Week of October 1, 2017

There are several things to be aware of this week:

The CtR Men’s Ministry is hosting a night of football (Virginia Tech v. Clemson) and fun for the whole church family at 5:30 pm THIS Saturday, September 30th at Miles Smith’s house in Ghent Square. Burgers, dogs and drinks will be provided for the adults; the rest will be covered dish. Feel free to bring any dish you are famous (or for you lovers of super spicy stuff, infamous) for. They will have a cornhole set and plenty of room for the kids to run and play. Bring any yard games you’d like to share. Please park on Botetourt Gardens and RSVP Steven Dickinson or Miles Smith (so they know how many burgers/dogs to prepare) or click on this link to RSVP via email: mjsmithiv@gmail.com.
We still need your help!  Our building has seen a recent increase in rodent activity (four of our chairs in the sanctuary have been seriously damaged by our food seeking friends).  Until further notice, we must stop bringing food into the sanctuary (drink for the moment is allowed, but please be diligent about cleaning spills).  Parents, we also ask you to be sure to clean up after your children wherever they spend their ‘fellowship’ time  after worship. Thank you!
Bishop Steve Breedlove and his wife will be with us October 6th-8th – which is less than two weeks away! He will be addressing the entire congregation during Discipleship Hour at 9am, so please make plans to come early Sunday, October 8th to meet them.
Tuesday evening, October 17th, from 6-8pm we will host a pizza dinner in the Fellowship Hall for two missionaries from Egypt, who will share their experiences in mobilizing the Egyptian church to reach out to those around them and how we can pray and be of help to them in this vital ministry to Muslims in the Middle East.
Pastoral News:  Roy Bertram’s mother passed away yesterday morning. Our prayers go out to Roy and his family as they grieve their loss. Please keep them in your prayers.
The Leadership Council asks for your continued prayer and participation with our ‘Three to Five Year Goal’ :
“We are committed to SEEK the Spirit’s direction for INTENTIONAL GROWTH –in Depth and Breadth—LEADING to STABILITY and PERMANENCE of the ‘Mother’ and the BIRTH of a ‘Daughter’ Church.”
We commend this goal to all of us.
Looking forward to worshiping with you on Sunday.

A Reflection from the Daily Office

 

‘Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?…              Do you not know that we are to judge angels?”                                             1 Corinthians 6: 2,3

Stunning!

There is just no other word that can describe my response to Paul’s vision of and for the ‘Church’ in our epistle reading this morning. And remember, the Apostle writes to the most divisive, most infuriating, most troublesome community of all the churches he founded in the Mediterranean world!  The fact that he expects more from ‘them’, demands more of ‘them’, and believes that ‘they’ can live into this vision of ‘who they are in Christ’—is nothing less than stunning.

The Apostle does not mince words.  His message is direct and easily understood (though not easily embraced).  He is addressing some troubling news he has received about the Church in Corinth and writes with unabashed authority. In the first paragraph, he addresses the scandal of sexual sin resident within the community (a man has married his father’s wife, with the apparent approval of the church, 1 Cor. 5:1-8). Then, in the second, weighs in on the news that members of the church are taking their ‘brothers’ to court (1 Cor. 6: 1-8)!

In essence, the Apostle’s interest in the first paragraph is to PROTECT the ‘Church’; his intent in the second is to exhort the community to BE (or BECOME) the ‘Church’!

Paul is appalled by the slackness of the Corinthians sexual ethic- a ‘whatever’ kind of attitude.  He reminds them that a ‘little leaven leavens the whole lump’, and demands that they deal with the one who threatens to ‘leaven’ and ruin the church.  But this does not mean that they are to cut themselves off from all sexual sin or sinners!  Heaven forbid, since this would mean that they ‘would need to go out of the world’.  No, Paul’s concern is with the well-being of the body and its reputation within the wider world.  They are called to a higher vision for life—all of life, including their sexual lives!

He moves on then to the scandal of their economic relationships within the body.  Some who believe themselves wronged by another member have taken that member before the secular courts.  In his exasperation, the Apostle cries out, ‘Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?’

Again, his exhortation flows from his deep conviction as to ‘who’ the ‘church’ is—the New Humanity within God’s New Creation; the New People of God, the Renewed Stewards of God, reigning with and for the King within the Kingdom of the new and renewed cosmos.

In the same light, he asks rhetorically, ‘Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between brothers?’ (an interesting question posed to a community that prided itself in its ‘wisdom’).  And finally, he argues, that even if there were no ‘wise one’, the prudent and Christian thing to do would be to accept the wrong, absorb the loss, and forgive the ‘weaker’ brother.

The Apostles’ concern is not simply with the reputation of the ‘Church’ (though he is deeply concerned about that reputation). Rather, he is concerned with the true essence and identity of the ‘Church’.

He truly believes that, through the grace of God, we have become the ‘New Humanity’, and that we have been given the power to truly ‘BE’ that humanity; and this not simply for ourselves, but FOR the WORLD!

If the ‘Church’ does not live as ‘Church’ – and in ever increasing ways—then the message of God’s redeeming work and the assurance of God’s ultimate purposes will not be believed or embraced by others.

The Apostle does write with an admonishing tone, but that tone is founded upon a stunning reality.  Because of what God has done for us in and through his Son, WE can truly live as ‘sons and daughters of God’ (remember our gospel lesson today- ‘Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect’ Matthew 5:48.

The ‘exhortations’ of the Scriptures always begin as ‘invitations’—BECAUSE God has acted, ‘these things’ not only ‘can’ be done, but ‘must’ be done by those who receive the ‘invitation’.

We can BE the church.

We must BECOME the church.

By the grace of God, we shall.

Week of September 24, 2017

There are just a few upcoming things to keep in mind/put on your calendar:

1. There will be a brief time of preparation after worship THIS Sunday, September 24th for all who plan on being confirmed October 8th.

Why would one seek confirmation, and who should do so?  If you have been led into membership with our ‘local’ church,  Confirmation is a way of celebrating that movement while seeking the blessing and empowering of the wider church, through the laying-on-of-hands by our bishop.  If you have participated in our ‘Exploring Membership Class’ at any time in the past and would like to be confirmed, please speak directly to Brian+ and plan on being at the meeting after worship this coming Sunday

2. The CTR Men’s Ministry is hosting a night of football (Virginia Tech v. Clemson) and fun for the whole church family at 5:30 pm on Saturday, September 30th at Miles Smith’s house in Ghent Square. Burgers, dogs and drinks will be provided for the adults; the rest will be covered dish. Feel free to bring any dish you are famous (or for you lovers of super spicy stuff, infamous) for. We will have a cornhole set and plenty of room for the kids to run and play. Bring any yard games you’d like to share. Please park on Botetourt Gardens and RSVP Steven Dickinson or Miles Smith (so they know how many burgers/dogs to prepare) or click on this link to RSVP via email: mjsmithiv@gmail.com.

3. We need your help!  Our building has seen a recent increase in rodent activity (four of our chairs in the sanctuary have been seriously damaged by our food seeking friends).  Until further notice, we must stop bringing food into the sanctuary (drink for the moment is allowed, but please be diligent about cleaning spills).  Parents, we also ask you to be sure to clean up after your children wherever they spend their ‘fellowship’ time  after worship. Thank you!

4. Recently, the Leadership Council presented our ‘Three to Five Year Goal’ and asked for the prayers and participation of all associated with Christ the Redeemer:

“We are committed to SEEK the Spirit’s direction for INTENTIONAL GROWTH –in Depth and Breadth—LEADING to STABILITY and PERMANENCE of the ‘Mother’ and the BIRTH of a ‘Daughter’ Church.”

We commend this goal to all of us.

5. Looking Ahead:  Some important dates to remember:

October 6- 8:  Bishop Steve and Sally Breedlove’s visit and                                           Confirmation ceremony
October 17:      6-8 pm  An Evening of pizza and information with 2                              Christian workers who have been ministering to                                  Muslims in Egypt and the Middle East
February 2-4:  Women’s Retreat at the Oceanfront (mark your                                     calendar now!)

Looking forward to worshiping with you on Sunday.

 

A Reflection from the Daily Office

And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.

Matthew 4:23

It is difficult in our democratic times to grasp the reason for the intensity of the excitement people exhibited when Jesus “proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom’—literally, ‘the good news about the reality of God’s reign on earth’, or to put it another way: the time when the Creator’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven. THAT is what the ‘coming of the Kingdom’ signifies.  THAT is what was promised. THAT is what was yearned for.
But how are we to understand that reign? Why does the coming of THIS one bring this reality?
Some of the answers to those questions come from our psalm set for this day, Psalm 72 (this is the beauty of the lectionary as it brings together texts that help interpret one another).
The Psalm is from the pen of Solomon, David’s (natural) greater Son—the one who built God’s Temple and who exhibited God’s wisdom (prior to his own fall!).
The psalm begins with a request to God to give the King what he needs to fulfill the task he’s assigned:
Give the king your justice, O God and your righteousness to the royal son!”
‘Justice’ and ‘righteousness’ are the divine gifts required, but what is the task?
May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor.’
The gifts of God are to be used by the King on behalf of the people, and especially the poor of the people; he is to judge, defend, and give deliverance to them by crushing the oppressor.
The divine-human partnership is described in beautiful terms. As the Creator must take care of his creation (‘Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people’), so the King must take care of the people (‘May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth.’)
And what is the result when both of these things co-exist?
In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound till the moon be no more.”
Simply put, creation flourishes and humanity – at least the ‘righteous’ within humanity–thrives!
Solomon goes on (v. 8-17) to speak of this king in terms of all ‘other kings’:
He prays that the ‘Righteous King’ may ’have dominion’; that all other kings ‘bow down before him’, that ‘his enemies lick the dust’, that great kings ‘render him tribute’, and ‘all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him.’
And why should this be so?
For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper’.
Because he does what all kings should do; he fulfills the Creator’s will for his creation.
The gifts given to Israel’s king are intended for the entire creation. The task accomplished by Israel’s king leads to the fulfillment of the Creator’s will for the entire creation.
May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun!
May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed.”
According to Solomon, these are the gifts of God that are given when the Creator reigns through the Righteous King:  the creation itself flourishes, the righteous among humanity thrives!  It is something to get excited about.
Matthew would add one more component to Solomon’s ode: namely, that which is broken within creation will be healed!
‘”And (Jesus) went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.”
And to what end?  “So his fame spread throughout all Syria….”
Even at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, the entire creation is the goal.
It is something to get excited about!

Week of September 17, 2017

Update

The Fall is a time of new beginnings, and I urge you to take advantage of the season to act on the Spirit’s prompting in your life!  Here are some ways to do that:
First, ‘Discipleship Hour’ has begun and it is not too late to join in on the learning and fellowship.  We meet from 9:00 – 10:00 am on Sunday mornings with a focus on Stewardship-both financial and personal.  We are encouraging our Home Groups to participate together this season.  As a reminder:  The Reed, Fraser, and Brown groups are taking the ‘Financial’ class (along with the Leadership Council),  The Embry, Gyorfi, and Harper groups are participating in the ‘Gifts/Personal’ class.
Second, Our Confirmation Service takes place on Sunday, October 8.  Why would one seek confirmation, and who should do so?  If you have been led into membership with our ‘local’ church,  Confirmation is a way of celebrating that movement while seeking the blessing and empowering of the wider church, through the laying-on-of-hands by our bishop.  If you have participated in our ‘Exploring Membership Class’ and would like to be confirmed, please speak directly to Brian+ and plan on being at a brief time of preparation after worship on Sunday September 24.
Third, Last Sunday the Leadership Council presented our ‘Three-Five Year Goal’ and asked for the prayers and participation of all associated with Christ the Redeemer:
“We are committed to SEEK the Spirit’s direction for INTENTIONAL GROWTH –in Depth and Breadth—LEADING to STABILITY and PERMANENCE of the ‘Mother’ and the BIRTH of a ‘Daughter’ Church.”
We commend this goal to all of us.
Fourth, We need your help!  Our building has seen a recent increase in rodent activity (two of our chairs in the sanctuary have been seriously damaged by our food seeking friends).  Until further notice, we must stop bringing food into the sanctuary (drink for the moment is allowed).  Can we also ask parents to be sure to clean up after their children wherever they spend their ‘fellowship’ time  after worship?
Looking Ahead:  Some important dates to remember:
October 6- 8      Bishop Steve and Sally Breedlove’s visit
October 17          6-8 pm  An Evening of pizza and information with 2 Christian workers who have been ministering to Muslims in Egypt and the Middle East
February 2-4        Women’s Retreat at the Oceanfront (mark your calendar now!)
Looking forward to worshiping with you on Sunday.

A Reflection from the Daily Office

 

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 2:5
We come to ‘holy ground’ today in our Epistle reading; the text that Michael Gorman describes as “Paul’s Master Story.”  The ‘Story’ describes the Creator’s attitudes and actions towards and within his creation; in other words, God’s ‘history’ within ‘our world.’
It begins outside of ‘time and space’ by describing the ‘Son’s’ attitude and actions regarding his own status and dignity:
‘Though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.’
The eternal attitude of the ‘Son’ within the ‘Godhead’ is to NOT ‘grasp’ or ‘hold onto’ his own status and dignity; and this attitude both predates and determines all subsequent actions.
‘but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.’
The Incarnation is itself the first action that flows from the divine attitude, and it is stunning: the exchange of the divine status for that of our human one! But the story goes on:
‘And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.’
The exchange of status gives rise to the choice of an active, humble life of service, all in ‘(loving) obedience’ to his Father’s will; a choice that is utterly full, even unto death on the cross.
THIS is the record of the Creator’s attitude towards and actions for his Creation; one who ‘shared God’s intrinsic dignity’ chose this humble, sacrificial, obedient way of life.
And to what end?
‘Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’
The life of humble, sacrificial obedience to the Father and for the creation is matched by the Father’s ultimate vindication.  He-this humble human sacrifice- is ‘highly exalted’ (that is, exalted as highly as possible), and ‘bestowed the (divine) name’ (not given for the first time, but publicly declared for all time—and given to THIS human being).
This vindicated status has ultimate implications for all of creation and history: ‘EVERY knee shall bow…and EVERY tongue confess THAT JESUS THE MESSIAH is LORD’ –That THIS rejected and humiliated failure has been vindicated as the Lord of history, the Lord of Heaven and Earth.
And all of this is ‘to the glory of God the Father’—ordered according to the will and the plan of the Creator.
THIS is the story of the Creator’s history in and for his creation; and a stunning history it is!
But note, the reason that Paul retells the ‘Story’ is to remind his readers that the Creators’ history within creation (his attitude towards it, and the actions that flow from it) is to become the pattern and orientation of the creature!
Have THIS mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.’
WE are to have ‘THIS mind’ –literally, this MINDSET, this ORIENTATION towards life- ‘among ourselves’ – first and foremost within the Christian community, so that, secondarily, it may flow out to the wider creation.
THIS is the mindset that needs to shape our lives, in ever increasing ways!
For THIS is the only way of life that will be vindicated by the Father.
May this be increasing true for all of us.

Week of September 10, 2017

These are the events to be aware of happening at Christ the Redeemer in the coming week and beyond:

Chilldrens Ministry Volunteer Training: Jennifer Brown has been facilitating a training session for all volunteers in Children’s Ministry (Sunday School teachers, Discipleship Hour helpers, Nursery workers). This is mandatory for all current teachers and for any future volunteers.  If you want to get involved in this fun and vital ministry your last chance to attend training is this Saturday September 9th at 9:30 am at the church. Contact Jennifer to register or with questions: brownie7506@yahoo.com
Renovation Project Help Needed: We will be knocking down a wall in the church and need people and trucks this Saturday, September 9th. If you can help, please contact Bob Atwood for details – (314) 614-8629.

There are a number of things happening before, during and after this Sunday’s Worship:

  1. Discipleship Hour: will begin this Sunday, September 10th at 9 am. There will be two classes for adults and one for children. Details can be found on the website. All youth are welcome to participate in the adult classes.
  2. There will be a Liturgical Welcome for New Members during worship this Sunday, September 10th. (If you have attended membership classes in the past and have never participated in the Welcome ceremony, please feel free to join with us in this Sunday’s ceremony.)
  3. A Congregational Meeting will be held after worship this Sunday so that the Leadership Council may share with us many developments they have been working on.
Two Women’s Studies will begin this week: Wednesday, nights at 7 pm beginning September 13 and Thursday mornings at 9:15 beginning September 14. Details of the courses may be found on the website and in the bulletin insert. All women are encouraged to come to one or both of these opportunities.
Bishop Steve Breedlove and his wife, Sally, will be will us October 6th-8th. There will be a Confirmation ceremony on Sunday, October 8th during worship. If you desire to be confirmed on October 8th, you must contact Brian as soon as possible. There will be a short teaching time concerning the rite of confirmation after worship on Sunday September 24th. (Please note – for those who attended the Question and Answer session – the date has been changed from September 17th) 
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday.
Brian+

 

A Reflection from the Daily Office

“There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation, There is no health in my bones because of my sin.”
Psalm 38:3
The link between ‘sickness’ and ‘sin’ is a confusing and troubling thing.
It is true that for most of the ancient world –like David’s comments above—that link was very direct: IF you ‘sinned’ you would (or should) expect calamity; IF you experienced ‘calamity’, it was obviously due to your ‘sinfulness’.
Graciously, this line of thinking was challenged and overthrown by Jesus, both in his teaching and in his healing ministry (see John 9 for example).  The bottom line seems to be this: while there may be times when the link between ‘sickness’ and ‘sinfulness’ is direct (a result of our own faulty actions), and at other times indirect (a result of our sharing in the fault of the cosmos, that is, living in a fallen world), neither our ‘sickness’ nor our ‘sinfulness’ are outside of the redeeming grace of God.
If that is true, then the question becomes, how do we deal with our sickness when it arises?
I found myself drawn to David’s reflections in Psalm 38 this morning to answer that question.
First, note that David believes firmly that his ‘sickness’ (and a dire sickness at that—“My wounds stink and fester….there is no soundness in my flesh…the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me”) due to his ‘sinfulness’; that is, it is a sign of God’s judgement on his iniquities: “There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin.”
Second, even with this acknowledged direct connection, David does not find himself driven from the presence of God; instead, he finds himself drawn into that presence.  Note this wondrous statement David makes in the middle of his prayer:
“O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you.”
In the midst of his calamity, David receives the gift of clarity: All the trivialities of his life disappear; the one true longing of his life becomes crystal clear. Calamity does have a powerful way of focusing the mind and the spirit.
What is that longing?  David goes on to describe his present reality:  He is personally in deep distress (‘my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me’); his allies have deserted him (‘My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off.”), and his enemies have become emboldened (‘Those who seek my life lay their snares; those who seek my hurt speak of ruin and meditate treachery all day long’).
But how does this context impact David?  Surprisingly, with little or no effect:
But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear, like a mute man who does not open his mouth. I have become like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth are no rebukes.”
But what has grasped David’s focus?
But for you, O LORD, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.”
THIS is the longing of his heart. THIS is the focus of his mind and spirit.
His sickness and circumstances have stripped him down to the barest of foundations, and yet, even in that direst of places, he finds the will and the way to cry out to the One who IS his foundation.
David does go on to confess his sins (“I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin’) and ends by making his request to God for deliverance (“Do not forsake me, O LORD! O my God, be not far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation”).  However, the ‘gift’ of his ‘sickness’ (if we dare speak of it in this way) has revealed to him the ‘true longing’ of his life—his desire for and destiny in God.
Stripped down by life to our foundations, this, we discover, is the longing of all our hearts.