Thursday, February 27, 2020

New Heaven and a New Earth (Sermon February 23, 2020)


Going Deeper
By Pat Russell

“New Heavens and a New Earth”– Isaiah 65:17-25
Sermon by Bruce Spear

This week Pastor Bruce gave several scriptural pictures of the “New Heaven and a New Earth.”  Our God created the first heaven and earth from nothing and will keep on creating into eternity.  It is his nature to take the old and make the new.  Pastor Bruce put it something like this, “God moves creation from all that is old and dysfunctional to what is new and wholly functional.”

If you would like to move in the direction of a new creation, one way is to read each Scripture verse or passage on the handout, underlining at least one aspect of the “new” that you are excited to think about happening.  For instance, from the Revelation 21:1, 3-4 passage I would underline “God’s dwelling place is now among the people.”  Then reflect on why that makes you excited.  Example: “I am excited to experience the direct presence of God like it might have been with Jesus.”

Another way to become a new creation is to meditate on this phrase from Isaiah chapter 11: “…for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord.”  Consider this thought about knowledge from Dallas Willard in Renovation of the Heart: “Knowledge, in the biblical language never refers to what we today call ‘head knowledge,’ but always to experiential involvement with what is known – to actual engagement with it.”  What would be the difference in the earth if it were filled with the knowledge OF the Lord instead of the knowledge ABOUT the Lord?  What about your knowledge of the Lord – is it OF or ABOUT him?  Express your desire to the Lord.

Lastly, read this quote by Karl Barth again: “If man does not seriously wait for Jesus Christ, at bottom he will not be hopeful about anything else.  Daily hope can persist only where it is itself eternal hope… The promised future is not only that of the day of the Lord at the end of all days, but it is also for today and tomorrow.”  Pastor Bruce put it like this, “The great hope leads to small hopes.”  How does your “great hope” impact your “daily hope”?  Pray about this connection.


By Pat Russell in follow-up to the sermon.
Feel free to email me to express your thoughts and experience with this passage.

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

The Kind of Fast God Loves (Sermon February 16, 2020)


Going Deeper
By Phil Wood for Pat Russell

"The Kind of Fast God Loves" – Isaiah 58:1-12
Sermon by Bruce Spear

In this week's sermon, pastor Bruce drew a clear distinction between sins of COmission and sins of Omission, and pointed out that God is just as concerned (perhaps more so) about the good things we don't do as he is with the bad things that we do.

Bruce suggested that our normal human tendency, when praying our prayers of confession, is to focus on the things we have done that we believe may have angered God, while we remain blind to the needs of others that we have ignored. This is a great issue to bring to the Lord in quiet meditation. Ask him to search your heart, and open your eyes to any sins of omission that may be apparent to him but may have escaped your own awareness.

Here's an exercise in the discipline of examen that you may find helpful. At the close of the day, find a quiet place and give yourself a few moments to become still, perhaps by deeply breathing in the peace of God, and breathing out the anxiety and pressures of the day. When you have achieved stillness of mind and heart, imagine yourself sitting with Jesus, just the two of you together, reviewing each thing that happened during your day.

Recall each event one at a time and let Jesus push the pause button on any event he wants you to examine more closely. Was there something you did or said that could have been more loving or Christ-like? Was there a need expressed or apparent that you didn't notice or pay attention to at the time? Was there a nudging from the Holy Spirit that went unheeded?

After reviewing all the events you can think of, ask Jesus to point out anything you may have forgotten, anything you should have seen going on but didn't, anyone you passed by who could have used a helping hand. Ask forgiveness for any such omission he may point out to you. And make him a promise to do better tomorrow.

Read Isaiah 58:1-12 again. Look for the things that break God's heart. Notice how God brings these questions right down to our individual hearts. It's about how our individual hearts are focused, and it's about the actions we take and the things we do or don't do in our individual lives. By laying our hearts open to God about these matters, by becoming increasingly aware of the needs of people God brings into our lives, we can become more like the people he created us to be.

Going more deeply in this direction is not an easy choice to make. It means our own hearts will be as broken as God's. But it's something God obviously cares about a lot. And it's worth exploring the subject with him.

Sunday, February 9, 2020

Holy Seed (Sermon February 9, 2020)


Going Deeper
By Pat Russell

"Holy Seed" – Isaiah 6
Sermon by Pat Russell

This week take time to read this passage again.  Read it slowly and let your mind go with Isaiah to this very holy place.  See the Lord, his eyes, his robe.  See the seraphim and the smoke filling the house.  Hear them singing, hear the doorposts and thresholds shake.  Sit in this place.

Now, what do you say to the Lord?
What happens to you?
What might he be saying to you?
Does he have something for you to be or do?

Be still and listen.

Consider how you have been a burned stump.

Consider how Jesus is the holy seed in you.

Write a prayer of worship, like the seraphim.
Sing the song, “Holy, Holy, Holy.

Additional Scripture from the sermon:
Psalm 103:11-14
Matthew 13:9-16
Isaiah 43:19
Isaiah 11:12
Romans 8:32

Friday, February 7, 2020

An Offering for Sin (Sermon February 2, 2020)


Going Deeper
By Pat Russell

“An Offering for Sin” –  Isaiah 53:7-12
Pastor Bruce Spear, February 2, 2020

Today as you re-read this passage, recall how the word pictures of Isaiah are descriptions of Jesus.  Go to one of the Gospels and re-read the story of Jesus’ crucifixion.  Allow yourself to become aware of what both your head (thoughts, ideas, pictures) and your heart (feelings, emotions, movement of your spirit) are telling you.
The brokenness of Jesus is depicted here in phrase after phrase.  Read this quote given to us from Susan Leonard.  Consider how His brokenness and your brokenness are woven together.  How might you offer your brokenness to Him?
“Maybe the love gets in easier when the heart is broken open. Maybe our hearts are meant to be broken. Broken open. Broken free. Maybe the deepest wounds birth the deepest wisdom.
"The seed breaks to give us the wheat. The soil breaks to give us the crop, the sky breaks to give us the rain, the wheat breaks to give us the bread.  And the bread breaks to give us the feast. There was even an alabaster jar that broke to give Him all the glory. Never be afraid of being a broken thing.
"God sees the broken as the best and He sees the best in the broken and He called the wounded to be the world changers. 
"Wounds are what break open the soul to plant the seeds of a deeper growth.”

Ann Voskamp, The Broken Way – A Daring Path into the Abundant Life


By Pat Russell as follow-up to the sermon.
Please feel free to email me to express your thoughts and experience with this passage.

The Suffering Servant (Sermon January 26, 2020)


Going Deeper
by Pat Russell

“The Suffering Servant” –  Isaiah 52:13-53:6
Pastor Bruce Spear, January 26, 2020

Pastor Bruce has been focusing on the Servant Songs in Isaiah.  These are messages about the Servant in the time of the Israelite captivity in Babylon.  The songs are meant to give hope to a people who have lived for decades in captivity under the rule of a nation that did not understand their needs, sorrows, and desire for “home.”  And, for that matter, really did not care.  These were the years of exile.  These were the years of Esther and Daniel.  These were the years of suffering.

We stand in our present era and look back at this passage, seeing so clearly the person of Jesus in every verse.  So did the Gospel writers in their era.  That is why they quote Isaiah more than any other book of the Old Testament, except for Psalms. 

And yet, the people of Isaiah’s time did not know of Jesus.  Try reading this passage from the perspective of someone who does not know anything about Jesus; someone who is a captive in another land.  Describe the person in this passage:  what is he like; what was his purpose in life; how does who he is impact you in your captivity?

Look at Pastor Bruce’s translation and pick a phrase from one of the verses that you would like to meditate on.  Remember as best you can some of the thoughts that Pastor Bruce presented to us.  Picture Jesus.  Then simply read the verse over and over letting the words go down deep into your soul.  Become still; take a deep breath; allow the Spirit to speak to your soul.

Lastly, memorize Philippians 2:6-11.  This is another song, but it comes from the New Testament era.  Let the words of this song become your song.  Let this song of Jesus be your pattern in life.

By Pat Russell in follow-up to the sermon.
Feel free to email me to express your thoughts and experience with this passage.

The Hope of Restoration (Sermon January 19, 2020)


Going Deeper
by Pat Russell

“The Hope of Restoration” – Isaiah 49:1-18
Pastor Bruce Speer

You will need the handout for this Sunday for this exercise.  In this scripture passage, we can see the eternal character of God’s hope.  What is your definition of hope?  How would you tie hope with restoration?

If we go to the ancient past, we read in this passage of the hope that Isaiah brings to God’s people who are held in captivity in Persia.  Read the entire passage out loud and let the words of restoration flow over you.  Imagine yourself in captivity.  How would these words impact you?  What verses mean the most to you?

But this hope is not only for those ancient times.  Strikingly, this passage sounds very much like Jesus.  Now read the scripture phrases followed by a number in parentheses along with the corresponding verses that talk about Jesus.  If you lived in the time of Jesus and you knew your Isaiah scripture, what would you think about Jesus – what he said, what he did?  How might this knowledge impact your thoughts of hope of restoration?  How do you think Jesus was impacted by knowing this Isaiah passage?

Finally, the hope of restoration from Isaiah 49 is meant for us in this day.  Take each description of hope that Pastor Bruce wrote out and pray about how that characteristic applies to you.
1.     Hope gives courage to the Servant of the Lord.
2.     Hope seeks the tangible restoration of land, freedom, and children.
3.     Hope is sustained by the LORD’s undying love.

If you care to share your thoughts with me, I would be most interested and will reply.  patannruss@gmail.com.

The Servant of the Lord (Sermon January 12, 2020)


Going Deeper

by Pat Russell



“The Servant of the Lord”-- Isaiah 42:1-9

Pastor Bruce Spear



Pastor Bruce emphasized the truth that “…a bruised reed (the Lord) will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench…” (Isaiah 43:3a).  The woman caught in adultery was a bruised reed when she was brought before Jesus by the Pharisees.  This week take some time to picture Jesus as he encountered this woman.  Read John 8:1-11.  Enter the story; become a person in this story. 



I have included questions that might lead you more fully into what you read.  This exercise is about using your imagination to be right there with Jesus. When we enter an account in the Bible, our minds and feelings can become more aware of what the Lord is saying to us. Read the story once very slowly.  Then read through these questions.  Read the story again and let the Lord take you into His presence. 



Here are questions to encourage your meditation:



Where are you standing? In the shadows, with the Pharisees, beside Jesus, beside the woman, with the disciples, somewhere else?

What does Jesus’ face look like when the Pharisees tell their story about this woman?

What do the people around you do or say?  What do you think about this woman?

How do you react when Jesus bends down and writes with his finger on the ground? What do you feel and think when Jesus finally says something?
Look into his face when he speaks to the woman.  What do you see in his eyes? What do you hear in his tone of voice?

As you walk away, what will you take with you?

           

Baptism and Communion (Sermon January 5, 2020)


Going Deeper
By Pat Russell

“Baptism and Communion”- selected Scripture passages.

Pastor Bruce Spear, January 5

This first Sunday of the New Year, we participated in two sacraments, Baptism and Communion.  Pastor Bruce gave us a very clear definition of a “sacrament.”  “A sacrament is both a visible sign of our salvation and transformation in Jesus Christ and a sacred pledge of fidelity to Jesus.” He pointed out that a “sign” points to something that God has already done.  So, in your Baptism and when you enter into Communion, those sacraments point to different and some common truths.

Look on your handout and you will see that Pastor Bruce has spelled them out very clearly. Under Baptism, read #1 and then read Titus 3:3-7.  Read #2 and then read Romans 6:3-4.  Read #3 and then read Col. 2: 9-12.  Finally, read #4 and then read Matthew 28: 18-19.  Underline the words in Scripture that affirm the numbered sentences.  Which, if any, of these concepts is confusing or difficult for you to believe?  How might you address your questions?

If you were at church Sunday, what did it make you think and/or feel when you sprinkled the waters of Baptism on your head in reaffirmation of your fidelity to Jesus once again?  Or maybe something else struck you about this sacrament.  If you have not been baptized, would you like to consider being baptized?  If so, feel free to contact Pastor Bruce.

Read through statements 5 through 8 concerning Holy Communion.  With which of those statements do you most connect?  Why is that so for you? 

Think:  what is something new I have learned or experienced in this first Sunday of the New Year?

Now, if you like, pray this prayer of confession by Billy Graham, as an affirmation of your desire to serve God.

Our Father and our God, as we stand at the beginning of this new year, we confess our need of Your presence and Your guidance as we face the future.  We each have our hopes and expectations for the year that is ahead of us – but You alone know what it holds for us, and only You can give us the strength and the wisdom we will need to meet its challenge.  So, help us to humbly put our hands into your hand, and to trust You and to seek Your will for our lives during this coming year.  In the midst of life’s uncertainties in the days ahead, assure us of the certainty of Your unchanging love.  In the midst of life’s inevitable disappointments and heartaches, help us to turn to You for the stability and comfort we will need.  In the midst of life’s temptations and the pull of our stubborn self-will, help us not to lose our way but to have the courage to do what is right in Your sight, regardless of the cost….And so our Father, we thank You for the promise and hope of this new year, and we look forward to it with expectancy and faith.  This I ask in the name of our Lord and Savior, who by His death and resurrection has given us hope both for this world and the world to come.  Amen.

Life with God (Sermon December 29, 2019)


Going Deeper
by Pat Russell

“Life with God” – Psalm 63:1-7 

Pastor Bruce Spear

With this sermon we are going to explore some ways to answer Pastor Bruce’s question: “YBH =Yes But How?”  How do we develop a life with God; how do we earnestly seek Him; how do we feel our hunger, thirst, and desire for him?  Much of the answer to those questions is about putting yourself in a place where you are open to meeting with God. He does not force himself on you; he waits for you to open invite his presence.  So, let’s take the scripture passage from today and do just that…

Suggestion one:  Psalm 63:1-7 expresses the psalmist’s deep desire for God. Read the psalm over slowly. Let yourself feel the words in your body.  There are many lovely feeling words in this psalm.  For instance, remember what it felt like for you to “earnestly seek” someone or something.  Now let yourself earnestly seek God. Sit quietly.  When you sense that you are finished with one phrase, move on to another.

Suggestion two:  Read the psalm to familiarize yourself with it.  Read it again slowly.  See if there is a phrase to which you are particularly drawn.  Hold that phrase in your mind and spirit as a quiet prayer. Simply be still with those words.  Don’t try to analyze them, but if you have a picture come to mind, enjoy that picture.  After you are finished, maybe you would like to journal what God put in your mind and heart.  Or draw a picture. Or sing a song. Or take a walk.

Suggestion three:  Pastor Bruce talked about ways to help with a distracted mind.  Pick one of his suggestions and experiment with it as you are spending time with God.

1.      When you get distracted, say the “Jesus Prayer” over and over or say even a small part of it, like his name –“Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.” You could create your own “Jesus Prayer.”

2.     Pick a Fruit of the Spirit and dwell on it – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  When you realize that you are distracted, immediately go to your word. Imagine hungering for this “fruit.”

3.     Carry a piece of hard candy or a raisin with you into your time with him.  When you get distracted, pop that raisin into your mouth.  Slowly repeat this series of words from I Corinthians 13 – faith, hope, love; faith, hope, love while you suck on the sweetness in your mouth.  Let the words become the “sweetness” of Jesus in you.

Suggestion four:  Make your sacred space where you can meet God on a regular basis – a favorite chair, in front of a certain window, a closet space, in front of a picture or a candle, while walking.  Then plan a time when you best meet with God.  Go to your sacred space like going to a coffee shop to meet with your dearest friend. Talk to him; listen to him; wait for him; simply be with him.  

In all of these suggestions remember what Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it shall be given you; search and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you.” He wants to meet you, sometimes simply to be with you, not to always tell you what to do or say.  Simply BE with him.

God With Us (Sermon Christmas Eve 2019)


Going Deeper
by Pat Russell

“God with Us”Gospel Readings from Matthew and Luke.  
Pastor Bruce Spear, Christmas Eve

The two names of Jesus that Pastor Bruce talked about were Yeshua (or Jeshua) and Emmanuel.  “Yeshua,” meaning “He saves us from our sin,” helps us with our resistance and lack of gratitude toward God.  “Emmanuel" meaning "God with us,” is best seen through His blessings in nature and in our relationships, particularly His direct and personal relationship with us.

We can have a “conversational relationship” with God.  What does a conversation with God look like in your life?  Are most of your prayers asking for something?  Your conversation with God might look like your conversations with others which could be good or bad.  Spend some time stepping back from your conversations with others looking at how you communicate.  Is this how you communicate with God?  If it is different, why?  How might you change your prayers to make them more like a conversation?

In a conversation, it is important to recognize the tone and content of the other’s voice.  We get very good with this within our families, but how can we recognize the tone and content of God’s voice?  Here are some thoughts from Jan Johnson, author and retreat speaker…

Recognizing the Tone and Content of God’s Voice 

TONE:  Recognizing the voice of God requires that we know the spirit of God’s voice. Dallas Willard writes, “Is [the tone of God’s voice] slow or fast, smooth or halting in its flow, indirect or to the point? A voice may be passionate or cold, whining or demanding, timid or confident, coaxing or commanding. This is . . . a matter of personal characteristics that become tangibly present in the voice. [God’s voice] is a spirit of exalted peacefulness and confidence, of joy, of sweet reasonableness, and of will for the good” (p. 177 of Hearing God).

The tone of God’s voice flows from God’s character, which is love. Even when the tone of God’s voice is bold or firm, it still flows from God’s character of love: patient, kind, not bragging or prideful, not rude or self-seeking, not easily irritated; keeping no record of wrongs; not delighting in evil but rejoicing with truth (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). Unlike us, God knows how to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).

The tone of Jesus’ voice in particular comes from one who grew up hearing God’s voice every day of his life:  The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy

A simple self-test is to read aloud what God has said in Scripture. What tone do you read it with?  Does that tone reflect the character of God?  If not, try rereading it aloud until it does. This is quite intriguing to do. Test yourself with the phrases below or others that come to you.
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:2-3).
You might also try Isa 43:1; Matt 5:23-24; Matt 5:37; Matt 5:46; Mark 9:19 from the October Institute session; Mark 10:42-45; Luke 4:18-19; Luke 21:34-35.

This material on tone comes from Session 4 of Learning to Hear God by Jan Johnson. Indications of the Voice of God come from a lecture given by Rev. Peter Lord of Titusville, Florida and are further detailed in his book, Hearing God. 

Joseph (Sermon December 22, 2019)


Going Deeper
by Pat Russell

“Joseph” – Luke 1:18-25
Pastor Bruce Spear

As I sit to write this, it is Christmas Eve.  Advent is coming to an end because the arrival of His birth is upon us.  Pastor Bruce’s sermon this last Sunday of Advent presented us with two questions to consider.  Perhaps during these holidays, you could take some time to ponder your thoughts around these questions.

The first is “how might I be able to love like Joseph?” 

His desire to live a righteous life was coupled with his desire to treat Mary respectfully.  He spent time considering how to act towards Mary, whose actions were disappointing to him.  He listened to what the Lord said to him through the angel in his dream.  He acted on the deeper Voice versus the public voice.  He protected her while honoring his tribal duty when he took her with him to Bethlehem.  He chose to take Mary and the Child to safety in Egypt when going home would have been more comfortable.

The second is “how might God be speaking to me through my dreams?”

Here are some phrases from our handout.  Pick one and discuss it with someone else.

“Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.”  Acts 2:17

“All dreams in Scripture have something in common.  They represent the intrusion of God into our world – an unbidden communication in the dark of night that opens sleepers to a world different from the one they inhabit during the day – an intrusion that generates a restless uneasiness with the way things are until the vision and the dream come to fruition….So the story of God’s goodness and grace is written in the language of dreams written upon the human heart.”   Susan R. Andrews

“Do we not quickly dismiss dreams if we can even recall them a few moments after we awake?  The dream, however, was enough for Joseph.”    Daniel Harris

“Dreams give your soul wings.  And images from dreams are the exquisite patterns on the wings.  Hold your dream as you would hold a butterfly – in your open, quiet palms.”   Jill Merrick

One way to hold your dream delicately is given to us by David Benner in his book, Care of Souls.
Ask the Lord to give you memory of your dreams and give you discernment as you consider them.  Keep a pad of paper nearby your bed so that as soon as you wake up you can record as much as you can remember.  Dreams may fade quickly if we do not write them down.  After writing everything down that you remember, give your dream a title.  Then, what was the theme of your dream?  Next, what was the affect (emotional impact) of your dream on you?  Finally, what questions did your dream raise for you? 

Here is an example of a dream I had in October.  I won’t write the whole dream but here are the answers to the questions.  Title: Becoming a Farm Wife.  Theme: integrating into a new community.  Affect: proud that I could do it, and embarrassed that I fell down while leaning in the doorway.  I felt love for the family and the farmer. Questions: what is my new community?  Why should I be entering a new community?  I felt older than the farmer, where do I feel too old for what I am about to do?  I was in Nebraska or Iowa where big farming is taking place; what in my life feels too big for me?

Give it a try.  You never know what the Lord might want you to consider in your life?

Advent: Holy Infusion (Sermon December 15, 2019)


Going Deeper
by Pat Russell

 Advent:  Holy Infusion” Luke 1:39-56 

Joel Adams, guest minister

To begin his sermon, Joel made the point that during Advent we have an opportunity to see God in a new way. Then Joel asked us this question:  How do we become more aware of the infusion of God during this Advent season?

Think about that word “infusion.” Look it up in your dictionary.  Contemplate what it means for God to “infuse” your life.
           
Take time to read the scripture passage again.  This story of Mary impressed Joel in two ways:
1.     In the commonness of the people involved and their life situations. What is common to you in this story? 
2.     In the “wildness” of things that happened.  What would you say is “wild” or out of the ordinary in this story?

Where have you experienced God breaking into your ordinary life in the past week, in the past month?  He might not have sent an angel to speak to you but in some way He made himself known to you -- that He was aware of you, that He showed you something beautiful and holy, that He comforted you, that He gave a gift you were not expecting, that you experienced Love.  How has that experience changed your view of God?

When Joel told the story about the gathering of pastors from various cultures, especially about the pastor whose wife died in another country and he could not go back to bury her, the sanctuary became very quiet.  Did you notice?  Why do you think that happened? Could this have been God breaking into our gathering?  What might He have wanted to say to us, to you?  Something to think about….