Congregational Letter - September 4, 2020

September 4, 2020

Dear Friends at Spring Valley,

 Grace and peace as we begin September. I hope this letter finds you safe and well.

 It has been six months since we last met face to face. I’m grateful we’ve been able to stay connected “virtually” through online worship.  At the same time, I have so missed being with you and sharing in worship, education, and fellowship as a church family.

 As we head into the fall, we are still asking the same questions as we have for a number of months.  “When will we get back together?”. And the second question is, “What will that reopening look like?”

 Fortunately, we have some different answers to those questions than when I last emailed you in June.

 As you may remember the Bishop decided to monitor the COVID virus caseload as a determining factor in opening churches in the North Texas Conference.  And as you may know, that caseload is going down.  On September 2 Dallas County went to a “level orange” risk ranking (“Extreme Caution”) for the first time since the pandemic began. This is good news, not only for our church but for our community.  We are grateful for this development as an answer to prayer.

 The Bishop is still cautious about opening.  He has decided to keep the churches of the Metro District (Dallas County) closed through the end of September.  At the same time, he has encouraged the pastors to prepare for a possible opening in October, barring an unforeseen resurgence.  This is a disappointing yet understandable position.  At the same time, there is a “light of hope” for what is ahead.

 Even though we are not opening for inside, onsite worship, I celebrate with you our outside, onsite worship that will be starting on Sunday, September 13.  “Together at the Tower” will be an early morning, informal worship opportunity held from 8:30-9:00 a.m. in the north side (Spring Valley Rd. side) parking lot.  You have received an email with details and I am grateful for this development in face to face ministry.

 I also rejoice with you about other outside, onsite ministries we have shared together in the last month.  On Sunday evening, August 23 our children and families assembled in the parking lot and received a prayer blessing and backpack tag as they began the new school year with Blessing of the Backpacks.  Following this assembly, the Club 26, Youth and Youth families had a Picnic and Fellowship under the oaks.  Additionally, our women have been meeting for Women on Wednesday (WOW).  This group has circled in the south lot (Peyton side) for fellowship and support. It has been well attended. All these ministries have been conducted under the best policies and safe practices as outlined in the North Texas Conference and Dallas County guidelines.

 Even as these outside, onsite options are emerging I want to remind us of ministries currently available online.

 Sunday worship is available online at svumc.org beginning at 6:00 a.m. every Sunday.  The posting time for this worship will change on Sunday, September 20.  Starting on Sunday, September 20 online worship will be live-streamed and recorded.  It will be available for viewing at 11:00 am. and following.

 Many adult Sunday School classes are meeting regularly by Zoom or conference calls.

 A daily blog,“The Pastor’s Workshop” is posted on svumc.org and is also being emailed. This pastor's blog is a devotional guide which will enrich your Sunday worship.

Children's Sunday School lessons are being emailed each week.

 Youth are meeting via Zoom every Sunday at 6:00 p.m.

 I am grateful for this virtual outreach that has brought the blessing of ministry into our homes during these days.

Our second question is, “What will our reopening look like?”  At the beginning of August our Trustees and Church Council passed a Reopening Covenant.  It is a document outlining the policies and protocols we will practice as we reopen and detailing the spirit of mutual caring which will guide our gatherings. You can view the entire Reopening Covenant online on our website here.

 Many of the practices you are already familiar with from other settings. Masks, physical distancing, regular cleaning and disinfecting, minimized surface contacts, and hand sanitizing are all part of the policies.

 I know this has been a lengthy communication. I appreciate your patience in reading through it. If you have any particular questions or concerns please feel free to contact me at pgould@svumc.org.

 I also appreciate your continued mutual ministry with one another as a church family. None of us have ever experienced anything like what we are going through. In the midst of these difficult days, I have heard wonderful stories of how you have kept in contact and cared for one another. This mutual support has sustained our church. It is an expression of the Holy Spirit working in our midst. I praise God for this blessing.

As I said in my opening, I know how much we miss being with one another. The gift of fellowship is something we will never again take for granted. And I can't wait until we reopen our doors and are together.

 With faith in our gracious God, who leads us in these difficult yet hopeful days, I am grateful to continue forward in Christ's ministry now and always with you at Spring Valley.

 Blessings,

Paul Gould, Pastor

God's Shalom.

Greetings on this Thursday!  It’s a blessing to be with you in the Pastor’s Workshop.

This week our message is entitled, “Begin with Basics: Blessed by Rest”.  Our Scripture texts are Genesis 2:1-3 and Exodus 20:8-11.  Our focus is putting boundaries on our busy-ness and finding a “blessed rest” that is a gift of God’s grace.

If you’re a “regular reader” of the Pastor’s Workshop then you know about Thursdays.  They are the creative highlight of the week!  On Thursdays, we take our notes, reflections, and prayers of Monday through Wednesday and we see how they come together.  We ask, “What is the Sunday message that is emerging?”  In our Thursday writing, we are finding out that answer.

So as you look at your collected thoughts what’s “coming together” for you?

Here are “talking points” that come to me from Genesis and Exodus for Sunday morning.

Getting a good rest is hard to do. Restlessness is pervasive in American society.

It’s so easy to get caught up In Busy-ness, particularly the busy-ness of work.  We identify ourselves by our jobs.  We are driven by a “work ethic”.  We blur the boundaries of “Home and Work”.  We can even make our Worry our Work.

This Six-Day Syndrome of work, work, work can suck us in and take over our lives.  We forget about Day Seven.

What we find in Genesis is that God worked, worked, worked on days one through six.  But then God finished.  The work was complete.  All was done.  All was good.

And then God rested.  God relaxed into this “total completeness and wholeness”.  And God blessed that rest.  It was “Shalom”.

And God gave “Shalom” (this total completeness and fullness) its own day.  It was the Sabbath, the Seventh Day.  The Sabbath was not separate from the other six days.  Sabbath was part of the Creation picture as it comes to completeness.

In Exodus, we see that God thought resting in that completeness was so good that God decided to share that blessing with God’s people.  In fact, God commanded it for God’s people.  The commandments delineate the covenant relationship we share with God.  Rest is part of that relationship.  It is commandment number four – “Remember the Sabbath and Keep it holy.”

The Commandment counsels what so many people are spending “big bucks” to discover, that we as people need to be “Blessed by Rest”.

Rest has and is its own Rhythm of life. Scientists know that our lives are made up of very basic “life rhythms” called circadian rhythms.  During our 24 life cycle, certain life functions happen that are necessary to keep us healthy.  Rest is one of those Rhythms.  We experience that rhythm of rest in a daily way as we sleep. We experience it in a weekly way through Sabbath.  Sabbath is a “circadian rhythm”.  It is one of the essential rhythms of life.  Just we need sleep, we need Sabbath.

Rest renews and restores.  Just a field needs to lie fallow to replenish in essential nutrients, we need to be replenished and renewed by rest.  When we rest we can be more patient with those around us, gain a better perspective on the problems before us, be more positive in the challenges ahead of us.

Rest reconnects.  Sabbath is quality time to reconnect with our Savior.  Jesus said, “I am Lord of the Sabbath”.  He invited us to “Abide with him and he with us”, just as the branches abide in the vine. Sabbath is our opportunity for that life-giving, quality reconnection.  As we engage in Corporate Worship or enter into Personal Prayer those moments of quality time “resting in Lord” is like no other in life.

Today (Sunday) is Day Seven. Tomorrow (Monday) is Day Eight.  The busy-ness, the craziness of the world awaits you.  It’s right out ahead of you tomorrow.  As you get ready to engage it I want you to be fresh, ready, and rested.  I know you have a Work Ethic.  You also need a Rest Ethic. Make sure you have taken time to rest in God’s Shalom in the gift of God’s Sabbath. Be “Blessed by Rest”.

This is how my message is taking shape for Sunday.  Of course, it will be expanded and enriched by illustrations and additional points.

What are your thoughts?  Particularly as you think about God’s creation and the commandment of Sabbath how does that gift of grace bless your life? What would you be praying and preaching this Sunday if you were in my place?  The message God is giving you is important.  In fact, it’s sacred, so be sure to write it down!  It’s God’s word to you.

Since it’s still part of the workweek (and not Sabbath rest time yet), I’ll let you get to work.  God bless you in your writing and creating.  I look forward to joining you again on Saturday in the Pastor’s Workshop.

Prayer:  Gracious God, thank you for the blessing of Creation.  Thank you that we too can take part in creative work.  More than that, thank you that we can join You in “creative rest”.  We know You have blessed rest and made it a pathway by which we are renewed, replenished, and reconnected with You.  Let our time of Sabbath bring those blessings into our lives through the One who is Lord of the Sabbath, even Jesus Christ our Lord.  In his name, we pray.

Resting in a Working World.

Welcome to Wednesday.  It’s good to be with you as we reach midweek in the Pastor’s Workshop.

Our message this week is “Blessed by Rest”.   Our primary Scripture is Genesis 2:1-3.  Our supplemental text is Exodus 20:8-11.  Our key question: “How can we put boundaries on busy-ness and claim God’s gift of Rest for our lives?

On Wednesday we look at the context of the text.  What’s the world into which the Word was and is spoken?

As I look at our Exodus text I wonder if the world of the ancients was like our own, a Busy World, a “Working World”.  Why else would you need a commandment for people to keep Sabbath and observe holy rest?

Particularly when people are struggling to survive, working every day seems essential.  Rest seems a luxury.  And yet when God speaks to Moses about how the people of God are to live in covenant with God, “Remembering the Sabbath” and “Keeping it Holy” is the fourth commandment.

Could it be that people of that day, as well as people in our day, could become consumed by their work?  In the Sabbath Commandment as proclaimed in Deuteronomy 5:15 the reason given for keeping the Sabbath is, “Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there…”  Could the commandment have been given because God was not interested in God’s people being “enslaved” by their daily labor? Referencing “Egypt” as a reason for the commandment leads one to think that work may have been dominating lives in some way that was debilitating.

Could it be that people of that day, as well as people of our day, undervalue the benefits of Rest?  Could it have been that the people thought they could keep on working and working and working and not eventually get worn out?  Could the command have been part of God’s plan for human “self-care”?  Genesis 2 makes it clear that even God took a break.  Even God stopped working.

Could it be that God wanted people to experience the positive benefits of becoming refreshed and replenished that come with rest?  Is that why God commanded that Sabbath be kept not only by the heads of the household, but also by the sons and daughters, manservants and maidservants, draft animals and even “the stranger in your gates”?

Or could it be that the ancient world is like our own in that they tended to forget about spending quality time with God?  Could it have been that the pressing demands of each day continually crowded out quality time of being with and reconnecting with their Lord?  Could it be that the Sabbath commandment was a way of making sure that the people set aside time to put “first things first” and prioritize God above all?

Who knows what was on the heart and mind of God as God rested on that seventh day (Genesis 2) and when God commanded that we rest on the Sabbath as well (Exodus 20).  What I do know is that in a world that can get so busy, where work can be so consuming, where rest is undervalued and where time with God is easily lost the importance of Sabbath becomes critical.   We are “Blessed by Rest”.

Prayer:  Gracious God, thank You for every gift of Your grace.  Thank You for the blessing of rest.  Thank you for the ways “Blessed Rest” helps us keep our work in perspective and our relationship with You as a priority.  Help us to obey Your command and keep Your Sabbath as a blessing for us and a glory to You.  In Jesus’ name we pray.

Rest.

Welcome! How good it is to be together on this Tuesday.  It’s a blessing to begin a new month with you in the Pastor’s Workshop.

This week we’re working on a message about Rest.  Our title is “Blessed by Rest”.  Our primary text is Genesis 2:1-3.  Our supplemental Scripture is Exodus 20:8-11.  Our key thoughts – How can we put “Boundaries on Busy-ness” and reclaim the blessing of rest that God created and commanded?

On Tuesdays we look at the structure of the texts.  We see how ideas and images sequence. In that sequencing we look for a logic.  How is “the message” emerging in the midst of the words of the Scripture?

The three verses in Genesis “flow” like this:

·       God completes Creation.  All is done. All is finished. All is very good.

·       That sense of Completion, Wholeness and Divine Satisfaction, that Very Goodness of Shalom, dawned with Day Seven.

·       In that Completion, Wholeness and God Satisfaction, God rested.  God let that sense of total goodness abide and be and bless all things.

·       And God saw that this Holy Rest was Very Good.  And God blessed the Rest and hallowed the day, creating Sabbath.

In essence, in Day Seven God “created” Rest.  God instilled “Rest” as part of the Created Order.  “Rest” came into being as an essential part of how things are and of who we are.  

The three verses in Exodus “go” like this:

·       God is giving the Ten Commandments to Moses. God is “speaking” to God’s people, outlining essential elements of the relationship (the covenant) God shares with them. 

·       The first four commandments are about the direct relationship the people share with God.  The last six commandments are how that direct relationship with God is then reflected in the relationships God’s people live with one another and the world.

·       The fourth commandment reminds the people to “remember the Sabbath”.  Don’t get so caught up in the business and busy-ness of life (the first Six Days of the week) that you forget about the Day Seven.  Remember that Rest is part of Creation, of how things should be.

·       They are to enjoy Shalom and observe Sabbath because God is enjoying Shalom and observing Sabbath.  God is resting and as they follow God they are to rest too!

·       The people are to keep it “holy”.  Not only are they to rest, but more importantly, they are to rest with God, rest in the Lord, and reconnect with God.  

·       Not only do they need to observe and claim Sabbath.  They are to provide it for all they have “dominion” over, their family, their workers, their animals, and even the “stranger within your gates”.  All are given the blessing of resting in the Lord.

In the fourth commandment we find that what God creates and instills in God’s initial Order of All Things, God commands and institutes in the covenantal life God shares with God’s people.

These texts emphasize the place that “Rest” has in the world and the importance it plays in our lives.  They call us to examine not only how God commands Sabbath Rest because it is part of God’s original goodness, but how we keep Sabbath Rest for our own good.

I’ll let you think on that one, as well as any other ideas/themes that have come to your mind during your reading and thinking.

And I’ll also let you get busy, because today is Day Two (“Twos” Day – sorry, I couldn’t help myself!) of our new work week.

See you tomorrow in the Pastor’s Workshop!

Prayer:  Gracious God, thank You for the blessing of the work today.  Thank You for the gift of sharing our gifts, talents, abilities productively in your World.  More than that, thank You that in the rhythms of life You have instilled the rhythm of Rest.  You give us Rest  so that we might be fresh to fully engage each day.  When we get too preoccupied with all we do, remind us to put boundaries on our busy-ness so that we can have quality Sabbath time with You.  This we pray in the name of the One who is Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessed by Rest.

Good Monday morning!  Glad to with you and start out the week together in the Pastor’s Workshop.

This week we’ll be concluding our series “Begin with Basics”.  Our Scriptural base has been Genesis 1, the Biblical story of the Beginning.  Our premise has been, “When you start right, things go better.  And when things go better, you can finish well.”

Our series began with “Starting Right”.  As Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God…”  When God is at the beginning of each day, we’re starting at the right place!

In week 2 we were encouraged to “Get Creative”.  Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created …”  Every crisis we face (and we face a lot of crises these days), holds a challenge to get creative.  God creates in love and we can be creative in God’s love!

Week 3 directed us to “Shine a Light”.  In Genesis 1:3, as God created God said, “Let there be light…” As you get Creative in God’s love your thoughts, words and deeds will brighten the path of another. 

Week 4 called us to “Care for Creation”.  In Genesis 1:26, human beings were created in God’s image and given dominion over creation. As we saw “dominion” was not a license to exploit, but a responsibility to care.  We are to be good stewards, protecting and preserving the goodness God made.

Week 5 invited us to “Claim the Good”.  Genesis 1:31 celebrates that as God surveys all God has done, it is “very good”.  Life holds a “Very Goodness”, instilled at Creation, that is ours to claim and live each day.

That has been our series so far.  If you want to get a fuller recap on any of the weeks you can read my blog, “The Pastor’s Workshop”, or go to our sermon archives.  Both of these are online at our website.  There you can “catch up” on anything you may have missed.

This week, Week 6, we end our time with God’s Beginning.  We finish the first Creation story in the Scripture.  We read about Day Seven and God’s Rest.  The title for our message will be, “Blessed by Rest”. Our focus Scripture will be Genesis 2:1-3.  Our supplemental text will be Exodus 20:8-11.

Genesis 2:1-3

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. 2 And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.

Exodus 20:8-11

8 Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it.

As you can see, the focus of both texts is “Rest”.  “Rest” was created as part of life.  “Rest” was commanded for our good, as part of our covenant relationship with God.

If you’ve been in the Workshop for a while you “know the drill”.  Today we “bathe” In the Biblical texts.  We immerse ourselves in the Scripture.  We read and reread, write and rewrite our passages using several translations.  Then paraphrase the Scripture, as if you were the writer.  Internalize the Biblical word.

As you do that make notes of words, phrases, images and ideas that capture your attention and stir a “holy curiosity and creativity” in you.  This opening phase is a most important part of your creative process.  As the premise of our series goes, starting right is key!

Since it’s the first day of the week, I’ll let you get to work!

I pray it’s a productive day for you.  I’ll see you tomorrow in the Pastor’s Workshop.

Prayer: Gracious God, thank You for the blessing of a new week.  Before us are opportunities to claim Your Goodness and to live Your Grace.  Even as we engage in life keep us ever fresh.  Let us begin each day feeling rested and restored because we know that we find our Rest and Restoration in You. Help us by Your Spirit to know Your gift of Sabbath.  This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayers for Sunday.

Grace and peace on this Saturday!  It’s a blessing to end the week with you in the Pastor’s Workshop.

As you know Saturday is a Sabbath day.  It’s a day of rest (which we all need!).  And it’s a day of resting in the Lord (which we all need!).

Part of what we do on Saturday is preparing for Sunday, but not by writing.  We get ready for worship by preparing with prayer.

This week our focus has been on the “very goodness” of God and the “very goodness” of life that comes from God.  As you pray, how would you pray that blessing for all our worshippers and our world? 

Here are some of my prayers:

·       I pray that during these difficult days (the hurricane, the pandemic, social unrest, political polarization) we know there is an underlying, foundational “goodness” of life that comes from God.

·       I pray we realize how much of God’s “goodness” comes to us in life as potential, possibility, and opportunity – the potential to see beauty, the possibility to do good, and the opportunity to be and bring a blessing to others.

·       I pray that by God’s Spirit we claim and live into that “goodness”.

·       I pray that we know deep within ourselves, in our own souls, we are made in the image of God.  There is a deep and abiding “goodness” in each and every one as creations of God.

·       I pray we know that when this “soul goodness” is buried, hidden, or covered up, Jesus Christ is present in the goodness of God’s grace to redeem, revive and resurrect the very goodness of God’s love in our lives.

These are a few of my prayers for worship.  What are yours?  Particularly as you meditate on Genesis 1:31 (“And God saw all that God had made, and behold, it was very good.”) what are your prayers for yourself, others, and our world?

I’m grateful to join you on this day of prayer.  And I look forward to worshiping together tomorrow.  Worship is a time when we can start the week off right, centering ourselves in God’s “very goodness”. We know that when we start our week right it will go better, and as our week goes better it can finish well.

In that blessing, I invite you into prayer today in the Pastor’s Workshop  and I’m excited about being with you tomorrow in the Master’s Workshop!

See you then!

Prayer:  Lord, thank You for this day of prayer!  Thank You for how we center our lives in Your Goodness.  Thank You for how You have created us in Your Very Goodness and invited us to live lives that reflect that Very Goodness to others.  In that blessing, we lift this prayer, in the name of Jesus our Good and Gracious Lord.  Amen.

See and seize the "very goodness."

Greetings!  It’s good to be with you today in the Pastor’s Workshop.

As you know Thursday is a “highlight” in our creative process.  It’s the day we gather all our notes, thoughts, and reflections and see how they “fit together”.  We discern and write.  And then we discern and write some more as our message for Sunday comes together.

Our title for the message is “Claim the Good”.  Our key verse is Genesis 1:31.  Our focus phrase is “very good”.  Our supplemental Scripture is Acts 17:22-28. My message is “How can we “see and seize”, name and claim, the “very goodness” of life in which we ‘live and move and have our being’?”

Here are my talking points for Sunday –

There are actions people are taking during this Covid season that are “very good”.

It’s important for us to let our hearts be “lifted“ by their witness, particularly when times are hard, things seem bad and we feel overwhelmed.

The “very goodness” of their actions speaks to the “very goodness” of God and how life can be very good with God.

Genesis 1:31 proclaims that life is inherently infused with “very goodness”.  As God surveys all God has done and sees it is “very good” that divine satisfaction is both a benediction God makes upon Creation and a recognition that Creation reflects the goodness of its Creator.

In Acts as the Apostle Paul addresses the learned folk of his day he proclaims this “very good” truth to them.  It’s worth noting he doesn’t seek to convince them they are sinners in the hands of an angry God.  He addresses them as seekers who can discover an amazing grace. The “Unknown God” they worship is a very good God.  God is knowable. God is nearer to them then they can imagine. God has given them life and breath and all things.  God is the One in whom they “live and move and have their being”.  In themselves they carry the image of that very good God, as even the Greek poets said, “We are his offspring.”

We hear this witness to the very goodness of God and the very goodness of life with God, but sometimes we still aren’t convinced.  There is so much that seems to contradict that conclusion.

Perhaps one of the reasons we don’t experience the goodness of life is that we don’t realize how it comes to us.  The Goodness of Life comes as Potential, Possibility and Opportunity.  The Goodness of Life asks our cooperation and participation.  To know “Goodness” we need to name it and claim it.

We want to “Claim the Good” in the world around us.  Our prayer is that we “see the sacred” and behold the beauty that is around us each day.

We want to “Claim the Good” in the people before us.  Our prayer is that we see others as Jesus sees them. Our aim is that we treat others in ways that nurtures the “goodness” of their lives.

We want to “Claim the Good” in the person within us.  So often we speak of “self-image”.  There is also “soul image”, the essence of who we are as human beings.  God has made us in God’s image and that “imago deii” is in each one of us. So often this blessing has been hidden, covered and buried.  The Good News is that Jesus was also at one point “hidden, covered and buried”.  But Jesus rose, and in rising Jesus Christ redeemed the Imago deii, very goodness of God, in each of us.  He continues to redeem, restore, and renew that very goodness as we live our lives with him as Risen Savior.

As children we learned the prayer, “God is Great, God is Good”.  In our early days God’s greatness and goodness was a matter of the meal before us.  As we have grown we realize that in God’s greatness, God has blessed life with God’s goodness.  We can name and claim and live that “very goodness” all to God’s glory.  In that faith I invite us to “Claim the Good”.

This is the outline of my message.  As always it will be filled in with illustrations and additional development. 

What are your talking points?  How do your reflections of the week come together?  What is the important message the Spirit is speaking to your heart about the “very goodness” of life with Christ?

I’m glad we can write our message today.  And it’s good that we can let it “marinate” for a couple of days before we preach it.  It’s amazing how when you go back and review your message the Spirit will suggest better ways to proclaim the truth.

So I’ll let you get to work on your message, and I look forward to being with you again on Saturday as we prepare with prayer in the Pastor’s Workshop.

Prayer:  Gracious God, thank you for the message you give.  We are grateful that even as we have been at work all week, You have been at work too!  As You create, all You make is “very good”.  And we pray that what we have written will reflect Your Goodness.  Moreover, we ask that our words would be filled with Your Word in ways that it would help others claim and live Your “Very Goodness” in their lives.  This we pray in the name of the One who redeemed us in and for Your Goodness and Grace, even Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen

God is near.

Welcome to Wednesday.  I’m glad to be midway through the week with you In the Pastor’s Workshop.

Our title for this week’s message is “Claim the Good”.  Our key verse is Genesis 1:31 (a verse where God sees all God has made as “very good”).  Our supplemental Scripture is Acts 17:22-28 (verses where the Apostle Paul proclaims we “live and move and have our being” in this “very goodness” of God). Our guiding thought is: Be deliberate and diligent about stepping up and living into the goodness of God that is inherently around us and embedded within us.

On Wednesday we look at the world into which the original word of the Scripture was spoken.  This week we’ll particularly focus on Paul’s preaching to the Athenians at the Areopagus (Acts 17:22).

In classic times the Areopagus was a court where “cases of deliberate homicide, wounding and religious matters” were tried.  In Paul’s day it was also place where matters of law, philosophy and religion were discussed and debated.

In this setting Paul lays out his case for Christianity.  It’s important to note that Paul made it a point to meet his listeners “where they were”.  Even though they were not Christian, they were “religious”.  They sought after God. In their seeking they wanted to “Know God”. But their seeking was misguided.  The statues and shrines all throughout Athens witnessed to their spiritual “groping” (verse 27).

Their religion was polytheistic.  With their many gods they sought to find a sense of the divine in the many needs of human life.   They essentially created gods in their own image and gave them form by what they fashioned with their hands.   And in case they had “left out” a god, they even had a statue to an “Unknown God”.

For Paul that statue to the “Unknown God” was symbolic of where the Athenians were spiritually.  They were searching but they did not know God.  The Apostle starts at that point, the statue of the “Unknown God”, to help the Athenians realize they can know God. 

In his sermon Paul proclaims: God is the Creator; God gives life and breath to all; God created all people and permitted all empires; God is near; God is knowable; In God “we live and move and have our being”; and we are God’s children (“His offspring” – verse 28). He points out the irony that they are trying to make with their hands an image of the One who made them with His hands.   In a few short verses he covers a wide expanse that invites the Athenians to turn their searching towards a Savior, Jesus Christ.

Paul’s approach is basically one not of fear (frightening his listeners into faith) but of discovery (enlightening his listeners into faith).  As “seekers” they can be “finders”.  They “live and move and have their being” with  “life and breath” given by God who created them and formed in them God’s good image.  God is so very near and so very knowable.  It is a compelling proclamation that has drawn people to Christ throughout the ages.

We live and move and have our being in this same truth today.  God is near and knowable.  God is good and gracious. God has made us and everyone in God’s image.  God invites us to know and grow in God’s goodness in ways of witness and service. It’s not only a compelling proclamation, it’s a compelling lifestyle.

As you go through today I invite you to consider how you can “Claim the Goodness”.  As you do that know that our Good God is near and would lead you into that blessing.

In that faith, enjoy your “good day” and I’ll see you again tomorrow in the Pastor’s Workshop.

Prayer:  Gracious God, thank you for the blessing of this “good day”.  As our Creator You are in the midst of every moment, forming and fashioning in Your love.  And You are inviting us to join You, sharing and showing Your love to those around us in ways that all might know Your Goodness and be blessed by Your grace.  Lead us to live our lives with You, all to Your glory.  In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

Very goodness.

Greetings on this good day! I’m thankful to be together with you on Tuesday in the Pastor’s Workshop.

We’re continuing our series “Begin with Basics”.  Our work over the last four weeks has been grounded in the first chapter of Genesis.   This week we come to the end of the chapter, Genesis 1:31.  In this verse God surveys all that God has done in Creation and makes an assessment, it is “very good”.  As a companion to this verse, a supplement to our thinking, we also include Acts 17:22-28 as Scriptural source material for our message.

Yesterday we did an “immersion” in the texts.  We read and wrote these words of the Bible.  We let them “wash over” our minds.  We let our “holy imaginations” be curious, maybe even captivated, by the ideas and images the Spirit lifted.  It was Day One of our Creative process.

Today, on Day Two, we take a more “objective” look at the Scripture.  Is there an underlying theme we see?  Is there a “logic” woven into the fabric of what we’ve read that we need to note?

The choice I’ve made for the message centers on the “Very Good-ness” of Creation.  As I read the Scripture I picture God “stepping back” after all the days of hard labor and in a moment of satisfaction  saying, “That’s good.  That’s very good!”

On one hand this phrase “very good” is a benediction, a blessing, on all God has done.  In making this assessment and saying these words God pronounces a judgement, a good judgment, on all God has made.  On the other hand I look at this phrase as a recognition. It is an acknowledgement that during the creative process the “goodness” of the Creator (the very Goodness of God), has “rubbed off” and is inherently part of all God has made.  There is an essential, existential “goodness” present because all Creation is “God made”.

In Acts the Apostle Paul builds on that thought as he lays out his case for Christianity to the Athenians. He compliments them – they are religious people.  They have hearts and minds that search for what is true.  And he wants to introduce them to the “Truth.  He offers them this intriguing insight, the “Truth” is much nearer than they think.  In fact they “live and move and have their being” (verse 28) in the Truth.  Moreover their very lives reflect the Truth, “they are offspring (children) of God” (verse 28).  Whatever they can make with their hands is nowhere near as “real” as the Hands who have made them.  Their very lives are a testimony to the goodness of our Creator God. 

As we develop our message and “make our case” this core truth needs to be at the center of what we say.  There is a “very goodness” that is inherently, existentially and essentially part of our world.  It is woven into the fabric of our lives. It is nearer than we can imagine. In all that lives and breathes there is a “goodness” of God. When we look deep within our souls we need to see what God sees, the “imago dei”, the created image of God. Both the writer of Genesis and the Apostle Paul point out this truth.

I look forward to highlighting this “very goodness” in all, in you and in me as we advance in this week.  It is a powerful and positive understanding of who we are that alters our perspective on life and shapes our self-image. Tomorrow we’ll see how it challenges some other interpretations of Christian faith.  When we say, “God is good” – that truth has far reaching, lifesaving impact.  When we know this goodness comes to fullness in Jesus Christ, we are close to understanding the glory of God’s salvation.

In that blessing I pray for you a “good day in God’s goodness”.  I’ll see you tomorrow in the Pastor’s Workshop.

Prayer: Gracious God, thank you for the “goodness of today”.  It is a reflection of Your Goodness in which I live and move and have my being.  Open my eyes to see this grace.  Open my heart to trust this goodness.  Open my hands to share this blessing.  All this I pray in the name of Jesus our Good Lord.  Amen.

Claim the Good.

Greetings and welcome to Monday. It's good to start the week with you in the Pastor's Workshop.

This week we're continuing in our series, "Begin with Basics." Our core Scripture for this month has been Genesis 1. The premise for our series, "When you start right, things go better. And when things go better, you can finish well."

Week one we began with "Start Right." When you think about beginning the day, the week, the month, or the new school year what better way to start than, "In the beginning God..." (Genesis 1:1). Week two we were encouraged to "Get Creative". "In the beginning God created..." (Genesis 1:1) and as people who face crises and have challenges in our lives we need to be creative as well.   In Week three we were invited to use our creativity to "Shine a Light." In the beginning, when God created, God said "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3). You and I are part of the "light shining" of God into our world. Week four we jumped to the end of chapter. Our theme verses were Genesis 1:26-31. We saw how God created us (humankind) in God's image and gave us dominion of God's "very good" Creation. We were invited to think about how we could be good stewards of God's wonderful world. Our title was "Care for Creation."

This week our focus verse will be the last verse of the chapter, Genesis 1:31. Our supplementary Scripture will be Acts 17:22-28. We'll explore the phrase "very good". Our title for the week will be "Claim the Good"!

Genesis 1

"31 God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day."

Acts 17

22 Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, "Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. 23 For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, 'To an unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. 26 From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, 27 so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him - though indeed he is not far from each one of us. 28 For 'In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we too are his offspring.'

By now you know how our creative process works. Monday is our "immersion day." Read and re-read both Scriptures silently and aloud. Write and re-write each text. Use several Bible translations and paraphrases (Biblegateway.com). Paraphrase the text in your own words.

Are there words, phrases, images, ideas that capture your interest? Make sure to note these. Jot down any "random thoughts." The Spirit is stirring in your creative process so don't let these "movings and musings" get away.

It's Monday so I'll let you get to work. I'll do the same. And I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow in the Pastor's Workshop.

Prayer:  Gracious God, thank you for the blessing of this day and the gift of the week ahead. Help us always to be mindful that in You we live and move and have our being. Let us know that the goodness of Your grace is in this day. Help us to claim it and live it to Your glory. In Jesus's name we pray. Amen

In Christ,

Paul

Praying for Sunday.

Grace and peace on this Saturday!  It’s good to close up the week with you in the Pastor’s Workshop.

As you know this week we’ve focused on what it means to be good stewards in God’s good creation.   Our theme text has been Genesis 1:26-31.  We’re blessed to have Rev. Kenny Dickson preach on that Scripture and a companion text tomorrow.  We’re grateful for him being with us and his ministry of the Word.

On Saturday in the workshop, we prepare for Sunday in a special way.  So much of Monday through Friday is “head” work.  On Saturday we do “heart” work.  Saturday is a day we pray for what the Lord will do on Sunday.  We pray for the Lord’s blessing on our worship.  We pray the Lord uses our worship to strengthen us to serve with Christ in the week ahead.

So as you “prepare with prayer” what are your prayers for this week?  In particular, what would be your prayers for our stewardship of God’s good world?

Here are a few of mine:

·       I pray our eyes to be open to seeing the true beauty and wonder of the world around us.  It is magnificent!

·       I pray our minds to be open to understanding the interconnection we share with all of creation.  We are part of a “whole” of God’s making.

·       I pray our hearts to be open to caring for creation even as God cares for creation.

·       I pray we grow in our understanding of being good stewards in God’s good creation.

·       I pray we recognize one or two simple changes we can make that would help our environment and that we make those adaptations.

Those are a few of my prayers.  What would yours be for this most important issue of the stewardship of creation?

Since Saturday is a day of prayer and a day of rest, I’ll let you get to praying and resting.  Know that I’m praying for tomorrow too!  I pray that your worship will be a powerful blessing to get your week started right!

In that gift of grace, I’ll join you tomorrow in worship, in the Master’s Workshop.

Prayer:  Gracious God, thank You for the week past.  Thank You for Your word of truth and love.  Thank You for being part of Your good creation.  Thank You for the special role You give to us as stewards.  Use our worship tomorrow to strengthen us for this ministry in ways that we can live it to Your glory.  This we ask in the name of the One who is Lord of all, Jesus Christ our Lord. 

All Things are Interconnected.

Greetings on this Thursday!  As always, it’s a blessing to be with you in the Pastor’s Workshop.

Thursday is a big day in the workshop!  It’s the morning we take our work from the week and discern a message for Sunday.  We pray the Spirit will be at work in a special way as we seek a “right word” to  open the truth of the Scripture for all.  

Our message this week is entitled, “Care for Creation”.  Our Scripture is Genesis 1:26-31.  Our main thought: “God made it good.  Our job is to keep it good!”  We are stewards of God’s good creation.

With that said, what would be the sermon for this Sunday?

Here are some of my talking points:

As we start out a message on creation here’s a “creation quiz”.  What’s the largest organism on earth? A blue whale, a giant sequoia, a sperm whale, or the pando aspen clone.

If you picked the aspen clone (which I didn’t!), you are right!  How could an aspen be larger than a sequoia, or a huge whale?  The aspen clone, which is made up of 47,000 aspens, is a single tree with a sprawling root system.  All the aspens are one because they are interconnected.

As we think about God’s good creation and our place in it, that’s a great starting point and important truth.  All things are interconnected.

This interconnection “roots” in having the same Creator. As we read through Genesis 1 the lyrics of the hymn “All Things Bright and Beautiful” come to mind, “All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small; All things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all.”

The six days of Creation portrayed in Genesis 1 is a grand “symphony” of God’s creative handiwork on display. God makes day and night, heaven and earth, land and sea, sun and moon, birds and fish, animals and humans.  These are not all separate creations.  They are part of one great creation of God.

God not only brings all of this into being.  At the same time God instills Creation with harmony and order, beauty and balance and inherent goodness. After each day God sees what God has made and it is “good”.  At the end of six days, after all has been made, as God surveys all God’s handiwork, and it is “very good”!

As human beings we are a “capstone” in God’s creation.  We are the only creatures of which it is said we are made “in the image of God”. 

Even though we are set apart in that way, we are always a part of God’s creation.  We are always connected with all of God’s other creatures because we have the same Creator.

Carrying this distinctive “image” we have a distinctive responsibility in Creation.  Just as God made all things good.  We are to keep them good.  We are not owners, but we are stewards of God’s creation. 

This Scripture outlines our responsibility as making sure all the rest of creation “thrives”.  Right now so much of the emphasis is on saving the environment, helping the world to survive.  The Biblical focus is on our roll of nurturing and nourishing the blessings of harmony, order, beauty, balance and goodness in the world around us. Our stewardship goes way beyond survival.

 This is a huge undertaking.  Sometimes it seems overwhelming.  But we can “start right” in small and significant ways to each do our part.

The great hymn goes, “For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the sky, for the love which from our birth over and around us lies, Lord of all to Thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise.”  It is a blessing to sing that hymn, but, even more, to know we are stewards of that goodness. 

God makes it good.  We keep it good.  All to God’s glory!

These are my thoughts for Sunday.                                                                                

What are yours?

This Sunday you will have a special treat.  I will not be preaching this sermon.  I’m out on vacation and Reverend Kenny Dickson will be filling in.  He’ll be following the same theme, working from the same text and a supplemental Scripture.  It will be “fun” is to see how two preachers approach the same text differently. The great thing is that God speaks a word of truth through each message.

And God speaks a word of truth through your message too!  I always encourage you, even if you’re not the “preacher of the week”, to write down your sermon.  It’s a special truth God is showing you!

In the blessing of God’s Word and your witness, I’ll let you get to work.  I’ll be with you on Saturday to prepare with prayer for Sunday in the Pastor’s Workshop.

Prayer:  Gracious God, thank You for Your Word.  Thank You for how Your Word inspires our words.  Thank You for Your Creating Word that brought all Creation into being.  Thank You for what You will bring into being through our words.  Lord, thank You even as You make all things good, You invite us to come alongside You and care for Your creation.  In that responsibility and blessing we give You thanks and lift up this prayer in Jesus’ name.

Being a good steward.

Welcome to Wednesday!  It’s good to be with you today in the Pastor’s Workshop.

As we work this week we’re going back to God’s “very good” beginning of Creation.  Our theme text is Genesis 1:26-31.  Our guiding thought: “God made it good.  Our job is to keep it good.”  Our title is: “Care for Creation”.

On Wednesday we explore the context of the text.  We look at the world into which the Word is spoken.  We see how the contrast between the “world” and the “Word” adds perspective to how we look at life and  clarity to how we understand our role in being a witness for God.

The Beginning as described in Genesis 1 reflects a harmony, an order, a beauty, a balance, a fullness, a fruitfulness that is of God’s making. The world as God created it in the Beginning is “very good”.

As you look at our world today you can still see some of that “very goodness”.  You see it in the majesty of mountain vistas, in the glow of a sunset, in the beauty of a garden, in the ice caps of the Poles and in the deep blue of the sea. You experience it in the incredible bio-diversity of life.  We truly live in a “miracle of nature” that is of God’s making.

At the same time, as you look at our world you can also see an encroaching ugliness. You see it in strip mines that have leveled mountains, pollution in the air that has blocked the sun, melting of the ice caps that has “shrunk” the Poles, a “garbage dump” supposedly the size of Texas in middle of the Pacific and the “dying” of reefs along the coast.  You see some of the impact that is of our human making.

As we contrast these two views, the world of God making and the world of our making, we hear the call in this Scripture to exercise “dominion”.  As we found yesterday, dominion doesn’t mean “domination to exploit”.  It means “responsibility to care”. Dominion invites us to think about the consequences of our choices in how we treat God’s good creation.  It summons us to be good stewards.

When it comes to the environment so many issues seem so large.  Carbon dioxide emissions, global temperatures, sea levels, etc. are massive concerns for the well being of our world.  Our “modern way of life”, not only in the US but in all the world, is partly responsible for these changes.   Sometimes we ask, “What can I do?” and “Will it really make any difference?”  We feel so small in the face of such a great concern.

And yet it is important to exercise our care and start our stewardship of God’s good world.  We can “start right” by doing simple, small things.  Recycling, conserving, educating ourselves, and writing our legislators are just a few of the many things we can do to “start right so things will go better” (Remember the premise of this series – “When we start right things go better.  And when things go better we can finish well.”)  We can start our stewardship of God’s good world in small but significant ways.

As you go through this week I invite you to look and see the “very goodness” of God’s creation on display.  I also encourage to ask, how can I be a good steward of this beauty and all the goodness God has given me?

In that blessing and in that responsibility I look forward to enjoying the goodness of this day and being with you again tomorrow in the Pastor’s Workshop.

Prayer: Gracious God, thank you for the blessing of this day and beauty of our world.  Thank you for giving me the eyes to see and the ears to hear all the created wonders of Your making.   Help me to know that even as You make things good, You call me to keep them good.  Strengthen me to be a good steward for You.  This I pray in the name of the One “through whom all things came into being”, even Jesus Christ our Lord.

God made it good. We are to keep it good.

Greetings!  It’s always good to be together on Tuesday in the Pastor’s Workshop.

Our message this week is “Care for Creation”.  Our lead Scripture is Genesis 1:26-31.  Our core idea: “God makes everything good.  Our job is to keep it good.”  We are to care for creation!

On Tuesday in the Workshop we study the structure of the text.  We look for underlying “themes” and “threads”.  What is the logic of the passage?  How does the writer develop the main idea?

The first chapter of Genesis is an unfolding picture of God’s creating work. It starts with an inky, watery, dark chaos and with God’s Spirit hovering over that formless void.  Day One God makes Light and Dark, Day and Night. Day Two is the creation of a Firmament, the Heavens, separating the primordial waters above from the waters below.  On Day Three God gathers the waters under the heavens together forming the Seas and the Land.  Day Three was busy, for on that Day God also created the Plant Kingdom.  On Day Four God gathers the Light in the heavens into clusters, forming the celestial bodies of the sun, moon and stars.  On Day Five God fills the skies with birds and the seas with fish.  On Day Six God makes the animal kingdom, wild and domestic.  And also on Day Six, the final day of God’s creating, another most significant moment of Creation occurs!

In Genesis 1:26-31 we come to a “capstone” in God’s creation, a climax of all God has made.  A highpoint of God’s work is the making of humankind.  “Let us make humankind (adam) in our image, according to our likeness…”  This phrase (in our image – imago dei) tells you the position the writer understood humanity to occupy in all God has done.  No other creature or work of Creation receives that blessing.

What being “made in God’s image” means is then outlined in these five verses. 

The first phrase used is “dominion” (verse 26).  We are given dominion over fish, birds, cattle (domesticated animals), wild animals, and every creeping thing.  In all God has done humankind is given a position of prominence.

Secondly, God says, “Be fruitful”. Just as God has been busy filling Creation with God’s good work, humanity is invited to “be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth” (verse 28). 

Thirdly, God provides for all.  “Herbs” and “fruit” are given to nourish both humanity and all the animal kingdom.

Fourthly, God blesses.  God sees all God had done and it is “very good”.  There is a divine satisfaction present.

There are a several key observations to make.  First, when God creates, God’s work is not simply making land, seas, skies, plants, birds, fish and animals.  As God makes all things, God is also creating order, harmony, beauty, and goodness. Secondly, (and significantly), we are “part” of God’s creation.  We are not “apart” from Creation.  When God gives dominion that does not mean domination.  Dominion does not mean we treat God’s creation as we want, solely satisfying our needs and wants. Dominion means we understand our place within God’s creation and realize who we are as part of God’s creation.  It means we make sure all of God’s creation can thrive (be fruitful), be nourished, and be blessed. We are stewards, not owners, of God’s good creation.  It is our responsibility to maintain its “very goodness”.  God made it good.  We are to keep it good!

What an incredible blessing!  What a challenging responsibility! 

As we finish up today, I invite you to imagine God’s glorious creating work.  And I encourage you to see what a pivotal role you and I play in maintaining the harmony, beauty, order and goodness God entrusts to us.

In that amazing blessing, I look forward to a beautiful day and being with you tomorrow in the Pastor’s Workshop.

Prayer:  Gracious God, thank You the blessing of this beautiful day.  Thank you for all the beauty You create!  Give us eyes to see Your glory.  Give us a heart to praise You.  And give us the will to be at work upholding and maintaining all the goodness You make.  This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

New Date: Back-to-School Event

Families - Save the date! We are going to celebrate Back-To-School safely this year with a little SVUMC Parking Lot Family Picnic and Blessing of the Backpacks! We miss you!

Please join us on August 23rd!

At 6:00pm we will have a Prayer/Blessing service in the front parking lot for our students going back-to-school. Families will remain in their cars, receive a blessing and drive by the front steps to pick up a special backpack tag.

At 6:15pm, Club 26 and Youth will enjoy games (social distanced) and we will have food trucks in the back parking lot.

Everyone is welcome to stay and enjoy a bite to eat from the Food Trucks - please plan to social distance appropriately and bring your own chairs to enjoy eating with your family unit.

We look forward to seeing you and hope you will join us!

Care for Creation.

Good morning on this fine Monday!  It’s great to begin the week with you in the Pastor’s Workshop.

This week we continue in our series called “Begin with Basics”.  Our premise (as you remember), “When we start right, things go better.  And when things go better, we can finish well.”  Our Scriptural starting point is Genesis 1. 

In week one we stated that the right starting point for today, this week and all things before us is the beginning point proclaimed in the Scripture, “In the beginning, God…” (Genesis 1:1).  In our second week we discovered that every crisis holds a challenge to get creative.  We rejoiced that our creative God has given us that capacity to create and called us to “Get Creative”. “In the beginning, God created …” (Genesis 1:1) and so can we. Last week we explored how in our creativity we are invited to “Shine a Light”.  When God said, “Let there be Light” (Genesis 1:3) that was true for Creation, the Incarnation in Jesus, and for you and me.

Shining the Light was the beginning of creation.  God continued creating for “six days”.  There are many ways to interpret this phrase.  Some folks think of it literally, some figuratively, and some metaphorically.  These various interpretations often lead to endless (and fruitless) debates.  In the midst of debates about what’s true, we don’t want to miss the great truth being proclaimed.  God is our Creator.  We are given responsibility to be good stewards of God’s created goodness.

Our message this week focuses in on that gift of responsibility.  We call it “the stewardship of creation”.  For our Scripture we’ll be jumping from the start of chapter 1 in Genesis to the end of chapter 1, Genesis 1:26-31. 

As you can see from the text as we talk about “stewardship” this is not about money.  This is about our “stewardship” of all God has made.  Through this Scripture we understand that part of our privilege and responsibility as being “made in the image of God” is to care for all God’s creation.  The title for our message this week is “Care for Creation”.

On Monday we saturate ourselves in the chosen Scripture for the week.  We read and re-read, write and re-write.  We paraphrase in our own words.  I always encourage us to use several translations (Biblegateway.com – it’s free!).

Using different translations and paraphrases is always enlightening.  As you see below the ways scholars handle the Hebrew for this text is varied .

The New Revised Standard Version translates the passage:

 Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”

27 So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” 29 God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

“The Message” paraphrases the same text:

God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature, So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.”
    

God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God’s nature. He created them male and female. God blessed them: Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”

29-30 Then God said, “I’ve given you every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth, And every kind of fruit-bearing tree, given them to you for food. To all animals and all birds, everything that moves and breathes, I give whatever grows out of the ground for food.” And there it was.

31 God looked over everything he had made; it was so good, so very good! It was evening, it was morning— Day Six.

 As you can see, there are some similarities and some differences in the translations.  It’s important to pay attention to both!

Well it’s Monday and a “new beginning”.  I need to let you get to work. And even as you work may the Spirit be at work in you.

In that blessing, I’ll get to work too and look forward to being with you tomorrow in the Pastor’s Workshop.

Prayer:  Gracious God, thank You for the blessing of this week. Thank You for how Your love is a creating love.  Thank you for how you create goodness.  Strengthen us as we work through this Scripture to understand how we can be better stewards of all You have made.  In that privilege and responsibility we lift this prayer in the name of the One who is the good steward of our souls, even Jesus Christ our Lord.

Preparing for Sunday

Grace and peace on this Saturday.  It’s been good to spend the week with you. I’m glad we can finish it together in the Pastor’s Workshop.

This week we’ve been working on “Shine a Light”.  Our Scripture texts have been: Genesis 1:1-3, John 1:6-9, and Matthew 5:14-16.  We’ve seen how the God who creates Light in the beginning, incarnates Light In Jesus Christ (the Light of Life), and then calls us to let our light shine. As we reflect God’s one True Light with good works of love others are blessed and God is glorified. It’s a powerful progression!

Saturday is a day to “prepare with prayer”.  It’s a time when we rest and also get ready.  In the Pastor’s Workshop we know that “Sunday cometh”.  Tomorrow is a “big day” as we gather for worship (even if it is around our screens).  We want to be ready in every way!

So as you “prepare with prayer” what are you lifting to the Lord?  What are your hopes for our worship tomorrow? How are you asking God to use our Scriptural texts as spiritual truth to guide us in the week ahead?

Here are a few of my prayers for this message:

·       I pray we know the Light of Christ is a light of truth, revealing God’s gracious will.

·       I pray we know the Light of Christ is a light of beauty, refracted In a “rainbow” of diverse and beautiful acts of witness.

·       I pray we know the Light of Christ is a light of life, renewing our lives with hope and joy.

·       I pray we reflect that Light of Christ by our good works in ways others are renewed in hope and joy.

·       I pray that in all our acts of witness and love the glory goes to God.

These are a few of my prayers.  What are yours? … for yourself? … this message?... our worship?...the week ahead?... The school year before us?... How can you “shine a light”?

Since it’s a day of rest I don’t want to keep us too long.  I invite you to pray.  And as you pray “give it all to God” (it’s God’s anyway).  And then rest, knowing God is working bringing God’s answer for God’s glory.

In that blessing I hope you have a great Saturday.  And I look forward to being with you tomorrow in worship, in the Master’s Workshop.

Prayer: Gracious God, thank You for the gift of this last week.  Thank You for the time we’ve spent together and the work we’ve done.  We lift it all to You.  We ask You use it to shine your Light of Truth, of Beauty, of Life, and of Glory --- the Light of Christ.  It’s an incredible blessing to believe that the very God who said “Let there be Light” calls us into good works of love so we might participate in shining Your Light.  Use our witness to Your glory through Jesus Christ, the One True Light and our Lord of Love.  In his holy name we pray.

Let your light shine.

Greetings on this wonderful Thursday!  It’s a blessing to be with you in the Pastor’s Workshop.

As you know this week we’ve been working on our message, “Begin with Basics: Shine a Light”.  Our texts are Genesis 1:1-3, John 1:6-9, and Matthew 5:14-16.  What began in Creation, “Let there be Light”, continued with Christ, “the Light of Life”, and now comes to us in Christ’s call, “Let your light shine!” 

By now you probably “know the drill”.  Thursday is when we take all we have worked on this past week and do a little creating of our own.  We always hope God will shine a light of inspiration to enlighten our thinking and show us a way to brighten someone’s path for living.

So as you review your thoughts and reflections, meditations and musings, what is the message coming to you?

Here’s a draft of my talking points for Sunday.

A little extra light always lifts my day and adds to my life.  You and I can provide that blessing as we let our light shine!

God has been bringing that blessing from the very beginning.  When God said, “Let there be Light” (Genesis 1:3) God’s good Creation got underway.

And then God’s Creation became Incarnation.  Jesus Christ came as the Light of Life (John 8:12), as the “True Light coming into the world” (John 1:9).

As we receive and believe in Him as the Light of Life, we are en-lightened.  We “walk in the light” as he is in the light. (I John 1:7).  We shine His light through our good works of love in His name (Matthew 5:16).

That’s a beautiful Biblical progression leading us and strengthening us to let our light shine!

The light we shine is a light of Truth.  It’s a light that shines in the darkness.  It’s a light that reveals the realities of the world around us. More than that, it’s a light that reveals the reality of God’s hope within us.  This is a hope for God’s Kingdom being created in our world through Jesus Christ.

The light we shine is a light of Beauty.  It’s a light that refracts in a rainbow diversity as we each let our light shine in the ways God has uniquely gifted us.

The light we shine is a light of Life.  It’s a light that renews hope in the hearts and lives of others.

The light we shine is a light of Glory.  It’s a light that reflects the goodness of God. When people see our good works they give glory to God in heaven. 

The light we shine is a light of truth, a light of beauty, a light of life, and a light of glory. The light we shine reveals, refracts, renews, reflects the Light of Christ.  This is the light we shine!

When God says, “Let there be Light”, this is how it is to be from the beginning until the end.  We are part of that blessing.  What a blessing - to “Shine a Light!”

These are my basic talking points for Sunday.  As always there will be illustrations and added thoughts to bring completeness to the message.

What are your thoughts? What springs from these three Scriptures for you?  In what ways has God been speaking to you?  What light of truth has been shining into your mind that you would share with others?  Make sure to write down your “personal sermon”.  It’s a special blessing God has given you.

Now it’s time to let the message “marinate”.  Having time between now and Sunday allows for “settling” and more clarity.  This space really helps as you get a chance to revisit the message later after letting it “sit”.

It’s been a blessing to work with you this week.  I’m excited about how the message will continue to come together in the days ahead.

In that ongoing work of God’s creative Spirit, I look forward to being with you again on Saturday as we prepare with prayer in the Pastor’s Workshop.

Prayer:  Gracious God, thank You for our work this week.  Thank you for the message that has “taken shape”.  We pray You use it to shine a light of truth to brighten the path of others.  Strengthen us to shine our light to Your glory.  This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

The Light of Life

Welcome to Wednesday.  It’s good to be midway through our week in the Pastor’s workshop.

Our message this week is: “Begin with Basics: Shine a Light”.  Our Scriptures are: Genesis 1:1-3, John 1:6-9 and Matthew 5:14-16.  Our key thought is: Make it your mission to shine a light!

On Wednesdays we look at the context for a text. What was the world into which the Word was originally written or spoken?   Is there a contrast we need to note so we can more fully understand the Word and its impact in the world?

As we said last week, when we refer to “Creation”, we leave the scientific explanation of “what the world was like” to the physicists.  What we can do is approach these texts as an existential description of the gracious work of God from the Beginning.   

What we find in the Genesis passage and the accompanying John and Matthew texts is the great spiritual interplay of “darkness” and “light”.  This dynamic is highlighted in many religions.  Christianity is not unique in this regard. 

What is special about our faith is how we understand this reality embodied in the relationship of Jesus Christ, the Light of Life, with a dark and empty world without God’s saving love.  This is our primary understanding of this dualism of “light” and “dark”.

Here are some of the most famous “darkness” and “light” verses in the Scriptures.  You can see how they integrate the faith of bringing Light to Life through Jesus Christ in a dark world.

The people who walked in darkness  have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness,   on them light has shined.  Isaiah 9:2

Arise, shine; for your light has come,  the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Isaiah 60:1

4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. John 1:4-5

And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.  John 3:19

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.  II Corinthians 4:6

For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light. Ephesians 5:8

 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; 7 but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. I John 1:5-7

As you read through these Scriptures you can see how the Bible moves from God saying, “Let there be light”, to Jesus being the “Light of Life”, to us “walking in the light as He is in the light”.  This progression is unique to our Christian faith.

As we prepare for our message on Sunday we want to make sure our sermon incorporates this interplay of “darkness” and “light” in our imagery and illustrations. But more than our message, we want to make sure our daily living incorporates shining Christ’s light through our good words and works of love. (Matthew 5)

In that gift I invite you to go out and “shine your light” with someone who needs their day brightened! And we’ll you see you again tomorrow in the Pastor’s Workshop.

Prayer: Gracious God, thank You for the gift of today. As the sun comes up, it reminds me of how Your light shines into my life.  By my faith in Jesus, let Your light shine through me to those who need to know the light of Your love.  In the name of Jesus, the Light of the world, I pray.

Let there be light.

Good morning!  I’m glad to be together on this Tuesday in the Pastor’s Workshop.

This week we’re continuing our series, “Begin with Basics”.  So far our messages have “traced” through Genesis 1:1.  We started with “In the beginning, God…”  We followed that with “..., God created…” This week we’re onto verse 3, “God said, Let there be light…”  Our title for this week, “Begin with Basics: Shine a Light”.

Our companion texts for this week are John 1:6-9 and Matthew 5:14-16.  We refer to these passages as a way of expanding our thinking on the Scripture, Genesis 1:3, and particularly the phrase, “Let there be light”.

On Monday we immersed ourselves in the three texts.  In “saturating” ourselves in these Scriptures we sought to be open to “suggestions” from the Spirit of ideas and images that would become part of Sunday’s message.

On Tuesday we “go deeper”.  Is there an “underlying thread”, theme, or logic that unites the texts? But more than uniting the texts, does this deeper logic also “tie the texts” into our lives?

In Genesis 1:1-3 we learned we have a God who is creative and creating.  As part of that creativity, in the midst of emptiness God says, “Let there be.”  And when God says, “Let there be”, the “first moving” in Creation is Light.  In this Scripture we find we have a God who brought and is always bringing Light into any and every darkness.

From John 1:6-9 we understand God wants people to see “the Light dawning in every darkness”.   God sends an “advance man”.  His name is John.  He has a mission, to call people to turn to the “True Light of Life”, Jesus Christ.

Finally, in Matthew 5:14-16 we discover John is not the only one God calls.  Even as God said, “Let there be Light…”, Jesus says, “Let your light shine…”.  God calls us in Jesus Christ, to shine God’s light into the darkness of our present day.

These Scriptures let us know that our witness, our work with God in Christ, springs from the very beginning of all things. God has always “been in the business” of shining light. God continues in that work.

This understanding helps us to clarify the essential nature of our mission as a church and our ministry as believers.  Is what we are doing “shining a light” that helps others know God’s goodness and brings others to glorify God? These Scriptures lead us into asking these good questions.  They invite us to personally reflect on our “light shining” work in Christ.

Are there other themes you see and would highlight in your message?  Are there other “threads” you would lift up as you tie these texts to each other and to your daily living?  As always, jot down your thoughts!

As we work today, I pray God would “enlighten” us.  In that blessing let’s get to it!

Prayer: Gracious God, thank You for your “light shining”, “love sharing” grace as we know it in the Light of Life, Jesus our Lord. As we go through this day, lift our minds and hearts with this blessing.  Strengthen us to “shine our light” with You in ways others see You working in our good words and works and give You glory.  This we pray in Jesus Christ our Lord.