“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 ”No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.  Matthew 6: 19 – 21, 24

My life is being rethought as I sit here to write.  Last Sunday’s message was a strong call to examine our lives in response to the materialism of our culture.  I not only prepared and delivered that message, but I also am being challenged by its implications.  Sometimes preaching seems like an academic exercise wherein we evaluate the quality of the delivery and the appropriateness of the content, but I feel like this series of messages from the Sermon on the Mount are more like a slap upside the head.  Jesus’ words are strong and direct and simple and demand a response. 

If you are going to be a part of His kingdom, He calls you to some serious decision making.  Specifically, how are you going to deal with money and stuff?   Is it something you commit to and use for God’s kingdom, or is the acquisition of things the point of life?  And sadly, in our culture, many folks would have to admit, if they were honest, that the acquisition of stuff and maintaining their standard of living has become the point of life.  It is radical to follow Jesus’ way.  He does not call use to give a little, or even a lot.  He never  says “give out of your abundance” or “give 10%.”  His call to us is that everything we own is to be used for His kingdom and all of our resources are to be available for the implementation of the Kingdom of God.  

This next Sunday’s message focuses on how we line up our priorities if we decide to follow Jesus.  It promises to be a humdinger!

I haven’t blogged for several weeks.  A little bit of a time issue has been part of the reason I haven’t written.  A little bit of writer’s block has been another part of the reason.  The primary reason, however, is that I have been so overwhelmed by the material we have been covering in worship that blogging has seemed inconsequential.

Several months ago, I felt lead to begin a study in the gospel of Matthew.  I love the gospels and it is natural for me to find my preaching zone in them.  I was optimistic that our Matthew study would be helpful, challenging, and hopeful.  What I was not ready for, however, is the way the scripture would pierce my heart and affect me personally.  The eyes of my heart are opening as I hear His words like I am hearing them again for the first time.  I am being challenged at the very core of my understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. It has been an amazing few weeks for my faith as we are working our way through the Sermon on the Mount.

Perhaps it is because of where I am in my personal life and perhaps it is the influence of the authors I am reading right now, but I am feeling overwhelmed by Jesus’ straightforward and simple call to “follow him.”   My daily question has become “How will I follow Jesus today?  What action will I take, what decision will I make, that brings glory to Him.”

While I am being overwhelmed by the words of Jesus as we study Matthew, I fear that I am not adequately translating those words on Sunday morning.  I believe the material I am sharing has life-changing potential but I am not confident I have the ability to share it with the “umph” that it deserves.  I can only trust that the grace of God is working in each one of us as we open the Word of God together.

POP!

Today’s service was fun.  After a neat prelude by Katie on the flute, I introduced the day by talking about how popcorn works- what makes the kernel pop.  The answer is simple.  heat and water- heat applied to the kernel which causes the water inside the kernel to turn to steam and expand.  The pressure on the shell becomes too great and pop!

After some good congregational singing, the choir (thanks, Joan) blessed us with a sweet song of assurance.

More special music came from Cindy as she directed her piece to the graduates who were with us.  It was a great song for all of us, but especially for our folks who are in the process of graduating and getting on with the next phase of life.

We took a few minutes to honor our graduates as RuthAnn shared bios and I passed out gifts to each one.  Thanks Kelsey for putting everything together and thank you Mike for the monogramed pens- they are cool!

RuthAnn’s message to the kids was stellar as usual.  I wish she had left a few peanut butter cups up front but maybe next time.

The message this morning focused on the kingdom of heaven/God.  It is a concept with which I have been reaquainted as I have been looking again at the gospels.  Jesus talks alot about the Kingdom.  It is exciting stuff.  The kingdom is the Good News personified.  People, Jesus first and then His followers, who give their lives to a way of living that focuses on grace, love, forgiveness and service.  In the sermon, I tried to focus on Jesus’ words so most of the message was simply restating what He said in the gospels.  I would encourage you to do a personal study of the kingdom- just go to a concordance or biblegateway.com and do a word search for kingdom in the gospels.  Read each passage in context and prepare to be surprised at what Jesus teaches you.  A great book on the Kingdom is “The Secret Message of Jesus” by Brian McLaren.  I would recommend it highly.

I closed the message with a parable that I thought fit in well with the kingdom stories Jesus told.  Using a demonstration, I talked about popcorn being popped in a popper with no lid.  As the popcorn kernels heat up, the pop takes place and the resulting pieces of popcorn come flying out of the popper.  When we are heated up by God’s grace, love and mercy, we are moved out of the pew and into the community to become agents of his kingdom.

I had an application page on the back of the seromn outline.  In the midst of the service I forgot to direct the congregation’s attention to it (what’s up with me?), but I hope most folks will take some time to think about how they can “pop” for Jeus in the coming weeks.

I am looking forward to some online discussion, so feel free to make a comment.

Steve

What made me happy this Sunday?

Well, my mom was with us for Sunday service and that made me happy.  This is the first Sunday that she has been with us since we have moved to Illinois.  She was really impressed with the congregation’s friendliness.  I have said it before- it is our biggest asset. 

The attendance made me happy.  We looked pretty good.

The look of the sanctuary made me happy.  As we entered the buidling, we were greeted by smiley faces in the windows.  Four happy face posters (thank you Polly) ushered us into the sanctuary.  The platform looked so cool.  Smiley face balloons, beachballs, furniture and knick-knacks were everywhere.  It was festive.

The attitude of the congregation made me happy.  There was a good spirit Sunday.

The prelude made me happy.  Lively and festive- great job Mike.

The story of the Pig of Happiness made me very happy.  The pig chose happiness and developed so much of it that it leaked out to all the other pigs and onto the other farm animals as well.  What a great story. 

The congregational singing made me happy.  The praise songs were great.    I love “Shout to the North.”

Marcia’s Moment in Mission made me happy.  To be reminded that mission is who we are and what we are about is important for us to hear.

The sanctuary choir made me happy.  Their song was wonderfully done.  Many churches don’t have choirs anymore and it is exciting to see this group who week after week work hard to prepare and then share God’s word in song.

Shelby’s song made me happy.  The song itself is moving, and her rendition was great.  She is a very talented young lady and I can’t wait to hear more from her.

RuthAnn’s basket message always makes me happy.  It is a highlight of the service.  And the kids were great.  I talked to them at breakfast about staying off the platform because of the temptation to mess with all the stuff, and they responded wonderfully.

The puppets made me happy.  The black light puppets are so funny.  They did a good job with the song and the acrobatics cracked me up.

I was happy with the message.  I think I made the points I was hoping to make.  As we spend a few weeks in Matthew 5 - 7 (the Sermon on the Mount), I wanted to emphasize the importance of these chapters as fundament to understanding Jesus’ teaching about the Kingdome of heaven.  Hence, the idea that the Sermon on the Mount is reflective of Jesus’ stump speech- his ongoing teaching.  In particular, we looked on the Beatitudes.  Jesus focuses on what makes us feel blessed, happy, fulfilled.  Interestingly, it is not the stuff most of us would list.  Rather, it is the recognition that if we take Jesus seriously, life changes and the facts of life, the circumstances of life, are not the stuff that bring us joy or happiness.  It is life lived in the presence of God.

I was happy that Samantha, Shelby, Kailey and Joel chose to make public professions of faith at the end of the service.  Now, it is the congregation’s responsibility to nurture them through our words, actions, and prayers.

It was a happy day.  What about you- what made you happy?  Feel free to share a comment- it would make me happy!

Steve 

ahh, a fascinating Sunday morning.  One person commented that my sermon was “interesting.”  I said ”thank you,” but I am not sure I was being complimented.

We were trying to build the service around the temptation story in Matthew 4.  Using the title “Toe to Toe” we developed boxing imagery for the day.  I constructed a partial boxing ring on the platform, had gym equipment scattered around, and dressed the part of a trainer for the message.  I thought the metaphor worked very well.  In fact, I thought the metaphor worked better than the sermon itself.  The message, including “Rocky” clips, was that we are more prepared to go toe to toe with temptation if we have trained.  We train by developing a relationship with God and by serving people. 

Mike’s prelude was cool!  Very big.

The choir introduced us to the table as we gathered to share communion. 

I was in and out of the sanctuary through some of the other elements but things sounded wonderful.  Marcia’s song was beautiful, the praise team sounded very good, the children’s sermon was excellent, and I liked the way Mike stopped the instrument on “Sanctuary.”  It was very powerful as the congregation sang those great words without accompaniment.

One of the cool things in the service was the powerpoint during the scripture reading.  Bob put it together and it was really helpful in highlighting the experience of Jesus in the desert.

I look forward to your comments.

Next week is mother’s day and our theme is “Be Happy.”  It should be a great day!

Steve

I thought today’s service was pretty cool.

Granted, it took a few moments for some folks to get over the anxiety that came when there weren’t bulletins being passed out before the service.  The necessity of bulletins has always confused me a little.  In a lot of ways, it seems like a waste of paper, and yet, panic sets in if we don’t have them. 

The service began with Mike’s “good news” prelude.  As it ended, several “newsies”  came down the aisles passing out “The Decatur Sun,”  the bulletin dressed up like a newspaper.  The call to worship focused on the life of the newsies, a group of young people who made their living in bigger cities by selling newspapers.  Their profit depended on the selling of their newspapers, so creativity was a must as they barked out the news, “Extra! Extra! Read all about it.”  The thrust of the call to worship was that we have good news to share.

From there, the service unfolded.

The choir number was wonderful. 

The bell choir piece was great.  They will now take a break through the summer.  I have appreciated their hard work throughout the year.  Thank you bell choir.

Praise team lead us in a sweet time of worship.  We had them on the floor again this week.  I still can’t decide if I prefer them up or down (when they are up, they are more visible but further away from the congregation). 

The children’s message was worth a second listen.  We are called to be samples of Jesus.  That message is not just for the kiddos, but for all of us.   How can you be a sample of Jesus to the people you encounter every day?

The message of the morning “Don’t believe your own press clippings?”, was intended to remind us of one simple fact- Jesus is Lord.  Everything that we have going for us, all of our churchiness, all the accolades that we hear, don’t change the fact that He is Lord and we are servants.  I thought it connected.  What did you think?

Let me know what you thought of the day.  And feel free to give a critique of the articles in the “Decatur Sun.” Be sure to post a comment.

Steve

Oh, by the way, communion is this coming Sunday and will happen early in worship.  If you are a late arriver, you might want to be aware of that.

It was kind of weird, wasn’t it.  Here we are in april and yet the music wafting out of the sanctuary sounds distinctively Christmas like. 

In our series, “Jesus 101,” this past Sunday was the day we focused on Jesus’ birth (from the gospel of Matthew).  Since we have heard the story so many times, I chose to focus on a passage that many of us know, but we tend to skip over during the Christmas season.  The passage deals with the death of all those babies in Bethlehem and the forced “refugee” status of Joseph, Mary and Jesus.  We used the passage to talk about the other side of Christmas; the side not acknowledged in sweet carols, yummy dinners, happy childrens’ programs and the like.  The other side of Christmas is the dark side, where people struggle and hurt and wonder when “joy to the world” will come to them.

I thought the message was important for us to hear.  As I was delivering it, however, it struck me that it was especially heavy.  This particular message doesn’t motivate us to jump up and down in joy, but it does remind us that the ugly of life visits each of us and that God is still present and working in the midst of it.

What did you think of the message?  Too heavy? 

The worship leading up to the message was planned as a service we would have during advent.  Many of you wore red or green (cool) and the music and media and children’s message were all Christmas-themey.

Erin’s song was beautiful.  Her voice filled the sanctuary.

Ruth Ann’s Children’s sermon was delightful.  Watching her interact with the kids is so neat.  She handles them so well and shares the neatest messages.

The choir’s song was very cool.  I missed seeing their faces and expressions since they were on the floor facing the front, but the song was great.

I liked the worship team down on the floor!  They were so close to the congregaton that there was a real a sense of intimacy.  It did make them harder to see however, and they provide leadership in singing not just with voices and instruments but also with their bodies.  What do you think?  Up on top or on the floor?

Mike played wonderfully.  We have come to expect that to such a degree that we may take for granted the immense talent in our presence.  Mike, you may have to mess up once in a while for us to be reminded of how good you are!

A big thank you to Adam and Bob for their work in the back.  As we try new things and strive to be creative, it puts pressure on these guys to know what’s what and when’s when.  Sound and media are difficult tasks and Bob, Adam, and Barb, and John do a wonderful job for us.  Kudos.

Let me know what you thought of this week’s service.

Steve

What an amazing day!

The children did an awesome job with Oh Jonah.  I was so proud of each and every one of them. 

Rather than write about the service, I am just opening the door for you to write your comments about the day and the adventure that was Oh Jonah.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Steve

Who is Jesus?  That is the question we will seek to answer in the coming weeks (months) as we begin a study in Matthew’s gospel.  This past Sunday was the introduction to the series.   The sermon was intended to pose more questions than answers.   It may have left some uncomfortable in that we like our messages wrapped up neatly (3 points and a conclusion we can grab hold of).  One of the many things I am learning about Jesus is that He is not neatly wrapped up in points and conclusions.  The personal work I have been doing in preparation for this series has been life transforming for me.  I am of stronger conviction on many things about Jesus than i ever was before, and in some areas, my long held thoughts have been challenged to the core.

It has already been a great series for me, and we have only shared the first message.

Apart from the sermon, last Sunday’s worship was great.  Good energy, good singing, good fellowship.  The communion segment (from the prelude to the song after communion) was powerful.  The time we take to celebrate the supper is special to me in that it creates forced reflection.  I tend not to reflect much anymore (got to get on to the next thing) so communion forces me to breathe, think, reflect, pray.

What parts of the service spoke to your heart?  I am looking forward to your comments.

steve

This Sunday is “O Jonah.”  Our children, along with kids in the neighborhood and from Muscademy present a musical based on “Jonah.”  Just for fun, read the bible story before you come.  Come on, you can do it -  4 chapters that cover two pages.  See you Sunday

A very cool day today. Our youth blessed us with a sunrise service at 7:00 and a breakfast at 8:00.  What is up with the black light puppets?  They were hilarious.   We have some kids with amazing talent and great energy and we need to support and encourage them at every turn.  Great job guys. 

On to resurrection worship at 9:00.  Good stuff.   

The music: 

The prelude was wonderful.  The bell choir did a piece that led us from Gethsemane to the empty tomb.  I loved the end of it.  Very powerful.  It helped set up a very inspiring service. 

The choir music rocked.  “The Tomb is Open Wide” was upbeat and powerful and the choir sounded great.  I had heard that the song had the potential to be very cool and I though it reached its potential.   

Mike’s offertory was super.  He does such an awesome job; this congregation has found a special treasure in him .   

We sang the normal Easter fare- “Christ the Lord is Risen Today”, “Christ Arose” and “Because He Lives.”  There was lots of energy as we sang and the congregation sounded good. 

The praise team sounded really good today and the songs fit the service well.  Having a full compliment of instruments: guitar, bass, keyboard and drums sounds good.  Vocally, the team blended well and helped lead the rest of us to sing our praises.

Lessons from the Basket.  Ruth Ann  shared a great truth that we are priceless in God’s sight and the resurrection emphasizes his amazing love for us.  Her use of the game show “The Price is Right” was great and the kids soaked it up.  It was exciting to see that many kids up there.

 The theme: Our theme today was Open Doors.  From the image on the screen to the opening words about the 25 doors in my house to the choir song, “The Tomb is Open Wide,” to the story about Jason finding open doors at the Christian Center to the scripture reading to the singing of the “People Need the Lord” chorus to the video clip from “Get Smart” to the message with a prop door on the platform, our goal was to focus on the doors that have been opened because of Jesus’ resurrection- the doors to life, hope and purpose. 

I thought it worked really well.  I was really pleased.  I am curious to hear how you responded to the whole day.  Let me know. 

The atmosphere: There was a great spirit in the sanctuary today.  It was powerful. 

I was especially excited about our youth and kids.  They seemed to have a lot of fun in worship today.  The group on the front row looked like they were enjoying themselves immensely as they sang and clapped and did motions to the music.  I love their enthusiasm and joy.  Thank you guys so much for blessing me today!!!!

steve