’s a good explanation for kids (and not bad for adults, either!):

Questions for Discussion and Reflection:

• The Lord’s table reminds us of how Jesus gives us communion (sharing, fellowship) with God and with one another. Which of these aspects is more difficult to appreciate?

• Describe a particular memorable time of receiving the Lord’s Supper.

• Compare the different views of the Lord’s Supper in the article linked above. Which do you find most convincing? Do the differences matter?
  
  

Baptism

To hear the sermon on baptism, click here.

Here’s a helpful, short video from the late J.I. Packer:

Question for reflection and discussion

• Have you been baptized? Why or why not?

• Do you think baptism is necessary? Why or why not?

• In what ways has your life changed since your baptism (of you have been baptized). How have you died to your old self and been raised with Christ? (Romans 6:1-11)

Adopted by God

Click here to listen to the sermon on this topic.

Our statement of faith reads:

All who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again by the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of God and heirs of eternal life.

Salvation is more than having your sins forgiven, being justified before God, and being given new life (born again). It is, gloriously, being adopted into God’s family!

Paul alone uses the language of adoption when talking about our salvation. (See Romans 8:14-17, 23; Galatians 4:1-7; Ephesians 1:4-5).

John writes, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1).

Our understanding of Christianity cannot be better than our grasp of adoption. . . . If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all.
— J.I. Packer, Knowing God

Check out this helpful collection of quotes and media about the doctrine of adoption.

The following story was referenced in my sermon:

Here’s a great song for kids written from the perspective of an adopted child, connecting their experience to God’s adoption:

Questions for reflection or discussion:

• What is the doctrine of adoption?

• Respond to the J.I Packer quote above.

• How does your status as an adopted child of God give you a secure identity, a secure relationship with God, and a secure inheritance?

Justification by Faith

Click here for the sermon on this topic, or to catch up on others in the series.

“Justification [by faith] is the heart of the gospel and unique to Christianity. No other system, ideology or religion proclaims a free forgiveness and new life to those who have done nothing to deserve it.” -John R.W. Stott

Photo by Ekaterina Bolovtsova from Pexels

Summary: Justification is God’s legal declaration of “not guilty” over a sinner who believes in Jesus. On the cross Jesus paid for our sin through the shedding of his blood, and when we are united with him in faith we gain his righteousness. On this basis, God declares us fully justified. The only way we access this amazing, undeserved grace is through faith—simple, desperate trust Jesus. Justification is the starting gate, not the finish line, of the Christian life. God declares us righteous on the basis of what Jesus has done, not on our moral record.

It is important to note that God’s verdict “justified” does not automatically change us into better people. It is an event, a declaration over us. However, once justified, we begin the process of being sanctified (made holy). We can’t separate justification from the rest of the Christian life (i.e. being born again, being made holy, obeying Jesus), but it does need to be distinguished from the work God does to actually change us.

Resources to Go Deeper with the Doctrine of Justification by Faith

• Article: “A Systematic Theology of Justification”

• The following video illustrates that it is not the intensity of our faith that saves us, but the grounds of our faith that saves us: the blood of Jesus. (I was blessed to have Don Carson as one of my professors in Seminary!)

• A short explanation of Justification by Faith for visual learners:

Questions:

• Summarize justification by faith in your own words.

• Is God fair to declare a sinners righteous because of their faith in Christ? Why or why not?

• Recall the time when you first understood that your sins were completely forgiven through Jesus. How did it feel?

• Respond to this statement by 16th century pastor Richard Hooker: “God doth justify the believing man, yet not for the worthiness of his belief, but for his worthiness who is believed.”

• What is at stake if we don’t clearly understand and live in this doctrine? Why?

Substitutionary Atonement

Click here to listen to the sermon on Substitutionary Atonement from the Doctrines for Life sermon series, preached on 1/31/21.

What is the doctrine of substitutionary atonement?

“Substitutionary atonement” means that Jesus Christ died in the place of sinners, taking the punishment that sin deserves, so that we can be reconciled to God.

Photo by Thijs van der Weide from Pexels

See this concise explanation of Substitutionary Atonement from Moody Bible Institute: Substitutionary Atonement.

Key New Testament Passages:

• “For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Mark 10:45

• “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” - John 1:29

• “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him may not perish, but have everlasting life.” - John 3:16

• “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” – 1 Cor 15:3

• “The Lord Jesus Christ…gave himself for our sins.” – Gal 1:4

• “Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” - Eph 5:2

• “Christ…offered himself.” -Heb 9:14

• “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement.” - Rom 3:25

• “Christ died for the ungodly” and “Christ died for us.” - Rom 5:6, 8

• Jesus came to be a “sin offering.” - Rom 8:3

• “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” - 1 Peter 2:24

• “And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.’ - Rev 5:9

Old Testament Foundations

• Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22): The Lord commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac to the Lord. Before Abraham could go through with the sacrifice, the Lord intervened. “Then Abraham looked up and there in the thicket saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burn offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” - Genesis 22:13-14

• The Passover: When the Lord freed his people from slavery in Egypt, he sent plagues against the Egyptians to show his power. The final plague was the death of all firstborn males in Egypt. But the Lord provided a way for his people to be spared: kill a lamb and spread its blood on the doorposts. “The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you.” - Exodus 12:13

• Israel’s sacrificial system. “For the life of the creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” - Leviticus 17:11

• Isaiah 53. The “Suffering Servant” passage:

He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
    he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

4 Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

Two Helpful Videos:

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

• How did Jesus’ death on the cross fulfill patterns of atonement in the Old Testament?

• What are some incomplete or misleading views of why Jesus died on the cross that you have heard or believed?

• Respond to this statement: “The atonement gives you a true picture of yourself. That Jesus had to die for you shows you how sinful you really are. That he would die for you shows you how loved you really are.”

The Bad News: Sin

If you would like to listen to this sermon or any others in the series, click here.

The 5th point on our statement of faith says this:

Mankind was created in the image of God, sinned, and thereby incurred not only physical death, but spiritual death, which is separation from God; as such, human beings are born with a sinful nature. (Genesis 1:26-28; Genesis 3:1-24; Genesis 9:6; Romans 5:12; James 3:9)

See this excellent video on the meaning and nature of sin:

Watch more in this video series on sin by clicking here.

The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope. - Timothy Keller

Questions for personal reflection or group discussion:

• Did hearing the sermon or watching the video above change the way you understand sin at all? How?

• In what ways have you experienced the power of sin?

• Do you agree with Tim Keller’s statement that you are more sinful and flawed in yourself than you ever dared believe? Why or why not?

• How does your sin help you appreciate the good news of what Jesus has done for you?

Made in the Image of God

If you missed this sermon or need to listen to any other in the series, click here.

More resources about what it means to be made in the image of God:

• See this essay by Richard Phillips at The Gospel Coalition.

• The following video by The Bible Project:

• “My body may be broken, but I am a God reflector. I mirror an amazing God who was pleased to make me in his image.” - Joni Eareckson Tada

  That quote and more great wisdom in this video:

Questions to think about or talk about with others:

• What does it mean to be made in the image of God?

• How does being made in the image of God change how you see yourself?

• Do you believe that your value and dignity is deeper than your sin and brokenness? Really? Why or why not?

• Do you actually believe that all lives are equally valuable? The 18 year-old track star - the 90 year-old with Alzheimer’s - the man on death row - the unborn baby? Which people, or kinds of people, are you tempted to overlook or even despise?

• If you are a Christian, in what ways have you been (and are being) “renewed in the knowledge of the image of [your] creator” (Col. 3:10).

Just for fun :)

A Mob, Jesus, and the Truth

The mob roiled like stormy waters as it pressed against the stone steps outside the seat of government. Its instigators were defenders of tradition and religion. They were bloodthirsty, willing to cross any moral boundary and ally with any power, secular or sacred, to get their way.  

Christ Before Pilate by Mihály Munkácsy (1881)

Up the steps, through the columns, in the inner chamber, a decision was being made that would change history forever.

In that chamber a Roman governor named Pontius Pilate was face to face with a Jewish Rabbi, Jesus of Nazareth. The religious leaders conducting the mob outside had charged Jesus with blasphemy for claiming to be the Messiah, a crime they deemed punishable by death. Pilate, hesitant to rubber-stamp this mob justice, attempted to reconcile the anger outside with this plain, calm man before him.

“Are you the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked.

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But my kingdom is from another place.”

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into this world was to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

“What is truth?” retorted Pilate.  

Over the past week I have pondered this conversation between Jesus and Pilate, recorded in the 18th chapter of the Gospel of John. Most know what happens next: Pilate eventually bends to the will of the mob, and Jesus is sentenced to death by crucifixion—the common sentence for criminals and insurrectionists, handed down often by this hardened pagan leader remembered in history only for his career-preserving condemnation of Jesus.    

It seems that in the past weeks, many—including many who claim the name of Jesus—have forgotten the meaning of what Jesus said to Pilate.

First, Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world. He does not need his servants to fight a battle for him. His dominion does not grow or shrink by way of Electoral Colleges, Presidents, or legal victories. It cannot, and will not, be defended or advanced by violence or alliances with power. His Kingdom’s flag is not the stars and stripes, but the banner of his own supreme name waved to beckon all nations (Isaiah 11:10). His kingdom grows through hearts transformed by his the gospel through the power of his Spirit.

Second, Jesus told Pilate that his entire mission was to “testify to the truth” and that “everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” Christians should be people who stand not on the right, or on the left, but on the side of truth. That’s where Jesus is. But instead, Christians have clung to a political tribe and been willing to believe just about any lie, and deny just about any fact, to stay there.  

Pilate was cynical about the possibility of truth. I fear that our culture is becoming the same way—and Christians, not secular liberals, are the leading cause. If the world around us sees Christians as peddlers of conspiracy theories, rumors and debunked claims, who will believe us when we try to tell them that Jesus “suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried, and on the third day rose again”?