Your Road to the Manger

Christmas Eve is TODAY...can you believe it? There is so much that still needs to be done for so many of us before we can declare ourselves "ready," but what does it mean to truly be "ready" for Christmas?

The road that led Mary and Joseph to the place where Jesus would be delivered was full of challenge, anxiety, and danger, but the love of GOD kept them on the path so the world could know the Lord of HOPE, JOY, PEACE, and LOVE.

The proverbial roads that we each are taking to Christmas this year are as varied and diverse as we are. Through the ups and downs, victories and defeats, triumphs and trials of this year (and of life for that matter), our many roads will converge at the humble manger...a feeding trough that cradled Jesus, the Bread of Life.

If your road has been full of strangers and dangers this year, know that love is waiting for you at the manger. If your road has been full of darkness, know that the Light of the World still shines, piercing the darkness that cannot understand it. At the manger — as the beautiful hymn, "O Little Town of Bethlehem," states — "the hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight."

I pray that you persevere on your individual road to the manger to find the Living Lord...Immanuel...GOD with us waiting for you there. Jesus was sent to be our hope, to be our joy, to be our peace, to be our love, and to be our light. Come and allow His creating and re-creating hand to dispel the darkness, the lovelessness, peacelessness, joylessness, and hopelessness so you will find the life GOD has in store for you!

If you are tired and weary, joyful and jubilant, lost and lonely, or just seemingly on cruise control, may your road lead you to the manger where you will find Jesus, the point in which life and eternity converge.

GOD Bless, Merry Christmas, and I hope to see you Christmas Eve,

Pastor Mark

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.

(1 John 4:9, NLT)

Merry Christmas!

Confession: last night I was overwhelmed. There was so much on my to-do and honey-do lists, that in a moment of anxiety, I actually felt as though the coming of Christmas depended on ME. It wasn't until my quiet time this morning that I was reminded Christmas already came! In Galatians 4:4-5, Paul wrote, "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons." Christmas requires us to acknowledge that in Jesus, God came...Immanuel...God with us (Matthew 1:23).

If you awoke this morning feeling overwhelmed about all that has to be done today, thinking as though the coming of Christmas depends on you, take a moment, pause, and reflect over the FACT that in Jesus, God came. This will help you realign priorities and place the emphasis where it belongs as opposed to the trappings and ancillary things that help us enjoy the celebration of the season.

As I type this little note, I have the same hymn running through my mind that has been there all month, "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus." Check out the first verse:
"Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart."

May Christ's eternal presence release you from the fears and sins that might occur in your mind on this day. May Christ's eternal presence bring you the peace that only God can bring (John 14:27). In the middle of all the preparations for the fun and festivities, may we remember that God does so love the world, and for that reason, God sent His one and only Son (John 3:16). May that be central today, Christmas Day, and everyday!

In Jesus, God came. May we celebrate that and remember that the Lord is the focus, not us. And may we look forward with great anticipation to the celebration that points us to the time when Jesus will come again.

Merry Christmas!

Do You Know the Password?

The house where I grew up in Austell had some very special spots. One of my favorites was the cellar my grandfather dug out when he owned the house. The cellar was originally a crawlspace, but he painstakingly excavated it by hand to give him some extra storage, a place to do some work, and almost quite literally, a man-cave. When he and my nana moved to Cartersville, we moved into that house and my Papa’s man-cave became a magical lair for my brother and me. In there we would have epic battles with our GI Joes, imagine we were in our own bunker, and do other things that little boys would do in a grungy utilitarian retreat.

This space wasn’t just special for my brother and me, it served as a sort of clubhouse for the handful of kids on our small dead-end street. In classic “Little Rascals” fashion, we had a secret password to grant entrance through the doors, descending into our hideout. And though we were “He-Men” in our own eyes, there certainly was no woman hating in our club (the name of the club in the Little Rascals was the He-Man Woman Haters). Our passwords ranged from the intricate to the absurd, served no purpose whatsoever, but for a bunch of kids, it added to the mystique.

Passwords are interesting things, aren’t they? These days, with all of the different websites, apps, and other accounts we use in this digital age, we have passwords for everything! In fact, now there are password protected apps to keep track of your passwords! Need entrance to a special or protected place? Use the password.

Did you know that the Bible teaches us that there is an actual password into the most special of all places, the presence of GOD? Check out Psalm 100:4, “Enter with the password: ‘Thank you!’ Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Thank him. Worship him.” How about that?!? The password into GOD’s holy presence is rooted in thanksgiving!

This week, as we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, many people will pause and reflect upon the things for which they are thankful. This is something we will do around our dinner table, and I hope you will, too. The concept of giving thanks is a very biblical one, and a concept that when practiced regularly – and not just on the 4^th Thursday of November – can radically change the trajectory of your life!

When was the last time you paused to give thanks to GOD for all you have in life? When was the last time you paused to give thanks to GOD for all you need not worry about in life? Check out Philippians 4:6-7 in the New International Version: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

As you pause to celebrate this Thanksgiving, remember that it is a simple Thank You that is the password into GOD’s presence. May your heart and mind be guarded in Christ Jesus. May all the worries and anxieties melt away as you enjoy time with friends and family. And in the midst of so much uncertainty in the world, may the peace of GOD manifest in your life and on your home. 

Let the River Flow

This past weekend, Cokes Chapel joined with other United Methodist Churches in our community, to make a difference in the name of Jesus through River of Life: Coweta. The impetus for this event came as a result of our FOCUS Youth’s faithful participation in River of Life: Macon for the past several years. The goal was to help the River branch out into our community and begin providing opportunities for the youth in our church and community to come together in worship, fellowship, and service to experience the synergistic power of the Holy Spirit that occurs when followers of Jesus gather to make a difference. After watching the event unfold this past week, I can emphatically say the goal was achieved!

In John 7:38, Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” This verse is something that many got to witness as our youth joined in with others to passionately serve and worship the Lord. The Holy Spirit descended into our church in a mighty way, filled the hearts of the participants, which they then carried out in service to impact others. This is precisely how the flow of the Spirit works in our lives…it sweeps us up and then moves us in ways only God can orchestrate to accomplish God’s task for us to share the Good News. Just think of it – youth and adults, giving of their weekend, working and serving in the record cold temperatures, to share the love of God and experiencing God’s love in a new and profound way.

In worship on Sunday, we were blessed to hear the record of service from this River of Life. I want to share it with you again in this format so you can see and celebrate with us how the flow of God swept us up as a church, joining together with others in the community, to serve, share, and shine for God. Consider what was accomplished:

   

·        17 months of prep work

·        288 hours of planning

·        72 hour prayer vigil

·        Included 4 states

·        427 work hours

·        63 facility hours

·        92 kitchen hours

·        52 lbs meat

·        180 pancakes

·        112 gallons of beverages

·        20 lbs of fruit

·        12 actually consumed

·        1 lb actually juggled

·        40 students

·        72 adults

·        6 worksites

·        50 people served yesterday

·        Over 300 served this week

·        Infinite number of lives changed!

I hope you will join with me to celebrate what God accomplished through our youth and leadership. And as we prepare for Thanksgiving and the holy seasons of Advent and Christmas, remember these impacts and let the river flow from us to share with others the goodness and love of God!

A Place for ALL GOD's Children

This coming Sunday we will begin our new ministry emphasis, A Place for All GOD’s Children. This is something I have been thinking and praying over since Easter weekend. I awoke early on Holy Saturday and spent time in prayer about the meaning of Easter and Christ’s sacrifice for us. This came on the heels of a dynamic Lenten and Holy Week celebration where I experienced the love of GOD in my life in a new and very meaningful way. As I read my daily devotion, the scripture lesson stopped me in my tracks: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.” (1 John 5:1-2)

In the context of Easter weekend, the thought of being born again really impacted me as I thought about the responsibility we have as followers of Jesus – to love the children of GOD. Isn’t this the role and purpose of the church? We are called to love GOD with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30) and obey Jesus’ commandment, which is to love one another (John 15:12). As we think about the role of the church universal, and the task of Cokes Chapel in particular, we are called to be A Place for All GOD’s Children.

There is no doubt that Cokes Chapel has this love as part of our overall ministry; between the Childcare Center, the recent addition of our new Children’s Minister, Kim Reindl, and our upcoming plunge into River of Life, our church truly has a heart for children. Our church has also historically been heavily involved in caring for All GOD’s Children across the community and the globe. As we embark on this new ministry emphasis, I want our church to seriously consider how we are actually loving and caring for All GOD’s Children.

The mission of Cokes Chapel, as adopted by the Leadership Conference in 2013, is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. As I think about how we are called to be A Place for All GOD’s Children, it simply can be said we are to do so here, there, and everywhere. This is a simplified way of understanding Jesus’ mandate to be His witnesses in Judea (the local area), Samaria (the larger region), and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Allow me to explain:

•        Here: As we seek to be A Place for All GOD’s Children, making disciples HERE, we have some pretty significant opportunities with our current mission field: the Childcare Center and our growing children’s ministries. But being A Place for All GOD’s Children isn’t just about people under the age of 18, because we are all GOD’s children and called to share that good news with everyone!
•        There: As we seek to be A Place for ALL GOD’s Children, making disciples THERE, we have many needs and opportunities to serve in our region. We already do significant support for One Roof, Luthersville Food Ministry, Community Welcome House, A Better Way Ministry, Meals on Wheels, service in local nursing homes, the Trinity Table Soup Kitchen, and GOD’s Breadbasket in Hogansville (among others), and this is great! As we continue to be in ministry in our region, how else can we seek to shine the light and love of GOD?
•         Everywhere: As we seek to be A Place for ALL GOD’s Children, making disciples EVERYWHERE, we are called to embrace and expand our involvement in the global reach of the gospel and our participation of ministries in the United Methodist Church. Cokes Chapel is committed to paying 100% of our apportionments, which helps facilitate ministry throughout the world. We take collections for the United Methodist Committee On Relief – or UMCOR – during times of crisis or disaster. We support the Stotler missionary family through the Mission Society. We have also taken on individual projects, like Stop Hunger Now and Miracles for Mozambique, that are aimed at helping spread hope and the love of GOD across the world.

 Being A Place for All GOD’s Children, making disciples of Jesus here, there, and everywhere, means that we have some work to do, and this is very exciting! Steps are already being taken to help embrace and engage this ministry focus for our church – things like hiring a children’s director, assessing our current ministry with the church survey, and looking ahead at new ministry opportunities ahead of us – but we need your help! We need your prayers, your presence in worship and church activities, your talents given you by GOD, and your financial gifts which help make it all possible. This campaign will call us to reflect over our stewardship, or our use of the resources given us by GOD, and commit to be difference makers in our church, community, and across the world.

The United Methodist Church has a slogan that I want to share with you, since this will be a definite part of our mission to be A Place for All GOD’s Children, making disciples of Jesus here, there, and everywhere: Open Hearts, Open Minds, and Open Doors. As we embark on this new ministry emphasis, may our hearts be open to the cause of the gospel around us; may our minds be open to the possibilities GOD has in store for us; and may our doors be open to receive the people GOD will send our way to love and welcome into GOD’s holy family.

GOD Bless and I hope to see you Sunday as we kick off our new series with the first message, Logos. The Bible lesson is from John 1:1-5, 9-14. 

Here, There, & Everywhere!

We had an amazing weekend at Cokes Chapel! On Saturday, the FOCUS Youth participated in the Wesley Walk for Others around Stone Mountain to raise money and awareness for One Roof. On Sunday, we had two powerful Commitment Sunday worship celebrations, along with the delicious Boy Scouts BBQ fundraiser, and a festive Trunk-Or-Treat for the families in our church, Childcare Center, and community. And following Trunk-Or-Treat, the FOCUS Youth had a great time visiting with the local firefighters, delivering them dinner and goodies. From sunrise on Saturday to sunset on Sunday, our church was fully engaged in mission and ministry and it was awesome!

In my message this past Sunday, I taught on Jesus’ instructions from Acts 1:8 where he told his disciples to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. This is where we get our Here, There, and Everywhere missions emphasis. Putting this verse in context, the disciples would have heard that they were to share the Good News of salvation in their hometowns, in the broader region, and across the world – here, there, and everywhere!

There is another message embedded in this passage, though, and that is in Jesus’ mention of Samaria. Samaria was looked down upon – and the Samaritans were literally hated – by those who were of Jewish descent, because they “diluted” the purity of the bloodlines by intermarrying with the Assyrians. So imagine how Jesus’ instructions to go into Samaria and witness to the Samaritans must have struck his followers. And this was not the first time Jesus mentioned a Samaritan…remember the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10.29-37 where the villain was the hero? Jesus tells this story in response to the question, “Who is my neighbor?”

This is important: as Jesus was giving instructing the disciples about being his witnesses, he wasn’t just giving geographical parameters, but relational ones! Jesus wasn’t just saying to be his witnesses here, there, and everywhere, but also with the people in those locations. So to take those words and give them a relational framework, Jesus was saying to witness to people we know and love, people we do not like or care for, and people we likely will never meet. Changes things, doesn’t it?

We are called to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as we love self. And who is my neighbor? Everyone. Thinking back to the parable of the Good Samaritan, one’s neighbor isn’t defined by a geographical location, but by the fact that we are All GOD’s Children! And 1 John 5.1-3 teaches us that we prove our love for God by how we love God’s children.

Jesus wants us to be committed to the task of the Great Commission – to go into the world to make disciples – with the Great Commandment – to love one another. So as we think about heeding the call of Jesus, we have to take account of our commitment level. Are you willing to tell others about who Jesus is and what he has done for you? Are you willing to get involved with others by entering into the difficulties of life? Are you willing to add value to the world by being a contributor and not just a consumer? Are you willing to share the love of Jesus with people you know and don’t know, like and don’t like? Your answers to these questions – which were the themes of the four messages in this October worship series – will reveal a lot.

At Cokes Chapel, we are called to be a place for all GOD’s children, making disciples of Jesus here, there, and everywhere! That is our vision and mission. Commit it to memory. Integrate it into your language. Think of ways to share what God has done in your life with others and commit to share it. This will change your life. This will change our church. This will change the world.

Are you ready? Let’s get started. There’s work to be done Here, There, and Everywhere!

Commitment Sunday*

Hello Church Family,

I hope you are having a fantastic week! This past Sunday was tremendous with our Birthday Brunch and I want to extend a special thanks to everyone who helped make it possible. We also had two very powerful worship celebrations as we considered what it means to live a life of value. Value is not about how much we can get out of something for as little investment as possible; rather, value is about how much we can contribute to the world. God has created us each and every one of us to be unique, and when we do not give our all – our time, talents, money, energy, focus, etc. – then the world around us suffers. A spirit of consumption drains the body, but a spirit of contribution makes it stronger!

Throughout this month of October, we have been exploring our new ministry emphasis, Cokes Chapel: A Place for All GOD’s Children, making disciples of Jesus here, there, and everywhere! We have discussed how Jesus is the very Word of God, sent to tell us about the heart and love of God. We have talked about how God is present with us when we go through trials and tribulations, and as a result, sends us out into the world to meet people where they are to show them the way of God. And then we discussed how we prove our love for God by the way we love all God’s children.

Our October message series culminates this week in our message, Here, There, and Everywhere as we explore Jesus’ commandment to be his witnesses throughout the world in Acts 1:8. This Sunday – our 2014 Commitment Sunday – will be quite a day, and I hope you are making plans to be a part of it. Here are some things you can expect:

1. Bringing our Estimate of Giving Cards as an act of worship: during the celebration of Holy Communion, you will be given the opportunity to bring your family’s estimate of giving card, which was mailed to you last week. You will be asked to bring and leave these at the altar as an act of worship, sharing your financial resources with the Lord to help support the ministry of our local church and abroad.
2. Bringing our Stewardship Campaign Gifts: we are still collecting gifts toward our goal of $3,000 to be a blessing for ministry needs in our community and across the world. We have termed this our Here, There, and Everywhere project, and your gifts (over and beyond your regular tithes and offerings) will be used to support three different projects. Our Here project is for our children and youth ministries to the church and community; our There project is to support the new Step By Step Ministries being launched in Hogansville by Pastor David Adamson; and our Everywhere project is to aid our sister church in Mozambique, Liberdade UMC, with the refugee crisis they are engaged in serving due to illness, famine, and violence.
3. Committing, or Re-Committing Your Life to Jesus: during Holy Communion, as you bring your estimate of giving card, you will have the opportunity to commit or re-commit your life to the Lord. You may receive the sacrament of baptism, or if you have been baptized previously, you may reaffirm your baptismal vows as a holistic commitment to give your all for Jesus!
4. Membership Emphasis: if you have been worshipping with us as a guest, and have decided that you want to unite with the Cokes Chapel Church, we are opening the doors of the church so you may unite with the family and be a part of our ongoing ministry efforts to make disciples of Jesus here, there, and everywhere!

As you can see, this Sunday is going to be a celebrative time of worship, generosity, and ministry, and I know it’s one you will not want to miss! Of course, life happens, and if you are unable to make it to worship this Sunday, you will have ample opportunity to bring your estimate of giving card, commit or recommit your life to Jesus, receive or reaffirm your baptism, and/or unite with the church. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to let me know.

In addition to these powerful acts of worship on Sunday, we also have two other opportunities to show our desire to be A Place for All GOD’s Children! Please do not forget that we have the BBQ fundraiser (serving until 1:30pm; tix are $8) to help purchase new equipment for our thriving Scouting ministries, and the annual Trunk-or-Treat for the children in our Childcare Center, congregation, and community (3-5pm in the field adjacent to the Childcare Center entrance).

Sunday is going to be a landmark day in the life of our church as we seek to experience the love of God and share that with all GOD’s Children here, there, and everywhere! From the sacred moments in worship to the festive fun at our annual Trunk-Or-Treat, this is not something you want to miss!

__________
*This blog was initially published on Oct.22