Sermon link from Sunday's worship (Sept 14)...

We continued our focus on Matthew 10 and the difference between disciples and admirers of Jesus.  This was our second Sunday looking in-depth at Matthew 10:16-23 before we move deeper into the chapter. 

Link to the sermon is here.

Please consider reading ahead in Matthew 10 for this upcoming Sunday as we welcome fire and rescue personnel to worship together with us...

Sermon link from yesterday's worship...

Here's the link to the sermon from yesterday's worship.

Our focus last week and in coming weeks will be on Matthew 10, where Jesus begins to forcefully draw the distinction between "disciples" and "admirers."

This week, we focused on Matthew 10:16-23. We encourage you to read this section of the Scriptures several times (aloud and silently) before reading and considering the sermon.

Good Friday Reflections...

I was given the honor and the responsibility of speaking at our local community (New Hope) of churches' Good Friday worship gathering. As I was piecing together, struggling, and wrestling with what to say (a weekly occurrence), knowing that many folks there had heard the Scriptures of Jesus' passion and crucifixion so many times before that they had become old hat, knowing this because they have become old hat to me at times, I wanted to offer at least one little twist that might plant in someone's subconscious awareness and sprout out at some point in the future.

So I'd like to share the message with you. I would love for you to engage with it, push me on it in places, or just sit and let it soak in your brains for a bit. It is one perspective among many, though at its best it can help to reveal God's truth. Here's the link to the full-text. And a couple excerpts:

We live in a broken world, a world that is very dark, but this world is not hopeless, the darkness has not won, and our God has given us the opportunity to seek the light and truth that comes from being a part of this historical people, our founding fathers and mothers are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ruth, Job, Nehemiah, Malachi, Bartholomew, James, Mary Magdalene, and our LORD Jesus.

On this day, a crowd gathers outside Jerusalem that quickly swells into great numbers, children dance and scream out joy, and adults lay down their cloaks. It is this man! Jesus! He has come to Jerusalem! Could this be the Messiah? The crowd shouts, HOSANNA! Praise to the Son of David! The King is coming! The King is coming! The revolution is beginning! Israel will be restored!

This is a time of celebration, of expectation. “The time of suffering has come to an end!” most people would have thought, but the disciples, if they paid any attention to the teachings of Jesus, during this loud gathering may have had something tickling in the back of their mind during the triumphal procession, faint memories of Jesus saying to them time and time and time again, “my children, I will be with you only a little longer,” and “I am going away and will be coming back to you," and “the Son of Man will be arrested, crucified, raised up.” They may carry these memories buried way back in their heads, but the memories aren’t faint because of time and things getting fuzzy, they’re faint because what Jesus has been teaching doesn’t line up with what the disciples want to hear, what the disciples have thought was the truth about the Messiah.

The temple authorities grow angry when they hear and see the children shouting Hosanna and praises to this Jesus, and Jesus calls them on the carpet, saying, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.” And he tells parable after parable to those gathered around mocking the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, sneering at them, exposing their self-righteousness and hypocrisy. This is NOT the Jesus meek and mild of our childhood Sunday School classes that bleeds over into our adult belief system.

When Judas betrays Jesus, the disciples cry out, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” (they obviously didn't wait for an answer) It seems Peter had one of the swords the disciples had brought along, and Peter did what seemed natural, he struck out against the servant of the High Priest, protecting Jesus, inciting violence. And it is here, at the height of the climax, when all seems to point towards Jesus living into the destiny that everyone had planned out for him, when the disciples are using the sword that Jesus told them to get, thateverything gets turned completely upside-down for them.

In case we thought the Israelites were the only ones who could take their attention off the world and pay attention to themselves, the Roman Empire occupying them at this time was obsessed with keeping and extending what they had, and since then, the French have been obsessed with the French, the Germans with the Germans, the English with the English, and the United States with the United States; each of us in our little corner of the globe, like kids in a pre-school playroom seeing who can have the most toys at the expense of the others.

On Good Friday, we see the pinnacle of God’s great love, when on the cross, God scoffed at the power of the Romans and corrupt Israelite expectations, and in the resurrection laughed in their faces, saying “You cannot possibly stand in the way of my purposes!”... But the fact remains that for every other person in this story other than Jesus, the way things panned out was deeply confusing, even after the resurrection. Before, they thought they knew what was true, what would happen. Jesus, however, showed them the purposes of God were higher and bigger than they imagined."

Pictures Online...

I (Nate) have been messing around with trying to put some pictures from Middle River onto the website here, and I keep falling on my face.  

I have, however, managed to set up a few things, among those a place where you can see the pictures that have been  uploaded to the internet related to our church life.

Here's a link.  (click the underlined sentence to see)

And here's another.  (click the underlined sentence to see)

These photos are of everything from a Children's Harvest Party to Oliver Cline's funeral to church building reconstruction to softball...enjoy!

Further thoughts and prayers on Lent from Pastor Nate

Lenten Daily Prayers: The Fourth Week

You’ll become aware (if you haven’t already), that there is a significant continuing theme of repentance and lament in the readings and prayers in this journey through Lent to Easter. Some may say

“This is depressing, and therefore something more joyful and positive should be said about the human experience.”

In response, I say, “Lent is about repentance, and in order for us to sink deeper into that repentant state of being, we need to focus on lament, on self-examination, on honesty, and if anything is to be joyous, it should focus on God as our Sustainer alone.”

Lent is a time of purging, of us shedding unnecessary burdens in order to “Seek first the kingdom of God” more consistently and clearly.

So I urge you, sit in the discomfort of examination and honesty. Resist the knee-jerk happy-clappy “Christian” music of our culture during this time, and sink into the place where God alone holds and sustains you.

The Call to Prayer
Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples;
ascribe to the Lord the honor due his Name;
bring offerings and come into his courts.
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
let the whole world tremble before him
(Psalm 96:7-9)

The Cry of the Church
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us

Morning (observed on the hour or half hour between 6 and 9 am)
Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought me safely to this new day; preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen

Prayer for the Week
O God, who before the passion of your only Son revealed his glory on the holy mountain: Grant that I, encountering by faith the light of his countenance, will be strengthened to bear my cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Midday (observed on the hour or half hour between 11 am and 2 pm)
Seek out the LORD while he is still to be found,
call to him while he is still near.
Let the wicked abandon his way and the evil one his thoughts.
Let him turn back to the LORD who will take pity on him,
to our God, for he is rich in forgiveness;
for my thoughts are not your thoughts and your ways are not my ways, declares the LORD.
For the heavens are as high above the earth
as my ways are above your ways, my thoughts above your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:6-9

Prayer for the Week (repeat from morning)

Lord’s Prayer

Evening (observed on the hour or half hour between 5 and 8 pm)
Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come before you;
hide not your face from me in the day of my trouble.
Incline your ear to me; when I call, make haste to answer me.
For my days drift away like smoke, and my bones are hot as burning coals.
My heart is smitten like grass and withered, so that I forget to eat my bread.
I have become like a vulture in the wilderness, like an owl among the ruins.
I lie awake and groan; I am like a sparrow, lonely on a house-top.
Psalm 102:1-7

Prayer for the Week

The Lord’s Prayer

As usual, the daily prayers are drawn from Phyllis Tickle’s Eastertide, Prayers for Lent through Easter from the Divine Hours

Some thoughts and prayers on Lent from Pastor Nate

Lenten Daily Prayers: The Third Week

I found a picture on Saturday,that really captures penitence for me, so I’ll show it as a visual example to enhance the sense of desperation and crying out that is intended to accompany the season of Lent.

The Call to Prayer

Open my lips, O Lord, and my mouth will proclaim your praise.
Had you desired it, I would have offered sacrifice,
but you take no delight in burnt offerings.
The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit,
and a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
(Psalm 51:16-18)

The Cry of the Church

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.

Morning (to be observed on the hour or half hour between 6 and 9 a.m.)

Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought me safely to this new day: Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose, through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

Prayer for the Week

Most loving Father, whose will it is for us to give thanks for all things, to fear nothing but the loss of you, and to cast all our care on you who cares for us: Preserve me from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, that no struggles of this mortal life will hide from me the light of your love that transcends death, and which you have shown to us in your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Midday (to be observed on the hour or half hour between 11 am and 2 pm

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the assembly of the upright, in the congregation.
Great are the deeds of the Lord!
They are studied by all who delight in them.
His work is full of majesty and splendor,
and his righteousness endures forever.
He makes his marvelous works to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and full of compassion.
The works of his hands are faithfulness and justice;
all his commandments are sure.
They stand fast for ever and ever,
because they are done in truth and equity.
He sent redemption to his people;
he commanded his covenant for ever, holy and awesome is his Name.
Psalm 111:1-4, 7-9

Prayer for the Week (repeat from morning)

The Lord’s Prayer

Evening (to be observed on the hour or half hour between 5 and 8 pm)

O gracious Light,
pure brightness of the everlasting Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of the sun, and our eyes behold the evening light,
we sing your praises O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O giver of life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.
Phos Hilaron (earliest known Christian hymn recorded outside the Bible)

Prayer for the Week (repeat from morning)

The Lord’s Prayer

In case you’re thinking right now, after all these prayers, that this is ridiculous and redundant and stupid to do because “Jesus set us free to just have faith,” (I’ve certainly felt that before), I’d direct you to further wisdom from Phyllis Tickle;

“A wise rabbi once told me that it is not how many prayers we don’t say that matters to God, but rather how many we do. That is important for all of us, but especially for beginners. If this is your first attempt to return to the most ancient of Christian practices, it is wise to remember that you are entering into a discipline and that, like all disciplines, this one sits hard and heavy upon one at times. There are hours you will miss and/or some that you can’t even begin to figure out how to observe. That is all right, for either the joy will carry you into greater joy and turn the discipline into privilege, or you will find yourself simply the wiser and richer for such experience as you have had. As the rabbit said, that is what matters ultimately.”

Or, as the wise Richard Foster teaches,

“‘Prayer changes things,’ people say. It also changes us. That latter goal is the more imperative. The primary purpose of prayer is to bring us into such a life of communion with the Father that, by the power of the Spirit, we are increasingly transformed to the image of the Son.”

May you be enriched by the discipline of fixed prayer.

Lent Daily Prayers: The Second Week

The woman wiping Jesus' feet with her tears

The last two years have been a slow trip into more depth of discipleship and spirituality for me (nate). This slow trip has resulted from a deeper understanding of the Bible on my part and the realization I found there that God's people are expected to be different than the people around them. And not just different in a practice of weekly worship or inward feeling, but in central commitments and family interactions and how they see and interact with both friend and neighbor and, in the case of Lent, what part of the year is most important to them and why.

I say this because in growing up at Middle River, I knew of Lent, but it usually only brought to mind two things for me:

 1) My dad went to worship services on Sunday nights during this mysterious "Lent" time, but I didn't know why, and

2) The word "Lent" made me think of "lentil soup," which I thought tasted like pureed cardboard.

Literally. That was all I knew about Lent. 

       But as I've grown in the past several years, I've begun to see a certain rhythm of the year (some call it the Christian calendar) that isn't centered around Mother's Day, Memorial Day, President's Day, Valentine's Day (or Black Friday, for that matter); but All Saints' Day and Christmas and Easter and Pentecost. And I've found that the two "high holidays" (or, from the root of holidays, 'holy days') of Christmas and Easter each have before them a time of preparation and penitence, a time to do something concrete that helps us to step back and take account of our lives and how they are impacting the world around us. We call them "Advent" (before Christmas) and "Lent" (before Easter). For a better understanding of the deeply countercultural approach of Christians to preparing for Christmas, check out what the folks over at Advent Conspiracy are doing.In a desire to honor these seasons, I've made a commitment to progress toward a more rooted, more ancient path of penitence in these times in the hopes that my faith will grow deeper, my actions will reflect Christ more fully, and my lifestyle will display a commitment to walking by the beating of a different drum than those around me who don't know Christ.

 Just a little background for our seeking to honor Lent and through it to more deeply appreciate and celebrate Easter and the breaking through of hope and transformation out of the darkest, most unlikely circumstance.

    I offer as a small worship guide for whoever may visit this site a prayer to be said in the morning, the midday, and the evening this week, as well as the prayer for the week at each stage of the day. Maybe they will help draw you deeper into the season as well. These are drawn from Phyllis Tickle's Eastertide, where she reminds in the preface of the book the reason for this observance of fixed prayer (the "divine hours") throughout the day, saying

"When one prays the hours, one is using the exact words, phrases, and petitions that have informed our faith for centuries. In addition, we are using the exact words, phrases, and petitions that were offered just an hour earlier by our fellow Christians in the prior time zone and that, in an hour, will be picked up and used again by our fellow believers in the next time zone. The result is a constant cascade before the throne of God of the "unceasing prayer" to which St. Paul urged us. The result also is the communion of the saints fully realized in words both horizontally through the ages and vertically within this day and hour. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." (xi-xii)

    While I'm not so sure we should care as much about the "exact words, phrases, and petitions" side of the Divine Hours as Phyllis, especially since different cultures and peoples and different languages say different things in very different ways, I love the imagery of the "constant cascade." I am not a Christian by myself and for myself. I am a member of a global people casting ourselves down in humility at the feet of God who can think of nothing better (or more fulfilling) to do than cry, "Glory!" (Psalm 29:9) 

Morning (to be observed on the hour or half hour between 6 and 9 a.m.)

Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought me safely to this new day: Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose, through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

Prayer for the Week

O Lord, you have taught us without love whatever we do is worth nothing; Send your Holy Spirit and pour into my heart your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Midday (to be observed on the hour or half hour between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.)

Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down; touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. Hurl the lightning and scatter them; shoot out your arrows and rout them. Stretch out your hand from on high; rescue me and deliver me from the great waters, from the hand of foreign peoples, whose mouths speak deceitfully and whose right hand is raised in falsehood. (Psalm 144:5-8)

Prayer for the week (repeat from the morning)Evening (to be observed on the hour or half hour between 5 and 8 p.m.)

O God, the King Eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from me all wrong desires, incline my heart to keep your law, and guide my feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness during the day, I may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

Prayer for the week (repeat from the morning)