October Newsletter Letter

Friends in Christ,

You have nothing that God needs.

Before God created the world, he wasn't sitting in heaven pining away for companionship. Within the Trinity, God has infinite community and love. God didn't need creation—it was an intentional act of divine grace, an overflow of boundless love.

God has created each and every person on this world intentionally. None of us are an accident. God wanted to create us, and he wants the best for us—he wants to welcome us into the infinite community and love that he experiences in the Trinity. He wants us to join the overflowing joy of eternal life.

And he wants you to experience that here and now, in this life. We aren't meant to sit around and wait for heaven—our lives are meant to be busy creating heaven on earth, joining in with God's ongoing renewal work. God wants abundance and joy and peace and growth for you.

I say all of this because we're going to be talking about money in October, and the church hasn't always been great about explaining why we give money to God. We're perhaps guilty of leading people into thinking that God needs your money. God doesn't. God wants you to give money to the church because it will teach you how to handle money and how to be grateful. Scripture teaches us that giving money is one of our many responses to the God who gives us everything, including our money and our ability to work. Giving away money is a bold statement of faith in the God who provides. Putting God first in our lives includes putting him first in our finances, which is just as important as putting him first in our marriages and jobs and relationships and play. God must always come first.

As other pastors have said, “God doesn't need something from you. But God wants something for you.”

God loves you and wants abundant & eternal life for each of us. May we respond with grateful praise.

In Christ, Keith

Sermon for 9/29/13 on Abraham's Call (Genesis 12:1-9)

Genesis 12:1-9  

 12 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan.

  When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.

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Have you ever taken out a loan?  How many of you have car loans, mortgages, college loans?  Most of us have, at some point, dipped into the loan pool, mostly because we didn’t have enough money to buy what we wanted.

When we did so, whomever had the money checked our credit.  Each and every one of you has a credit score.  This is the quantifying that someone has done to determine how likely you are to pay back a loan.  If you have a high credit score, you have proved yourself reliable in the past and are deemed a good candidate for a loan.  If you have a lower credit score, you’re a little more risky for one reason or another.

It’s a complicated system, and I have no idea how they come up with the numbers, but we’ve all done this type of analysis, because at some point or another, someone has probably asked you to borrow money, and you’ve instantly tried to determine whether or not they were a good candidate to pay you back.  If I called you this afternoon and asked you to borrow $200, you’d have an instant reaction, some gut feeling, one way or another, about how likely I was to pay you back. 

Now, imagine that someone you’ve never met called you tomorrow morning and asked you to borrow $1,000.  You’d never do it, right?  We’re all smarter than that.  I hope. 

If you wouldn’t lend a complete stranger $1,000, it’s probably safe to assume that you wouldn’t pick up and move your entire household because someone you’ve never met told you to do so, right?  That would be crazy, right?

I think it would be crazy for anyone to do so, and I think it would have been crazy for Abraham to do so, too.  We don’t have much of an introduction to Abraham in Genesis, but I think it’s safe to assume that he’s already in a relationship with God before this story occurs.  I find it hard to believe that Abraham would pick up and follow the call of a God he’s never heard of. 

Whatever their relationship is like before this story, Abraham is willing to place a massive amount of trust in God’s call.  God calls Abraham and makes him a huge promise—he promises that Abraham’s name will be great and that Abraham, and all who bless him, will be blessed by God.  Indeed, God promises that every family on earth will be blessed because of Abraham.  These are bold promises.

And Abraham believes them completely. 

Notice that Abraham doesn’t hedge his bets.  He doesn’t tell his wife and family that he’s going to go look into what God is describing and send for them if it turns out worthwhile.  He doesn’t tell them that he’ll be back in a few months after he’s tested the worthiness of this call.  No, at the call and promise of God, Abraham picks up everything he owns and wanders into an unknown land, trusting God completely.

I think it’s amazing that Abraham places such trust in God.  In today’s Bible, this story happens in Genesis 12, meaning that there are only 11 chapters before this that describe God’s wonders and grace.  This is clearly enough for Abraham.

So if this is enough for Abraham, we should have no reason not to trust God, right?  We should have even more trust, even more commitment, because we have an entire Bible’s worth of confirmation of the worthiness of God.  He makes bold promises to Abraham and we see how those come true, and from that we ought to recognize that he will make good on the promises he has made to us.  Think about it—God has never let a single promise go unanswered.  How’s that for a great credit report?

So Abraham, at the ripe age of 75, takes his entire household and follows the call of God into the unknown future.  Here’s what I want you to notice from this story.

First, God’s promises are all future-oriented.  This makes perfect sense, because all promises are directed forwards, but many of God’s promises are directed well beyond the lifetime of Abraham.  In fact, Abraham could easily have spent his time asking God what was in it for him.  But Abraham trusted God.  Abraham knew that God had long term plans for him and for his descendants, and he trusted in God, the promise-maker, because he trusted God to keep his promises.

In the same way, we need to trust the promises that God has made.  God has promised to always be with us, to heal us and lead us through whatever challenges we face in life.  It would be easy for us to look to God whenever we have a challenge and wonder if he’s forgotten us.  But just as God didn’t promise Abraham that every night in the desert would be easy, he doesn’t promise us that everything will be smooth sailing.  He just promises to bring us safely into port in the end, and to use our life to his greater glory if we’re willing to offer it all to him.  You are part of something bigger than yourself, and trust that God will use you for that, even if it’s not always apparent. 

Which leads to the second point.  Notice how much movement there is in this story.  God sends Abraham out from Haran, his home, and towards Canaan.  At some point, they arrive in Canaan, the land that God promises to his ancestors.  But rather than leave Abraham there, God calls him to go to Bethel, and then Abraham journeyed onward still.  Abraham doesn’t seem to sit still very long.

Likewise, God doesn’t want us to reach a static plateau and then remain there the rest of our lives.  God wants us to strive forward and continue our spiritual journey.  God wants us to grow, and then to continue growing every day for the rest of your life.  God has a next step for you, whether you are 16, 46 or 96.  God doesn’t just want you to rest content. 

So what is your next step?  Abraham journeyed onward.  Will you journey onward, too?  Will you go deeper into the spiritual life, reach farther out than you imagined you could, take up a new calling or mission?  Are you willing to continue to go forth boldly in faith, or will you stay comfortable and believe that God just wants you to be comfortable?

Finally, I want you to pay attention to what Abraham did as he went.  He built altars in Canaan and Bethel, and I’m sure he continued building them as he went.  Wherever Abraham went, he left a marker, a reminder that served to proclaim to others the mighty power of God.  Abraham changed the landscape through his life.

Friends, does your life change the landscape as you pass through it?  Do you leave markers to remind others of the presence of God?  Are others aware of your commitment to God, or do you hide it out of shame or embarrassment?  May we stake our claim and imitate Abraham in changing the landscape of Chattanooga by our presence and actions.  When we interact, may we leave an impression of our dedication to the wonder of God.  May we love with boldness and courage and transform this city by our witness to the faithfulness of God.

Friends, God kept every promise he made to Abraham.  May we recognize how faithful God is and be willing to follow the same call into the deep waters of faith.  May we risk everything, offering it all to God, because he is dependable and trustworthy.

Let us pray

9/26 New Hope E-News

Announcements

Potluck-- This Sunday, following church!

Syrian Peacemaker-- We are blessed to host a Syrian minister this Monday evening at 7. Please be here to learn about the situation in Syria and how we can best support our brothers and sisters in Christ. Thanks to Marilyn Suber for all the work she has done to bring this event to New Hope.

Who Are We?-- We are going to wrap up our study on our roots this Sunday by exploring the story of Abraham's call.

Room in the Inn-- On October 10, Chattanooga Room in the Inn will be celebrating their anniversary from 5-8pm at Lyndsay Street Hall. Speak with Lizz if you're interested.

Wednesday Bible Study-- We started last night by studying the story of Samuel, and we'll move into Saul's life next week at 6:30!

Community Kitchen Spot

There are a lot of hungry and homeless children of God and the community needs some help feeding them. If you would like to help out, please bring the following items to church this Sunday & put them on the bookshelf.

#10 cans - mixed vegetables / peas

#10 cans fruit

Dinner napkins

Plastic forks / spoons

Dry milk

New Hope News

Sunday School—This Sunday, we'll study the 5th chapter of Matthew, which is the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount.

Church Lawnmower-- The church is trying to dispose of the lawnmower. It's a John Deere 36” mower with many hours on the engine. If you'd like to submit a bid, please contact the church office by September 30.

Pray For:

Lynn Meyer & Christine Dyer

Krissey Parker and her upcoming surgery

Connie Robinson

Links

You may have heard what the pope had to say in an interview. Here's what else was in there.

An interview with Malcolm Gladwell.

Volunteering from home

Living on $31.50/week

The purpose of dinosaurs

Following your call

Keith's Random Thoughts

I had to buy ink for my printer last week, and I'm always amazed at what a successful business that is. Think about it: you buy a printer once for $60, and then every six months you spend $30-$40 to keep it working. That's a great business model. Every time I need two new cartridges I contemplate whether it's cheaper to just buy a new printer. Once a company has sold you a printer, they've got you for life! (Just think of the value of this truck crash.)

My point here is this: I think printer companies invest their time, energy and money in getting people to buy their printers. Once you've bought the printer, it doesn't matter what you do, because you have to buy ink for the thing. They don't keep investing in you as a potential customer, because it doesn't matter. You're stuck.

As the church, we have to continue investing in the people who are already attending. We are called to grow disciples—not just to gather them and make sure they don't go anywhere. As the church, it's so important that we grow together, that we pray together and study the Bible together and listen to the joys and concerns of one another. We can't just take for granted the fact that someone will be there one Sunday because they were there the last Sunday. We need to keep in touch, to be rooted in one another, and to seek constantly God's direction and guidance.

All of this should funnel us outward. When we are growing, we recognize God's love for the outsider. When we are growing together, we want to welcome others to join our fellowship. When we are growing as disciples, others see our lives being changed and want to be a part of our fellowship.

And then, as people join, they continue to grow. Their growth and energy enables others to grow, and the cycle continues. God is building his church, and he wants us to be passionate parts of it.

So let us make sure that we grow, that we as a church encourage growth, and that we reach in so that we can reach out.

Text for this Sunday

Genesis 12:1-9 (ESV)

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak[d] of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.

NewHopeChattanooga.org

New Hope on Facebook & Twitter

New Hope on iTunes

Keith's Blog & Devotionals for your Kindle

Sermon on the Tower of Babel (9-22-13)

Genesis 11:1-9 

  11 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” 5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built.

6 And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.” 8 So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.

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Here's a question for you: What would you say that humans yearn for more than anything else?

I'd propose that security would be the answer to that question. There are others that could be suggested, but in our heart of hearts we all long for security. Want proof? Think of your biggest worries. Many of them revolve around losing security, be it financial security, physical security or relational security. We dread the thought of being insecure.

We're no different than the people of our story today. They, too, loved security. Having left the Ark far behind, they are trying to establish themselves in the land. They recognize that they are far stronger together. They see that the threats that loom for each of them are diminished when they come together. They admit their deepest fear in this passage—otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. They dread this thought and do everything in their power to avoid it.

We, too, dread the thought of being scattered, of being isolated, of being on our own. We know that isolation brings insecurity, and so we band together to provide security. Want proof? Look at the national budget. What are the biggest items on there? Our defense budget is massively larger than the budget of many other nations combined. Our naval, air and land power dwarf those of our rivals. We have built a strong army to serve as a deterrent to any who might threaten our security. What are the other biggest items on there? Social Security and Medicare, which are intended to provide for us when we can no longer provide for ourselves. They provide security for us when we cannot provide it for ourselves. Our national priorities are to provide security.

Security can be a wonderful thing. I don't want to denigrate it. I just want to show how strong the human desire for it is. When a child has food security, he has energy to focus on his schoolwork. When someone has job security, she can focus her energy on working well rather than waiting for the other shoe to drop. When our homes are secure, we can rest easily. Security is good.

The problem is when we forget that we are only truly secure in God. For the danger of security is that when we are secure we can easily forget that we are not in control. When we are secure, the danger is that we forget that only God can provide lasting security from every threat, including death. When we are secure, the temptation is to look around and think about how wonderful we are for providing our own security. When we are secure, it is easy to forget that everything depends on God.

That's what the people of Babel did. They settled down in this plain together and built a city. Since they were the only people around, the walls of that city would have provided a visible sense of security against any outside threat. Soon enough, their thinking turned inward and their next desire showed clearly that they believed themselves to be the center of the universe.

Let us make a name for ourselves.

It's not the building of the city that is sinful. It's not the building of a tower that is sinful. There is nothing wrong with human achievement.

What is sinful is the desire to make a name for ourselves, to believe that we are the only things worth living for. What is sinful is the belief that we have provided security for ourselves and that our laudable achievements should bring praise, honor and glory to us. This is the belief that might is worthy to be praised and should be sought after highly.

What Scripture teaches us is that God doesn't reward self-seeking glory. It may look like it for a time, but eventually this tower collapses in upon itself. As the Psalmist says in Psalm 127, Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved.

As we hear, our anxious work and worried toil do not bring glory to God. Directing our efforts to God is what brings glory to God.

What happens around the tower of Babel?

God allows their deepest fears to be realized, because only in this will the people learn their greatest truth.

The people are deeply afraid of being scattered, of being isolated, of facing the elements and the unknown with only a small band. God brings this to bear, not out of capriciousness or malice but rather because it is the only way to bring them into the most abundant life possible. If they establish worldly security and spend their lives building their own reputations, their lives will be hollow shells that will collapse inward. If, however, they are scattered and learn what it is like to depend on God alone for true security, they will find the abundant life that God makes possible for all of his beloved children. Through the pain and suffering of leaving worldly security behind, they traverse a bridge into a different type of life, one that depends on God to provide and recognizes that human achievements fade away over time, but life with God never does.

Friends, no one wanted to leave behind the apparent safety and security of Babel. It was comfortable there, and it appeared as though no threat could ever damage the people within. But life there was empty, meaningless, self-directed and self-glorifying. Life may have been sensually pleasing, but in aiming for earth, the people missed heaven.

What does God want for your life? I don't believe that God wants to throw you out of your house and make it impossible to speak to your neighbors. I don't believe that God necessarily wants to take away any comfort that you enjoy and send you to go live in the woods.

What I do believe is that God wants you to live a full and abundant life, one with purpose and passion, and I believe that God knows that living to make a name for yourself can never provide that. I believe God wants you to recognize that you cannot provide full security for yourself, and that everything you have is a gift from God. As always, Jesus says it best—Live so that others may see your good works and give glory to God.

It's not about you. It's not about establishing your name and reputation. It's about living with a greater purpose. God wants to renew the entire earth and bring every single person into the eternal joy of life abundant with God. God wants to bring us to a place where our every need is met and our only desires are for joy and peace. God wants to grow us up into a people who recognize that our greatest potential is reached when we are glorifying God, not ourselves. God wants us to become leaders who lead best by serving. God wants us to be filled with worship of God, for only in this are we most fully human and most fully alive.

This is the life that Christ led, and this is the life Christ wants each and every one of us to have. It is only made possible through the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, but we need to turn from trying to provide our own security and accept the security we have in Christ.

It's a free gift from God. Just as God scatters the people from the tower of Babel, we're told he will gather us together on his holy mountain. People will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit at the banquet table of the feast of God. We were once scattered, but in Christ we shall be gathered back together as one people, one body, one church, with Christ at our head for all eternity.

Let us pray 

September 19 New Hope E-News

Announcements

The Color of Christ-- Mercy Junction is hosting Edward J. Blum at Green Spaces on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. Blum is the co-author of Color of Christ, which was Publisher's Weekly's top religion book last year. He's been on all sorts of media outlets--Fresh Air with Terry Gross, the NYT, etc. 

Who Are We?-- We continue to explore our roots this month! We'll be studying the story of Babel this coming Sunday!

Wednesday Bible Study-- Will begin September 25 @ 6:30. Come at 6:00 with a brown bag supper if you'd like to eat in community.

Community Kitchen Spot

There are a lot of hungry and homeless children of God and the community needs some help feeding them. If you would like to help out, please bring the following items to church this Sunday & put them on the bookshelf.

#10 cans - mixed vegetables / peas

#10 cans fruit

Dinner napkins

Plastic forks / spoons

Dry milk

New Hope News

Sunday School—This Sunday, we'll study the 4th chapter of Matthew.

Church Lawnmower-- The church is trying to dispose of the lawnmower. It's a John Deere 36” mower with many hours on the engine. If you'd like to submit a bid, please contact the church office by September 30.

Pray For:

Lynn Meyer & Christine Dyer

Rev. Lou Parsons of St. Francis Assisi Lutheran Church in Ooltewah, whose husband died last weekend.

Links

Talking about privilege

Google is tackling death.

Do new moms get 'nothing' done?

How to be happy

Joining the fight against human trafficking

Too busy?

“The cops amaze me”

How to celebrate 'Talk like a Pirate Day'. (It's today!)

Keith's Random Thoughts

Does anyone want a 2 year old?

Ok, it hasn't gotten that bad yet. We only joke about giving him away. But the last two weeks haven't been easy. Danielle has been great—she sleeps most of the day away. Caleb, on the other hand, is less than pleased with the new shape of our lives. He's just getting used to it, and it's entirely expected and we knew it would be rough, but it's exhausting. He's kicking and throwing toys and throwing tantrums left and right. We understand it all and are trying to be patient, but it's wearing us all out. It will pass, and we're counting the days until it does. (Our cats, on the other hand, are just further traumatized every day. We just feel badly for them. We've talked about trying to find them new homes where they can settle down without the fear of a two year old trying to pet them. Their once-quiet sanctuary has changed a little.)

It occurs to me—how does God do it?

The interesting thing about all of this is that Caleb knows the rules he is breaking. He will clearly announce 'No throw cars' just before he launches a car into flight. He'll say 'No kicking' before kicking the wall. He knows the rules and breaks them anyway, and we struggle to respond lovingly yet firmly.

How does God do it?

How does God tolerate the human race? We know the rules and yet often break them. God spelled out the commandments pretty clearly in the Old Testament, and in Jesus Christ he showed us what our lives are supposed to look like. We're supposed to love others as ourselves and treat one another with love and compassion. On the cross, Jesus models what a response to hostility should look like. In his selfless leadership, Jesus shows us true power and love.

We know the rules.

Yet we get caught up in selfishness. We try to get ahead. We seek to make a name for ourselves. We forget or ignore those who are less fortunate. We hope the needy won't bother us. We respond to threats with strength. We worship ourselves rather than God. We make idols. We break promises.

And yet, God patiently loves us. He pours out love and steadfast mercy. He is faithful to every promise. He's yet to put us on the front step with a sign that says 'Free to a Good Home. Or Any Home. Just Take Them.' We deserve condemnation, and yet in Christ we receive a share of eternal glory.

What tremendous and unsurpassed love God has for us. May we never cease to be grateful for his patient and wondrous love and mercy, and may his praise be ever on our lips.

Text for this Sunday

Genesis 11:1-9 (ESV)

The Tower of Babel

  11 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”

  5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.” 8 So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.

NewHopeChattanooga.org

New Hope on Facebook & Twitter

New Hope on iTunes

Keith's Blog & Devotionals for your Kindle

Who Are We? Saved through the Water (Sermon on Genesis 5-9 [Noah] for 9/15/2013)

Genesis 5-9

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If you read a review of a new restaurant, what’s the most important part of the review?  The part where they talk about the food, right?  While there may be a few restaurants that you go to just for the setting or the scenery or the service, most of the time you’re visiting a restaurant you’re going for the food.

In the same way, if you’re reading a review of a concert, you want to know about the music, right?  While the venue and the crowd are parts of a concert, the most important thing is how the music sounds, right? 

If you read an article about a football game, you care most deeply about the score, right?  You want to know who won, unless you’re a Tennessee fan, in which case you may want to ignore the score more than anything else.  The weather and the crowd and the plays are fine, but you want to know the score and who won.

Whenever we’re reading a history, there is always a core issue that we’re seeking to learn more about.  Right now, I’m reading a book on the history of the Transcontinental Railroad.  There are all sorts of interesting things in there, but the heart of the story is about how we managed to lay train tracks across the country.  If the author talked about everything but that, it’d be a pretty disappointing read.  If I don’t finish the book with a good idea of how this was done, I’ll feel like I’ve wasted my time.

When we talk about the story of Noah, it’s a story with a lot of different aspects in it, and it’s a story that most of us have heard about for years and years and years.  Caleb is not even two years old and he already has a Noah’s Ark playset with animals of every shape and size.  He also has all sorts of Noah’s Ark books.  It captures our imaginations in a way that no other Bible story does—we wonder about the size of the boat and what it was like for Noah building the Ark.  Remember—it had never rained upon the earth until the time of Noah.  We wonder about how Noah got the animals on board and how he fed them and why they didn’t eat each other and how Noah put up with everything and what Noah’s wife thought and why Noah didn’t kill the mosquitoes and so on.  We have so many questions because it’s an amazing story.

But if we spend all our time focusing on those questions, we miss the heart of the story.  If we focus on exactly how the tigers didn’t eat everything else in the ship, we miss the main point.  If we get ourselves so wrapped up in Noah and the animals, we miss the fact that this is primarily a story about a God desperate to deliver his people.

Let’s start with the scenario in which Noah found himself.  The author of Genesis doesn’t mince words—the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.  And the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth. 

The entire creation project has gone wrong.  Since the introduction of sin into creation by Adam and Eve in the garden, things have just gone off the rails.  What was once beautiful and declared good by God is now completely evil, and there is no good here, no light that shines in the darkness.  God is sorry that he has created at all, and he is ready to destroy his creation.

I’ve cooked suppers like this.  We all have.  At one point or another, you’ve made something that was absolutely, utterly terrible.  I’ve taken one bite of dishes and declared them inedible, unfit for human consumption.  Into the trash they’ve gone, and I’ve moved on to something else.  This is what God is ready to do with creation.

Except there is one light that shines.  There is some good, something worthwhile, something redeemable.  There is Noah.

We don’t know much about Noah.  All we know is this—he walks with God.  What a way to be described!  What a way to go down in history!  We’re told at the end of chapter 6 that he does everything God commands him to do.  It doesn’t matter how crazy the command—he does everything!  Gather up two of every kind of animals and build a giant boat for them in the middle of the desert?  Noah does it. 

Now, we struggle with the story of Noah because it means that so much of God’s creation had to die.  No matter how evil it is, we still have questions about all the death that goes into this story.

But think about this for a moment—if Noah and his family are the only ones left who walk with God, what chance do they have in the midst of this evil society?  Who will their children marry?  Who will their grandchildren marry?  Surely, it is only a matter of time before this lawless society swallows them up.

So God decides to save them from the evil that surrounds them.  God decides to give them a new start, to reach down into their current situation and save them from the madness that is threatening to engulf them.  God uses a peculiar tactic, but the fact of the matter is that the people of God, small in number though they were, needed a new start, and God gave them that.  God used waters and brought them through to re-create them, to let them start over.

This is how God works.  Time and time again, God reaches down into the mess of the world and pulls his people out of the messes we’ve worked our way into.  When the evil of the world seems to threaten our very existence, it is God that saves.

When the Hebrew people found themselves engulfed in slavery in Egypt and threatened by Pharaoh’s army, what did God do?  He drew them through the waters into the Promised Land.  He delivered them from the forces that threatened them, and they were given a clean start.

This is how God works.  We worship a God who is determined to save, who loves his people and will fight passionately in their defense.  God doesn’t give up on us.  God pursues us.  God wants us to walk with him, unencumbered by sin.  God will not let you go easily.

And so, when the people of God were threatened by sin, when all was dark and it seemed as though the devil would triumph, what does God do?

In the form of his own Son, Jesus Christ, God reaches down and saves us, delivers us from the forces that would dare to try and claim our lives.  God draws us through the waters of baptism, cleansing us of our sin and giving us entrance into eternal life. 

This is how God works.  Our God is a God who saves.  We worship a God who delivers us from the powers of sin and darkness.  We worship a God of hope and life, and the forces of evil that threaten us will not overcome us, because God saves.

Time and time again, God saves.  If we read the story of Noah and miss that crucial point, we have missed the heart of the story.

If we live our lives without consistently being reminded of that crucial point, we have missed the heart of the story.

Our God saves.

Thanks be to God.

Let us pray

Sept 12 New Hope E-News

Announcements

Who Are We?-- We continue to explore our roots this month! We'll be studying the story of Noah this coming Sunday!

Wednesday Bible Study-- Will begin September 25 @ 6:30. Come at 6:00 with a brown bag supper if you'd like to eat in community.

Labyrinth Questions-- The labyrinth at the church is in bad need of some TLC, as well as individuals willing to invest some time in ongoing maintenance. The session is trying to determine how best to be good stewards of the labyrinth. If you're willing to be part of an effort to maintain the labyrinth, please get in touch with Keith.

Community Kitchen Spot

There are a lot of hungry and homeless children of God and the community needs some help feeding them. If you would like to help out, please bring the following items to church this Sunday & put them on the bookshelf.

#10 cans - mixed vegetables / peas

#10 cans fruit

Dinner napkins

Plastic forks / spoons

Dry milk

New Hope News

Sunday School—This Sunday, we'll study the 3rd chapter of Matthew.

Session—This Sunday @ 6, session will meet.

Sack Packs-- Next Tuesday, Sept. 17 from 9-11 at the Food Bank.

Pray For:

Lynn Meyer & Christine Dyer

We pray for Christians in Syria & Egypt who are being violently persecuted

We pray for the church in the US to live as a people sent into the world

Links

The silent victims in Syria

Celebrating God's creation in worship

Seems like everyone is writing letters to the editor—even the Pope

My own reflections on 9/11

Everyone has a story. And they all matter.

Keith's Random Thoughts

She's perfect.

These are the doctor's words, not mine! If it was me, you'd just think it was another biased dad talking about his child. But since the doctor said it was true, you can trust that it's an unbiased opinion on my daughter.

Danielle Lillie was born at 6:52am last Thursday, September 5th. It was a long and strange night for both of us, since we were entirely unsure exactly how this was going to work. We knew Rachel would be induced, but we didn't know when. We knew she was going to have a baby, but we weren't sure how.

By 6:30, the baby was about ready to come. The doctor hadn't shown up yet. The nurse assured me that doctors have ways of getting places quickly. Babies do, too.

Around 6:45, the doctor walked in, and a few minutes later Danielle arrived.

Angels must sing at the birth of each and every child. That first scream, a sound that several months later might bring wearied sighs, is greeted with delight and relief. Each and every child is a miracle crafted by the hands of God. Each and every child, made in the image of God, precious to him.

I don't know what awaits Danielle. Rachel and I will love and nurture her to the best of our (limited) abilities. Caleb will (hopefully) be a responsible big brother and shepherd her through what awaits. At times, she will cry and we will be unable to console her. This will happen at 10 months old, at 10 years old, and well beyond that. The world can be a harsh place. It is our job to remind her, to teach her, that the world is a good place. It has been created good and called good by God, and we are to highlight that good, to lift it up and remind her that it is our responsibility as humans to influence one another for good, to encourage and love those with whom we share this planet. It it my hope that she grows in the knowledge and love of Christ and calls upon him as Lord and Savior, for only Christ will never let her down. Only Christ will keep every promise. Only Christ is fully good.

So I pray.

I pray for Danielle and for Caleb, for Rachel and for myself. I pray for the city and the country and the world in which we live. I pray for wisdom and sanity for those who lead us. I pray for peace to break out in this world. I pray for the uncertain future that is known only to God, and I pray for the present, for this tender and delicate moment, in which we live and move and have our being, that it might somehow reflect the glory of God through the stained and fractured lives we lead.

Tomorrow, I know not. But today, right now, she is perfect.

Text for this Sunday

Genesis 5-9 (ESV)

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9/11 Thoughts

  Every year on 9/11 we stop for a moment and remember where we were and what we were doing when we heard about the attacks.  We relive the moment and the emotions, the shock and the horror at the violence that we were witnessing.  At first, most of us who were removed from the nightmare didn't believe it was real.  When the reality of it set in, we were numb with shock and grief at what we were witnessing.  While most of us are lucky to carry no physical scars from that day, the nation and its citizens carry deep emotional scars that will never heal.  We were forever changed on that day.

  Last Sunday, I was panicking to think about how to talk with the children about sin during the children's message.  I briefly considered reading the book of Leviticus, but after deciding that some of the children might get antsy due to its length, I talked about broken dishes.

  When I was a kid, I remember dropping a glass onto one of our dinner plates.  It broke in 3 big pieces, and as I looked down in disbelief I remember wanting so badly to be able to glue it back together and make it as good as new.

  I was like this with everything I broke as a kid.  Whenever something broke, be it a dinner plate or a Matchbox car, I always wanted to find a way to glue it back together so it would be just like new.  We would all forget that it was ever broken in the first place and we could go on with life just as it was.  The harsh truth that it would never be the same, that some things cannot be fixed, still hurts when I am confronted by it.  I still have a globe in my garage that cannot be fixed, that cannot be glued back to its original state, but I refuse to throw it away.  I refuse to admit that it cannot be fixed, that it cannot be repaired.  Even with a 25 year old globe, it's too hard for me to give up the idea of restoration.

  This is why I struggle with 9/11.  I want things to be repaired, to go back to the way they were.  I want healing to occur in such a way that we can go back to the relative peace and tranquility of those days, before we were in two wars and knew what Al-Qaeda was, before they made (and I watched, and cried) movies about a global hunt for a man living in Pakistan.  I want to find some glue to fix things.  I want to creep around the flaming sword that God fixed in the Garden of Eden when Adam & Eve were expunged, to find a way back into the world of innocence and purity.  That's what my heart longs for.

  But we can't fix the scars that were seared into our beings on 9/11.  The pain and the chaos have become a part of our national identity.  Even if we could set aside the images in our collective minds, we'd still have fellow Americans whose lives will never be the same because of the friends and loved ones they lost on that fateful day.  Their lives were tossed asunder, and they will never be the same, and we cannot pretend that it is ok.

  Since we cannot sneak back into the Garden, since we cannot find the glue to repair this wound, we must look forward with hope.  As a Christian, I am defined by the hope beyond death that I cling to.  In the face of the terror of death, there is another sword, this one coming from my Savior, with which he shall vanquish the last enemy to be destroyed, death.  He shall conquer, and because of this I can have hope beyond death.

  But it's also important that this hope beyond death take hold of my life before death.  If I am content to rest secure in my identity as a Christian, I believe I'm missing a large part of my call.  My hope beyond death should transform how I live here and now, so that I can be an agent of hope in a world that all-too-easily turns to despair.   I want to let the light shine through me so that the darkness may retreat, knowing that its days are numbered.  I want the hope within me to spread healing in this world, so that local communities and distant countries can share in hope rather than despair.  My faith should matter in the here and now, and I want to be an agent of peace, sowing seeds that might grow into might oak trees that might change the landscape of this world, in the hope that we will, one day, all live in peace in this world.  I trust in Christ to bring that day about, and I hope that my life takes part in this wondrous mission of God.

Who are We? Sinful, but... (Sermon on the Fall, 9/8/2013)

Click here to read Genesis 3

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You may have heard that we had a baby on Thursday morning.  She’s perfect in every way, of course, 6 lbs and 10 oz of wonder and joy.  She is already spoiled rotten, and she’s only a few days old.  New life is an amazing thing, and I have no idea how anyone could witness the birth of a child and not believe in God.  I am, admittedly, a bit biased on the subject. 

When we look at Danielle’s life, her needs are fairly simple.  She gets hungry sometimes, and when she cries, she is fed.  At times, she needs to have a diaper changed, and if that isn’t done quickly enough, she lets us know.  She also gets tired, and she’ll get cranky if she doesn’t get her sleep.  Finally, she needs to be loved upon, and that we’re pretty good at doing.  Other than that, she doesn’t have many needs, and when all of these are met, she rests contently, trusting in her parents to care for her.

Now, I know that her needs will not always be this simple.  As she grows, life will become more and more complicated.  There will be many, many conversations down the road where we talk about the difference between a want and a need.  I can almost envision the time when she comes to me and asks for a cell phone because all her friends have one.  I like to pretend she’ll be much older than she really will be when that happens.

Today, as we’re talking about sin, I want us all to take a moment to think about the difference between a want and a need.  It’s not nearly as simple as we like to pretend it might be.  For example, are we talking about what we need merely to survive, or to live comfortably in society?  In one case, we might see clothes as a need, while in another, they might simply be a want.  The same might be true of housing—we can certainly live without it, but that leads to all sorts of other problems. 

What I’d like to suggest is that the heart of the story of the Fall in Genesis 3 is Satan’s deception of Adam & Eve.  They are deceived into believing that God has not provided for their every need, and they begin to believe that the best way to secure the desires of their hearts is to provide for their own needs, failing to trust in God’s gracious provision and turning inward rather than looking to God.  This is a story about a people who stop trusting God to supply their needs.

Look at what happens here.  God has placed Adam and Eve in the garden.  The Garden is a beautiful and lush place, abounding in life.  Not only are the plants beautiful to look at, but they provide fruit for the two of them to eat.  There is not a single need they have that is not met by God’s gracious provision.  Life is good in the Garden. 

Now, it is true that God has placed a tree in the Garden from which they cannot eat.  But they do not need to eat of this tree.  Their physical, emotional and spiritual needs are met.  If they continue to trust God to meet their needs, life will be just grand.

But the serpent deceives Adam and Eve.  They don’t call him the Father of Lies for nothing.  Until this point, Adam and Eve had trusted that what God gave them was enough.  They trusted in God’s provision.

But now, they begin to question God.  God told them that they would die if they ate this fruit, but Satan has them begin to question this.  They stop trusting God’s word.  Next, they see the tree as desirous because it might make them wise.  Satan has told them it will make them like God.  They no longer trust in God as the holder of wisdom—they want to reach out and obtain this wisdom for themselves.  Like a ten year old who isn’t content to sit in the backseat and let his parents drive, Eve reaches out, takes the fruit and eats of it, hoping to become like God in the process, no longer trusting God to meet her every need.  What she wants is, in her mind, what she needs.  Now, Adam is with her this whole time, and undoubtedly these same thoughts are in his mind.  He doesn’t object when she gives him the fruit.  He ate of it readily, also confused by Satan’s lies between what he needed and what he wanted.

What I want you to notice is the first thing that happens after they eat of this forbidden fruit.  Their eyes were open, and the first thing they notice is a lack of clothes.  They realize that they’re running around buck naked, so they make some out of fig leaves.  Their sin leads them to recognize their lack.

This is what sin does.  Rather than focus us on what God has graciously provided for us, it focuses us on what we don’t have.  Our eyes and our souls are suddenly aware of all that we are missing, and we begin to believe that we need these things.

Now, think for a moment.  Why on earth would Adam and Eve need clothes?  They are the only two people on earth running around a garden, and they’d been naked since the day they were created.  Clothes weren’t a need back then.

But their sin makes them see what they lack.  It focuses them on the wrong thing.

How many of you remember the first line of the 23^rd Psalm?

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

I shall not want.  Those are powerful words.  Think about that for a second—can you imagine what it would be like to never want for anything?  To have each and every need met, and to recognize that the things you don’t have are not needed?  That would provide a pretty powerful sense of peace, right?  You wouldn’t be anxious for anything, right?

I believe that’s where the Lord is trying to lead us.  I think God is trying to lead us back into a deep relationship with God where we recognize and trust that God will meet our needs.  We let go of our anxious desires to secure our own futures and trust in God.  We let God’s peace pervade throughout our lives as we lean into him, trusting in his gracious provision.

What’s this look like?

I think we all could do with a little more gratitude.  When we recognize how grateful we are and how much we have to be grateful for, we’re better able to recognize God’s blessings in our lives.  When we look back, we see how God has led us through so many different challenges and we trust that he will lead us through whatever is in our future.  When we see how often God is at work, we can stop worrying so much about trying to provide for ourselves.

Friends, sin has led us into a life where we furiously try to provide for ourselves.  God is trying to lead us back into a way of life where we are trusting in his gracious provision.  In our redemption, God purchased us back, providing for everlasting life through the gift of Jesus Christ.  This is not something we could have done on our own.  We can only receive this gift with gratitude.  We can only trust in God to provide for our every eternal need.  Notice what happens even after the Fall—In verse 21, God clothes Adam and Eve.  Not because he has to… but because he is so gracious.

So may we be grateful for God’s gracious provision, and may we stop worrying about lack and give thanks for the abundant life we find in Christ alone.

Let us pray