NW midweek Service

A time like never before.

This is a time like never before, regardless of how we ended up here, or who is telling us the “truth”, we are all dealing with a lot of first times right now.

Maybe first time working from home, first time teaching your kids, first time doing this many zoom meetings, first time wearing masks, or being asked to wear masks, and the list goes on an on.

Brene’ Brown talks about how we deal with first times. This is like the mother of all first times. So what do we do and where do we go from here?

She suggest three things to do, to deal with what she calls terrible first times.

Normalize It  

Put It Into Perspective

Reality Check Expectations  

1. Normalize it.

No one knows how to handle something like this, many of us are anxious, uncertain and afraid, and it’s OK to feel all of those things. It’s Ok to feel these things, but what are we going to do with it?

Feel what you are feeling, name it take away the power that it has in your life.

If you don’t own those feelings and feel them, they will eat you alive.

Just know whatever you are feeling you are not alone, someone else is struggling with the same things.

1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

This is new to all of us. We need each other. We need connection.

If you’re with people in your home, and you’re social distancing with a group of people, have a check-in: one word to describe what you’re feeling right now, and one thing you’re grateful for right now.

If you’re by yourself reach out and not text, get on zoom or Facetime or something where you can see people or hear people, and just say “one word check-in, what’s going on for you right now? What are you grateful for right now. Don’t do this alone.

2. Put It Into Perspective

There have been several things during this time that are disappointing. Missed events or milestone, births, weddings, graduations, church services, serving opportunities.

We don’t know when this will end, but we do know it’s not forever and if you’re a parent remember that perspective is a function of experience. The less experience, the less perspective. Maybe our kids or maybe our friends and neighbors are having a hard time feeling like this will never end, this will go on forever. It won’t!!

2 Peter 3:8–9 NIV

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Image of quarantine calendar.

The dates and times and when thing have happened might be all messed up for you right now. It might have felt like a thousand years, but its not. This will end, but for kids or those who haven’t had the experience sometimes we forget God’s goodness and his patience.

Don’t over spiritualize it. We can ignore what we or others are feeling and try to force people to just be spiritual, trust God, or be more faithful.

A lack of perspective is not always about selfishness, and we don’t make our kids tougher or more empathic towards others by diminishing their feelings. Disappointment is something that a lot of us are feeling right now, and it’s OK to feel disappointed. It’s OK to be safe, have enough food, have some resources and still feel disappointed. Because denying your disappointment doesn’t make you more empathetic towards people who have it a lot worse than you do, it makes us less empathetic.

It is ok to have feelings, its what we do with them.

Ephesians 4:26 NIV

“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,

So have some feelings, be frustrated, acknowledge the disappointment. But don’t sin. Put it into perspective and know that perspective comes from experience.

1 Samuel 17:34–37 NIV

But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”

normalize it, put it into perspective and

3. reality check expectations.

What happens next? I have no idea. When will this end? who will get sick? When can we go back to normal?

I have no idea. But God is in control and anyone who says the know exactly what will happen next is full of themselves.

I’m trying to remember what it says in Proverbs 3

Proverbs 3:5–8 NIV

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

What does trusting in God look like right now for you? What does not leaning on your own understanding look like?

I think the answer to both of these is rooted in our making Jesus Lord, it’s being disciples of his.

this week I read the epitah of a missionary. Karen Watson wrote her own epitaph.

Karen served as a missionary to Iraq and was killed, along with three others by an unidentified attacker on March 15, 2004. Karen had written a letter to her pastors in the United States to be read upon her death. Below are excerpts from that letter:

Dear Pastor Phil and Pastor Roger,

You should only be opening this letter in the event of my death. When God calls, there are no regrets. I tried to share my heart with you as much as possible, my heart for the Nations. I wasn’t called to a place. I was called to Him. To obey was my objective; to suffer was expected. His glory was my reward. His glory is my reward…

The missionary heart: • Cares more than some think wise • Risks more than some think safe • Dreams more than some think practical • Expects more than some think possible

I was called not to comfort or success but to obedience…There is no joy outside of knowing Jesus and serving Him. I love you two and my church family.

In His care, Karen

This reminds me of the kind of heart God is looking for, the kind of person I want to become.

This can be an opportunity for this to be a time like never before!

Karen’s words are a higher calling “…to obey was my objective; to suffer was expected. His glory is my reward…I was not called to comfort or success but to obedience…There is no joy outside of knowing Jesus and serving Him.”

This is the kind of mindset that changes the world, and it is so foreign to so many.

As we strive to be and make disciples it will cost us. It will cost us a life of convenience. It will cost us in time, emotion, effort, and money. It will require us to say “no” to other interests in order to make Christ’s last command your first concern (Matthew 28.18-20 ESV).

I want to change the world. I love the call to make disciples and to always be falling more in love with God. There are seasons where that has been more challenging than others.

This is one of those times for me. I’ve had some times during quarantine that I have been inspired easily in my times with God and other times where it has been more difficult.

I’ve been reading through the Bible with a few friends. We started in Matthew months ago and now we are in Numbers. I was struggling when we first started numbers. It was all about the tent of meeting and the tabernacle - counting the tribes…

Have you felt similarly? Have you felt stuck at all?

Sometimes I just need to do something different to “remain in the vine” like John 15:4 talks about.

I found a plan on the Bible app that talks about each chapter in Numbers and it’s been so helpful. It’s really helped me and challenged me.

During this time of Covid it has been weird.

I was talking to another sister that was feeling sad and she didn’t totally know why. We talked more and she shared she had been having her quiet times but wondered if maybe something different would help. She was feeling stuck too.

I’ve learned so many things from my times in Numbers. I did a lesson for the church on the blog but some of the stand out things for me from Numbers were

God is leading us -are we paying attention- are we asking God for guidance and are we listening - some of that may seem kind of crazy and out of the box but God is working.

God takes grumbling seriously- has my heart been content with God and all he’s doing or am I bugged and ready for things to go back to normal

Humility is crucial- God is all powerful and am I really trusting him or trying to take over

We need to trust God not just ourselves.- am I getting anxious about all the details or am I really trusting God.

Ann recorded a lesson on the blog, she digs into this a lot more, I’d encourage you to listen to it.

https://www.denverchurchofchrist.org/where-are-we-going

Jesus called each of His disciples to a radical devotion to Him and commitment to His cause.

God calls us to really following him in faith.

Several years ago, I heard this a poem simply titled, “Fellowship of the Unashamed”. The story of its authorship is not clear; however, Louise Robinson Chapman, a veteran missionary to Africa (1920-1940) writes that the poem was found among the papers of a young Pastor in zimbabwe after he was martyred for his faith in Christ.

I want you to listen to these words and as you listen try to how the holy spirit is call you to respond. Together we can be used by God for This to be a time like never before.

Watch video.

Text to share in the chat.

“I’m a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I’m a disciple of His and I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I’m done and finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, or first, or tops, or recognized, or praised, or rewarded. I live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by Holy Spirit power. My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven. My road may be narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my guide is reliable and my mission is clear. I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence of the adversary. I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won’t give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He does come for His own, He’ll have no problems recognizing me. My colors will be clear!”

Right now I’m going to put people into rooms and have you brain storm the following question. Pick a secretary and put the ideas in the chat when we come back together.

What To Do? Let’s discuss this

How do we help the non-tech people in the church stay connected?

Love languages, call them,

Who is willing to host in person micro site church service? What the online church, have communion together and connect.

Wards?

How can we connect with someone in the church?

Make a call, prayer walk, get together face to face (social distanced), grab coffee, meeting with someone once a week. Rotating prayer times with each person in my group.

How can we reach those seeking God right now?

ask someone to study the bible, do a crafting time, use the dog to meet people, give out garden veggies, collaborating with older neighbors, share faith at work,