Power and Presence: Living Life in the Holy Spirit Part One: The Lord and Giver of Life John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7,13-14; 20:19-22 Message Notes for August 6, 2017 “For where the Church is, there is the Spirit of God; and where the Spirit of God is, there is the Church, and every kind of grace.” – St Irenaeus We begin a new series today looking at the person and work of the Holy Spirit. That might be as unsettling for some people as it is intriguing to others. There may even be some who are like the people in Acts... Read this post

Waiting on the Whisper “Never miss a good chance to shut up” is one of my favorite Will Rogers quips. It’s positively right on the mark, as silence, whether in worship on a Sunday or over extended hours and days, is not only essential to our personal humility and sanity but also serves the wellbeing of our friends who could use a little less of us from time to time. Your mother probably scolded you, as did mine, saying ‘Hush!’, noting that “God’s given us two ears and only one mouth for a good reason!” Listening, rather than speaking, is a... Read this post

I’m not part of a movement and I’m glad about that. In fact, I grow concerned whenever Pastors start talking about ‘movements’ more than Jesus, especially ‘their’ movements. My use of the term ‘movement’ here isn’t in reference to legitimate advances for the Gospel seen in various moments of history. To the contrary, I’m employing the term in reference to contemporary business model driven enterprises built around a particular leader that claim to be churches or a movement of churches. These are flawed from the outset in terms of their approach to organization, and if the leader possesses the pathologies... Read this post

There’s something beautiful and miraculous about the scent of sea air, the feel of the sea breeze, and the sound of the sea’s waves; these are also therapeutic for the soul. I am thankful to have had three days at the beach last week, leading to a personal Easter, rising again on the third day. I left Monday and came home Thursday a much more rested and renewed person. The Montana mountains do this for me too, and I can’t wait to get there after General Assembly in June. The Bozeman-Paradise Valley area this trip. Ocean depths and Mountain heights... Read this post

A good friend suggested to me that looking for state aid in the realm of healthcare perhaps reflected a lack of faith in God’s prescribed means for healthcare, which was in his view personal responsibility in the free-market economy. Laying aside for the moment the notion of there being a God-ordained way of healthcare being provided, I took up the issue of whether one’s faith should be called into question based on the economic theory of healthcare provision one embraces.    My friend, what if *a* government is the means by which God delivers a good or service? Isn’t that... Read this post

This Sunday The truth is that I can’t wait to spend some time this Sunday with everyone looking at John 21 and the resurrection record in the text. Jesus shows up on the beach and grills fish and bread for hungry seamen, especially three noteworthy characters: Peter, Thomas, and Nathanael. More about them on Sunday. It’s been a joy to dwell in that passage this week and go back through the commentaries on John as well. I probably have 30 or more commentaries and several more studies about this Gospel, including sermon collections. Here’s a Pastor that has some wonderful... Read this post

At Christ Community Church, we won’t ever be endorsing any candidates for any office at any level of service. We will faithfully proclaim Christ and his Gospel, administer the sacraments, offer worship, and teach the Scriptures. We will pray for all who serve in the civic realm. We will work for the common good of our city and neighbors. That doesn’t mean we think politics is inconsequential. It means we know that Christ is supremely more important than politics, that Christ is political in a radical way that contemporary politics doesn’t usually understand, and that we know what our work... Read this post

Upon Further Review Wednesday Night and Isaiah The study of a text as artistic and musical as Isaiah is bound to inspire painters and writers and it was especially delightful to see that on display at our last Wednesday evening gathering of the term. You can watch the video here: https://christcommunity.org/isaiah-study/ (go to Part 18).Mary Grace and Diana offered outstanding examples of the how reflection on the text of Scripture can capture the imagination, inspire the heart, and move us to effectively communicate the message via a different medium. I enjoyed studying Isaiah with both morning and evening communities, and... Read this post

Amazed Easter 2017 The Lord be with you. I love all the decorations and feasting, all the hallmarks of joy we rightly share today. Easter is beautiful. But the truth is that if we wanted to be really Biblical and recreate the ambiance of the first Easter, we’d have to decorate with tombstones and sepulchers. The ladies in the passage, after all, were on their way to a cemetery. In the dark. Kind of creepy, really. And they were anxious. They were on the way to anoint the body of their dead teacher according to their burial customs – things... Read this post

Make no mistake: if he rose at all It was as His body; If the cell’s dissolution did not reverse, the molecule reknit, The amino acids rekindle, The Church will fall. It was not as the flowers, Each soft spring recurrent; It was not as His Spirit in the mouths and fuddled eyes of the Eleven apostles; It was as His flesh; ours. The same hinged thumbs and toes The same valved heart That—pierced—died, withered, paused, and then regathered Out of enduring Might New strength to enclose. Let us not mock God with metaphor, Analogy, sidestepping, transcendence, Making of the... Read this post