Day 4 - Saturday

Day 4

 

"Get out of bed and get dressed! Don't loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!"  Romans 13:14 (TMSG)

 

We are revisiting yesterday's scripture, this time in The Message, because we want to look at the other part of this passage.  We not only need to repent of our sins, which means we turn from the things that keep us out of relationship with God, but the Apostle Paul gives us a hint to what will help us.

 

"Dress yourselves in Christ…"  Paul reminds us that we do not live this faith on our own, in fact it was Jesus who told us that we cannot do anything without him.  And this applies also to not letting sin rule our lives.  It takes living "dressed in Christ."

 

Taking on the presence of Christ in our lives is an act of our faith that we do everyday.  It is the acknowledgement that we are helpless to face the temptations and trials of life without the grace and mercy of Christ alive and active in our lives. 

 

I remember a particularly trying time in my life when I was finding myself crippled by stress.  The job I was in was overwhelming and I could barely function under the weight.  At the height of all of this, I found that if every morning I woke up, before I moved out of the bed, I would pray:  "God, I cannot do this job, live this day through, without you working through me.  I give you this job, and ask you to do it through me."  I began to find I had more grace to go to walk.  I was "putting on Christ."  I had come to the end of myself and allowed him to work and live and move through me.  Soon I had success and looked forward to going to work once again.

 

Paul said something like this when he wrote to the Galatians:

"Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not "mine," but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."  Galatians 2:20 (TMSG)

 

Over this Lenten journey we are going to explore the attributes of Christ that we can dress ourselves with that will help us find and fulfill the plan of God for our lives. 

 

Prayer:  "Jesus, I come today and ask you to live and move through me.  Give me grace for this day and help me to live fully in your peace and wisdom.  In Your name, Amen."

Day 3 - Friday

Day 3

"Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." Romans 13:14 (NIV)

 

Part of Lent's focus is repentance.  Without the spiritual practice of repentance, we will never be able to fulfill God's will for our lives, nor find ourselves in a thriving relationship with God.  Sin is what keeps the communication blocked between us and God.  It dulls our hearing and turns our hearts away from the passionate search for our Savior.  Sin is like that delightful "Turkish delight" consumed by Edmond in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.  It will fill our souls until we find we are no longer hungry for that which is good and right. 

 

Millions of people throughout the world will "give up" something for Lent.  Chocolate, swearing, breakfast, smoking, vices that we want to "give up" will go by the wayside for a period of six weeks, and though we mean well and do well to practice this form of fasting, unfortunately many of us will pick these back up after Easter.  But let this Lent be a real period of examination of our hearts. 

 

Listen the Psalmist, King David as he invites God to search his heart:

 

"Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about; See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong— then guide me on the road to eternal life."  Psalm 139:23-24 (TMSG)

 

Lent is a season for investigation.  But the good news is that God does not search our hearts to punish us for the sin that he finds there.  No, he searches our lives and hearts so that he can enter our hearts and bring rescue and freedom to us in the areas where we've allowed sin to restrict and bind us.  He brings grace to us if only we will ask and receive from him.  He will clothe us with Christ and we will find ourselves in friendship with him once again.

 

Prayer:  "Gracious God, let me have the courage to pray David's prayer.  Search me and try me and know my heart.  Forgive my sin and teach me how to walk in your way with your hand in mine.  In Jesus' I pray, Amen."

 

Day 2 - Thursday

Day 2

 

"A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of." John 10:10 (TMSG)

 

St. Irenaeus said "The glory of God is man fully alive." 

 

I heard a preacher once say that the thing that makes you mad or makes you sad, or makes you pound your fist when you hear or think of it, could be a clue to the very thing you are called to solve, or help solve. 

 

What is it that makes you and me fully alive?  What stirs your spirit when you hear about it on the news, in conversation at work, or online?  What makes you lie awake at night thinking of how things could be different in that situation if only you had the resources?

 

Jesus said that he came to give us a real life, a better life than we've ever dreamed of.  But what does that mean to us?  Have we taken the world's definition of success and fame and decided that these are what will make us happy or "better"?  The world and its materialism only satisfy us for a little while.  Then we find ourselves seeking out more and more until we realize that we have a hole in our souls that nothing in this world can fill.

 

Joy is that which we find when we move from having a "hole" in our soul to our soul becoming "whole."  And it is so much more than simple happiness, for happiness relies only on what is "happening" at the moment.  Christ invites us to follow him into eternal life now, as we join him in what he is doing in the earth.  As we do this, trusting him to lead us, we find ourselves filled with joy, which cannot be taken away by circumstance.

 

Gil Bailie spoke of this when he wrote:

"Do not ask what the world needs.  Ask what makes you come alive and go do that.  Because what the world needs are men who have come alive."    

 

Prayer:  "Father, take my hand and lead me into life eternal, now and in my world today.  Show me where you are working, what I can do to help you and let me come alive in serving you.  In Christ, Amen."

Day 1 - Ash Wednesday

Day 1 – Ash Wednesday

 

"…Until you return to that ground yourself, dead and buried; you started out as dirt, you'll end up dirt." Genesis 3:19b (TMSG)

 

Ash Wednesday is a day that brings us once again face to face with our own mortality.  We've all stood by the grave of a loved one.  We all have experienced the touch of grief.  This is a human experience.  It is one of those things that give us common ground with our fellow human beings.  We all live, and we all know what it means that death will one day come.

 

This day reminds us that we are not going to live forever in this body, on this earth.  As the minister/priest places the mix of ashes and oil on our heads in the form of the cross, we become identified with the brevity of life.  And therefore, it's importance.

 

This Lent, as we begin on a journey together toward the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, let us start with the appreciation of life.  I am reminded of Tim McGraw's famous song, "Live Like You Were Dying." 

 

He said I was in my early forties, with a lot of life before me
And one moment came that stopped me on a dime
I spent most of the next days, looking at the x-rays
Talking bout' the options and talking bout' sweet times.
I asked him when it sank in, that this might really be the real end
How's it hit 'cha when you get that kind of news?
Man what did ya do?
He said

I went skydiving
I went rocky mountain climbing
I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu
And I loved deeper
And I spoke sweeter
And I gave forgiveness I'd been denyin'
And he said some day I hope you get the chance
To live like you were dyin'

 

In this journey of Lent, let us begin by appreciating the life we have, laying down those things which keep us from living it fully and turning our eyes toward the cross.

 

Prayer:  "Lord, this day, as I bear the sign of the cross on I forehead, may I remember you have given me this life as a gift and to live fully everyday.  In Christ's name, Amen."

Looking back: A repost...

I reread this tonight and thought it was worth posting again. It is good to look back sometimes... 

Sunday, February 8, 2009

it's go time

Last night, we had a renovate prayer event in which we participated in three prayer stations focusing our hearts and prayers on the future of renovate and the path forward. Afterward, we spent some time sharing with each other what we heard from God. Here are some of the things we heard:

Bec - “Welcoming others with open arms...”

Dave - “We are finished with the 'brokenness' of ourselves. It's time to rebuild. Identity (our previous church plant from a few years ago) had to die, so renovate can be birthed, but will always live in us.”

Kareen - “Community means that we need to trust each other completely. There is beauty in all of this. Everyone is a masterpiece even if we don't see it. This is our masterpiece.”

PJ – Felt like he was visiting the grave of Identity, but was stepping over it. Coming to the grave, but moving on, moving forward, leaving the past behind.

Brian – 1 Corinthians 1:3-11 - “Comfort – we have been comforted so that we can comfort others who come to us.”

Stephen - “Time to move on; prepare, start doing things. Saw a pitcher pouring out. We need to start pouring out, but at the same time remembering to continue being filled up so we don't dry out/burn up.”

Bec – (Referencing the painting we all took part in at the preparation stage) “There is a vibrant, red-orange circle in the middle. We need to keep ourselves centered in God.”

Kareen – (Referencing the painting also) “I can see dark and light at the same time in the painting. There is light in all the dark times for us to find.”

Jennifer - “It's time to step out of our comfort zones and try new things. Each one of us have new things to do and to try.”

Stephen and Kareen both felt drawn to the front of the building to look outside of the church and to pray.

Brian wrote some things down for us:
“God has said, 'Do not wait on the perfect time for things to come. God is NOW and IS perfect.”
“Just as something like a small outlet on the wall can keep the music from playing...our church is still perfect without it.” (By the way, that was a test!)
“Don't worry about the little things that may not fit right away.”
“This 'church' is and will be built on trial and error.”

David also felt that those of us who were a part of Identity had been discovering our identity and that without us finding our identity we could never have “renovated” anything.

Needless to say, it was a great, productive night. To sum it up, I think God is saying to renovate:
It's time to go!

Advent Meditation

As Christmas approaches I've heard some really sad stories this year. I know of at least three marriages that are right now in the process of dissolving and some children will not have both parents at home with them this Christmas, maybe never again. I have friends whose family members are battling cancer and having surgeries for life altering illnesses. I have seen friends and acquaintances that are lonely this year and it seems that the holidays only amplify that sadness.

As I hear these stories and get into my car to go to work or the store, I flip on the radio and listen to the beautiful songs of Christmas, most with joyful, triumphant sounding lyrics and upbeat tempos and I wonder how these two realities can exist together, side-by-side. One story filled with grief, and yet the other with one of utmost hope and peace.

Then I am reminded that it is this very, very real world that Jesus was born into. He came on purpose to a broken, lost, sad world, desperately in need of a Savior. He came not as God riding in power on a White Steed to rescue the world from pain and heartache and war and fear, but instead, He came as one of us. One of us. The power of one of His names is most important this time of year: Emmanuel, which means "God with us."

He did not wave a magic wand and make it all go away, but rather He became one of us to walk with us in the midst of the pain and heartache, war and fear. This is the message of Advent, of Christmas, that God is not a distant, non-involved God who created us and walked away, but rather in great love and sacrifice to Himself, came and lived among us to reveal the Heavenly Father who desires to walk alongside us everyday.

He came into that depressed, war-torn, hopeless world to give hope, to show love, to be God among us. Today, He is still with us, now He lives in our hearts by His spirit to give hope, to show love and be God once again among us…but He does it through each of one of us. We call ourselves "His Body." Why? Because through our hands we can give help, through our hearts we can give love, through our spirits we can share hope. It is Him in us who does these things.

Can we let Him shine bright through us this Christmas? Find someone you can bring a smile to, share a laugh with, give some hope and joy. Let Him love them through you. May you be the Christ child coming to someone this Christmas.

Maybe you haven't met Him yet. Maybe you've not let Jesus walk alongside you yet. Maybe you are one of those who is lonely and sad, wounded and hurt this year. This Christmas, I ask you to simply invite Him to show Himself to you. Praying is talking, so simply talk to Him. I believe as you open your heart to Him, Jesus will become more real to you than you can ever imagine and even in the midst of pain and heartache and loneliness, you will find a reality of joy and peace that is beyond our understanding.

every week...

We're meeting every week now!

We apologize for not being up to date on this website, but that will change! We promise.

But like I said, we're meeting every week now! Each Saturday at 6:30 PM.

It has been a great experience being able to meet each week to worship in a space that is designed for conversation and friendship. Our space is in the Genesis UMC facility, which used to be a coffee shop. So it is a natural environment to sit around table and talk about the message, share a cup of coffee and catch up with friends on the same journey of faith.

Come by and see us sometime. And stay tuned for more updates through this site.

Also, if you would like you can follow renovate on twitter: @renovatefaith
And become a fan of renovate on Facebook. Click here.