Emotions Spilling Over Brunswick (…now Minneapolis)

Brunswick, GA 2020. Minneapolis, MN 2020. A father & son duo hunting down a man of color. A police officer’s knee on the neck of a human being. A conflicted and compromised legal system. Four against one in handcuffs. GBI investigating the merits of the case. Bad International coverage in both cases. Two very long months of waiting for action. Only one policeman arrested.  And then the video release. These seemingly senseless, rash, and nearly covered-up murder of Ahmaud Aberry & George Floyd has caused a deep sadness to settle into my soul. Despite my best efforts to hold it together, I found myself, your black pastor, deeply troubled. You may be thinking, “Pastor, what took you so long to respond to such horrible situations; especially justice issues such as racism?” Well, to put it simply, the depth of varying emotions has forced me to slow down to listen to both the voice of God and my own heart. Being a person of color, these events have hit me extremely hard, unlike any other time in my life. As such, it has been nearly impossible for me to look at these scenarios in an objective way; it is hard to separate myself from Ahmaud’s & George’s murders because those scenarios could have been me. 

It’s as though these traumas are happening to all black people. I have been, without a doubt, angry, depressed, full of sorrow, fearful and anxious, and many other emotions found on the ‘emotions wheel.’ I have been on the verge of tears several times over the past few weeks. Initially, I wasn’t really sure why, or maybe I was trying to ignore the growing story that has been placed before us on social media. I think, in some ways, I was trying to ignore them or maybe trying to suspend judgment until more details became available. However, as we all have been exposed to more information, the reality of these avoidable acts are too much to keep in the background of my mind and emotional life. The wave of emotions that have swooned over me has a range that I simply cannot share with most people. Yes, like many other people of color, I am sick of the hypocrisy that exists within our country and the false narrative that they paint about black men (and black people for that matter). Doesn’t society realize that narratives can go several directions and that they often go in a negative direction for the black man? 

At times, my flesh wants to lash out at my Anglo brothers and sisters so that they can hear the narrative that minorities have about them. But of course, that negative narrative would probably not be any more true of most Anglos in the same way that it’s not true of the majority of Blacks. Or Latinos. Or Asians. Etc. Etc. It is this type of emotional and rash thinking that has caused me to pause, grieve, and process my experience through the lens of the Bible and the people of God. In response, I have been amazed by the power and influence that distress and trauma have upon the human soul. Just today, as I was reading Isaiah 9, I looked at the use of the term “darkness” in that passage. The word is not in reference to physical darkness, or even spiritual darkness, but more so to emotional darkness as a result of intense distress. It is a distress that Judah and Israel were about to face with the attacks of Syria and Babylon. In a similar way, as I have been trying to work through the emotions of the past couple of months, I have found that the “distress” of these two cases, on top of COVID-19, has created a veil of emotional and spiritual darkness in my life. The pain and sorrow of the heart and mind make sealing oneself from God and others very tempting. Instead of coming to God with all of my emotions, I am finding that I tend to cut myself off from God. Instead, I construct a vault which I think will protect me from the pain that He and others may cause. Instead of being perceived as a God of comfort, He becomes a presence to be avoided or feared. 

Without a doubt, these experiences show me that I can err in not trusting anyone, including my own church family or God. The only thing that I really trust in those moments is myself and my tendency to anesthetize myself with something… anything. However, as one may surmise, this closing off of oneself to God and others quickly becomes the devil’s playground. One is left in isolation with one’s own fallen thinking, emotions, and the world’s broken views on what is the cause and solution of the tragedies of our society. This, my friends, is a breeding ground for misinformation, misinterpretation, and misguided ethics. This is the realm where many people of color live, both Christian and non-Christian alike; they’re trying to save themselves from the trauma, fear, and anxiety of racism and other prejudices. And unfortunately, most of us live in this psychological space alone, unable to share our pain with the majority culture for fear of having our experiences minimized or delegitimized. Many are left in a fog of shame for what we have experienced, and most certainly for how we have been told to interpret them. With no place to go with these traumas, heartaches, fears, anxieties, and wounds, we begin to escape into resentment, anger, rage, suspicion, defensiveness, isolation into our cultural ghettos, code-switching, and self-diminishment of the Image of God we’re created in… just so we can fit into the majority culture. 

Therefore, we find ourselves in a prison of deep woundedness and self-limitation due to our trauma and our own false beliefs about our worth as fellow image-bearers of God. Why do I share this bleak and momentary picture with you? For sure, it is not a complete picture of the African-American experience. But it is a close approximation of where many black Americans are living mentally, socially, relationally, and emotionally. I share this to give everyone at Ponce Church an idea of what many in the black and minority communities of our city are trying to overcome. As I have tried to think of biblical parallels to our current scenario, the ones closest to this description all reflect the theme of oppression; in particular, of God’s people going through the repentant and restorative process of recovering from the effects of their physical and spiritual captivity.1 With these various narratives in view, a few questions came to mind: How would a fellow traveler come alongside an oppressed person to help them? What would one say? What would one do? These are a few of the questions I hope we can delve into together as we seek to understand how the Gospel informs how we engage those who are working through their past and ongoing oppression. 

All this to say, though the confusion is profound for a lot of us, including me, Jesus is GOOD. He is the Man of sorrows (Isaiah 53), one we can relate to in the midst of everything going on. “… A bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice (Isaiah 42). Stay tuned… 

1. Exodus 2-3, 12-34; Deuteronomy, Joshua; Judges; Ezra; Nehemia; the Gospels, and the 1 Epistles—These each reflect the various captivities: Egypt, Babylon/Persia, Rome, and ultimately our slavery to sin and the evil one.

 

Looking for ‘Answers’

What an amazing 5 weeks of living. Who would have thought that within our lifetime we would experience a worldwide and generational event on par with a world war or a global event? The CORONA-19 pandemic has stopped us all in our tracks. In what has seemed like a day or two, we have all watched our daily lives be knocked off their axis’ and found ourselves struggling with trying to make sense of the disorientation. But maybe even more difficult has been the seemingly futile attempt to find points of re-orientation; to establish new rhythms and clarity of purpose in a very uncertain time and world. In fact, the discomfort with ongoing interruptions at every level of our lives has made seeing or perceiving patterns of purpose nearly impossible. Blindness is the description I have been giving to my waking days; blind to the things that God is doing in and around the world. And what possibility is there to see these gifts if I am spending my every waking moment trying to get comfortable in my own skin? The answer is none.

It was not until a Zoom conversation with a dear friend that I was awakened to my ‘blinding focus’ on only what was wrong in the world.  He challenged me to consider how God has been in at work during these unsettling weeks. What ways has God been answering some of your prayers? What has been going right? (according to my self-centered criteria of course :)) And most importantly, what do you sense that God is doing in and for the world?  I am not going to lie to you; these questions felt like I had been woken up from a drunken stupor by a 20-second jolt of fright or reality. It was as if I had never tried to look at the good that was occurring in my life. Of course, I have. In fact, I may have told some of you to do just that. But amid this cataclysmic event, I was transported right back to a state of utter self-sufficiency and self-focus. Not a pastor’s proudest moment, but one that has served to help this weak pastor to re-focus his heart and mind on the things of the Spirit and the Kingdom of God.

As a result, I am trying to re-focus by taking notice of the answered prayers of the saints over the past 6 weeks. I have been asking many of you to share specifics of how the Lord has been answering your prayers and the response has simply been amazing. This small task has made the desire to commune with the Lord via prayer go out of the roof. Consider some of the answered prayers I and others have experienced:

• I was able to get back into the country on my return from India.
• The Lord provided significant healing and recovery for my mother-in-law following her car accident.
• We have seen the Lord meet our needs in unexpected ways despite my wife losing all of our tutoring clients.
• Ponce Church has been able to extend hospitality to many of our venerable neighbors on the street.
• We have seen the Lord provide 4 safe and healthy deliveries for some of our Ponce mothers.
• We have heard of miraculous recoveries of many of our members’ friends and family from the CORONA VIRUS.
• The Lord provided a new home for the McCorkle household despite a lot of obstacles.
• We are hearing of numerous instances where many of you are building fantastic connections and relationships with your neighbors.
• The Lord has garnered a small nation-wide audience of folks who are tuning in to participate in our Virtual Worship & Prayer services. (even folks in Hawaii)
• The Lord has developed a growing prayer movement within our church as a result of our daily virtual prayer services.
• The amount of job losses within our church community has been minuscule considering the number of lay-offs and furloughs that are occurring within the city.

These are just a few of the answered prayers and workings of God that I have noticed. The mere effort of thinking and putting these down on ‘paper’ has served as a great encouragement to me that there is much more going on than just the negative of a fallen world.  And more importantly, God is aware, listening, and interacting with His people and the world through the mess of life.  As such, it proves once again that God’s word through Paul in Philippians 4:4-8 is faithful and true:

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.“

With these truths in mind consider how the Lord is at work in and around your life. Take notice of the prayers you offer and the ways the Lord has chosen to interact with them.  In fact, if you would like to share some of those prayers, please pass them along and I will be glad to add them to another blog post so that together we may ‘rejoice’ in the presence and provision of God with you.  God bless and pray with your eyes open.

 

 

A Change in Posture

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. ²  Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. ³ For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words. ⁴ When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. ⁵ It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. ⁶ Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? ⁷ For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear.                      Eccl. 5:1-7 

 

 

 

5 Myths about Teaching Theology to Youth

Greetings Friends–Pastor Tolivar here.  I came across this article recently and thought it was very relevant not only to our parents but to anyone who is investing in the discipleship of our covenant children. I hope it encourages you that the time and energy that you are investing in the lives of our children is time well spent.  Enjoy! 

by: J. Ryan Lister

This article is part of the 5 Myths series.

We Are Theology Practitioners

First things first: Everyone is practicing some form of theology—including our children. Whether we know it or not, our kids are theologians because God made them to be theologians. The question for Christian parents, church members, and friends is, How do we help children be good theologians?

To start, one of first things we need to do is overcome some potential stereotypes regarding the relationship between kids and theology. In short, we need to break a few myths—myths we’ve faced ourselves while growing up, or myths we’ve simply overlooked, or perhaps even some we’ve perpetuated on our own.

To help our kids becoming sound theologians, let’s evaluate a few of these and see what God has to say about them.

Emblems of the Infinite King

J. Ryan Lister

Emblems of the Infinite King seeks to introduce young readers to the beauty of God’s Word using the categories of systematic theology in bright, creative, and innovative ways. Written for kids ages 10+.

Myth #1: Kids don’t want theology.

This first myth finds its roots in the idea that theology always has to be stuffy and boring. And though there is some truth in this myth (let’s be honest, the church often struggles in showing us how beautiful and joyful theology can be), the problem seems to be more in practice than in source. In other words, theologians are the problem, not God. God is the creative one—he invented fun and imagination and he fills his creation with both. He even creates us and our kids to be creative and imaginative like him.

Theology doesn’t have to be stuffy and boring. Instead, we can take our children back to the source materials—to the stories of Scripture filled with drama, humor, suspense, wickedness, and intrigue. We can tell our kids tales from church history that will overwhelm, excite, and leave them wanting to know more.

But, perhaps the most humbling, we can let our children help us rethink and reexamine our theology too. Some of the best theological questions posed are those that come streaming through the imagination of a child—an imagination that grown-ups have often forgotten.

So, it’s not that kids don’t want theology, it’s that they may not want our vision of God because our vision of God isn’t as big as theirs is anymore.

Myth #2: Kids can’t handle theology.

Next, many of us think that theology is too complex for children. We find that theology requires a certain intellectual sophistication to be grasped, one that our kids don’t have. The thinking is, what kid can grasp the Trinity or the hypostatic union? Why should we overwhelm our little ones with such weighty subjects?

But that’s the problem, right? It doesn’t have to be overwhelming—but even more what’s the problem with being overwhelmed by our infinite Lord? Isn’t that where we all should stand? Furthermore, what adult can give a full account of the Trinity or a complete description of the hypostatic union?

We don’t withhold addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division from our kids because they can’t do calculus or trigonometry. No, we start math with the hopes that our children will be able to advance into more complex theorems and equations. And so it should be with theology (1 Tim 4:12). It’s not that our kids can’t handle theology, it’s that we don’t give them credit and, in many ways, we haven’t thought through a proper progression of teaching our children theological truths in ways that correspond with their development.

Myth #3: Kids have no place in their lives for theology.

Third, the contemporary world says that theology is unnecessary because it isn’t as important as other things in our lives. The world moves too fast, our calendars are too full, there are too many shows on Netflix, and there are too many video games to play. School curriculums tell us what we really need. We’re so busy that we’ve turned “truth” into soundbites and farmed out religion to the pastor and the youth leaders for Sundays only. We no longer have time—and as the culture preaches, no need—for either us or our kids to do a “deep dive” into the deep things of God.

Now, this myth is built on a false assumption: that theology is less important than the things of this world. We are so busy making our kids busy that we don’t even recognize what is really and eternally significant. Instead, we’re so caught up in building our kid’s earthly resumes for earthly fortunes that we’ve forgotten to tell our kids about the living hope that leads to an imperishable, undefiled, and unfading inheritance kept in heaven (1 Pet. 1:3–4).

We need to correct this assumption for ourselves and our kids. Because when we make God-centered theology peripheral, we make true joy and happiness peripheral too. When we say there is no time for theology, we teach them that worldly idols are worthy of their time when knowing God in Christ through the Spirit is not.

Myth #4: Kids can get their theology from someone else.

This myth begins with the ways we’ve learned to outsource our spiritual lives. We now leave things up to the “experts.” We leave theology to the theologians, sermons to pastors, and youth ministry to youth ministers.

Now, as parents, we have to come to grips with why we do this. Yes, the culture teaches us to trust specialists but there are probably deeper reasons. Perhaps we find it too difficult to think hard about theological ideas ourselves. Or perhaps we don’t think we have time to ponder who God is and what he does for us. Or maybe we don’t think we have the chops to answer our kid’s questions about our faith.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Here’s the thing: kids will get their theology from somewhere. The question isn’t if they will ask about God, the question is where they will find their answers. The big questions are always there, especially in the hearts of our children, and the world is always at the cultural altar ready and willing to (mis)lead them into irreverent worship.

Now, we would never leave our kids alone and unsupervised in the ocean, would we? Why then would we leave them to fight the currents of our culture on their own? We need to walk with our kids, even when it’s difficult, even when they (or we) don’t want it. Not because we have all the answers, but because we know the One who does. Our children don’t want experts, they want parents who love them and who will care for them and help them with their big questions about God and life.

Myth #5: Theology is the end in itself.

Now for the other end of the spectrum: there are those who love theology and teach their kids to love theology too. However, they do it for the wrong reasons. They love theology simply for theology’s sake.

And that is the myth: that theology is for knowledge alone—that knowing all the right answers to God is the goal of our life and our children’s lives. But that’s the problem. When we do this, we teach our kids to love theology for their own pride; we teach our children to use theology to wield theological authority over others.

But this often leads to something much worse. We teach our kids that theology can be used, not only to exercise authority over others but that our theology can even exercise authority over God himself. You see, if God is on the “operating table” of their intellect and our theological commitments, then we can begin to think that we stand over him and are able to control him.

And here is the corrective: Theology isn’t the point–worship is. And we need to teach this to our own hearts as well as to our children’s hearts. To put it another way, doctrine should always lead us and our kids to God himself. We need to help our kids get their motives and assumptions right. We need to help them pursue theology to find God relationally while helping them see that none of us can ever master God in full. And that should make every heart, no matter its age, sing because it sets us all up for a life of seeking and praising God in a way that never gets old or boring because that worship will have no end, today or forever.

Ryan Lister is the author of Emblems of the Infinite King: Enter the Knowledge of the Living God.

Being Hospitable When It’s Hard!

By Missy Davis 

When we moved to East Point, we had a vision for this house and yard. We imagined neighbors and neighborhood children gathering naturally in the yard. Playing games of make-believe. We imagined getting to know the families and couples next door and across the street. I prayed that our home would be a “greenhouse for the gospel;” a life-giving place. 

Fast forward, and we have lived here for almost a year and a half. Many of my prayers have already been answered. The kids that live in the neighborhood do naturally come to our yard; it’s a corner lot and we are almost always outside. We’ve gotten to know many neighbors. I have a book club with moms that live within walking distance.  But to be frank, this day to day hospitality, though it was so exciting in the vision God gave me, in reality, is pretty tough. 

I’ll give you an example. There’s a little girl who lives down the road. Her family is pretty poor; she lives with her mother and brother in a tiny, run-down apartment. She asks me for dinner or food every day. And she is sad often. Interacting with her daily is complicated. Sometimes she is mean to my kids. Sometimes they are mean to her. It seems like they don’t understand each other. I don’t knowhow often I should give her dinner or when I should tell her to have dinner with her own family. Do you see? Hospitality isn’t simple. Also, if I may add that I am an introvert and after being around babies and toddlers for 10 hours, sometimes I don’t feel like being hospitable to the neighbors. 

And yet. 

The Bible commands that I am hospitable. It is not a suggestion. 

“Be hospitable to one another without complaint.” 1 Peter 4:9. 

And I’m reminded that all over the Bible God gives opportunities to serve Him to people who do not naturally have gifts for the type of service He asks. Moses comes to mind. 

Could it be true here? We have a great house with an amazing yard for kids that children flock to on their own (some afternoons there are up to 7 neighborhood kids here, not including my children). We have friendly neighbors, diverse and interesting. And then there’s me living here. An introvert. A sleep-deprived introvert on some days. Could it be that this is a way that God wants to show me that in my weakness I am strong? Because he is strong, and he will equip me for all the good things? 

I have another vision. 

When I let myself dream I picture them all in heaven with me and my family. These sweet girls and their brothers being reunited with my own kids. Playing and worshipping for eternity. And that does give me strength. On that day the memory of the tired days will seem a million miles away.  But for now, every day is a prayer. How do I love these children well? God give me wisdom. God give me the energy. I do not have any of this figured out. But I do have the Holy Spirit. And a vision that he gave me. 

Here is a prayer for you if you do not know where to get the strength. Here’s my prayer for myself every single time I am not enough to love a broken child and also my own complicated little people. 

“Now, May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:21

Setting Up Ezra-Nehemiah

As we are moving further into the book of Ezra, and several of our women are in the Nehemiah Bible study, a few of you have reached out to better understand the historical context of these closely related books. Therefore, I want to use this brief post to help orient you.

First, the people of Judah are in a state of political and geographical exile. Due to their unfaithfulness to God and His law, and after various warnings from both the prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah, the majority of the kingdom of Judah was attacked and carried into captivity by the Babylonians under the leadership of King Nebuchadnezzar. The process of exile happened in various phases and is detailed in 2 Kings 24-25. As a result, spiritually speaking, they are a people under the control of foreign gods in Babylon; and simultaneously separated from the presence, rule, reign, and blessings of the God of Israel. Due to their exile, the land of Judah/Canaan will undergo a 70 year period of Sabbath Rest, which has symbolic significance as it relates to the concept of redemption.

Second, the Babylonians were conquered by the Medo-Persian empire, shifting Judah’s captors from Babylon to Persia. This reality is described in Daniel 5-6:5. Judah’s remaining time in the Persian empire is described in the remainder of the book of Daniel and in the books of Esther and Nehemiah. ‘The events in Ezra-Nehemiah take place from the beginning of the Persian Empire with the conquest of Cyrus the Great over Babylonia through the reigns of the Persian emperors Darius and Artaxerxes.’ 1

Third, King Cyrus, the king of the Persian empire, ‘freed the peoples who had been taken into exile in Babylonia and allowed them to keep their customs and religious identities. As a political and military leader, he was concerned about the stability of his empire, loyalty from subject peoples, and economic resources.’ 2 This reality, and the sovereign plan of God, is what informed his decision to encourage the people of Judah to return to Judah to rebuild the House of God and to give them all the resources needed to accomplish that task. In fact, as Isaiah prophesied in chapter 44, verse 28, the Persian King Cyrus had sent exiles led by Zerubbabel back to Jerusalem in 538 b.c. (Persia had defeated Babylon in 539.)

Fourth, ‘the people of Judah who returned from exile in Babylonia went to the westernmost outpost of the Persian Empire, an area bordering Egypt, Phoenicia, and Cyprus, to establish a community with limited autonomy but loyal to Persia. Accordingly, the people of Judah were subject to the Persian authorities and were heavily taxed. Judah was part of the province called Beyond the River, the Persian satrapy to the west of the Euphrates River that included Samaria and Judah.’ 3 This event showed forth the faithfulness of God to discipline, humble, and ultimately restore His people in light of His

1 Noss, P.A., & Thomas, K. J. (2005). A Handbook on Ezra and Nehemiah. (P. Clarke, S. Brown, L. Dorn, & D. Slager, Eds.) (p. 10). New York: United Bible Societies.

2 Ibid., p. 11

3 Ibid., p. 11

Setting Up Ezra-Nehemiah

everlasting covenant that He made with their father Abraham. (Gen.12:1-3; chapters 15-17 & Leviticus 26:27-39) In particular, considering the Leviticus 26 passage, this restoration of Judah is symbolic of a ‘second planting’ of God’s seed, following a period of allowing His field to lay fallow for 70 years. (Some scholars refer to this as a ‘second exodus’, a starting over from the previous generation of God’s people who came out of captivity from Egypt.)4

Fifth, and finally, the period of Ezra-Nehemiah & the ‘Egyptian Captivity’ (some add the ‘creation’ to this list) serves to demonstrate a primary point:

• That God Graciously & Sovereignly works in impossible scenarios to return His people to His Place (Temple/Land), under His rule and blessing.

There can be periods when it seems like the kingdoms of the world are winning; whether personally, corporately, or geo-politically. But as we consider Ezra-Nehemiah, God shows us that He is sovereign over both the nations and our salvation.

4 Breneman, M. (1993). Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (electronic ed., Vol. 10, pp. 50–51). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

God: Our #ultimatebenediction

Why do we have a Benediction at the end of our worship? We do this for several reasons. It’s closure on our service, sending us out into the week and our lives with a prayer/blessing and it gives God the final word.

I personally love this part of worship so much. Our pastors send us out with a blessing each Sunday. What a beautiful way to stand in reverence together! We close our time and have a seal on the worship service, marking the end of our worship and praying that God will take and seal all that the Holy Spirit did. A blessing sends us out into this broken world with peace that God is our ringer, as Tolivar shared with us.

I selfishly need this blessing and seal as I start out into the week. As a wife, mama of three, and studio director of a performing arts studio I am often pulled in many directions at once. I focus on the things that don’t matter and forget who my Provider is. I need to be reminded that God is my Alpha and Omega.

God not only has the last word in our service, but He has the last word in our lives. We are His and He has ordained every step, decision and course our lives take. Our prayer should be that this knowledge draws us to Him even more. He is our peace giver and bringer and our Ultimate Benediction.

by Lindsey Archer

#Ultimate: Sacraments, Signs for our Search

Sacraments? What is a sacrament? And most importantly, why do the sacraments matter? The Westminster shorter catechism says a sacrament is a holy ordinance instituted by Christ, wherein, by sensible signs, the promises of the new covenant are represented, sealed and applied to all believers.

Let me put it in an illustration that may help. When I was in 9th grade I played basketball for my school. Lots of guys wanted access to the coaches and an all-access pass to the basketball equipment. Lots of guys wanted to be able to get into the gym during the school lunch hour to shoot and practice. Here’s the deal, you needed a sign to represent that you were one of the 12 guys on the team; that sign was the jersey. The jersey was the symbol we used to discern between who was not on the team and who had all the privileges on being on that team.

The sacraments are the jerseys for the believers. Galatians 3:27 says, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” The sign of water, bread, and wine are the signs Christ has instituted for us. In Matthew 4 and 26, Jesus institutes these sacraments.

Think about it? What do we all need? We all need a bath and we all need to eat and drink! It doesn’t matter what your ethnic, economic, political, or gender identity is, we all need these things. Jesus, when he institutes, only two, baptism and the Lord’s supper, he is intentionally discipling us by giving these sacraments as a reminder of the promise of Him and the privileges we have as believers.

Why do the sacraments matter? The sacraments matter because they are only effective by our faith in the person and work of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit in them. When we have a baptism, or when we come to the table and believe we can receive these things by our performance or work, then, we miss out on the sacraments and believe a false gospel. The true, Christ-centered gospel, should point us away from ourselves and more and more towards God’s graciousness, steadfast love and provision for His children. The sacraments matter because they point us to grace! May the grace of God point us to Jesus and the privileges we have as co-heirs with Him, as we have the privilege to participate in the sacraments on a weekly basis.

The sacraments also matter because they are not instituted individually. Jesus wasn’t alone when he instituted these sacraments; he was with the family of God. The sacraments matter too because it takes us to our need for community. You were created for community and the sacraments bring us into a communal call for the children of God. We worship God together and the sacraments are an element in worship that we do together to draw us to Christ and the grace of God.

The sacraments matter missionally too. When we participate in these sacraments it moves us towards those who have not submitted to God and trust in the work of Christ. Missionally-focused-sacrament-partakers makes us love and welcome those who don’t know God. I don’t want my neighbor to go hungry, thirsty, or without a bath, right? In Matthew 25 Jesus says when we feed and give the needy a drink, we feed and drink our Savior. We are truly understanding the sacraments, when we have a heart for our neighbors and living missionally for our community and city. The sacraments give us a reminder too that it’s not on us to save our non-believing friends and neighbors; it is only through the Holy Spirit and the work of Christ, and faith in Him alone that saves!

May we be a church that looks up to the love of God and the power of the Spirit and look across to our neighbors because we are a sacramental community! #ULTIMATE

Hung Truong
Assistant Pastor
St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church PCA
hung@stpaulsatlanta.com

Worship and the Word

By Sarah Healy

Scripture teaches us many things about how to worship, where to worship, when to worship and why to worship. However, I would argue that the most important thing it teaches us is Who we worship. Psalm 29:2 says “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.” Revelation 4:11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” What are some ways we can practically use the Word to worship the Hero of the Bible?

Read. In order to know God, you have to know what He says. Psalm 119:7 “I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.” Setting aside time to hear what God is saying to us is key to our worship. The more we learn what He says, who He is and what He desires, the better we can worship.

Ruminate. This word means literally to “chew the cud.” Scripture teaches us we need to think over and meditate on the Word. Psalm 119:48 says “I reach out for your commands, which I love, that I may meditate on your decrees.” After reading through passages, we can meditate on them as we go throughout our day.

Respond. How can we respond to what we have read and mediated? First, we can pray it back to Him. The Psalms are filled with examples of psalmists reminding God of His words and past faithfulness. Next, we can share it with others. Psalm 105:1-2 says, “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.” Finally, we can sing it back to him. We will spend eternity singing our praise back to Jesus for who He is and what He’s done. Revelation tells us that Heaven will be about worshipping the One scripture points us to.

“8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “ ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’who was, and is, and is to come.” 9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
It’s all about Him.

I will close with an excerpt of something I wrote in college. An eye-opening moment where I realized that I was created to worship. And who it was I worshiped.

“Have you ever noticed that when a large group of people sing, suddenly it becomes beautiful. It’s one voice in a wonderful tone that doesn’t require perfect pitch or even a well-trained voice…it simply blends to make something fantastic. As I listened to this song I wondered, “is that how God hears it?”   Sometimes I imagine He only hears one massive, collective, and beautiful voice of all His saints that, though they are all around the globe singing in hundreds of different languages and thousands of different songs, they come together in perfect harmony of His praise.

Now all I want to do is listen and sing to the Lord. I feel as though tonight I caught a glimpse of Heaven. The true Heaven where one day, with one voice we will live in constant praise of our Lord. He is who we worship. He is everything.

Confession

By Buddy Eades

I don’t know about you but the idea of confessing sins in church and doing so in a formal liturgical reading along with verses of assurance wasn’t exactly like my experience in church growing up. Confession was something that was done at the end of a service after a the pastor preached his sermon. In each and every service there was a time for people to respond to the gospel. People who had not yet received Christ as their Lord and Savior were asked to come down front and pray with the pastor. After a verse or two the pastor would ask the musicians to play softer as he then called to those of us who were already saved yet needed to re-commit our lives to Christ to come and pray with him. I would sit wondering if I should go forward. Certainly, it would mean others seeing that I really must have some serious sin in my life to get up and walk all the way down to re-dedicate my life to Jesus. Confession began to be associated with moments where after I couldn’t bear it any longer I needed to walk down the aisle and confess my sin. Altar calls and confession were a place of great emotional turmoil. It wasn’t exactly comfortable to sit wondering if there was anything that I needed to confess. Had I really lived like Jesus this week? Was there anything that was getting the way of my relationship with Jesus? Then there was the added fear of what my friends would think of me. What did he do? Or course there were other times where altar calls were just one more thing to endure till I could go home and have lunch or go outside and play with my friends.

As I began to be serious about my faith in High School, confession was connected to my personal walk with Jesus. Confession was an individual thing. Only in college did I realize that there were churches where confession wasn’t just about me and part of a altar call or response to an evangelistic sermon. It wasn’t just what I did with a pastor after building up a whole list of sins to confess. I found that a worship service could be a place where the gospel would be for all of us and not just the un-saved people. Confession in the context of church was a part of a bigger event.

A Definition of Confession

Robert Webber defines confession, in the context of worship, this way.

“A confession of sin is an act of repentance, motivated by faith and characterized by the expectation of forgiveness.

Protestant traditions have rooted the confession of sin in the experience of Isaiah. When Isaiah saw the Lord seated on the throne (Isa. 6:1–7), his response was ‘Woe to me! I am ruined!’ In the presence of God we see ourselves as sinners, confess our sin, and hear the Word of forgiveness. Thus the purpose of the confession is to rehearse our relationship to God.”

In worship we are all rehearsing our relationship with God. We are preaching the gospel to ourselves. So the worship service and times of confession are teaching me what I do all the time. I don’t wait till the altar call to confess. I have a savior who has already granted me forgiveness. This act of repenting is ongoing. It is motivated by faith where I expect forgiveness. Our worship together trains us to carry these truths into our hearts each and every day. Confession isn’t something I do with my pastor. Confession isn’t even something for Sunday service. Confession is part of the ongoing dialogue with Jesus.

Confessing Together

Confession together is still somewhat an unusual thing to consider. I am still learning of what its benefits are to us. I can see why it is important to confess my sins to Jesus. I can also see how it is important to confess to others when I have sinned against them. But what benefits are their to our confessing together in worship?

Here is an example of a written corporate confession:

Merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart and mind and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. In your mercy forgive what we have been, help us amend what we are, and direct what we shall be, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

When we confess this or prayers like this, I honestly have trouble entering in to this part of worship with the same urgency I might feel in silent confession. The words used in this confessional reading are pretty generic actually. It would be easy to generally say, Yes I have not been loving my “neighbor” without actually taking time to ask myself, “who is my neighbor?” Confessing for others means that I have to actually engage my mind and heart to consider who “We” are. I have to think about how “We” are part of not only a church but the world in which we live. Would we think differently, act differently, speak differently if we were to think about St Paul’s as a whole?

I believe that if the body of Christ would humbly come to our Lord with a confessing, humble and contrite heart, we would provide a glimpse into the very gospel we profess. The foreigner in our midst, the forgotten, the scorned, and the dismissed of our community might find that the gospel changes whole groups of people. The Church would be known as a place where Jesus is changing our whole culture.

Worship brings us together to align ourselves to God and to one another. We certainly need to take time to prepare and ask God to reveal our individual sin. We also need to consider that the act of confessing corporately changes us as well. We learn that we need to repent as a body as well as individuals.