Family Advent, 2017 Week #4

Week Four: Peace

Reader: This is the fourth Sunday of advent and Christmas Eve. Today we light four candles, focusing on the fourth candle; the candle of peace. For those of us who have found salvation in Christ, we are assured of peace. We have the peace of knowing God is with us and also the peace of knowing nothing, not even death can separate us from the love of God.
Light the first, second, third, and fourth candle.

Read Luke 2:8-14

Sing: “O Little Town of Bethlehem”

Prayer:  Jesus, thank you for coming to this world to bring peace. We pray for those who do not have peace this Christmas season. We pray your peace would overflow through us to those who need it. Amen
 
Christmas Day:
Reader: Today is Christmas. This is the day we have been preparing for all season long. We have lit the candles of hope, love, joy, and peace. Today we will light the Christ candle. When we light this candle, we acknowledge our waiting is over and celebrate the birth of Christ.
Light all candles, ending with the white Christ candle.

Read: Luke 2:1-20

Sing: “O Come, All Ye Faithful”

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for this celebration of your birth. We have waited all season long for this special day. During our activities today, make your birth real to us as it has never been before. Help us to know what it truly means to follow you. Amen

Family Advent, 2017 Week #2

Week Two: Hope

Reader: Today we re-light the candle of hope and light the candle of love. Jesus demonstrated love during His life and ministry. As we prepare for the celebration of Christ’s birth, we pray we would know the love of God and be filled with His love for others.

Light the first and second candle

Read John 3:16

Sing: “Silent Night”
last verse: Silent night, holy night, Son of God, love's pure light Radiant beams from thy holy face, With the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord, at thy birth. Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.
Prayer: Redeeming God, thank you for revealing Your love for us by sending Your Son. We pray You would help us love others the way You have loved us. May this Christmas season be a time we strive to show love to all people. Amen

Daily Family Activities:

• Monday- Memorize John 3:16 with your family and discuss how great God’s love must be for Him to sacrifice His own Son for our good.
• Tuesday- Call a family member today just to let them know you love them and are thinking of them.
• Wednesday- God calls us to love one another. Think of someone in your church and pray for them today.
• Thursday- Take time today to tell your children or spouse one thing you love about them.
• Friday- Think of someone in your community who could use some love this season. Drop by for a visit or do a ding-dong ditch to let them know you care for them. (Ding Dong Ditch: Buy a box of ding dongs, write an anonymous note, ring the bell, and run!)

Friday - The Sight of Holy Week

Friday/The Sight of Holy Week – Mark 14:32-42

Friday was the day Jesus died. Without that day, none of us have life. So on Friday we stop to remember.

As we try to understand what we’re seeing during Holy Week, let’s look back to the garden of Gethsemane. If we could go to the Garden today, we would see that it’s on a hillside overlooking the city of Jerusalem. Jesus was looking over His people.

Read: Mark 14:32-42

He took with him Peter, James and John and he was struck with terror and amazement and deeply troubled and depressed. This is Jesus by the way, incase you’ve ever been told that depression is a sin. He knows what’s coming and he said to them, my soul is exceedingly sad and overwhelmed with grief so that it almost kills me.

This is the only place where we see Jesus speaking with this level of intensity. He brings his disciples there with him and tells them, “remain here, be awake and be watching.” That had to have been weird to them. And going a little farther he fell on the ground and kept praying, “Father, if it’s possible let this cup pass from me.”  Jesus is saying here, “Father is there a way out of this…Yet no my will, but your will be done.” Here he is again, just as He did in the upper room, modeling for us all the way to the cross.

How many times do we need to confess that we’re not good at this? We desire greater convenience, greater comfort, and greater control…yet “not my will but your will.”

And of course, we know that he goes over to check on his friends and what does he find? THEY ARE SLEEPING!

Questions: How often are our eyes closed? What are we missing by not being in the present? Are we anxious about the future? Ashamed of the past?

Aren’t you glad Jesus saw the big picture? His eyes were fixed on the Father. He lived in the moment and remained faithful to his calling. He suffered and died that we might have life.

Experiential Suggestion: Sight – Fix your eyes on the Father today. If you’re able, fast from food. Look to him instead of your own needs.

I hope your Holy Week has been fantastic. I pray these reminders have helped prepare your hearts for Easter Sunday.

Thank you for participating all week,
Pastor,

Chris Ballard

Wednesday - The Touch of Holy Week

Wednesday/The Touch of Holy Week – John 13:3-17; Isaiah 53

When Peter heard Jesus’ plan for going into Jerusalem, he rebuked him saying, “No Lord, I won’t let this happen to you.” (Matthew 16:21-23) Peter couldn’t see this through the Kingdom filter. So during their dinner in Jerusalem on Thursday, Jesus continued to tell them what was about to happen. Everyone knew that Jerusalem was a dangerous place; they all knew their luck would eventually run out.

Jesus knew he was called to serve and to suffer (Isaiah 53). No amount of comfort or logic could deter him from this pathway. But He also knew we would struggle to follow him in this way.

Tim Keller says, “If your agenda is the end, then Jesus is just the means. But if Jesus is the King, you cannot make him the means to an end.” – We cannot come to a King negotiating. We can only bow before a King and submit ourselves unto his service.

To drive this point home, before the meal, Jesus gets up, picks up a towel and basin and begins to wash his disciples’ feet.

Word: John 13:3-17

Jesus is modeling something for us. He’s giving us a pattern to follow.

Questions: How have we missed this? We have somehow omitted this from our family structure, our church structure, even our business structure. How?

“What I’ve done, you do.” This is obvious. Jesus established a pattern for us to follow. But here’s the deal, if we’re busy building our own kingdoms we will be filled with anxiety. But if we’re called to build a different kind of Kingdom then our primary role is to serve people at their point of need. Our eyes will be fixed on the brokenness around us. So it’s about getting off our own thrown, and letting God take his rightful place in our lives so that we can make a difference in the lives of others. That’s the great longing for the Story Church; that we will SERVE. Why? Because it will recalibrate our lives to His Kingdom

Experiential Suggestion: Reach out and touch like Jesus. In humility place someone else needs above your own. Observe an unmet need today and meet it.

Today, every time you wash your hands, let this remind you of what Jesus did in serving humanity.

Tuesday - The Sound of Holy Week

Tuesday/The Sound of Holy Week

Psalm 20:7-9; John 12:12-13

As Holy Week began, the people threw down their coats and waved palm branches in the streets and shouted, “Hosanna.” Of course we understand this to be a name for Jesus. However, when we look at the Old Testament it literally means, “Save us, Lord. Please!”

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright. O LORD (Hosanna), save the king! May he answer us when we call. - Psalm 20:7-9

The picture here is a desperate plea for someone to rescue them. For centuries, Israel was in search for a savior; someone…anyone who could rescue them. Yet, their desperation went from a general, “God save us, send us a Messiah” to a specific cry to Jesus. They found their savior and all attention was fixed on him.

The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” - John 12:12-13

When was the last time you felt desperate for a Savior? Can you hear yourself asking God for your rescue? Or does self-reliance still reign in your heart?

This idea of being saved, this idea of finding Jesus as Savior, the source of our salvation, is important for us as we go through life.  We must recognize that we all come to a place where we look and say, "somebody save me." Do you remember what that’s like? To be broken?

Holy Week reminds us that no matter what the provision of your rescue, Jesus is the author of that rescue.

Experiential Suggestion: So this Tuesday, I want you to hear Hosanna in your own heart: Read a Rescue Story; Psalm 40, 69 or 80. Fast from some form of media so you can hear God and drown out the noise.

Have a great Tuesday. I pray you hear on Tuesday as well as you smelled on Monday.

Monday - The Smell of Holy Week

This is Holy Week, the week before Easter; A time to reflect on Jesus’ final week on earth. As you read along, you will have an opportunity to place yourself in the story and experience the week with your 5 senses. For each day we will experience something new together with one of our senses. Provided is a short recap with Scripture and experiential suggestion. I pray this daily experience prepares your heart to celebrate with us on Easter morning.

Monday - The Smell of Holy Week - John 12:1-3; 2 Corinthians 14-16

When Mary anointed the feet of Jesus with perfume, the smell filled the room. I'm certain the smell remained etched into the memories of those who were in the room that day. Our sense of smell is powerful as it triggers memories in our brain. They would never smell nard again without thinking back to the last time they shared a meal with Jesus in Bethany.

Paul reminds us of the smell of victory when he writes, "But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life." 2 Corinthians 2:14-16
 
In ancient times, soldiers were treated to a victory parade where the streets were lined with flower petals. That smell became synonymous with victory.

Question: What smell reminds you of a time when Christ became victorious in your life?

Experiential Suggestion: Light a candle, bake something, or spread some flowers petals on your table. Do something to create an aroma that triggers a memory of what Christ has done for you.

Have a great Monday as you smell like Jesus and smell in remembrance of Him.

The Story Church Imperatives, Part 4: MISSION

Mission – A Story of serving together in the grace of Christ.

“In the beginning the church was a fellowship of men and women centering on the living Christ. Then the church moved to Greece, where it became a philosophy. Then it moved to Rome, where it became an institution. Next, it moved to Europe, where it became a culture. And, finally, it moved to America, where it became an enterprise.”  -- Richard Halverson

God’s design for his followers and their relational connection is called the church. The purpose of the church is to fulfill His divine mission of reconciling the world to Himself through His son, Jesus. Those that have decided to follow Christ and accept His sacrificial death as payment for their offenses against God have entered into a new reality, a reality of the Kingdom of God here on earth. The church is the assembling of these kingdom participants for community, worship, formation and mission.

The church is not and cannot be a kingdom in and of itself. The goal is not to see how many people we can invite to our church building or Sunday morning service.

But rather, our goal is to see how many people we can invite into our lives by living as a part of God’s Kingdom.

It is a place of love and connection, a place of worship and healing, a place of learning and growing, a place of serving and meeting needs. Yet it is foremost a place of sending. We are to live missionally as "sent ones," engaging the culture we live in, bringing the powerful love of God to all that we come in contact with.

Whatever part of town we meet in, we will work for the good of the entire Springfield metro area. As a result, through social justice and releasing people to fulfill the call to create & cultivate culture in every area of the social grid, we are committed to building a great city not just a good church. Our vision has to be greater than simply one more full church ‐ that’s the last thing Springfield needs. Our vision is no less than a renewed city. We long for Springfield to look increasingly like God’s Kingdom.

Core Value: Movement- We value movement over locale; a people on mission, sent from one location. 

We are a church defined by reproduction; disciples reproducing new disciples and churches reproducing new churches. The Story Church is not seeking to create a new denomination, rather a network of like-minded churches throughout Springfield and the world, completely autonomous but united around a similar simple vision.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:19-20