Ready for an ADVENTure?

This coming Sunday begins the season of Advent. This is the season of preparation, including four Sundays, that helps us get ready for Christmas. The term Advent comes from the Latin, adventus, which literally means, coming. It is during this season when we commemorate the first coming of the Messiah in the Christ child while looking forward to the second coming of Jesus and the complete institution of the Reign of GOD. It is a season of excitement, anticipation, and focusing on the adventure of a life lived in GOD!

Advent is not Christmas, even though culturally we see a lot of bleed-over. Just as soon as the Halloween jack-o-lanterns are put away, the Christmas decorations appear and festive music begins to hit the airwaves. We tend to get so inundated with the approaching holidays, that by the time the Thanksgiving turkeys are ready for lunch, the Christmas season has already begun. Then, once December 26^th arrives, we are so over Christmas that we are ready to put away our decorations and the stores are trying to prepare us for Valentine’s Day. The problem is, by then we have just entered into the Christmas season and are to begin celebrating GOD’s gift to us of Jesus. When you think about it, it really is sad.

The church really wants us to be more intentional about our preparation for Christmas, hence the season of Advent. Advent is designed to help us strategically prepare our lives for the miracle of Christmas. This way, by the time the big day has arrived, the excitement and anticipation has built to a fever pitch that we are so ready for the celebration that we do not want it to end! So as we go through these next four weeks of Advent, we will focus on the hope, peace, joy, and love of GOD so that we are almost ready to burst with excitement and anticipation that comes with Christmas. Thinking of it this way, Advent should be much more like an adventure than the motions through which we go to mark the days off of a calendar.

To help us order our preparation for Christmas this Advent, we will refocus on our Be Part of the Miracle ministry emphasis. Since the miracle is GOD’s presence and activity in, for, and through us – despite how little we actually deserve it – Advent is the perfect time to think about the miracle of GOD. For at Christmas, GOD broke into our human history in the person of Jesus, born humbly in a manger in Bethlehem. That birth, with the star, angels, shepherds, wise men, and such began the adventure of salvation that GOD invites us all to participate in and enjoy. So this Sunday, Pastor John and I will introduce our Advent message series: Be Part of the CHRISTMAS Miracle! These are the topics we will cover during our Advent series…

1.      December 2: Be Part of the Christmas Miracle

2.      December 9: Be Part of the Miracle of Generosity

3.      December 16: Be Part of the Miracle of Family

4.      December 23: Be Part of the Miracle of Celebration

5.      December 24: Be Part of the Miracle of New Life...the Miracle of Jesus

This season will also encompass a special mission giving emphasis, so we can help spread the miracle across the globe! One idea is to make a missions gift to the church equal to, or greater than, the amount of money you would spend on a gift for a loved one. We will have special receptacles available to receive your gifts to help be part of the Christmas miracle for others.

I hope you will make every effort to come and be part of this ADVENTure as we prepare for the glory of Christmas! When GOD came in Jesus, everything else was different forever. It was a miraculous event that still causes miracles today. So come, be a part of this series, and make a point to be a miracle for someone else, introducing them to the love and light of GOD in Christ Jesus this Advent, Christmas, and beyond!

Hope to see you Sunday as we begin this ADVENTure together!

Pastor Mark 

A Thanksgiving Tradition

Do you like candy corn? I think I do. I mean I have eaten my weight in it over my lifetime, but in the pantheon of sweets, it isn’t one I crave. It holds a special place in my heart, though, because of a tradition that I first experienced during a Thanksgiving dinner with my family in Cordele. My aunt would place five pieces of candy corn at every place setting, and before we had our blessing, she would recount the story of the first Thanksgiving and offer a symbolic meaning to the candies. That story goes something like this:

During the Pilgrims’ first winter in America, they faced horrible famine. Food was so scarce that most days the Pilgrims only had a daily ration of five kernels of corn apiece. How did they survive this hardship? By giving in to bitterness and despair? No. The Pilgrims chose to trust in the LORD, regardless of their circumstances. They chose to thank GOD for His provision, no matter the size. Those five kernels of corn were a blessing, and it is the blessing of Thanksgiving – from that first one to this one – that we celebrate together in light of our faith in GOD’s goodness and provision.

This Thanksgiving, consider placing five kernels of corn (whether you use candy corn, regular corn, popcorn, etc.) at each place setting. Then spend a few minutes before the meal going around the table and having everyone share five things for which they are thankful. As you do this, here is a guide to remind you of those five kernels of corn and the thanksgiving we give to GOD for His abundant provision, even when things seem lean.

1         1.    The first kernel reminds us that GOD loves us.

2. The second kernel reminds us that GOD provides for all our needs.
3. The third kernel reminds us of the friends GOD has given us — just as the Native Americans were  friends to the Pilgrims.
4. The fourth kernel reminds us of all the people GOD has given us who love us.
5. And the fifth kernel reminds us that GOD hears our prayers and answers us.

May it be a blessed Thanksgiving for you and your family! And know that in all ways and all things, GOD is good and His love endures forever!

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; His love endures forever!

(Psalm 107.1)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pastor Mark 

Playing Triangle in John Williams’ Orchestra

I am a big fan of movie soundtracks. I love how composers are able to capture and convey the emotion in a scene and give it life with their melodious accompaniment. Being the movie soundtrack aficionado I am, I believe that John Williams set the standard for memorable and powerful themes. You might not know John Williams by name, but I have no doubt whatsoever that you know his work. He composed the unforgettable themes to movies such as Superman, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jaws, Harry Potter, and E.T., just to name a few. Beyond movie soundtracks, he has also scored the themes of NBC Nightly News, NBC Sunday Night Football, and the Olympics. In the annals of bringing imagination and emotion to a visual experience through music, John Williams is at the top!

I was listening to some of my favorite movie themes the other day while jogging through the neighborhood. The soaring themes for movies like Superman and Star Wars helped to give me the extra “umph” I needed to finish my workout. As I tired, I found myself needing to hone in on the music, and it was then I noticed something intriguing: John Williams loves the percussion instrument, the triangle, and I think a lot. I was listening specifically to Darth Vader’s Imperial March theme and was astounded by the heavy dose of triangle throughout. In a song that is intended to well up feelings of fear and foreboding, the triangle might not be the first instrument to which you would turn to accompany the ominously powerful Dark Lord of the Sith, yet if you listen carefully enough, you will hear it over and over again throughout the soaring theme. The triangle serves to accentuate the full spectrum of sound, so that when you see Darth Vader enter the scene, you know he is completely in control.

I can only imagine how auditions must have gone for the role of triangle player in John Williams’ orchestra. Typically as orchestras go, the prized positions are those like first chair violin, or first chair trumpet…the flashy roles coveted by everyone. Yet to audition to play such a role in the orchestra to play what – only I can assume is one of John Williams’ favorite accent instruments, the triangle – must have been a thrill! To know that your timely plinking of the triangle will add just the right amount of pizzazz to fully bring to life John Williams’ vision as Darth Vader appeared on screen…wow, that must have been amazing! It goes to show that even some of the seemingly smaller parts imaginable can play an integral role in bringing a vision to life.

This got me thinking further: how often is it that we feel if we aren’t going to play first trumpet or first violin we might as well not even audition, forgetting the fact we might never have learned to play those instruments in the first place? As humans, we can tend to behave as such that if we are not holding the positions of honor, we would rather sit out the whole shebang altogether. GOD knows this, loves us anyway, and wants us to realize that every single one of us is important to fulfilling the vision of His Kingdom. The Apostle Paul wrote about this in 1 Corinthians 12.12-26 as he gave us the inspiringly powerful metaphor of the body, reminding us that every part is essential for proper health and functioning. To take it to our orchestral metaphor, even playing triangle in John Williams’ orchestra is necessary to bring the full sensory spectrum into reality.

GOD is bringing His vision to reality! Some of it is easy to sense and some of it can only be sensed as we allow GOD to shape and direct our imagination individually and collectively. If you feel like you can’t participate if you aren’t first chair, then rethink that notion! If you’re worried about being tentative around other presumed superstars, perish that thought, too! Because as you listen to the beautiful nuances of powerful songs like Darth Vader’s Imperial March, then you can realize that there is a thrill in playing even the smallest of instruments – the triangle – and it might just be one of the favorites of the famed composer!

I think I can hear the orchestra tuning up right now. The baton is being raised. Are you ready? Take your position, listen for your cue, and watch the conductor. There is something marvelous in store for you, and all of us for that matter, regardless how big or small! 

Election Day 2012

I am intentionally writing my weekly blog early on this Election Day 2012. I participated in early voting, so I will not be making my way to the polls today. I have a very busy day ahead, so I am relieved I do not have to worry about the particulars of managing my schedule and getting to my polling place.

From my vantage point, there is a lot of anxiety surrounding this election. Pre-election polls indicate a toss-up between the two candidates, and some “experts” believe this election is so close that we will not know who has won until Wednesday or even later.

I must say that I am as interested in this election as any since I have been of-age, and there have been times I have struggled to hold back for the risk of appearing partisan. My maternal grandmother once gave me the sound advice of not discussing religion or politics. Since I willingly violate half of that on a regular basis – talking religion is my lifework after all – I have been very careful not to publically discuss politics. I think this is important because I don’t want to alienate anyone for the sake of the gospel – which is paramount – by focusing too much on politics – which frankly is not. Regardless which political party is in power, the Apostle Paul’s advice to us in Romans 13 is to submit to our authorities to keep our conscience – and witness! – clean so we can testify with love to the One who is truly in control!

Pastor John Hagen and I were talking about this election on Monday. We didn't discuss the candidate we support, but we did discuss the greater truth that will greet our Wednesday morning, despite the fact that one or both of us might be disappointed in the election results: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13.8)

However you find yourself on the day after the election, remember that Jesus IS the same! He is the One whose love surrounds us and motivates us forward to serve, share, and shine regardless of who occupies the Oval Office. Though we might personally believe that one individual might be a better fit to lead the country, we are only to place our hope in the One person who is our hope, leads us into eternity, and will not let us down: Jesus Christ!

So here is a good word for you on this Decision Day and for every day following. May it comfort or confirm you with the love and peace of GOD as we prepare to keep on keeping on, despite the results of today’s election:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.
This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power
until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

(1 Peter 1.3-5)