Jesus' Power Pulls us Through

Last week we had children, every night, reminding us to “Trust Jesus” as Jesus’ Power Pulled Us Through - our theme for VBS this year. It was an incredible week and the power of Jesus was evident in it all. It left me thinking though - what does that mean?

In our Bible Points, we learned that Jesus' power gave hope to the disciples in the early church, saved us at the cross, and helps us be a friend. But, my question for you now is - what do you think when we say that God is Powerful? Or, similarly, when we say God is in control?

For some, we mean that every single thing that happens, happens under the will of God. Others see it more as a general - God could stop this if He wanted to, so it must be okay since God is allowing it to happen. I admit, I find all of this hard. I see so much that is awful and not okay in this world - where does a powerful God come into play?

I don’t want to leave this with pat answers - these are big questions and there are not easy answers. Still, I can’t resist offering a little hope. For me, God’s power comes into play when I open myself up to it. When I stop trying to be the one in control, I am able to see God working in ways I was blind to when I relied on my own power. So, now my question is - what does it mean to you?

~ Pastor Jana Lee

Sola Scriptura

It means scripture alone and is the basis for our faith. Yet, we know this is not simple, no matter how much we wish it were. If I have learned anything in my years of studying the Bible, it is that I must be humble in my interpretations and applications of scripture. There is always more to know and new eyes to see it through.

The Great Revelation–our scriptures, give us a lens to see God. How we interpret it in our time on earth matters. There are good ways to wrestle together. This last Sabbath we touched on a few principles, and they are worth repeating.

When exploring a text, rather than assuming the verse stands as it sounds, dig deeper. If the text does not reveal the loving character of Christ, then it must be studied more and understood better. Any understanding that does not make us more loving and more Christlike is the wrong understanding.

Scripture is learned best when wrestled with in community. Everyone’s experience differs, but together we make a more complete picture. Questions must be welcomed and included, not feared or answered simplistically. 

And, finally, we need to lean into our questioning, always seeing texts through the eyes of Christ and who Christ has called us to be in service to each other. I know if we approach scripture this way, encouraging true searching and questioning, our individual and communal faith will grow beyond what we can imagine.

–Pastor Jana Lee

The Education of Community

Education does not stop once we earn our various degrees and certificates. Sometimes I wish it would. I would like there to be a time we can say “Ok, I’ve learned all I need for life, now let me just live it.” This is not reality. In reality, life continues to teach us. It is what we do with that continuing education that defines us.

In Ephesians, Paul tells us a little of how to work with each other. He says: “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Paul does not reassure us that it will be easy to work with each other, quite the opposite. Diving into the word for “bearing” here, we see that “The word ἀνέχω (anechō) only appears in the middle voice in the NT and means here to patiently tolerate someone who is difficult or foolish... This is why Paul brings in ‘patience’ to qualify the bearing with one another. One can easily tolerate a mildly irritating personality, but patience is especially needed for the foolish or difficult brother or sister in Christ.”

During this hard time of recovery from the pandemic, we need to bear with each other, forgiving past hurts, and valuing the education each other has received as we move forward. This is the way of Christ.

In a year of difficulty in relationships, can we grow through it? See it as continuing education–that education takes many forms? This church body is not a competition to see who ends up the most right, but instead a united whole–we are connected. We can do it healthfully if we see each other as a valued part of Christ’s body–each part needing each other.

–Pastor Jana Lee

Success

“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ”
–Philippians 3:7, 8

Gains and successes - as Christians we know we aren’t supposed to want those things. But… of course we do. And sure, sometimes it is selfish. We want to have nice things because they are, well, nice to have! And we often can’t help but want to be respected in other people’s eyes.

Sometimes, though, gains and successes are truly unselfish. We want to do well at work to help others. We want to succeed on a test or a project because it will help the rest of the group as well. Success isn’t always selfish, and that makes it a good thing… right?

Here in our text, this kind of unselfish success may be exactly what Paul is talking about being “garbage.” When my gains and successes are selfish, I already know, deep down, that they are not the goal of life, that these things are just surface. I don’t really need anyone to tell me that, I can feel guilty all by myself. However, when my gains and successes are for the benefit of others as well (though also for myself), I feel good about my own abilities and talents.

Sidebar–feeling good about ourselves is a good thing! God loves us and wants us to love ourselves! So, what is the problem? The problem comes when these things become our goals, and then we accomplish them and start to feel confident in ourselves alone. We see less and less of our need for God. Then, when failures come (and they will), we crash and burn–mentally, emotionally, but especially, spiritually.

What is the solution? If we are supposed to feel good about ourselves and accomplish good things for others, but we aren’t supposed to focus on success, what do we do? It’s not success that is the problem, it’s our focus on what makes something successful. If our own successes, or even the successes of those around us, are the goal, they become a block from Christ’s success. But, if in everything we do our goal is to let Christ shine–no matter the success or failure of our own wants, then we will become the Christians we are called to be.

What interaction was hardest for you this week? Where do you feel you struggled most? Take a minute to think on that. Then ask: how can I use that moment for Christ? This is where it starts.

–Pastor Jana Lee

To Live Is Christ

The passage from Philippians that we focused on last week, Philippians 1:12-30, ends with these words:

“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.”
—Philippians 1:27-30

When I think about my purpose and my goals, I know I fall short of “striving together as one for the faith of the gospel.” I do and say things to further my agenda, without always thinking of what is best for Christ. And this makes me truly sad.

Today, I repent. I repent of all the times I have put myself first and what I think is best over living Christ in every situation. What does this mean? It means I will suffer and struggle–just as Paul did and just as Christ did. And that I will have true joy and peace beyond understanding.

Does my repentance mean I won’t ever fail again? Obviously not, but that knowledge will no longer be an excuse. I will live Christ and continue to repent when I fail. I will choose to turn towards Christ in everything. Will you join me? Will you join me in repenting of all wrongs up to this point and going forward knowing we are completely forgiven? Will you join me in living Christ? Your answer will make all the difference in the world.

–Pastor Jana Lee

A Hard Look In the Mirror

A preacher tends to be pretty clued in when it comes to whether a part of a sermon struck a chord. This last Sabbath I used the quote above as a part of my sermon and have lost count of the people who have asked for it, commented on it, or just said how much it resonated with them. I totally get it. I had my sermon mostly written when my mom sent it to me and I instantly knew I had to make a place for it.

Since Sabbath, a new thought has hit me - somewhat upside the head. This quote applies to me first. Not only am I arguing with those things (a person's story, experiences, fears, etc.), I am arguing from those places inside myself. Being curious means I have to ask myself what I am really seeking here - because often it is a desire to control the other person, not to see them and love them as they are.

I think this is what it means even more when Christ says "Blessed are the poor in spirit". When I am self-aware enough to know that I am entering into a conversation as a broken and imperfect person who is completely loved and accepted by Christ as I am, I can love the other person as they are, without a need to change them. They are worthy to be loved as they are.

And...it's hard. What about when their choices, their opinions and fears and biases, affect my life. How they vote, how they act, their choices affect my life. What do I do with that?

I don't have a perfect answer to the complexity involved in loving imperfect people. Here is what I do know - when a person is feeling loved and accepted as they are, we are both able to enter into any conflict from a place of health and safety. When love comes first, it is much easier to find solutions together.

This is what it is to believe in God's way first. God's way is to trust that love matters more than control. To be poor in spirit is to trust in God's love for us and God's love for the other person, and that love is actually enough. No need to convince or control.

This is going to be hard. And, I believe that each time we are able to take a step towards love instead of control, we will be blessed for it.

—Jana Lee

Good Grace

Grace - this incredible gift from God. This abundance of forgiveness, love, acceptance, and joy all bundled into this one word. Sometimes I am afraid we use it solely to talk about forgiveness of sins. It is that, but oh, so much more. Grace is the good gifts of God poured out on us. Here are a few places that I have seen God's grace in our church and community just in the past few weeks.

1. A full pastoral complement! In my years as a pastor, filling the open positions on a staff takes months, at the least. Our process truly started in March, and by July we have two new, amazing pastors, making us a fully staffed church. This is absolutely God's grace at work.

2. Caring for others - I have heard story after story of this community finding ways to care for others. In this society that says "me first", I have seen God's grace through you all. Choosing to live by God's standards, instead of this worlds, is absolutely only possible through grace.

3. Finances - These are hard times. And yet, through these times, you have stepped up. Those who can, have reached out and offered to help those who are struggling. Those who have let us know that they're struggling, because of you, we can help. And, as we have let you know that we continue to be significantly behind in our overall church budget, you stepped up, and in June, for the first time this year, we made budget (even exceeded it by a small margin!) - something that doesn't always happen in summer months under normal conditions. Grace, grace and more grace. Thank you!

I could go on! Does acknowledging God's absolute grace mean these aren't hard times? Um, no. These are hard times. And, God's grace also means that we will continue to be cared about and loved through it all. I am so grateful.

—Jana Lee