Can we shift to positive?

Hey everybody…
 
If you’re keeping up with The Daily Six and our readings in the Gospel of Mark, you might be a bit depressed this week. This one’s a hard one. Jesus is telling us all about the horrible events of the end times AND what will also shortly unfold for the disciples in their lifetime—suffering, sacrifice, and ultimately martyrdom. But wow…how in the world do we pull something positive and encouraging from this? I wonder if you missed it. It’s right there. Do you see it? Let’s talk more in Deeper Thoughts below.
 
But first…
 
·      This Sunday will be our next step in the super-important process of considering our potential building expansion project for the future growth and health of Mt. Hope Church.
o   If you missed last Sunday’s business meeting, click here to watch the livestream with open discussion surrounding new 3-D graphics of the proposed project, a comprehensive budget plan, and strategies to address new financing challenges that have arisen. (Skim ahead to the 10:00 mark where we start talking.)
 
·      On Sunday, we will present a confidential communication card (and online communication option) to share the specific personal generosity the Holy Spirit is leading us to contribute.
o   What one-time financial gift could be given between now and August to provide cash-in-hand for construction?
o   What ongoing monthly designated giving could be given over 2-3 years to fund the project, or to support debt service and/or reduction?
 
·      Sunday, April 27, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., our FINAL decision meeting where our Covenant Partners will consider and vote on the next steps for the future of the project.
 
Lots of other stuff is happening, too:
 
·      Teens:  Youth Group THIS Sunday, 11:30-1:30 with lunch & games. If you’d like to be added to the youth group email, contact Jess at [email protected].
 
·      Mt. Hope spruce-up workday! Join us NEXT Saturday, April 12 for a morning workday, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. to spruce up the campus for Easter. Email Kristie Zoller for details and to sign up for specific roles you might be interested in: [email protected].
 
·      Speaking of Easter: TWO Easter worship services at Mt. Hope: 9:00 and 10:30 a.m., Sunday, April 20. Kids Connect will be at 10:30 only with an Easter Egg Hunt to follow at 11:45 a.m.
 
·      Don’t miss this coming week’s “Daily Six” video series… Click here to jump in on our study of the Gospel of Mark. And if you’d like to receive daily email reminders, click here for a link to The Daily Six each morning!
 
OK…that’s it today for you email skimmers and those who rather enjoy reading about martyrdom. BUT…
 
 
Some Deeper Thoughts…
 
Our first problem might be that we Americans are addicted to good news. We instinctively run from bad. Sticking our head in the sand on the tough stuff has become a staple of an American culture that is fixated on luxury, ease, and comfort.
 
So, Mark 13 and these horrible events might be our least favorite part of the Gospels, so much so that we might put most of our hope in the idea of a Rapture that will rescue all the saints before the bad stuff happens. But…
 
(EDITOR’S NOTE: I REALLY do hope the Rapture is real. Academic integrity must note that the biblical evidence for it is thin, if not somewhat poorly and conveniently interpreted to suit our hunger for comfort. Oddly, it is a doctrine that has only emerged in Christian history in America, in the last 150 years of our prosperity, with no other global Christian community ever finding it in the scriptures for nearly two thousand years. Click here to see an important teaching I did on this last summer if this is a troubling point for you and you wonder if your beloved pastor is off his theological rocker!)
 
Whatever we do with the doctrine of the Rapture, we can say this one thing: the Rapture didn’t happen for Jesus’ disciples before all the martyrdom and hardship predicted in Mark 13 happened to them. So, to apply this text to our lives with biblical integrity, we can do this: Whatever hardships we face—whether the universal End Times, our own personal “end times”, modern persecution, or just plain old normal life challenges—the promises and instructions of Jesus are useful to us. Right here. Right now. Today.
 
“OK, Chris, you promised in your opener that you would turn this to the positive. Your grade so far in this letter: Fail.”
 
Thanks for the feedback. I have two points of good news for you: First, to tackle this troubling text, I’ve invited Pastor Will Cravens to take a swing at it this Sunday, as he always makes the hard stuff more palatable with his dynamic humor, raw candor, and very down to earth practicality. So, you can rest easy this Saturday night; you’ll not have to wade through one of those heavy Chris Eads drubbings in the morning.
 
Second, and far more importantly, we have lined up an even better, more encouraging, more life-giving, more enthusiastic teacher than Will or Chris could ever hope to be.
 
His name is Jesus.
 
And he preached quite well in Mark 13. Shall we invite him to speak too? Pastor Will, can you please yield some of your time to his piercing words?
 
“Do not be alarmed,” Jesus said. “Do not worry,” he continued. “Stand firm.” That’s positive… sort of… yes? He also offered solutions to keep us confident and secure: “Be on your guard… be alert… keep watch.” (Mark 13:6-35)
 
While you might still feel some discomfort that Jesus did not promise we would skip all the bad stuff, he did offer us a foundationally secure road map through the adversities. The Holy Spirit will be with us, guiding, speaking, empowering (see Mark 13:11). Jesus has a distinct purpose for the hardships which adds some incentive: we will be a bold witness for the Lord as we navigate these troubles (see Mark 13:9). And, most powerfully, he promises we will see him as he comes in all his power and glory (see Mark 13:26). We won’t be alone. We won’t be afraid. We won’t miss the value in all of it. We will be used by him. And God will be glorified and made known.
 
Friends, hardships are inevitable for all of us. It does not have to be the final global End Times for us to cling to these promises and instructions from Jesus. Grab them for whatever rough season you may find yourself in today, tomorrow, or some challenging day ahead.
 
This teaching’s relevance for us is far less about figuring out the details of when and how the apocalypse will unfold. Its relevance is to arm us and equip us with a reflexive reaction for how we handle adversity—whatever its form. Keep your head up. Stand firm in faith that Jesus has seen it all, and therefore has you squarely in his hands. Choose to abandon worry and alarm and pick up confidence in the Holy Spirit’s provision for you.
 
Let’s meet this Sunday and celebrate the confidence we have in Jesus. He thought it worthwhile to lay all this out for us; let’s make it worth our time to hear what Jesus has to say.
 
Can’t wait to see you all… you are so loved!
 
Chris Eads
Mt. Hope Pastor
Friend