Prairie Hills Covenant Church

Ash Wednesday service

Apparently one of the criteria for becoming the subject of a story in the Bible is thinking that God possesses questionable judgement. In this week’s reading Peter has a vision that includes direct instruction from God, and he argues with God. Moses, Abraham, Job, Gideon, and Peter are among the most notable figures that openly verbalized their disagreement with God. God consistently responds to these critics with grace and patience, but continues to press the issue at hand. When I encounter these stories, my first inclination is to shake my head and cluck my tongue at the foolishness of these people. The natural question is, “How can they presume to know better than God?” But those stories are more of a mirror than a window. Part of their purpose is to preserve and reveal the events of which they testify. More than that, they confront me with all the ways that I argue with God. I argue with God through the things I do that God has revealed are evil and destructive. I argue with God through all the things tha

Many things effect the way we view our world and our lives. This shapes our perspective. How we were raised, the decisions we made in the past, negative turning points in our lives, positive turning points in our lives, all of these things play a part in our day-to-day decisions. Our perspective is very important, and God is constantly calling us to change our perspective of the world and see things the way God wants us to see the world. In Philippians 3:12-15 Paul talks about pressing on towards a goal. God has a plan for us and this world. How cool is it that we get to be apart of it! The problem is many of us do not have God's perspective in mind, as individuals and even as whole church communities sometimes. When God shifts our perspective this can be a shift in our hearts, it can be a shift in our actions, or it could literally be a shift in our location. God always has a plan for us, plans that are ultimately for His Will and glory. Where is God calling you to shift?

When I served as a hospital chaplain I would sit in on continuity of care meetings. These were daily meetings in the nurse’s station of each area in the hospital. The meetings brought together hospital administrators, social workers, spiritual care workers, and doctors or nurses. The nurse or doctor would discuss each patient under their care with the rest of the team so that all the patient’s needs could be addressed. In those meetings I learned the significance of the term, “Presenting Problem.” The Presenting Problem was the thing that caused a person to seek medical attention. Presenting Problems are often fairly common health issues; a fever, a persistent cough, headache, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, and so on. While those Presenting Problems are typically insignificant to a person’s overall health; in these patients those small things where clues to much more significant health issues. Sometimes a persistent cough is a result of a cold, or allergies; but then sometimes it is a result of p

I remember bringing our first child home from the hospital. I was terrified. Anne and I were loaded down with gifts and supplies. We signed some forms and were shuffled out the hospital doors. The only thing the nurse insisted we prove before we left was that we knew how to strap Micah into his car seat. Other than that, we were left to our own devices. Yes, we had the support of friends, family, and co-workers, but ultimately this was our responsibility, and I felt woefully under prepared. Micah just turned 13, he survived. In life we face intimidating circumstances and insurmountable situations. We find ourselves responsible for more than we can manage, and are terrified. The prophet Isaiah found himself confronted with the greatness of God and was tasked with confronting Israel with this revelation of God. He was convinced he was not up to the task, but God used him anyway. When you find yourself in the midst of something that seems beyond your capacity; you may find that God will use you anyway.

"Please use caution when opening the overhead bins, as heavy articles may have shifted around during the flight." This, or something similar to it, is the message we hear after our flight lands and we begin to gather our belongings. "Heavy articles may have shifted around during the flight." The shift in our items wasn't intentional, but because of the motion of plane, the take off and the landing, or maybe even some unfortunate turbulence, none the less, the items may have shifted. As we shift our relationship with God, suddenly we begin to notice other areas of our lives begin to shift. It might not be intentional, or maybe it is, but as we change our relationship with God, even in a way that is a slight alteration, other areas are altered as well. This week we will take a look at how our relationship will shift as we shift our relationship with God.

In this series we will be looking at things in our lives that need to be shifted. What needs to move? A shift isn’t a removal or relocation or a dramatic change. Rather a shift is a slight alteration. But a slight alteration to accomplish a specific goal or accomplish something specific. In this series we’re not going to be asking that we consider huge changes in life and faith. Rather, we’re going to be looking at what in our lives and faith needs to be adjusted, tweaked, and reexamined. What needs a SHIFT?

There is an old legend told by Abraham Cohen. A Rabbi was standing in a market-place and the prophet Elijah appeared to him. The Rabbi asked Elijah, “Is there anybody in this market-place who will have a share in the World to Come?” Elijah answered no; no one in the market would participate in the World to Come. As they spoke, two men happened to pass by them. Elijah said, “Those two men, they will have a share in the World to Come!” The Rabbi hurried to the two men anxious to know what was different about them. The Rabbi asked them, “What is your occupation?” The men answered, “We are merrymakers; when we see men troubled in mind we cheer them, and when we see two men quarreling we make peace between them.” Jesus said the peacemakers where the Children of God. Paul opened each of his letters with a blessing invoking the peace of God. The Hebrew prophets envisioned the coming of God’s reign as a yet undiscovered peace on earth. The peace of God isn’t only the absence war between nations. It is unity with God

What is God’s primary disposition toward you? We generally know, or have a strong sense of how people feel about us. You know if your boss doesn’t like you. You know that a teacher is gracious toward you. You know if your significant other appreciates you. You know if your sibling is angry with you. One of the most fundamental truths about humans is that we are social beings. A significant part of our ability to meaningfully navigate life is dependent on our capacity for understanding and interpreting our relationships with others. That includes our relationship with the divine. So the question begs an answer; what is God’s primary disposition toward you? Frustration? Hate? Anger? Jealousy? Exasperation? Indifference? Sympathy? Kindness? Love? What if God’s primary disposition toward you is love? Unconditional, generous, self-less, humble, unflinching love. What if God isn’t just predisposed to love you, but what if the most accurate description of the divine is that, “God is love”? What if Love, loves

It is often said that Martin Luther King Jr. followed in the tradition of the biblical prophets. He called a nation to repentance through reminding us all of God’s justice, and giving a vision of God’s good future. Many of us are familiar with his closing paragraphs of his “I Have a Dream Speech.” King described a vision of a nation free of the chains of racial oppression and bigotry. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” These are eloquent words that inspire hope. But before King brought inspiration with his dream, he delivered a warning of judgement. “There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship right. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright days of justice emerge.” Like the biblical prophets, King believed in both God’s justice and God’s grace. The biblical prophets s

The New Yorker recently featured an article that explored the proliferation of school shootings. The author, Malcolm Gladwell, examined how group dynamics influence individual decisions. Gladwell looked at the work of Stanford sociologist Mark Granovetter. Forty years ago Granovetter published an essay that addressed the paradox of: “situations where outcomes do not seem intuitively consistent with the underlying individual preferences.” He was curious why people make decisions that are out of alignment with their preferences, beliefs, and values. In short, Granovetter concluded that our individual decisions are significantly influenced by the decisions of others. In a very deep and meaningful way we make personal decisions in response to the community in which we go about life. We have all changed our mind about what to order at a restaurant as a result of what others at our table or neighboring tables had ordered. The same factors at work in that inconsequential decision are also at work in our important de

I recently read that astronauts on the International Space Station are going to begin studying mounds of earth in Kazakhstan. While not readily recognizable when standing among the earthen mounds, the mounds form distinct artificial shapes and patterns when looked at from above. Being in orbit will give the astronauts an unprecedented perspective from which they can examine the patterns that are estimated at 8,000 years old. Sometimes when we read the bible it is helpful to get some elevation and see them from a different perspective. With a little bit of elevation we can see a distinct pattern in the stories of Israel in the books of Judges, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, and 1&2 Chronicles. Each incident has unique details, some of the accounts have more details and others are a bit vague, but with some perspective a pattern emerges in the history of Israel. What the history of Israel reveals is that Leadership matters in the life of a community. When a community has faithful, committed, selfless leade

A few years ago there was a phone scam that received national attention. Scammers would call grandparents posing as the grandchildren of the targets. The scammers would tell a complicated story that typically involved being in jail or the hospital, and in immediate need of a significant amount of cash. The concerned grandparents, overcome with love and compassion for their grandchild, would send the money. Only after the money was gone, would it become clear that the entire thing was a ruse. Why were grandparents the targets of this scam? Grandparents have a ready willingness to act sacrificially and generously on behalf of their grandchildren. Life in the way of Jesus calls us to a ready willingness to act sacrificially and generously on behalf of our family of faith, and our neighbor. We each have unique sets of experiences, talents, and skills that we can invest in the life of the church and put to use for the good of our neighbor. We each have material and financial resources we can leverage on behalf of

This Sunday we will participate in an ancient practice of remembering. We will remember our brothers and sisters who have died awaiting the return of Christ. On Easter we celebrate the empty tomb; we confess our faith that Jesus has defeated death and the grave. On All Saints Sunday we lament the persistent reality of death in the church. As we gather, we will mourn those lost to us through death; we mourn because our fellowship is broken. As we gather, we will remember our love and affection for those who rest in Christ. As we gather, we hope in the resurrection; that the same power that raised Christ from the dead will, on that day, raise all those clothed in Christ. On Sunday, you will be invited to take a candle as you enter the sanctuary as a symbol of remembrance of your loved ones who have passed away. There will be an invitation time during the worship service, for you to bring your candle to the front. “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither

10 Markers of a Healthy Missional Church - Marker #4 Pope Francis recently addressed the United States Congress. In his speech he referenced the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have done unto you.” While not explicitly Scripture, the Golden Rule resonates deeply with the life of Jesus’ followers as described by the Scriptures. Jesus affirmed that the greatest command was to love God and to love your neighbor. In fact, Jesus concluded that all of the Old Testament Law was summarized in the command. There may be no more clear and simple expression of love for our neighbors but to treat them as we would want to be treated. Pope Francis went on saying to Congress, “If you want security, give security. If you want life, give life. If you want opportunity, give opportunity.” It is a simple concept, love. Embodying love is the great challenge. The church then is the community in which we practice embodying love. In the church we become co-conspirators in love. The church provides for us a love nursery.

10 Markers of a Healthy Missional Church - Marker #3 Have you ever had someone come to your rescue? The opening scene of the classic novel The Outsiders depicted 14 year old, Ponyboy Curtis getting jumped as he walked home alone from a movie. His assailants were “The Socs” (abbreviated from Socials); rich kids with socially respectable families. He is rescued by his own gang, The Greasers, poor kids from rough families on the wrong side of the tracks. Ponyboy was bruised, bloodied, and shaken; but he was rescued before suffering any significant harm. The scene immediately establishes our sympathy for the Greasers, and Ponyboy particularly. The scene stirs our empathy toward this sensitive boy, we need him to be protected, and we want just punishment for his assailants. When I think about the people that I truly admire, I think about people who seek to improve the lives of others. The people who seem to be the most alive and most satisfied with their own lives, tend to be people who commit themselves to

10 Markers of a Healthy Missional Church - Marker #2 We all have routines, habits, and patterns of behavior. Athletes are notorious for religious devotion to particular routines. There are great stories of athletes wearing the same article of clothing for months without it being washed, eating peculiar meals on game day, or following compulsive routines in practice. There is a logic to this quirky behavior. Nearly every competitive athlete trains his or her body to respond as quickly and strongly as possible to certain stimulus. The most successful athletes have trained their bodies to respond instinctively to their surroundings. The muscle memory and mental focus are so tuned in, the brain and the body work in complete unity. Physical activities that are impossible for most people seem natural and elegant when performed by well trained athletes. Our second marker of a Healthy and Missional Church is, “Intentional Evangelism.” For most of us, talking about our faith in Jesus or the ways in which our lives

10 Markers of a Healthy Missional Church - Marker #1 Like so many other parents, I posted photos to social media of my children on their first day of school. One of my aunts made a great comment on the post about the blisters she was getting from clicking “Like” on all the wonderful pictures of smiling kids on their way back to the “salt mines.” She also mentioned the nostalgia of remembering the days when the parents of all those children were the children headed back to school themselves. It’s seasons like this that remind us that life is a journey. We travel through time growing from children, into adults with children of our own. Our children become adults with children of their own. Those children become adults with children, and so it goes. We are each on a journey through life and time. But we also see that the journey isn’t a simple straight line. There are cycles to life. The seasons change, we celebrate and mourn anniversaries. Our walk through life is both a journey through time, and a series o

There are so many ways to define success. In business, success can be determined by profits, but can also be measured by customer satisfaction, employee well-being, or social impact. In parenting, success can be navigating a meltdown, or negotiating peace between siblings. In friendships, success can be keeping the relationship intact in the midst of a disagreement. Churches have often struggled with defining success. In recent decades, American churches defined success in terms of the “Three B’s,” budgets, bodies, and buildings. If a church had a growing budget, more bodies attending, and plans for building; it was successful. It has become increasingly clear that these are not meaningful ways to determine if a church is successful. A church’s success can’t be determined by financial growth or increased attendance, because a church doesn’t exist for the purpose of numeric growth or profit. A church exists for the purpose of faithfulness. As Covenant churches and denominational leaders have wrestled with thi

What's Good About the Gospel? At our Easter service, we were encouraged and challenged by the words of Rev. Vernon Anderson from a letter of congratulations to our church upon the consecration of our former building on April 26, 1961, "You have done well in building a church of brick, now your even greater task remains, to build and foster a church of concerned hearts, so that you may reach out effectively in the spirit and mind of Christ to reclaim lives for Him." That two-fold task continues to be our calling; first, to build and foster concerned hearts, and second, through the spirit and mind of Christ to reclaim lives for Him. This summer, our sermon series is responding to that task by asking the question, "What's Good About the Gospel?" In modern churches all too often the term “Gospel” has been used only to describe a plan of personal salvation. While individual salvation is certainly part of “The Gospel” there is much more to what Jesus and the Apostles had in mind whe