Accomplishing Within the Accomplished

Senior Pastor, Steve Thulson

I’ve been thinking a lot these days (and preaching) about “running at the pace of grace.” Like most people I know, my days get full and move fast. It makes a difference for the good when I remember and embrace this: the reality of God and his grace. I love the prayer of Isaiah (26:12 NIV): 

Lord, you establish peace for us;

all that we have accomplished

you have done for us.

Peace has been established. Our risen Lord’s finished work on the cross reconciles us to the Father, promises that one day all will be well, and allows his Spirit to indwell our hearts and spread a peace for the living of our days.

 The farmer-philosopher Wendell Berry has composed a series of Sabbath Poems. Here’s one that echoes the paradox of Isaiah’s prayer on seeing all our accomplishments within God’s. Read it slowly. As you do, think of your hard work. And then place it into an even greater work and so a growing rest. 

Whatever is foreseen in joy

Must be lived out from day to day.

Vision held open in the dark

By our ten thousand days of work.

Harvest will fill the barn; for that

The hand must ache, the face must sweat.

And yet no leaf or grain is filled

By work of ours; the field is tilled

And left to grace. That we may reap,

Great work is done while we’re asleep.

When we work well, a Sabbath mood

Rests on our day, and finds it good.

(Wendell Berry, in A Timbered Choir, “Sabbath Poem, 1979, X”)

Hot Tub Evangelism

Pastor of Care and Finance, Ron Mol

You never know the opportunities God may send your way on any given day - even when you leave the beautiful state of Colorado!

Last week I had the privilege of taking my wife and son on a vacation.  We left late on Friday and drove only to North Platte, Nebraska, where we found a Fairfield Inn to lodge for the night.  

Before retiring, Scott and I opted
for a visit to the hot tub.

When we got to the whirlpool, we found it was already occupied by a gentleman.While starting a conversation with him would fit my nature, I was also keenly aware that this would likely embarrass my teenage son, so I showed great restraint and remained silent.  Our predecessor in the hot tub did not have a teenager with him, however, so he was not inclined to restrain himself! “Where did you guys start your day today?” he asked.  “Well, we got a late start from Denver on our way to Chicago, how about you?”  I had taken the bait.

The stranger told us his name, and that he was returning to his home south of Denver from Chicago.  I told him we lived in Highlands Ranch.  

 He asked if I knew where the corner of Broadway and Mineral was.

At this point I thought God might be prompting me to talk about our church a little bit, so I told him I was a pastor and my church was right at that location.  He started asking me about our church and told me he was currently looking for one (about this time, Scott had had enough of the heat).  The stranger and I shared some of the details of our respective spiritual journeys, and he told me he would like to visit our church sometime.

So, if you meet a new face at church in the near future,
you may want to ask how he heard about our church!  And always be looking for an opportunity to share the good news with those you meet.

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.

Remember

Pastor of Youth & Young Adults, Karl Helvig

REMEMBER:

Last Sunday we talked about remembering. 

We REMEMBER what God has done 

so we can TESTIFY to his work.

We REMEMBER the past 

so we can ENVISION the future.

If you were there, thanks for joining us! I hope you have found a place to testify (to share your story with others) about God's work in your life.

But today I want to talk about a different kind of memory. While some memories are sources of strength and encouragement and testimony, other memories are wounds. Other memories do not strengthen, but drain.  We all have memories that are like weights on our shoulders.

What are some of your memories that weigh you down?

More importantly,

what do we do with these painful memories?  What do we do with our wounds from the past?

I have one simple suggestion that I truly pray is strength and blessing to you.

Let God heal them.

I was talking to a friend just the other day and he shared something that has been rolling around my mind since our conversation.  He shared about how God has been healing some of his memories.

God was healing his memories.  Really?  Is that something God does?

He went on to describe something that was as beautiful as it was simple.  He said that a number of memories from his past had been coming over and over to his mind.  He shared about serious wounds from his past.  He shared about some experiences that still hurt today.  Then he said he has been inviting Jesus into those moments.

He invited Jesus into his memories.

Hearing that, I realized some of my habits surrounding painful memories: I ignore them, I let them hurt, I forget them, I hide them, I pretend they don't hurt that bad, I tell myself I can just deal with them, I tell myself it's just the past.... the list goes on. 

I do a lot of things with my painful memories, but I don't often invite Jesus into them.  I especially don't invite him into the most painful memories.  Those are the ones I most regularly ignore or conceal.

I try to invite Jesus into my days, I try to follow him with my life, but I don't invite him into memories.  And let me get specific here.  I think there is healing to be found in letting those memories come fresh into our minds (not rejecting them or pushing them away or minimizing them but vividly re-experiencing them) and then specifically asking Jesus to be THERE, to enter into THAT PLACE.  There is even a longChristian tradition for allowing ourselves to IMAGINE Jesus himself walking into the scenes in our minds.  This is not just fantasizing or manipulating our minds.  It's taking seriously the promise of Jesus to be with us always. We can pray, "Jesus, be with me in this memory.  Be present with me both now and then."  Then let your mind see Jesus physically present in the scene in your memory.

Is there a wound from your past that still hurts: it comes back, it repeats itself, it hasn't gone away for years?  If so, consider inviting Jesus into that memory.

I will not guarantee that an exercise like this will immediately erase all pain or scaring from the past.  But I do believe that we serve a healing God who desires us to bring more of ourselves to more of him.  Join me in bringing your memories to Jesus.

Let us be a people who walk with Jesus in EVERYTHING WE REMEMBER so hopefully we can walk with him into EVERYTHING WE PRESENTLY LIVE.

Grace and Peace,

Karl