With Us

Darlene Thulson, Children's Pastor

Last week my three year old grandson, Drew, wanted to watch a short “Chip and Dale” on my tablet.  As we sat on the couch together, I found the Centennial Covenant’s Children’s Christmas program on YouTube that we had posted. Drew and I decided to watch that first.  What a gift from God that turned out to be!

Since I was “directing” from the floor on the Sunday we presented our program, I didn’t see what was going on by the stable. But the video captured the whole thing.  While the kids were coming and going on the stage, acting out the Christmas story, there was one “sheep” – and his “shepherd” – standing by the manger, riveted on “baby Jesus.”

It was at that moment that the Holy Spirit reminded me that the most important thing during this season of doing things for Jesus is to be with Jesus.  

 He is inviting me to just be with Him,
to look into His eyes filled with love for me.   

Words from an old song came to mind, 

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face. 

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace.

These last 10 days have been a snapshot of life in our broken world.  

In the very middle of Advent, a time of celebrating the coming of Emmanuel, a very disturbed young man walks into his school and shoots an innocent girl sitting in a hallway.  The impact of that 80 seconds of destruction has been deeply felt in our church family.  With seven students and two faculty (one of them being my son-in-law) from our church being at Arapahoe High School, we have felt the grief, anger and sadness in a huge way.  

 Yet, the darkness of that act cannot negate the fact
that Emmanuel is with us.   

As more and more stories come out from that day, it is obvious that Emmanuel was in that school, alongside the students and faculty.  Emmanuel was with each of us as we prayed and waited and helped as we could.  Emmanuel will bring redemption in ways we cannot see now. 

May each of us take time to look into His face day by day, minute by minute. Even Now!

The Gift of Time

“How about if I take the boys out this morning, 

and give you some time to do whatever you'd  like?” 

So went Heather’s question to me regarding the upcoming Saturday morning. What a wonderful gift she was offering to me as a busy dad, husband, worker, etc – the gift of some time to do whatever.

Time is an important commodity in our culture. As Michael LeBoeuf, American business guru quipped, “Waste your money and you’re only out of money, but waste your time and you’ve lost a part of your life.” So when Heather asked me that question, it was a no-brainer. Why would I not gratefully receive such a gift from her?

The question I then face is “How would I ‘spend’ that Saturday morning gift, 

that commodity that was now in my piggy bank?

Time is a commodity only because of our limitations as part of God’s creation. We can try to manage it and make the most of it, but ultimately, we are prisoners bound by and within time. We can do nothing to make it stop, slow it down, manipulate it. Time moves ahead minute-by-minute and we are helplessly carried along in it’s current. 

While we are very aware of our limitations regarding time, 

we must remember that God is not. 

Time is the very thing that he created so his redemptive purposes can be carried out. As time rolls along, he actively presents us with opportunities to be transformed into a clearer and cleaner reflection of his image.

So back to my question of how I would spend a half-day of time that is given to me. What would bring me the most joy and recharge my batteries? I have several ideas running through my head that I get pretty excited about. 

How would you spend such a gift? 

When given a block of time like this, we shouldn't feel guilty about doing something we really enjoy, whether creative, productive, or simply taking a nap. God loves seeing us soak up such moments!

But wouldn’t it be a great idea to check in with God and ask him what would be best? 

After all he knows each of us intimately. A quick prayer might be, “God, you know me, all my needs and wants. Here’s what I think I should do, but what do you think is the best way for me to use this gift of time?” And why not bring that kind of question to him everyday? This seems to be what the psalmist expressed in Psalm 90:12, 

“Teach us to number our days, that we might gain a heart of wisdom.”

We may see time as a limitation, but we can also see it as the means by which God carries out his plan. To that end, it is a gift from God. Recording artist, Charlie Peacock, captured this idea well in the first stanza of his song “The Secret of Time”:

Time is a gift of love and grace;

Without time, there’d be no time to change,

Time to be healed, humbled, and broken,

Time to hear the words of love spoken.

Click here to listen to this song.

“Mary!”

Pastor of Worship and Staff, David Dillon

As a seasoned substitute teacher my wife Heather has learned, within five minutes of entering a new classroom, which students' names she needs to know. See, there is power in knowing a person’s name, which is easily observed when a disruptive student hears their name and now knows their cover has been blown and anonymity is no more!

Of course there is a positive side to this too. Knowing a person’s name is honoring to them and often the first step toward a relationship. Hearing your name lovingly spoken by a spouse or parent allows you to rest in the familiar and comfortable place of I belong and I am valued.

In John 20 a broken-hearted Mary unexpectedly hears her name called out by the risen Jesus. Confusion, joy, wonder, and amazement must have simultaneously bombarded her thoughts. Hadn’t she seen him dead on the cross? But now, just as real and palpable as the stone that no longer covers his tomb, she hears, “Mary!” Oswald Chambers notes that she immediately recognized a personal history with the one who spoke. Everything he had done and said to her suddenly became even more true.

Can you recall times when your heart’s ear has heard Jesus call your name? What was that like? What about now - do you hear Him lovingly speak it?

Sometimes, like Mary, I think he speaks our name after a time of silence to surprise us and remind us that we do have a history with Him. During those silent times we can have a well-founded hope of that coming surprise. Other times we may wonder if there is just too much earwax in the way of really hearing him and we doubt his unique love for us. Then there are those times when we experience an ongoing intimate connection with him. In God’s economy, all of these seasons can be used by him to deepen our love for Him.

No matter where you find yourself on the continuum, Scripture assures us of his love for each of us. As the perfect Father, there is nothing that he desires more than to be intimately involved in each of his children’s lives. Isaiah 49:15 puts it like this: “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”

Because he knows you by name.

How to Avoid God?

Senior Pastor, Steve Thulson

Writing 50 or so years ago, British author C.S. Lewis wrote an essay called "The Seeing Eye" -- a response to atheist Soviet Cosmonauts who said they had not seen God in space. He compared that to assuming you might meet William Shakespeare by reading Hamlet. 

Lewis also talked about "avoiding God."  It's "extremely easy," he's said. "Avoid silence, avoid solitude, avoid any train of thought that leads off the beaten track. Concentrate on money, sex, status, health and (above all) on your own grievances. Keep the radio on. Live in a crowd. Use plenty of sedation. If you must read books, select them very careful. But you’d be safer to stick to the papers."

It's even easier in our time, isn't it? We're bombarded with information, voices, media, and noise that flood their way into any potential silence and solitude. 

Yet God himself does not get crowded out. He's more than "there." And he's ready to welcome our open hearts to fill them with his grace and truth. 

This summer, why not stop avoiding God and step into his loving search for you? Go on some walks with him. Let what you see reflect his glory. Let what's on your mind be channeled into a conversation. Open a Bible and listen. Get with a friend and ask about any God-sightings. 

"My times are in your hands" (Psalm 31:15). What about this time for you?