Prairie Hills Covenant Church

Atop the peak of one of the foothills of the southern range of the Rockies, on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, is a 20 foot concrete cross. The mile hike up the hill to this landmark was a staple for the student and adult leaders on the annual mission trips I lead to this Mexican border city. From this cross, the view of the Rio Grande Valley is incredible with both Juarez and El Paso sprawling across the historic pass. Having made the hike a number of times, one year I stayed at our rental vans along with a couple other adults. The trailhead was in a squatter neighborhood, ramshackle huts of pallets and corrugated metal perched on the hillside. While not a necessarily dangerous neighborhood, we had been advised that unattended vehicles could be the targets of petty theft. In order to discourage any theft or vandalism a few of us waited with the vehicles while the rest of the group hiked to the lookout. The three of us, all grown men, well past our athletic prime, took out a soccer ball and kicked it arou

One evening, when I was in 7th grade, two crazy ladies, Deb and Sherri (who later became two of my ministry role models), showed up at my church and invited the few high school and middle school students who attended our small church to go on a mission trip to Reynosa, Mexico. Deb and Sherri seemed fun, going to Mexico seemed fun, and for the most part, I liked meeting new people, so I signed up. After a few months of training sessions, prayer, and learning about a new culture we climbed on these massively old charter buses that the Covenant Church in Lincoln had purchased, and we made our way to Reynosa. After a few bus break downs, we finally made it. We set up camp in our partner churches yard. We built something (what it was escapes me), we had a VBS for the neighborhood children, we sang songs in Spanish, and taught about Jesus. It was a fabulous trip! Minus the fact that my dog passed away while I was gone, I wouldn’t have changed a moment about that trip… well, I might have changed the fact tha

One of the ancient tales we call “Aesop’s Fables” tells the story of a fox and a lion. One day a fox happened upon a lion for the first time. He was terrified and ran and hid in the wood. The next day the fox stood at a distance and watched the lion pass by. The following day the fox strolled past the lion and inquired of his family. - Familiarity breeds contempt. This fable plays on the idea that things which initially startle us or are awe inspiring become less impressive as they become part of our normal experience. That which was extraordinary becomes common. In this week’s scripture the residents of Jesus’ hometown are thoroughly unimpressed with his ministry. They know his family, they know his roots, he isn’t a mystery, and they don’t have faith. The story reads our experiences. How quickly we become unimpressed with work of God in our midst. The profound mystery of faith can become part of the unremarkable scenery of our lives.

There is a scene in the film “The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers” that features the British actor, Bernard Hill as a king of a declining kingdom. He is standing among the earthen tombs of a cemetery. He is holding a white wild flower that grows over the tombs. He is lingering in the cemetery following the funeral procession for his adult son, who was killed in battle. Turning to Ian McKellen, who portrays Gandalf - an ancient wizard, Hill delivers this line, “No parent should have to bury their child.” That line was improvised by Hill. It turns out, as he read the script and prepared for the scene he was reminded of the line, which had been spoken by a close relative upon the death of her child. He didn’t submit it for consideration in the script, he simply delivered the line during filming. The line resonated so deeply that director, Peter Jackson, kept it in the film. The pain and loss that accompany the death of a child are unequaled. In this week’s Scripture, Jesus encountered a father and mother at

For roughly two centuries American churches and denominations were prolific in starting schools and churches. This explosion of growth was a function of the westward expansion of the United States across the North American continent, resulting in the conversion of the American wilderness to agricultural,and industrial use, as well as metropolitan areas. The Evangelical Covenant Church is no exception. A relatively small band of Swedish immigrants began a hospital and school on the far northern outskirts of Chicago. Today Swedish Covenant Hospital and North Park University exist because those immigrants believed their faith in Jesus had real consequence for the world around them. In this week’s scripture reading a desperate woman seeks out Jesus. Jesus responds to her in three ways: he affirmed her faith, he freed her from her suffering, and he sent her into the world with peace. Those churches and denominations that started hospitals and schools did so as an extension and expression of their faith in Jesus

A deranged man, who had lived in small caves used as tombs, was the first to greet Jesus on the shores of the Gentile side of the lake. Jesus freed him from the demons that were the source of his madness, and he found peace. The local community was terrified of Jesus and begged him to leave, so Jesus left. This is incredibly anti-climactic. Jesus had crossed the lake in the midst of a violent storm, risking the lives of his followers. Upon arriving among the Gentiles Jesus performed one of his most dramatic miracles. Jesus appears to be poised to make a profound impression on the region… But then he gets back in the boat and returns to the side of the lake he had just come from. If Jesus were anything like us, we’d expect him to push on in the face of those who asked him to leave. Wasn’t his mission more important than their objections? How do we respond when we aren’t met with a warm welcome? How do we respond when those we intended to share the Kingdom of God with reject us and the Kingdom?

That one Saturday morning… There are no early children’s soccer games. No tee time to keep. No guests coming that require the house to be scrubbed and disinfected. No insurmountable to-do list to attack. There is nothing to keep you from sleeping in this one Saturday morning… As predictable as the changing of the seasons, this is the Saturday the storm hits. Children are wide awake and jumping on your bed two hours before you would have to drag them from their beds during the week. A dog that hasn’t made mess in a year is vomiting in the corner. The children who were sent to pour themselves cereal for breakfast have somehow set off the smoke alarm. And that overly enthusiastic neighbor has decided his lawn needed to be mowed before the sun rises. So much for sleeping in just this one time. Is this the same feeling that Jesus experienced when his panicked disciples shook him awake in the stern of that boat in the midst of a storm? It’s tempting to envision Jesus calming the storm and returning to his comfy

In the first commercial break following Beyonce’s halftime show of the 2013 Super Bowl between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers, Dodge debuted a Commercial featuring the narration of Paul Harvey. The commercial honors the hard work and compassionate heart of farmers. No description will do the commercial justice, go ahead and watch it here. Much like us, Jesus lived in the midst of an agrarian society. Jesus was not a farmer himself, he likely grew up learning his father’s trade, stone masonry. (I know we typically envision Joseph as a wood working carpenter. But that is a result of the Western European tradition that envisioned a construction carpenter as a wood worker, because during the middle ages Europeans primarily used wood in construction. In ancient Palestine, construction grade wood was rare and expensive. Most construction was done with brick and stone, thus Joseph was certainly a stone mason.) Even though Jesus wasn’t a farmer himself, as a result of cultural immersion, he would have

Every Wednesday, Zoe gets to bring show and tell to school. Every single Wed, for the past 8 month Zoe has packed up her treasured items, careful to make sure they stay hidden in her backpack, away from her classmate’s eyes, until the big moment when she reveals to her class the loved item she brought with her. How fun is that? These sweet little kindergartners show up to school with a huge secret that they are busting at the seams to share, but they know they can’t share it until the right moment. And when they finally get to share their secret, they get the oohs and ahh’s that they have been waiting for. What a great moment for these kids! This week we will celebrate with four of our middle school students as they go through the rite of passage we call confirmation. Over the past three years these four students have been reading God’s word, memorizing Biblical building blocks and diligently taking sermon notes (well, at least I would like to think they were). We celebrate with them as they take thei

Teachings in parables is Jesus’ spiritual lesson which we can relate to with stories based on our real lives. In this famous parable, the parable of the sower, Jesus teaches us a valuable lesson using the agricultural life that was intimately familiar with people in that era. Within this lesson, there are seeds and there are 4 different ‘types’ of ground: rocky places, ground with shallow soil, ground among thorns, and good soil. The seeds are planted in these lands and Jesus describes what happens to the seed that fell on the ground(s). Jesus indicates seeds are the Word of God, the message about the Kingdom, and the Gospel. Each ground represents a ‘type’ of a person or stage when he/she has heard about the Gospel. With this parable, Jesus asks us a question, “How do you react when you hear about the story of salvation?” “Would you accept my message fully that you would bear grains and fruits?” These 4 "types” of ground is within our very own lives. We will discuss this Sunday what these 4 “types” re

Have you noticed that scripted television shows frequently focus on two relationship settings; the family and the workplace. Of course there are exceptions, but consistently there are shows being made about families and workplaces. Those shows get made because they resonate with us. The families on the screen may look and sound different than ours, but something about their experience connects with our family experiences. The workplace may be an industry entirely different from our own, but the relational dynamics resonate. Jesus lived in a culture that held family relationships in an extraordinarily high regard. As a result, when Jesus claimed that allegiance to him was more important than allegiance to family, it was an incredible scandal. That begs the question, what divides your allegiances? Is your allegiance to Jesus more important that your allegiance to your family, your work, your politics, your finances, your patriotism, your hobbies, your alma mater, or your favorite team?

A few years ago we were searching Netflix for a family friendly show to watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I don’t remember the name of the show, but we settled on a reality show in which 8 or 10 “normal people” were dropped off in the middle of the South American wilderness. Their goal was to find their way back to civilization with nothing more than a few supplies and survival gear in order to receive a cash prize. A map provided a route with resupply points, and each contestant was given an emergency transponder. If they were injured or simply wanted to quit all they needed to do was activate the transponder and they would be evacuated by a helicopter. I found the show to be tedious and painful. What began as an adventure show about teamwork, problem solving, and the strength of the human spirit devolved within minutes, into a voyeuristic display of strangers trudging across barren landscapes in the cold and rain as they starved. Instead of something inspiring and motivation, the show became a spectacle of

Our scripture this week comes from Mark 2:13-17. In this passage we read these words from Jesus: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Jesus says these words in response to the Pharisees, the righteous, who were reacting to Jesus eating with a group of tax collectors and sinners. Imagine their surprise when they hear Jesus say that He, the Son of God, did not come for them, for the righteous, for those who have it all together, but instead he came for the sinner, the lost cause, the outcast. Today we sing songs that include the words “Jesus friend of Sinner” with gratefulness and thanksgiving. But when Jesus was called “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” in Matthew 11:19 it wasn’t intended as a positive comment. The righteous were upset that Jesus befriended sinners. These actions of Jesus proved, to them, that Jesus was not ‘holy enough’ to be the Son of God. They could not understand why he would call an evil despicable man l

He is Risen! When I was growing up Easter seemed a little odd. I liked it, but it didn’t see how it was all that different from any other Sunday. We went to church every Sunday and talked about Jesus every Sunday. Easter was like every other Sunday, but we got a little more dressed up, more people came to church, and ran a little later. In my opinion, the real win for Easter was all the food and candy. As I got older my impression of Easter was impacted by my realization of its historical significance. Easter is the reason we count the years like we do. (Granted, the calculations were off, but still the point was to count time based on Jesus.) The death of Christ also began to resonate with a new depth and meaning. Jesus died out of love and self-sacrifice for me, and because of my sinfulness. As I’m older still, my journey with Easter continues. In some way it is like all the other Sundays, we talk about Jesus at church, but we dress up a little more, and the food and candy are still fantastic. I’m also s

Easter is a season we associate with fluffy bunnies, copious amounts of chocolate, neon bright flowers, beautiful dresses, and the joy of new life. Easter week begins with Palm Sunday. We wave bright green palm branches and celebrate that Jesus is our king. Like the people of Jerusalem we say “Hosanna.” Hosanna is one of those church words, that only gets used at church. It is easy to lose its meaning. Hosanna literally means “save us.” On a Sunday morning each spring we celebrate by shouting “Hosanna.” But the children, women, and men that shouted, “Hosanna” as Jesus arrived in Jerusalem didn’t sing it out in celebration, they cried it out in desperation. The people of Jerusalem didn’t want to ask Jesus into their hearts so they could feel better, they’re lives were defined by suffering under an oppressive occupying military and they were desperate to be liberated. They wanted relief from their real suffering. They wanted an end to oppression. They wanted to work meaningful jobs. They wanted their children t

Long before Jesus began healing and teaching in Galilee there was a legend about how the city of Rome was founded. The story began with Princess Rhea, the daughter of a king who had been defeated and deposed by his brother. This new king forced Princess Rhea to become a temple priestess so that she would never marry or have a son who would be the rightful heir to the throne. Yet, as a temple priestess she became pregnant by the god, Mars. When Rhea gave birth to twin sons she was imprisoned and the twins, Romulus and Remus, were “exposed.” Exposure was the ancient Roman practice of abandoning unwanted infants, frequently at a temple, where they would die or be taken and raised as slaves. The twins didn’t die, but were nursed by a wolf, fed by a woodpecker, and adopted by a poor shepherd and his wife. The boys became great warriors and restored their grandfather king to his throne. They then built cities on neighboring hills. In a quarrel Romulus killed Remus, thus Romulus’ city thrived and became the city nam

“Time is money.” Ben Franklin is credited with the quote, but the idea is everywhere. It seems our culture is super saturated with a moral conviction that busy-ness is next to godliness. We wear full calendars like a badge of honor. We humbly brag about our sleepless nights, harried days, working vacations, and the ceaseless thrum of demands that our splinter attention. It is increasingly popular to make a “bucket-list,” a list of experiences a person wants to have before old age or death make those experiences impossible. A person’s sense of urgency concerning their bucket-list is directly related to their age and health. One would expect that Jesus would have a profound sense of urgency concerning his bucket-list. Jesus had an incredible sense of purpose and mission for his life, and a profound awareness that he would not live to be old man. Yet, we never encounter Jesus in a moment when he is too busy. We never encounter Jesus lashing out at those he loves most because of stress or fatigue. Rather, Jesus

Timing is important. When Anne and I met we were in college, we were both single, and we were both open to being in a romantic relationship. We sometimes joke that had we met in high school we would not have dated. A few years in college had transformed us from the people we had been in high school. Jesus didn’t begin his ministry until John had completed his ministry. The first thing that Jesus said, was to make the claim that the timing was right. Jesus proclaimed that at that moment, God was doing something new. The kingship of God in the world was being revealed through Jesus. Everything that follows in this story of Jesus is built around this idea, it’s time for good news to come from God; good news that God’s kingship of the world has begun.

This Sunday is “Hope Sunday - 2” we are featuring our partner ministry, Covenant Kids Congo. Covenant Kids Congo is a ministry that builds on the long history in the Covenant of churches partnering together to support the hope and restoration of Christ in the Congo. The Congo is home to some of the most remote and poverty ridden communities in the world. Access to basic education, healthcare, and nutrition are persistent struggles. Sponsoring a child through Covenant Kids Congo supports local efforts in the Congo that seek to ensure access to education and healthcare for children and their families. On Sunday, February 21 we will hear from the Covenant Kids Congo Project Leader, Donn Engebretson, on the transformational and redemptive work we have the opportunity to engage in the sponsorship of a child. If you are not currently sponsoring a Covenant Kids Congo child, please prayerfully consider planning on committing to a sponsorship on this Sunday. If you already sponsor a child, consider doubling your inves

I can still remember my favorite class from high school. It was a Humanities class that was co-taught by a couple Social Studies teachers. It was a class only for Seniors, it required an application, and a minimum GPA. Those things were required because, for the class to work everyone in the class had to take it seriously and work hard. The class primarily consisted of reading classical works of social philosophy like; Plato’s “Republic,” Dante’s “Inferno,” Thomas More’s “Utopia,” and Aldus Huxley’s “Brave New World.” After reading each work the class would discuss and debate the ideas that had been presented. At our conferences I remember one of the teachers, Mr. Anderson, saying I had become the resident Bible Scholar for the class. I was 17. I didn’t think of myself as a scholar of anything, besides maybe sleeping until noon. When my mom pressed him on what he meant he explained that as our class discussed the books and their ideas, I would introduce material from the bible. At the time I was working very