Bulletin for Sunday, July 18, 2021

He Reigns

It’s the song of the redeemed
Rising from the African plain
It’s the song of the forgiven
Drowning out the Amazon rain

The song of Asian believers
Filled with God’s holy fire
It’s every tribe, every tongue, every nation
A love song born of a grateful choir

It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
(repeat)

Let it rise above the four winds
Caught up in the heavenly sound
Let praises echo from the
towers of cathedrals
To the faithful gathered underground

Of all the songs sung from the
dawn of creation
Some were meant to persist
Of all the bells rung from
a thousand steeples
None rings truer than this

It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
(repeat 4x)

And all the powers of darkness
Tremble at what they’ve just heard
‘Cause all the powers of darkness
Can’t drown out a single word

When all God’s children sing out
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns (He reigns)

All God’s children sing out
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns (He reigns)

It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
(repeat)

Walk With Me, Lord

Walk with me, Lord
Walk with me
Walk with me, Lord
Walk with me

While I’m on this tedious journey
I want Jesus
to walk with me

Hold my hand, Lord
Hold my hand
Hold my hand, Lord
Hold my hand

While I’m on this tedious journey
I want Jesus
to hold my hand

Walk with me, Lord
Walk with me
Walk with me, Lord
Walk with me

While I’m on this tedious journey
I want Jesus
to walk with me

Sinking Deep

Standing here in Your presence
In a grace so relentless
I am won – by perfect love
Wrapped within the arms of heaven
In a peace that lasts forever
Sinking deep – in mercy’s sea

I’m wide awake
Drawing close – stirred by grace
And all my heart is Yours
All fear removed – I breathe You in
I lean into Your love
Oh, Your love

When I’m lost You pursue me
Lift my head to see Your glory
Lord of all – So beautiful
Here in You I find shelter
Captivated by the splendor
Of Your face – My secret place

I’m wide awake
Drawing close – stirred by grace
And all my heart is Yours
All fear removed – I breathe You in
I lean into Your love
Oh, Your love

Your love so deep
Is washing over me
Your face is all I seek
You are my everything

Jesus Christ
You are my one desire
Lord hear my only cry
To know You all my life

Love so deep
Is washing over me
Your face is all I seek
You are my everything

Jesus Christ
You are my one desire
Lord hear my only cry
To know You all my life

I’m wide awake
Drawing close – stirred by grace
And all my heart is Yours
All fear removed – I breathe You in
I lean into Your love
Oh, Your love

Brokenness Aside

Will your grace run out
If I let you down
‘Cause all I know
Is how to run

‘Cause I am a sinner
If it’s not one thing it’s another
Caught up in words tangled in lies
But You are a Savior
And You take brokenness aside
And make it beautiful – beautiful

Will You call me child
When I tell you lies
‘Cause all I know
Is how to cry

‘Cause I am a sinner
If it’s not one thing it’s another
Caught up in words tangled in lies
But You are a Savior
And You take brokenness aside
And make it beautiful – beautiful

You make it beautiful
You make it beautiful
You make it beautiful
You make it beautiful

‘Cause I am a sinner
If it’s not one thing it’s another
Caught up in words tangled in lies
But You are a Savior
And You take brokenness aside
And make it beautiful – beautiful

‘Cause I am a sinner
If it’s not one thing it’s another
Caught up in words tangled in lies
But You are a Savior
And You take brokenness aside
And make it beautiful – beautiful

‘Cause I am a sinner
If it’s not one thing it’s another
Caught up in words tangled in lies
But You are a Savior
And You take brokenness aside
And make it beautiful – beautiful

Oh Lord You make it
beautiful – beautiful
Oh Lord You make it
beautiful – beautiful

TaNaKH – Hebrew Scriptures

(1) Torah – Law.
(2) Navi’im – Prophets.
(3) Khetuvim – Wisdom. (the “writings”)

(1) LAW
– Rules, Boundaries, Rituals, External Authority
(2) PROPHETS
– Questions, Critique, Deconstruction, Internal Authority
(3) WISDOM
– Transcend and Include, Paradox, Grace, Humility

———–

Part A – Community

Refresh Verse(s):

1 Corinthians 12:
Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed… 4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good…12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many…

18 …God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body… 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

Asklepius – god of healing / medicine

Least Favorite Verse(s):

Hebrews 10:23-25:
23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

“NEED”

Consumerism vs. Community (Tap/Click here for the FULL POST)

There are two problems with [consumerism]; one theological and one practical. First, theologically speaking, consumerism is antithetical to the Gospel. Jesus (who “came to serve rather than be served”) said, “Take up your cross and follow me.” It is difficult to reconcile that with a consumerist worldview. Second, on a practical level, the problem with the consumer mentality is, nothing ever improves. How do you make a collective enterprise (like a team, church, or community) better when people assume it has to be better before they participate?

To put this another way, one of the central choices we have to make in life and in church – and it is a subtle choice that you often don’t realize you are making – is between Consumption and Community. Consumerism says, “Make things the way I want them to be, and I will show up.” Community says, “I’m going to show up and make things the way they need to be.”
Consumerism dooms all imperfect organizations to negative feedback loops. (Like the girls basketball team at my daughter’s school. A bad season caused some girls to opt out, which made the next season worse, which made more kids opt out. And so on and so forth until the whole program feels beyond redemption.) Community, on the other hand, creates the constant opportunity for renovation and revitalization. Consumerism exhausts and isolates leadership. Community creates an ever-growing sense of shared leadership.

And, if I might be so bold, Consumerism destroys Community… and vice versa.

Like Grace vs. Earning and Gratitude vs. Scarcity, Consumption vs. Community seems to be a definitive decision for all organizations, one that will impact all that follows. This is especially the case for churches. The quality of the music, the cogency of the sermons, the energy of the social events, only matter to the extent that they are layered on top of a commitment to be a Community church and not a Consumer church. When we make decisions about attending on Sunday mornings, about giving, about investing in community, about our young people’s investment and participation, this is the decision before us. Will we be (and teach them to be) Consumers or Community builders.

We hope we will choose the latter, because that is what has and always will change the world!

Challenges:

(1) Come to church (at least) 3 times a month.
1–>2; 2–>3; 3–>4.
(2) Come up with family rules for what reasons are valid to miss church.
(3) Attend one community gathering a quarter.
(4) Serve monthly on a Ministry Team (repeat from “discipleship” last week)

———–

Part B – Resources

Refresh Verse:

Matthew 6:19-24
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Leader: The word of the Lord.
Everyone: Thanks be to God.

Proverbs 23:6
“Eat not the bread of an evil eye, And have no desire to his dainties.”

Proverbs 22:9
“He that has a good eye shall have God’s blessing; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.”

Proverbs 28:22
“Troubled for wealth is the man with an evil eye, and he knoweth not that a worse poverty waits for him.”

Least Favorite Verse
Mark 10:21
“One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor. Then you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

Luke 19:8-9
“’Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’ … Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house.”

There is something in the act of giving that saves us. Or at the very least, there is something in us that remains unsaved until we figure out this generosity piece.

Challenges:

(1) For those already giving generously: Connect your giving with your faith/spiritual-formation. Don’t let giving be an autodraft/out-of-sight/out-of-mind-only event. Set a calendar reminder to coincide with automated giving. Say a prayer. Read a liturgy. Intentionally connect your giving to your faith.

(2) For those new to giving or jaded from past experiences: What small, conscious step can you take toward developing a “good eye”? Step up from 0 to 2 percent. Step up from 4 to 5 percent. Everyone’s step will be different. Whatever the step, make it a discipline. Make it habitual.

(3) For those facing deep financial hardship: There are seasons when giving (financially) isn’t an option. That season will almost certainly come to an end. When it does, the inertia of not giving will be hard to break.

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TaNaKH – Hebrew Scriptures

(1) Torah – Law.
(2) Navi’im – Prophets.
(3) Khetuvim – Wisdom. (the “writings”)

(1) LAW
– Rules, Boundaries, Rituals, External Authority
(2) PROPHETS
– Questions, Critique, Deconstruction, Internal Authority
(3) WISDOM
– Transcend and Include, Paradox, Grace, Humility

---

Part A – Kingdom

Refresh Verse(s):

Mark 1:15
“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Mark 4:16-32
26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”

Least Favorite Verse
Matthew 28:16-20
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Practical Challenge:
(1) Pray – Pray for the church to grow.
(2) Investigate – If you’re resistant to the idea of change and growth, look inward and ask why that is.
(If this place has offered you healing, you need to offer that to others.)
(3) Invite – Invite 1 new person/family a quarter.

---

Part B – Discipleship

Refresh Verse:
Luke 14:25-30
25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.
27And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.

Leader: The word of the Lord.
Everyone: Thanks be to God.

“The greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heartbreaking needs, is whether those who, by profession or culture, are identified as “Christians” will become disciples—students, apprentices, practitioners—of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to live the life of the Kingdom of the Heavens into every corner of human existence.” — Dallas Willard

Least Favorite Verse
1 Timothy 4:7-10 — “Train yourself to be godly. 8 “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” 9 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it. 10 This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people.”

“Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action.” — Dallas Willard

 

Practical Challenge:

(1) Inward Discipleship
– Engage in one “personal” discipline daily.
– Engage in one “communal” discipline weekly or biweekly.

(2) Outward Discipleship
– Serve at 2 outreach/missions events a year.
– Serve once a month on a ministry team.
(Children’s Ministry, Hospitality, Set-up, Music/Tech. – opportunity to sign up next week!)

Beautiful Scandalous Night

Go on up to the mountain for mercy
To the crimson perpetual tide
Kneel down on the shore
be thirsty no more
Go under and be purified

Follow Christ to the holy mountain
Sinner sorry and wrecked by the fall
Cleanse your heart and your soul
in the fountain that flows
For you and for me and for all

At the wonderful tragic mysterious tree
On a beautiful scandalous night you and me
We’re atoned by His blood
and forever washed white
On that beautiful scandalous night

On the hillside you will be delivered
At the foot of the cross justified
And your spirit restored
by the river that pours
From my blessed Savior’s side

At the wonderful tragic mysterious tree
On a beautiful scandalous night you and me
We’re atoned by His blood
and forever washed white
On that beautiful scandalous night

Go on up to the mountain for mercy
To the crimson perpetual tide
Kneel down on the shore
be thirsty no more
Go under and be purified

At the wonderful tragic mysterious tree
On a beautiful scandalous night you and me
We’re atoned by His blood
and forever washed white
On that beautiful scandalous night

At the wonderful tragic mysterious tree
On a beautiful scandalous night you and me
We’re atoned by His blood
and forever washed white
On that beautiful scandalous night

On that beautiful scandalous night
On that beautiful scandalous night

You Are Love & Love Alone

God and Father, great and holy
Fearing not, we come to Thee
Fearing not, though weak lowly
For Your love has set us free

And by the blue sky bending over
By the green earth’s flowery home
Teach us Lord the angel chorus
You are Love and love alone

You are Love and love alone
You are Love and love alone
You are Love and love alone
You are

Though the worlds in flame should perish
Sun and stars in ruin fall
Trust in Thee our hearts should cherish
Oh Lord be our all in all

With Your name the heavens praising
Angels hymn no sweeter tone
Than the songs our hearts are raising
You are Love and love alone

You are Love and love alone
You are Love and love alone
You are Love and love alone
You are

You are Love and love alone
You are Love and love alone
You are Love and love alone
You are

How perfectly our hearts
are made for love
(repeat 3x)

You are Love and love alone
You are Love and love alone
You are Love and love alone
You are

You are Love and love alone
You are Love and love alone
You are Love and love alone
You are