A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

We began a study this week in church on the Songs of Ascent. The Songs of Ascent consist of Psalms 120-134. They are short psalms that deal with much of the breadth and depth of our lives. We believe that God's people recited or sang the Songs of Ascent on their pilgrimage from their homes to regular festivals and celebrations in Jerusalem. Eugene Peterson wrote a book about the Psalms of Ascent and called it, 'A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.' We will use Peterson's outline and title as we look at the ways we have been called to live out that long obedience.

As part of our study I have encouraged our congregation to read the Psalms of Ascent as a part of their personal devotion. I am also hoping that some of us will be inspired by the Psalms and create something we can share with the congregation. It can be a drawing, painting, song, poem, sculpture, testimony, drama, dance, or other creative outlet you might find. To give you a good start, here are the Psalms and the theme we will be studying in each.

Psalm 120 – Repentance Psalm 121 – Providence Psalm 122 – Worship Psalm 123 – Service Psalm 124 – Help

Psalm 125 – Security Psalm 126 – Joy Psalm 127 – Work Psalm 128 – Happiness Psalm 129 – Perseverance

Psalm 130 – Hope Psalm 131 – Humility Psalm 132 – Obedience Psalm 133 – Community Psalm 134 – Blessing

The first time I found Peterson's book was over 10 years ago. I loved it. It captured for me what I had needed. I had become dissatisfied with a faith that needed to move from one spiritual high to the next. I wasn't satisfied with the next piece of Bible trivia being the thing that kept me interested in God's word. The Psalms of Ascent taught me that there is a rhythm to life. That we are meant to move from one place to the next and that even the desert times can be rich if our eyes remain on Jesus. The Psalms of Ascent taught me that, 'even if nothing is new under the sun,' my life would be new if I submitted to peaks and valleys God had laid out for me. The Psalms of Ascent taught me that although God's word was familiar, it would be made 'new every morning.' The Psalms of Ascent taught and are teaching me daily to live a life that will result in a long obedience in the same direction.

I am looking forward to what God will teach us as we study His word together. I hope you will join us and we learn together to walk our own long obedience in the same direction.

Did He Say, "Livingstonian?"

A friend of mine, who recently moved to Livingston, pointed out an interesting statistic to me. In Livingston 28.4% of people claim to be affiliated with a religious group of some kind. That is an interesting statistic in and of itself; but when paired with the statistic right next to it, the statistic is profound. In the United States 50.2% of people when asked the same question claim to be affiliated with some kind of religious group. That means in Livingston there are almost only half as many people claiming to be part of a religious group as in the rest of the country.

http://www.city-data.com/city/Livingston-Montana.html

You might read that statistic and become incredibly depressed. Or you might read that statistic and become incredibly excited. What a great opportunity for us to share good news and be the kind of community of faith other people might want to be a part of. I believe a couple of things about this number. Statistics are not always a perfect picture. But they do give us a snapshot of our community. When people all over the country are asked the same question, Livingston answers it 22% differently. At the very least we can confidently say that less people in Livingston are affiliated with religious groups than in the rest of the country. Since we are a religious group, we should pay attention to this fact. Why are less people here associated with religious groups? Is it the people here? Is it our history? Is it the religious groups that are now or have been in the past part of our community? What is it that makes a Livingstonian less likely to identify themselves as a part of a religious group?

The answer is that probably all of these things and more influence people’s decisions. We are a rugged lot, hardened by the wind in the winter and smoke in the summer. That may be part of why we aren’t part of religious groups, because we might perceive we can make it on our own. Maybe it is part of our history; many towns in the Midwest were settled by religious groups for religious purposes. They traveled together and after their homes they built churches. Across the south and Midwest churches are located on Main and First street. That was not as true in the west, we moved here for gold and land; survival was tough. Churches came later; they are more often located on Second or Third Street, but not usually on Main. Religion came to the west as an afterthought. Maybe it is the religious groups that were here before us; we all know Livingston’s more recent history with a cult that was highly influential. I’ve met several people in recent years who were once a part of that and, “will never try church again.” Maybe it is us. Maybe religious groups like us haven’t done enough to tell people about the good things they can experience when they become part of a religious group. We wish they would come into our church doors, but we fail to invite them or tell them what’s inside. Maybe we’ve spent too much time pointing out our differences, and not enough time describing our similarities.

I’d like us to change all that. I would like it to start with our own church. I don’t know that we as a church can change the number by 22%. But I bet we could change it by 4%, maybe even 5%. And I bet if we did it with grace and kindness, other churches might see some growth too. Church growth isn’t a competition. We are all on the same team. We have already taken some major steps toward making the number change. In fact we have already moved it 1%. That’s right. The survey counts about 7,000 people in Livingston and our average Sunday morning attendance has been about 70 for the last quarter. Therefore, since we started a contemporary worship service, we have changed that number 1%. Members of Livingston Congregational who have been around for a while deserve all the credit for that. We are well on our way. We have the right people; they are kind, with good hearts and willingness to do whatever it takes to see people know Jesus. They pray a lot, for each other and for the world around them. They are honest about their shortcomings, and gracious about the shortcomings of others. They are willing to work through conflict and have learned that loving Jesus is the only way to an abundant life. We can’t change the number overnight. It will take time and a lot of hard work. We will have to change some things we are doing now. We will need more seats and more workers. We might have to start another service. We might all have to give up something that we hold dear to our hearts. Changing our name will help. When we become Living Hope Church people will no longer stumble over the name Congregational. I believe they will be encouraged and feel welcomed to join us because of the name and then because of the people inside. We will have to streamline our processes and give people more freedom to minister as they are called to by God. These and many more changes will be necessary and maybe difficult. But the blessings of following Jesus’ command to make disciples will far outweigh any discomfort we might feel because of change.

Maybe in a few years when the survey comes around again the number will be changed. Maybe next time we will be caught up with or ahead of the national average. It is important, not because we want people to be affiliated with a religious group, and not because we want to win some competition. It is important because we want people to know Jesus. It is important because the eternal destiny of our friends and neighbors is at stake. Knowing Jesus is the path to a better life for you and your family. And knowing Jesus is the only way to secure eternal life. Knowing Jesus is the only way to have our sins forgiven and to live a life in His eternal kingdom. Consequently, it is worth it for us to make changes in our hearts and in our church. We are ready to do it and with God on our side we can.

What Are We Doing Here?

I think in all areas of our life, but particularly in church it is helpful for us to ask the question, 'What are we doing here?' We sometimes get so wound up in what we are doing that we lose or forget the reason that we were doing it in the first place. This is particularly true in the church where we are often helped by and rely on the strong tradition that has been given to us. It is always good for us to remind ourselves a little bit about what we are doing here.

My reflections on the questions have led me to three thoughts. I am certain they are not all encompassing, but they are three answers to the question for our specific congregation.

1. Seeking God
2. Seeking Truth
3. Seeking to Become a Community of Grace

We seek God together through our regular worship services and any other time we gather as a small or large community of faith. We talked this Sunday about seven aspects of our Sunday morning worship that help us as we seek God.

We seek truth through God's word and through being part of a community of truth seekers. On Sunday mornings worship we will explore the ways we seek truth together.

The next week we will explore the ways that God is uniquely leading our church to become a Community of Grace. I am amazed at the things God has put in place in our church and the plans He has led us to that are causing us to become a grace-filled community. It will not always be easy, but we are becoming a people who have received and are learning to give God's grace.

From Generation to Generation

Finally, a sermon series. I like to preach sermon series for lots of reasons. Most of which I have outlined in this blog before. But one of my personal reasons is that when I start to study for the next week's sermon; I have a starting place. I know where the last sermon ended and where the next one will begin. You probably noticed the last couple of sermons have not been part of a series. That is in part because it is summer and everyone's life and church attendance is a bit disjointed. Vacations and a host of other things make consecutive Sundays a challenge. It is also in part because I have not been able to put together a series of sermons with which I was happy. I am not an idea generator. I am an idea developer. Some people have all kinds of ideas, but they have trouble developing those ideas into a coherent sermon. I have no ideas, but when I get one, I love developing the complete thought.

Tonight I was scanning through a website called Preaching Today and I found a sermon series by Bryan Wilkerson titled, "From Generation to Generation." It hit the nail on the head. We have lots of children and families in our church. I've never preached a single sermon on what the Bible says about raising kids. I opened up my Bible to Psalm 78 and God's Word began to speak. Sometimes, that happens. The seed of an idea to preach about families is developing into an exciting thought about how we pass our faith onto the next generation. This series certainly is not just for parents. It is for all believers. Scripture is clear that it is the job of each of us to pass on our faith to the next generation. I am excited that over the next three weeks we can explore the ways God's Word teaches us to do that. Thanks to Bryan Wilkerson for the seed of an idea. Thanks to God for His Word that teaches us. I hope you will join us as we seek to better pass our faith onto the next generation.

More Thoughts on Daniel 3

I preached a sermon a couple weeks ago and for some reason it keeps coming back to me. Once in a while a sermon will do that to me. I keep being reminded about the message – or what the scripture is saying. I hope that happens for others. I mean, I hope when you hear God's word it comes back to you in a meaningful way and changes you. I would not expect that to happen every time you hear a sermon. Every sermon just isn't for everyone.

Back to this recent sermon. We were studying Daniel 3 about Daniel's friends who were sentenced to be burned to death because they would not bow down to an idol. The friends respond to the king by saying – we believe that God will save us, but even if He doesn't we will not bow down.

Their words were a great reminder to us that we don't worship the outcomes in our lives, we worship God. We worship God whatever the outcome. Too often we praise God for a good parking spot or a sunny day. No doubt, God gives good parking spots and sunny days. But we come dangerously close to worshipping the outcomes in our lives, or worshipping God because of the good outcomes in our lives. It was abundantly clear that Daniel's friends would worship God regardless of the outcomes in their lives.

I think the reason the sermon keeps coming back is in part because of my disdain for superstition disguised as Christianity. The dictionary defines superstition like this: an irrational, but usually deep-seated belief in the magical effects of a specific action or ritual, especially in the likelihood that good or bad luck will result from performing it.

Sometimes we have been guilty of demeaning our faith by shrinking it to a mere superstition. The reason it makes me so mad is that we have this rock solid, logically consistent, intellectually reliable faith. The Christian faith is so sound and real. To use a metaphor, it really is a rock you can stand on. When we turn it into a superstition that gets us good parking spots, sunny days, and helps the Lakers win championships, it makes me angry. Our faith is so much more than a superstition. It is a real relationship with a real God. Don't get me wrong, God cares about your rainy days, and where you park at Wal Mart. But His intention is not to shower you with candy from heaven. His intention is to grow you into a person who is more loving, kind, patient, good, gentle, compassionate, understanding, and faithful. His intention is to make you more like Him. [Oh, and He died on a cross, not exactly a sunny day.] There is no reason for us to worship some talisman or follow a superstitious religion. We serve a real God. And we can live real life with Him.

Eugene Peterson said it well. Faith is not a leap out of the everyday but a plunge into its depths. Plunge into the real God who is every bit as much with you on the good as well as the bad days.

A friend of mine summarized it well. " . . . I have hope for good things, but faith that if things don't turn out the way I see as good, God still is in charge and will use it for His good."

Yep, that's what it is.

The Future of Our Church

For over a year now the Diaconate board has been praying, fasting, and seeking God for the direction of our church. We have taken ourselves through a process of reflection and examination of who we were and are as a church. We have sought God’s direction. We are currently in the process of setting goals for the future. It has been a fun and challenging process. Through it we have learned and seen God at work in the history of our church. We look forward to being part of His work in the future. For this week’s blog, I would like to share with you our progress so far. Below is the document we have developed to show a snapshot of our work.

The following is a working document and is not meant to be complete or comprehensive. Rather, it is an update of a work in progress. Members of the Diaconate would be glad to hear feedback from any members of the congregation. We believe God has been and continues to be at work in His church. Our task is to seek the ways God is leading us and to follow Him.

Strategic Planning Progress Update

Our church is committed to:

• A relationship with God
• God’s Word
• Worship
• Prayer
• Authentic community
• Outreach

Things we believe:

• We believe our church is supposed to grow.
  • We have recently seen growth and believe God would have us share Him with more in our community.
  • While we have not identified any specific growth number, doubling our current Sunday morning attendance is not beyond our hopes.
  • We have many contacts with people who were formerly part of a church but are not currently part of any church. We believe our church is an ideal place for many of these people.
  • Many previously unchurched people attend our church and we believe we will be blessed by having many more.
• We believe that our two current worship styles are relevant, meaningful, and God-honoring.
  • We believe that our traditional worship meets an important need in our community and will continue to be a blessing to many.
  • We believe that our contemporary worship service meets an important need in our community and will continue to be a blessing to many.
• We believe our two worship services provide a challenge to our church unity.
  • We will continue to emphasize Sunday school, potlucks, coffee hours, pulpit exchanges, as well as other church activities and intentional programs to maintain church unity.
• We believe our youth programs are vital to our church's outreach.
  • Our current youth programs are effective in the lives of our young people.
  • God is at work in our youth programs and we believe that will continue.
• We believe our church currently does a good job teaching God’s word.
  • We are committed to continue in that path and increase our ability and avenues to teach God’s word in the future.
• We believe our church has a good reputation in our community, is financially stable, has a strong pastoral staff, and is willing to change to follow God’s leading.
• We believe we have an aging and limited building.
  • Our restrooms are inadequate and poorly located in the front of the church.
  • Parking is difficult and limited, especially for those with limited mobility.
• We believe our church name needs to be evaluated.
  • Most people today do not know what a Congregational church is.
  • Those who do know what a Congregational church is may have a negative view of Congregationalists. Other may have an inaccurate view of what it means to be a Congregationalist.
  • Our church does have a good reputation in the city of Livingston.

Our next steps are:

• We are in the process of setting goals and developing initiatives to meet those goals. We hope in the next months to begin to pursue our first goals.

Goals:

• Form an outreach team. The outreach team is currently planning to develop a 1-year calendar with outreach campaigns during different seasons of the year. Current ideas include: newspaper ads, radio ads, postcards, handouts. These would center around Easter, Christmas, possibly sermon series, etc.
• Form a care-giving team. Form a team to make sure each member and regular attender has a network of support within the church body. Examine the specific ministry "Celebrate Recovery" for members who may need specific care.

Holy Week

I have learned in my life to embrace and enjoy Holy Week. This week is such a great time to focus our lives in Christ and to be filled with Him. I remember in college we had a week every fall called ‘Spiritual Emphasis Week.’ During the week we had extra worship services, Bible studies, and prayer meetings. It was a good chance to refocus our lives on Christ. Holy Week can do the same thing for us. During Holy week we are reminded of the heart of our faith. Our core belief is that Jesus Christ, who was God, came to this earth and died on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven. This week we experience everything from the Triumphal Entry to the Last Supper, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. It is a great chance to come back to the basics of our faith. I hope this week we will all come back to the basics of our Christian faith and be reminded again about who our God is.