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A sacred Good Friday to each of you, dear friends…
I’m sure you have a certain appreciation for the importance of this great day as it marks the moment the Lord Jesus Christ bore our sins on the cross. For some, I imagine it’s a fairly abstract thought—you know something important took place, but the technicalities of it all seem distant and theoretical. For others, your heart may be full of gratitude and wonder at something which is very concrete to you. Regardless of how you view this Good Friday, I have a more important question for you: What are you doing tomorrow? Let’s talk more in Deeper Thoughts below. But first… · Easter is THIS Sunday, April 20! We will have TWO Easter worship services: 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. Invite your family and friends… we’ll keep it a little shorter--and the Gospel clear and compelling—for our non-churched friends. o Kids Connect will be at 10:30 only with an Easter Egg Hunt to follow at 11:45 a.m. o We will have a nice photo area set up in the courtyard for any families who want to take an Easter photo! · Teens: No Youth Group this Sunday. Join us for the Easter Egg Hunt after the 10:30 service. There WILL be a small section for the youth! · Ladies: Join us for a Prayer Walk through the beautiful gardens and grounds of Morven Park in Leesburg, NEXT Saturday, April 26, 8:30 – 10:00 a.m. A light breakfast will be served. Click here for more info and to RSVP! · We have rescheduled our Mt. Hope spruce-up workday for Saturday, May 3, 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Enjoy quality time with friends while beautifying the church! For young and old, and for all experience and skill levels! · Volunteers!! Anyone currently or interested in serving in Kids Connect or Youth, mark your calendars for a volunteer luncheon right after church, Sunday, May 18. · Facility Expansion Project: for those who are being prayerfully led by the Holy Spirit to contribute to the expansion of our facility, we are hoping to receive your CONFIDENTIAL “Generosity Commitment Card” by this Sunday as we prepare for our final discussions and decisions on the project. Click here for the online version. o Click here to download our most up to date four-page synopsis of the expansion project and project images. o Join us on Sunday, April 27, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. for our FINAL decision meeting where our Covenant Partners will consider and vote on the next steps. All are welcome to this important discussion; we value your wisdom! · This coming week is our last week of our Gospel of Mark “Daily Six” video series… Click here to jump in! o BUT… tune in next week for more of The Daily Six as we begin a brand-new teaching series called “Knowing God”! o If you’d like to receive daily email reminders, click here to sign up! OK…that’s it today for you email skimmers and those who don’t like Saturdays. BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts… The weather is supposed to be spectacular tomorrow. 77 degrees and sunny, with a warm breeze out of the south. That’s my kind of Saturday! So, what’s in store for you tomorrow? Yard work? Washing the cars? Taking a hike? A trip to the lake? Doing something with the kids? Walking the dogs? Walking your cat? (That’s one I’d pay to see!!) I know for me, the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter is usually a non-event, at least in terms of anything spiritual. I’ll typically have a fairly worshipful moment on Good Friday. I’ll slow down at some point in the day and contemplate with gratitude Jesus’ sacrifice for me. And then, Easter Sunday is always joyful. Who doesn’t like resurrections? But may I be super-vulnerable for a moment? I get more bored with Easter Sunday than I should. It’s the predictability of the service that gets me. You already know the songs we’re going to sing. You could probably preach my sermon for me if you weren’t nervous about public speaking. Read the resurrection story from any one of the Gospels; describe the angel rolling away the stone, the ladies being startled, Peter and John racing to the tomb, everybody being excited and scared all at once, and then Jesus suddenly appearing in the room as if he just walked through a wall. Don’t forget ol’ Doubting Thomas. He’s got to stick his hand in Jesus’ side before he will believe. Make some comment about how that’s kind of like you and me, tell everyone to believe and rejoice. Then dismiss. Everyone is ready for that special Easter brunch. You’d better not talk too long in this service. Sound familiar? Anyone bored yet? Before you fall out of your chair thinking how sacrilegious your pastor has just become, please know that I know Easter is way more important than this. But just like you know we should honor our mom more frequently than the second Sunday of May, be thankful for our dad more often than the third Sunday in June, and tell our wives that we love them more regularly than our anniversaries, we ought to live in wonder and awe at the resurrection every single day of the year. Our one hour on Easter in our fancy (and somewhat uncomfortable) clothes isn’t living the resurrection life in Jesus. It’s a formal acknowledgement of it for sure. But it isn’t living it. This year, God has been stirring me to think differently about Easter. And it’s not about Sunday. It’s about Saturday. Jesus was buried on Friday. Everyone was super sad. The tomb was empty on Sunday. Everyone was stunned, and then confused, and then cautiously hopeful. But what was everybody doing on Saturday? Where was Barabbas? He had just dodged getting crucified for his poorly planned attempt at overthrowing Rome. Instead of being tortured to death, he was home with his family. Wow… that’s a serious change of mood. (You can read his short story in Mark 15:6-11.) How about Simon from Cyrene? I bet he was more distraught on Saturday. He had planned his Friday to be a quick trip into the city for some shopping. Instead, he found himself embroiled in a horrifying experience, compelled by brutal Roman soldiers to carry the cross for a bloodied criminal (so he thought) to Golgotha. (It’s a short read about Simon: Mark 15:21.) Speaking of brutal soldiers: How about that hardened fellow whose day-job was nailing people to crosses? Jesus caught his attention with his very unusual manner of passing. What was this executioner’s Saturday like? (He seems moved. Mark 15:39.) Most of all, I’m curious how Saturday went for the devil. I’m sure Friday afternoon Satan and his skanky minions were breaking out the cocktails and caviar as they watched their eternal nemesis writhing on the cross. This was a colossal victory. Their endless war with a holy God was coming to a cataclysmic triumph—they were about to take over the universe as the life of God was being extinguished. They never saw it coming. Check it out in 1 Corinthians 2:8. And then Ephesians 4:8-10. And then 1 Peter 3:18-22. Saturday did not go well for the devil. At all. But it was the most important day for you and me. Let’s talk about Saturday this Easter Sunday. It is more glorious, more victorious, more joy-filled and hope-inspiring than I bet you’ve ever considered. We’ll do it twice… 9:00 or 10:30 a.m. Oh… and I promise to not speak as long as I usually do. I know you have lunch plans. And your dress shoes you wear only once a year will be bugging you. See you Sunday!! Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend
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Hey everybody…
Hope you’re all doing well this rainy Friday evening. I’m not writing a Deeper Thoughts today, but be sure to join us on Sunday for a great Palm Sunday celebration! The kids have some neat plans to help us worship, and I will be teaching one of my favorite passages in all the New Testament—a story that Jesus was so impressed with himself that he promised it would be told and retold every single place the Gospel is ever preached. Gonna be great. Updates worth noting… · Due to cold, blowing rain tomorrow, we’ve CANCELLED our planned church workday. We’ll reschedule for some time in May. · Teens: Youth Group THIS Sunday, 11:30-1:30 with lunch & games. AND… Youth Game Night, THIS Monday, April 14, 5:00-8:00 p.m. @ the church. Pizza & snacks, fun & games! If you’d like to be added to the youth group email group, contact Jess at [email protected]. · Easter is NEXT Sunday, April 20: 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. · Facility Expansion Project: LAST Sunday, we released both an online and paper CONFIDENTIAL “Generosity Commitment Card” for those who are being led by the Holy Spirit to sacrificially contribute to the expansion of our facility. Please click here for the online version. o Our hope is that over the next two weeks—leading through Easter Sunday—those who are being led to contribute will communicate what God is leading. Your response will be strictly confidential, with only our finance team and a select committee of our Board of Administration having access to your information. o Click here to download our most up to date four-page synopsis of the expansion project and project images. o FINALLY… on 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 expansion project. All are welcome to this important discussion and we value your wisdom! · We are almost done with our Gospel of Mark “Daily Six” video series… Click here to jump in on the final two weeks. And if you’d like to receive daily email reminders, click here for a link to The Daily Six each morning! o AND… stay tuned for more of The Daily Six as we embark on a brand-new teaching series beginning May 4 called “Knowing God.” We will be discovering how to relate passionately and powerfully with our God through the life stories of dozens of heroes of the faith found in the Old Testament. OK…that’s it for today for you email skimmers and… well… actually everybody. BUT… Let’s meet on Sunday… you are so loved! Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend 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 Hey friends…
It’s such an ambiguous thing, is it not? And yet, most would agree it’s the most important thing in life. We all long to be loved. We all know we need to love. The people, animals, interests, and experiences we love are the most cherished aspects of our lives. Oh, and we love God, too, right? But do we ever stop to measure our love? Do we ever check in on how well we are loving? Do we even know how to measure it? Let’s talk more in Deeper Thoughts below. But first… · THIS Sunday, March 30, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., we will have a super-important all-congregation open dialogue to take a final look at our building expansion project in advance of very critical decisions we will be making. o We have exciting new 3-D graphics to show you, a comprehensive budget plan, strategies to address new challenges that have arisen, and some guiding biblical principles to explore. o We will livestream the meeting from our homepage (use the same livestream button you use for Sunday service). Please attend in person if you can, but also don’t miss if you are away. · NEXT Sunday, April 6, we will present a confidential communication card 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 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 future of the project. Other Exciting Happenings: · Teens: Youth Group this Sunday, 11:30 – 1:00 (*ish)… we’ll end the same time the congregational meeting does. Contact Jess Sauder if you’d like to get youth group emails or if you need a ride home: [email protected]. · Ladies: THIS Saturday, March 29, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Learn how to make jewelry with Joan Lyerly! Click here for more info and to RSVP. · Help Mt. Hope look better! Join us Saturday, April 12 for a morning workday to spruce up the campus for Easter. Details and RSVPs to come. · 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 don’t love anything or anyone. BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts… If you were told something was absolutely the most important thing ever, you’d stop and pay attention, wouldn’t you? I remember my first day of flight training. It was really my second “first day”—I had done a bunch of training in my teenage years, only to set it aside when I answered God’s call on my life for ministry. Thirteen years later, when I finally had a bit of disposable income, I decided to pick it back up and start my training all over again. “There are three things we are NOT ever going to do, prioritized in this order,” my new flight instructor sharply commanded just after we finished our pleasantries and hellos. He was deadly serious. “First, we are never going to hit another airplane.” Check. That sounds bad. (We especially understand this after seeing the terrible tragedy at Reagan National Airport this January.) “Second, we are never going to run out of gas.” Got it. Sounds wise. “Third, we are never going to violate airspace,” by which he meant that we would carefully obey all the FAA’s rules and regulations regarding permission to operate in various areas called “airspace.” I don’t like legal trouble, so count me in! These instructions were seared into my mind--repeated every flight by my instructor—until they became an immutable instinct throughout the hundreds of flight hours and more than two decades of flying that followed. As you can imagine, there are TONS of other things important to the complexity of flying an airplane. But NONE were even close to the importance of staying alive, particularly supported by his first two instructions. Every time I flew, I was constantly vigilant, constantly on the lookout, constantly rehearsing those instructions. There was never a moment that I didn’t think, pay attention, and measure my conformity to those goals. More than once, that incessant vigilance kept me alive and kept me out of trouble with the FAA. Jesus also had two incredibly vital instructions. I wonder if we think, pay attention, and measure our conformity to those goals as much as I did my flight rules. Or do we simply not think Jesus’ commands are deadly serious? “One of the teachers of the law…asked him, ‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’” (Mark 12:28) Had I asked my flight instructor this same question at any point before, during, or after training, he would have been instantly precise and commanding. Don’t hit another airplane. Don’t run out of gas. Don’t bust airspace. Jesus was precise too: “‘The most important one,’ Jesus answered, ‘is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’” (Mark 12:29-30) Rule number one when airborne: Don’t hit another airplane. Rule number one when following Jesus: Love God with your entire heart, soul, mind, and strength. Failure to do this is as spiritual deadly as midair collisions are physically. You see, Jesus is warning us to be vigilant not just that we love God, but that we love God with everything in and about us. Love comes in many forms and many intensities. We can love iced sweet tea. We can love puppy dogs. We can love our spouse or kids. We can love our jobs. We can love a sunset. Some of us can even love cats. All of these are indeed love, but they occupy vastly different degrees of our hearts, minds, and energy. They each have different measurements. (Uh… at least they should… if I love my wife Sherri with the same intensity that I love Steez peach green tea—or vice versa—we have a serious problem.) So, how well do you love God? With what intensity? With what focus? With what urgency? And how do we measure this? Before we assume we know how to love well—before we think, “I love people just fine, thank you”—let’s dig into Jesus’ words throughout the Gospels. Let’s take this as deadly serious as my flight instructor made me take my flying. Let’s meet this Sunday and explore how Jesus measured love—we can find a few hints right there in Mark 12. One of them is to recognize his most important command has a sequel: “The second is this, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:31) This is why I love each of you. And I am vigilant to what that means. Let’s discover this--and loving God as the greatest—together on Sunday! Can’t wait… Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend Hey friends…
Apologies for the negative opener, but I want to catch your attention. Nobody aims to fail at things that matter, right? I mean, I’m all for failing at underwater basket weaving. But flunking something as monumental as communicating with the God of the universe might be worth a second look to be sure we’re not blowing it here. Many Christians I know secretly think they are no good at prayer, even if they won’t say it out loud. Let’s talk more in Deeper Thoughts below. But first… important news: · Mt. Hope is growing! Click here to see a detailed write-up on our “decision time” for our church family as we seek God’s wisdom for a potential expansion of our facility. Four key communication and decision steps are essential:
· Teens: No youth group this Sunday. Parents - if you would like to be added to the Youth Group email list, contact Jess Sauder: [email protected]. · Ladies: NEXT Saturday, March 29, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Learn how to make jewelry with Joan Lyerly! Cost will be $5.00 for supplies. Click here for more info and to RSVP. · Wanna help Mt. Hope look better? Join us Saturday, April 12 for a morning workday to spruce up the campus for Easter! Details and RSVPs to come. · Speaking of Easter: Make plans to bring friends and family to one of 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… We've got a really neat destination to study the Gospel of Mark together. Click here to jump in! 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 don’t ever want Jesus to answer you. BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts… I was 12 years old the first time I opened a bible. Ever. My neighbor buddy across the street had been sharing faith with me in between our wintertime sledding adventures and making army rifles out of fallen branches so we could play war in the woods. He was 10; his passion for Jesus was contagious. So, I asked my mom for a bible. I’m not sure how I stumbled across this verse from the Gospel of Mark. Its wild promise captured the mind of this imaginative little 12-year-old. My shiny new bible was the “Good News Translation,” a perfectly simplified text for pre-teenagers: “When you pray and ask for something, believe that you have received it, and you will be given whatever you ask for” (Mark 11:24). Oh yeah. If this is how this Jesus thing works, I’m in!! Being a future pilot with an insatiable fascination with everything aeronautical, I asked Jesus for an airplane. A real one. I told him he could place it in my backyard overnight, please. Friends, please don’t laugh. I was standing boldly on my new found faith in the mighty Word of God. I distinctly remember getting on my knees on my bed. I had my little Good News Bible opened to Mark 11. I had one of my many airplane books spread out to the intricate technical drawings of a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 airliner. I got really serious. I dug deep to muster all the faith I could in Jesus and the Bible. I took a deep breath, squinted my eyes, and I prayed. Hard. I went to sleep that night as giddy as a child on Christmas Eve. I had found the promise of the Word of God. Whatever I ask for, believe, and it will be given. Wow… praise Jesus. You’ll never believe what was sitting in my backyard that next morning. Nope. Not an airplane. Just the shaggy grass that Dad thought his 12-year-old son should now be mature enough to run the lawn mower over. Talk about disappointment. But can I be honest with you? Decades later, with two theological degrees from an esteemed Christian university, thirty-five years of career ministry under my belt, countless people led to Christ, discipled, and encouraged by my faith… and still… time-after-time I am disappointed with the silent outcome of my bold praying. You? Do you ever feel like the things that you muster the boldest faith for are the things that seem to go completely unanswered? Do you ever feel like you know you have prayed properly, prayed hard, dug deep to muster up your faith, and stood on the scriptures… only to find deafening silence in return? Do you ever feel like your prayers have simply failed? Jesus promised us the opposite. Here is Mark 11 from the slightly more refined New International Version: “‘Have faith in God,’ Jesus answered. ‘I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.’” (Mark 11:22-24) So, what gives? Where is my airplane? Most Christian grown-ups--myself included—have built up a defensive mental model to explain away the disappointment. We stack up all manner of theological clarifications to justify why God does not give us the things we ask for in prayer, even though He says right here that He will. But what if the reason we don’t get what we ask for is not because the promise has a bunch of unspoken theological caveats? What if God’s Word is not like some complicated life insurance policy with lots of hidden exclusions tucked away in the fine print? What if Jesus meant exactly what he said in Mark 11? What then? Maybe we don’t understand what to ask for. “C’mon, Chris… he said whatever….” I know. This has been my problem with this text, and I’m guessing yours too. So… let’s unpack it carefully together this Sunday. Let’s allow the Word of God—in its whole—to speak to us and see how we are to pray. For real. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to fail at certain things, but certainly not at prayer. Let’s step in and see where Jesus can take us! Oh… and one more personal note. I want to express my immense gratitude for such an outpouring of love from so many of you last Sunday as church happened to land on my 55th birthday. The congregation’s attention and intentionality were way over-the-top and wildly unexpected. Thank you for the expression of love. It was abundant. Much love… Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend Hey friends…
“Whoa!! Wait a minute, Chris. I like the idea of heaven, but I don’t want to go today.” Well…hmm… are you sure? Do you know where heaven is? Do you know what heaven is? I’m thinking Jesus would like to take you there today, but that may not mean what you think it does. Let’s talk about it in Deeper Thoughts below. But first… a few noteworthy items: · IMPORTANT facility expansion update: We are close to “decision time” for our church family as we seek God’s wisdom for our potential expansion. Four key communication and decision steps remain: o THIS Sunday, we will release an anonymous online survey for you to share what impressions you have from the Lord regarding this project. o Sunday, March 30, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., an all-congregation open dialogue will take a final look at the project, the design, the budget, and the funding. o Sunday, April 6, we will present a confidential communication card to share the specific personal generosity the Holy Spirit is leading you to contribute. § What one-time financial gift could be given between now and August to provide cash-in-hand for construction? § What ongoing monthly designated giving could be given over 2-3 years to fund debt service and/or reduction? o Sunday, April 27, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., the FINAL decision meeting where our Covenant Partners will consider and vote on the future of the project. · Click here to see a detailed write-up on this expansion project. · Are you interested in taking more ownership of Mt. Hope and you missed last Sunday’s meeting? Click here to let us know you’d like a make-up session. Becoming a Covenant Partner of Mt. Hope will be super-valuable if you’d like to have a key voice in the upcoming decisions regarding our facility and our future. · Ladies: Mark your calendars for our next women’s event, Saturday, March 29, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. as we learn to make jewelry with Joan Lyerly. Cost will be $5.00 for supplies. Click here for more info and to RSVP! · Don’t forget our “Daily Six” video series, six-minutes every weekday to read along with me as we study through the Gospel of Mark. Click here to jump in! 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 don’t like the idea of heaven… ever. BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts… As I am sure you can imagine, I’ve been thinking a lot about eternal life these last few weeks. Not only did my mom pass recently--and knowing the trustworthiness of her salvation has been monumentally important to me—but I’ve also had fifteen other friends die in the last year and half. It should be no surprise that the hope of eternal life matters greatly to me these days. I shared with you shortly after Mom died the beautiful transition she had into eternity. As we were reading scripture over her, I had this strong impression to say to her that Jesus was in the room right at that moment, and that he had come to get her. I said, “Mom, when you see Jesus, take his hands. Take the carpenter’s hands.” And just as I was saying this, in that very moment, she stopped breathing. We were all deeply moved that Jesus had made himself known to her, coming for her in that precise moment with love and clarity. Those words about “the carpenter’s hands” were not original to me. They were spoken directly from Jesus to my buddy Howie. Howard was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer just twelve weeks before he died 17 months ago. A few weeks into his diagnosis, he had a LOT of faith that Jesus was going to heal him. Then, one afternoon while his wife Judy was sitting with him, he fell into a trance and had a vision. Judy testified that she could tell Howie had just left this present conscious world and was seeing something supernatural. In this vision, Howie later told us that he saw Jesus in the room. Jesus reached out his hands and said to him, “Howie, it is time. I can’t wait to show you what I have prepared for you.” As Howie recounted that experience to a group of his close friends that I was privileged to be among, the most remarkable thing he recalled was how he could feel the rough, leathered feel of “the carpenter’s hands.” Jesus is excited to show all of us what he has prepared. “Do not let your hearts be troubled,” Jesus said to his disciples—and thereby to us as well. “Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:1-3) We like this promise. But do we fully grasp what it means? Look at the text. First, he tells us we are going to live in the Father’s house. Not on our own. Not left to figure out life by ourselves. We’re going to live with Dad. Secondly, he emphasized the reality of this place—it is not just a warm fantasy to make us feel better about our impending death. “If it were not so, I would have told you.” Finally, he tells us he is preparing this place so that he can come take us to where he is right now. This is where we mistake what it means to go to heaven. Most of us visualize heaven to mean some distant, “not now,” far off location and event where we physically leave this earth (hopefully way off into our 80’s, 90’s, or even older). But heaven is not a distant event. It is right here. Right now. And we should want to enter it. Today. “The kingdom of God [often interchanged by Jesus with ‘the kingdom of Heaven’] does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘here it is,’ or ‘there it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21). Did you catch that? The kingdom of heaven is right here, right now—not “over there somewhere,” but right there inside you. Scholars will quickly tell us that the biblical concept of “eternal life” does not simply mean an eternity that begins later, at the point of our death. In fact, the Greek phrase is better translated as “everlasting life,” which again, does not start at some distant point in our future. We are alive right now, and that life will last forever, albeit with a brief hiccup where our temporary physical shell containing our life gets traded in for a more permanent, spiritual container (check it out in 1 Corinthians 15:50-54). Friends, you are already living your eternal, everlasting life. The question is whether you are living it in the kingdom of heaven, or in the kingdom of darkness. This Sunday let’s look at what Jesus has to say about how we get into heaven. He was asked about it directly. The fellow who asked didn’t like his answer. We wouldn’t either, unless we understand something about Jesus’ response that I bet we’ve never been taught. Curious? You gotta come out on Sunday to learn this one thing. Nose around Mark 10:17-31 beforehand to see if you can catch it. Do you want to go to heaven… today? Let’s meet!! Sunday, 10:00 a.m.! Much love… Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend Hey friends…
How real is Jesus to you? Can you visualize him? What does he look like? Sound like? What does he say to you? What is he doing right now? Or are you simply blank about who he is, other than maybe to picture some dark-haired, bearded fellow with olive skin that you’ve seen on “The Chosen”? Let’s talk about all his good looks in Deeper Thoughts below. But first… a few quick reminders and updates: · Memorial service for Mary Ellen Motz, the mother of Pastor Chris, TOMORROW Saturday, March 8, at 3:30 p.m. All are welcome. · Are you interested in taking more ownership of Mt. Hope? Our version of traditional “church membership” is called “Covenant Partnership.” Join us for a Covenant Partners orientation class and luncheon, THIS Sunday, March 9, 11:45 – 1:00 p.m. Learn about how to become an official member of our church partnership team! · Teens: Youth Group THIS Sunday, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Chris Bowen will be sharing. Lunch and games too! Contact Jess if your teen needs a ride home. · Ladies: Mark your calendars for our next women’s event, Saturday, March 29, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. as we learn to make jewelry with Joan Lyerly. Cost will be $5.00 for supplies. More info and RSVP to come! · Don’t forget our “Daily Six” video series, six-minutes every weekday to read along with me as we study through the Gospel of Mark. Click here to jump in! 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 doubt Jesus looks very good anyway. BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts… I saw Jesus once. It was September 19, 1986, around midnight. He was in my bed. Not in a creepy, weirdo kind of way. But more like a loving dad, head propped on his elbow, having a lengthy conversation with his teenage son on a camping trip. Now mind you, this vision was not with my physical eyes. My natural eyeballs were only seeing the warm shadows of moonlight on the wall next to my bed. But my spiritual eyes saw him as crystal clear as anything I’d ever seen. “What’s that like, Chris? I have no idea what you are talking about…” Standby. First let me set the stage. I was sixteen years old. I had accepted Jesus as my savior a year prior, but it was only very recently that I had begun to actually follow him. There is a difference. Jesus as savior is about trusting him to forgive my sin. Following Jesus is about consistently doing what he did--and what he is presently doing. Less than four weeks earlier, I concluded that just bumping along as a typical teenager wasn’t enough for me, even if my sins were forgiven and I knew I’d go to heaven. There were three teenage boys in our church youth group who looked different than everybody else. The other ninety of us—me included—seemed content to focus on all the normal worldly interests: sports, hobbies, social status, grades, or… well… in my case, girls. I liked girls a lot. But these fellas were different. They seemed to care less about all the normal stuff. Instead, they were filled with this insatiable zeal for Jesus. They talked about him incessantly, and with great intensity, passion, and joy. They were constantly yammering on and on about him saying this or that to them. It was as if they were in real conversations with Jesus. He wasn’t just an idea, a moral construct, or a system of thought. They acted as if Jesus was literally standing right there in the room… and they could see him. I wanted that. So, I began to tag along behind them. Uninvited. Everywhere they went. It got a little weird. They didn’t even know my name. “Um… hey… uh… man?” they would say whenever I walked up. Eventually they gave in, learned my name, and started inviting me to join their escapades. But their exploits weren’t going to high school parties. They weren’t calling girls. They weren’t drinking beer. Their adventures? Prayer meetings. Yep. These 17-year-old punks would sneak into the church after hours and hole up in the prayer room. They would stand in a circle and read Bible passages to each other. They would memorize Bible verses and have “quote-offs”—seeing who could quote more verses from memory than everybody else. They would turn on the church sound system and pretend to preach to a filled auditorium. They would pace around the room praying loudly for their peers at school or in the youth group. They would be shouting the name of Jesus over situations and boldly claiming the promises of God. I know what you’re thinking right now. You might be visualizing these teens as three serious nerds with zero social skills. But part of what made their passion so attractive is that they were as masculine and outgoing as any young man you could envision—popular, muscular, secure, confident, smart, articulate. They embodied all the natural charisma and good looks of the most popular high school quarterback or homecoming king. Except that their passion was entirely channeled towards the things of God. So, I made a choice. I dove all-in and began to seek Jesus as the real person that he clearly was to these bold fellas. Fast forward to September 19, 1986. It was Friday night football at Park View High School in Sterling, Virginia. We went to the game, not so much to watch football, but rather to walk around and engage fellow students in conversations about Jesus. When it was all over, we huddled in the back of a pickup truck in the parking lot. And we prayed. Hard. I’ve described many times what happened next. If you’re really interested in it, you can click here to see me tell the whole story about the mighty baptism of the Holy Spirit that fell upon us that night. Fast forward to the 11:38 mark for the seven-minute version of my story. When I got home and slid into bed, there was Jesus, head propped up on his elbow, staring right at me. When I tell you that I saw Jesus, it wasn’t anything natural. My literal eyeballs saw nothing. But in my soul, deep down inside my chest, my spirit was on fire. There was an absolute reality to this tangible presence of Jesus in my room. It was as if I could see his personality, his interests, his intentions for my life. Everything I knew about his story from the Gospels became instantly vivid, as if I had been there in-person when it all happened. That night, Jesus moved from being an idea, a character in a story, to a real person. Before you become jealous and wish you could experience something this bold, let me warn you. When we meet Jesus at this level of tangibility, it will cost you everything. Nothing can stay the same about you. You will be compelled--by virtue of the reality of who he is—to live with this same radical, not-normal, over-the-top passion that my three high-school prophet buddies lived. This same thing happened to Peter, James, and John when they saw Jesus. Check it out in Mark 9:1-10. This Sunday, we’ll explore what this might look like in your life and mine… today. Northern Virginia. Busy people. Normal people. Shall we meet? Can’t wait to see you all on Sunday… and to see Jesus for who he really is… right now!! Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend Hey friends…
Do you ever feel like you just don’t get it? Like the spiritual life is hard and complex, and you aren’t sure you’ve got it all figured out? Why can’t God make this more plain? Let’s talk about it in Deeper Thoughts below. But first… there is a LOT going on the next couple of weeks: · Major update on our facility expansion with a “3-D renderings reveal,” THIS Sunday, March 2 during service. We will also update you on the timeline of major decisions we need to make over the next few weeks! · Teens: Youth Group THIS Sunday, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. will be upstairs. Kristie Zoller will be sharing how she has seen God at work in her life. Lunch and games too! Contact Jess if your teen needs a ride home. · NEWCOMERS Lunch, THIS Sunday, March 2, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Get to know Mt. Hope as we get to know you… Click here to email Sherri to RSVP! · Memorial service for our beloved Frank Finnern is THIS Sunday, March 2—viewing at 3:30 p.m., memorial at 4:00 p.m. All are welcome. · Memorial service for Mary Ellen Motz, the mother of Pastor Chris, will be NEXT Saturday, March 8, at 3:30 p.m. All are welcome. · Covenant Partners orientation class and luncheon, NEXT Sunday, March 9, 11:45 – 1:00 p.m. Learn about how to become an official member of our church partnership team! · Don’t forget our “Daily Six” video series, six-minutes every weekday to read along with me as we study through the Gospel of Mark. Click here to jump in! 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 simply don’t care to “get it.” BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts… Do you ever feel like you just don’t understand? Like there is really no way you’ll ever get it all figured out? You’re not alone. Like really not alone. Mark 8 is all about perception—seeing who Jesus is and what he is up to. And more generally, it is about everyone—including the good guys—completely missing it. It was exhausting to Jesus that no matter how many miracles he performed, the Pharisees demanded more before they would put their faith in him (Mark 8:11). He was amazed that his disciples continued to doubt how he could provide the resources they needed even though he had performed multiple miracles of provision (Mark 8:17-21). When Jesus plainly shared the coming crucifixion, Peter would have none of it (Mark 8:32). That last biff got Peter labeled as Satan himself. Ouch. Not exactly the affirmation from God-incarnate I would be looking for. The problem Jesus exposed for each of these doubters was their minds being set in the natural realms, not the spiritual realms--not having “in mind the things of God, but [rather] the things of man” (Mark 8:33). We need to learn how to see and think through spiritual eyes and not natural, to see things how God sees them and not how we naturally do. Our natural minds are… well… natural. It comes very naturally to us to think along these lines. We assess reality through our natural impulses and instincts. We follow our natural desires towards what we think is the ultimate goal: Natural happiness. But the spiritual mind is different. It understands reality on the basis of faith, not sight. It believes reality, not sees reality. The spiritual mind believes in a reality based on God’s revelation where spiritual realms and supernatural realities exist beyond our frame of reference. The spiritual mind will even set aside the supposed goal of natural happiness to achieve something far greater—a deep-seated joy and hope transcendent of personal circumstances that settles into the soul of the one who will live by faith and not by the flesh. Have you noticed all the trauma and confusion in our society these days? People by the millions are struggling with identity crises, depression, despair, suicidal ideation, anger, divisiveness, political anxiety, the vilification and demonization of people with different ideas, fear, hatred, jealousy, and worry. And in many cases--if not most—the people suffering these things are the same people demanding we abandon God and embrace, affirm, and celebrate ideologies that are contrary to God’s Word. Those in the deepest despair in our world are often the same people who have decided that God’s revelation is outdated and oppressive to truly abundant life. It is an irony, isn’t it? And one that Jesus promised we would experience if we cling to life through the lens of the natural mind. “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it” (Mark 8:35). In context, of course, Jesus was preparing his disciples for coming physical persecution where many of them would indeed lose their physical lives. But there is a broader truth that extends into our everyday lives: “The mind of sinful man [Greek wording here: “the natural mind”] is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful [“natural”] mind is hostile towards God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so” (Romans 8:6-7). The irony of our society is that many believe they have found true life by demanding the normalcy of whatever fleshly, natural impulse occurs to them. Unbeknownst to them, a subtle death has set in upon their souls as they simply cannot be satisfied by the happiness of the flesh. The ups and downs of the natural realm still define their enjoyment of life because it is the only realm in which they live. But the person who will choose to shift their mind away from the flesh will discover a life filled with the Holy Spirit that transcends our circumstances. Hope, joy, peace, and love blossom outside of the weight of natural situations because we know that the natural realm is not the only place in which we presently exist. Does this sound really foreign to you? Way too lofty? Too abstract? Unachievable? Do you feel like you really don’t get this? You’re not alone. Like really not alone. Take a moment of solace that Peter, James, and John were just like you. They even had Jesus right in front of them in the natural realm. And they still didn’t get it. SO… instead of beating yourself up on this one, how about we meet on Sunday and look carefully at how these fellas learned to break free of their natural minds. It didn’t come quickly, and it didn’t come easily. But as their eyes began to open, their entire lives were made different. I wonder if the same could happen to us? Can’t wait to see you all… let’s get Jesus for who he really is!! Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend Hey friends…
What the what? Did Jesus just call that woman a dog? Look… I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to relationships, but even I know that’s a red line that should never be crossed. There must be something more to the story. There is. When Jesus called her a dog, it exposed something about our rudeness, not his. Let’s talk about it in Deeper Thoughts below. But first… a bunch important reminders: · TOMORROW, Saturday, 5:00 – 9:00 p.m.: “Parents Night Out / Kids Night In” (Pre-K through 6th grade). Snacks, crafts, games, movies, and baking goodies for the next morning’s summer camp Bake Sale! Click here to RSVP with Chris Bowen! · Yummy Bake Sale THIS Sunday morning, February 23, to support our kid’s summer camp! · Facility expansion “3-D renderings reveal,” Sunday, March 2 during service. · NEWCOMERS Lunch, Sunday, March 2, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Get to know Mt. Hope as we get to know you… Click here to email Sherri to RSVP! · Covenant Partners orientation class and luncheon, Sunday, March 9, 11:45 – 1:00 p.m. Learn about how to become an official member of our church partnership team! · Teens: NO Youth Group this Sunday, but consider helping with our Kids Night In or the Bake Sale… Click here to RSVP with Chris Bowen! · Don’t forget our “Daily Six” video series, six-minutes every weekday to read along with me as we study through the Gospel of Mark. Click here to jump in! 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 are helplessly ill-mannered. BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts… It had to have been stunning, to say the least. “It is not right for me to help you,” Jesus said. “Because you are a dog.” Wait… what? Yep. He just said that. Out loud. OK, here’s the more technical translation straight from the Greek scholars: “It is not right for me to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs” (Mark 7:27). Let’s back up for some context. This came after three failed attempts for Jesus and his disciples to get away for a much-needed vacation. They were absolutely exhausted. Their first try was thwarted by a flash mob that tracked their escape and surrounded them, begging Jesus for his attention. Rather than drawing tight boundaries for his team to get the time off they needed--like any good executive leader would do for his staff—Jesus spontaneously ramped up the ministry schedule and gave the crowd the entire day, depriving his team not only of rest, but also of food. All day. Not only that, but he also gave them responsibility for feeding nearly 20,000 people without warning or a plan. (Mark 6:30-44). We taught on this last Sunday… if you missed it, it’s worth clicking here to catch up. Then, Jesus lacked all managerial finesse as he immediately sent them on ahead while he himself got some rest up on the mountain. Having worked all day with only one miraculous late-day meal, the disciples were sent across the lake in the middle of the night, physically rowing against an insurmountable headwind. When Jesus finally had the presence of mind to go investigate his group’s situation, he planned to just walk past—not to actually join them in their miserable task (Mark 6:48). As dawn broke on the weary men who’d been awake for at least 24 hours now, they landed on the remote seashore hoping to just sit on the beach and chill. But nope… the crowds recognized them, sent word all over the region, and mobbed them once more. Boundary-less Jesus couldn’t resist, and the vacation turned once again into a region-wide ministry festival (Mark 6:53-56). Try number three. This time let’s go 30 miles away—which back then, without cars, planes, or trains, would take about as long as you and I driving to Chicago. Surely no one would know them up there along the coastline of modern Lebanon. Enter the desperate woman. The one he called a dog. Her daughter was possessed by a demon. She fell at Jesus’ feet, begging him to drive the torturous devil away. Finally, it seems Jesus recognized what his men needed. “First I need to feed my kids,” he said. He should have stopped there. He didn’t. “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take their children’s bread and toss it to their dogs” (Mark 6:27). At this point, I would be stunned. The woman was undeterred. Without missing a beat, she pushed back that “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs” (Mark 6:28). Jesus was impressed by her pragmatic argument. She got her daughter’s healing. But why did Jesus have to be so rude about it? To understand what was really happening, we need to grab Matthew’s account of this awkward conversation. He was there when it happened. He may have even felt the embarrassment of the trap Jesus sprung on his disciples, flipping the tables on them to expose the issue of their own rude and calloused heart. Matthew: The woman comes and begs Jesus. “Jesus did not answer a word.” Awkward pause. Everyone is looking at him. Someone—maybe even Matthew—finally spoke up about what they all were thinking. “His disciples came to him and urged him, ‘Send her away, for she keeps crying after us’” (Matthew 15:23). That’s when Jesus called her a dog. That’s when she said she didn’t care and would take whatever she could get. That’s when Jesus exploded with joy at her faith and sent her healing throughout the spiritual realms. Friends, Jesus never saw this woman as a dog. He saw her just like he saw every needy person he encountered—like “sheep without a shepherd” and worthy of his intentional compassion (see Mark 6:34). It was the disciples who saw her as a dog—perhaps, in part, because of their terribly depleted exhaustion, but more likely because of a lifetime of Jewish prejudice towards the Greeks. He exposed the absurdity of their selfish hearts by being absurd himself. The woman saw through the ruse and graciously offered to lick the floor if she had to. Anything for her desperate daughter. We learned last Sunday that Jesus called his disciples to engage a heart of unlimited generosity regardless of how depleted and under-resourced they felt. We faced the “So what?” decision of whether a life of intentional generosity could compel us to trust God for strength, resource, and provision even when it seems impossible. In our weekly Elder meeting last night, one of the fellas reflected on what God had shown him on Sunday. “We should get t-shirts that read: ‘Depleted. Ill-equipped. Ready to serve.’” When we develop a heart of unlimited and unfettered generosity, we step into a fuller aspect of our discipleship in Jesus. The scripture challenges us to discover this: “But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving” (2 Corinthians 8:7). This Sunday, let’s widen the circle to understand what living in the grace of giving our all really looks like. Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 and see if you can find the link to last week’s Mark 6:30-44 and this Sunday’s Mark 7:24-30! Can’t wait to see you all… Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend Hello, dear Beloved…
Most people I know underestimate themselves, and in so doing, often underestimate God. Let’s talk about it in Deeper Thoughts below… plus, I’ll share an important personal note about the Eads family and its potential impact to our teaching this Sunday. But first… a TON of important dates to put on your calendar: · NEXT Saturday, February 22, “Parents Night Out / Kids Night In” (Pre-K through 6th grade) from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. Snacks, crafts, games, movies, and baking goodies for the next morning’s summer camp Bake Sale! Click here to RSVP with Chris Bowen! · Yummy Bake Sale NEXT Sunday morning, February 23, to support our kid’s summer camp! · Facility expansion “3-D renderings reveal,” Sunday, March 2 during service. · NEWCOMERS Lunch, Sunday, March 2, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Get to know Mt. Hope as we get to know you! · Covenant Partners orientation class and luncheon, Sunday, March 9, 11:45 – 1:00 p.m. Learn about how to become an official member of our church partnership team! · Final business meeting and open discussion regarding facility expansion, Sunday, March 23, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. All are invited to discuss the details of what’s next! · Teens: Youth Group THIS Sunday, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m: lunch, games, and a testimony. Contact Jess if you need a ride home! · Don’t forget our “Daily Six” video series, six-minutes every weekday to read along with me as we study through the Gospel of Mark. Click here to jump in! 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 never underestimate the Lord. BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts… First, on a personal note, an important update on our family: Many of you have been praying for my mother, Mary Ellen, who has battled late-stage Alzheimer’s disease for many months. Mom passed peacefully into the arms of Jesus early this afternoon after a week-long vigil, surrounded by her family, as her perishable body failed. We were praying and reading scripture over her as we saw her breathe her last. Mom had confessed her faith in Jesus; we were asking Him to return for her quickly. As she entered eternity, My sister Beth, Sherri, and I all acknowledged we perceived the precise moment her spirit departed and was committed into the hands of the Lord. We are so very grateful for your many prayers and words of encouragement throughout this week. Plans for a memorial service at Mt. Hope, to which you will all be invited, are forthcoming. Our Deeper Thoughts below were pre-written some time ago. While we may yet make some adjustments to our plans for Sunday based on where our emotions are this weekend, you’ll see these thoughts are actually quite relevant to our present situation. I believe it is valuable to share with you this evening what the Lord put on my heart well in advance of this week. Here goes: On the one hand, underestimating oneself can be a sure path to spiritual health: “Do not think more of yourself more highly than you ought…” (Romans 12:3). But on the other hand, it can also underestimate God and stop Him dead in His tracks: “My power is made perfect in weakness…” (2 Corinthians 12:9). When we think too highly of ourselves, we put chains on God. He is limited by us. We think we can manage whatever challenges we face. And so... we do. We grab the reins, take control of our circumstances, and work in our own strength for the best outcome we can achieve. We’ve just boxed God out. He can do little with our circumstances because we told Him to butt out. But the other hand can even be worse. When we underestimate both ourselves and God, that’s a toxic mix that will stop both of us in our tracks. This poisonous idea suggests that not only are we weak, but so is God. We see our own weaknesses and inabilities with crystal clarity. And then we assume God can’t do anything with them. When we think like this, we are blind to the scriptural revelation that our weaknesses are the specific condition in which God’s supernatural power is most poised to do something huge. When we think too highly of ourselves, we box God out by doing it all ourselves. When we think too lowly of ourselves, we box God out by withholding ourselves from His power. Jesus put his disciples to the test on this. They didn’t know it was an exam. Here’s the setting: They were all tired. Even Jesus. It had been a grueling season of fast-paced, high-intensity ministry. Healings, teachings, conflicts, demonic deliverances—all wildly challenging encounters that would drain the energy out of the most vigorous among us, to include the divine Son of God. When they tried to take a couple of days off to get some rest, a flash mob found where they were hiding and pounced. They needed more attention. More help. More healings. More ministry. It just wouldn’t stop. When I am that drained and the phone rings one more time, my reaction is to get angry. Jesus’ reaction was compassion. He sat them down and began to minister yet again… for the entire day. Night was coming quickly. Peter pulled up alongside Jesus and whispered in his ear: “No one has eaten anything all day. Maybe we should wrap this up and send folks home?” Did I mention the disciples were wiped out before this day had even started? Add to it zero food. Low blood sugar. And Jesus just won’t quit. (“Hangry” is the word that comes to my mind.) Jesus quickly dashed the disciples’ hope for an early dismissal. “You give them something to eat,” he quipped. He returned his attention to the crowd. I spent nearly a decade of my career leading a fantastic team that produced large-scale public events in the aviation sector—airshows, fly-ins, and the like. We would gather 3, 4, or 5,000 aviators on airport tarmacs, even in a few cases more than 10,000 attendees, baking them all day long in the hot sun. How to feed everyone was always one of our most challenging--and expensive—logistical operations. We spent months organizing the food service plan and securing the right catering. A quick, over-the-shoulder instruction to “get these folks something to eat” is not how it works for a crowd this size. At all. The disciples were stunned. “Um… boss… there’s no Costco around. There are no restaurants in the neighborhood. Not to mention the size of this crowd. Do you know how much this would cost?” In today’s Ashburn dollars, they estimated it would take $46,210 to feed everybody. It’s all right there in Mark 6:37. Check it out. “How much food do you have?” Jesus asked. “Um…,” they replied awkwardly, “not much. Five loaves of bread and two stinky fish that John caught last night.” “That’ll do,” Jesus said. “Get everyone organized. We’ll serve them in groups.” I remember those meetings with our aviation event planning team. Hours of discussion of how many catering lines, the server counts, time per consumer through the lines, quantities per plate. It’s quite the operation to figure out. It’s even worse when the food supply will run out right around the 12th customer with still another 5,000 people in line. Friends, put yourself right there in that moment with the disciples. Don’t you feel paralyzed? There is no way the feeble resources they possessed could come anywhere close to solving the problem. Their supply was not even in the same universe as the need. But Jesus demanded they take action. That moment of paralysis is exactly where God needs us. If we will not underestimate Him. You’ll have to read Mark 6:30-44 to see how it all turned out. This Sunday let’s explore together this very key discipleship point. We cannot grow to where Jesus wants us until we recognize two things: 1) The absolute power of God to leverage our weakest parts and our most under-resourced realities for the specific outcome He desires; 2) Our responsibility to step up, regardless of our frailties, to serve and give as if God had already provided a supernatural solution. Prepare to be empowered. God has a plan for you that is supernaturally strong. Don’t underestimate Him. Perhaps you can see the relevance to what the Eads are working through today. Let’s meet on Sunday… 10:00 a.m. Seeing you all will do our hearts good… Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend |
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Jesus said, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, & with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” - Matt. 22:37-39
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