Dedications, Graduations, and Grace

Last week I was able to dedicate two beautiful babies. This is one of the most significant things we do as a church. When parents present their children for dedication they are signifying their commitment to the Lord and making a promise to raise their children in the church. We pray a blessing over these children confident of God’s prevenient grace that is at work in their life. Prevenient grace is grace that goes before our conversion. Prevenient grace becomes saving grace when a child is old enough to make a commitment to follow Christ. We dedicate our children in full confidence of this moment.

This week we will celebrate the high school graduation of our seniors. Last week’s dedication ceremony and this week’s graduation celebration is another example of how every season of life finds expression in the Church. In one week’s time, our church will experience 18 years of God’s grace at work among us. I’m thankful that many of our graduates have testified that God’s prevenient grace has become saving grace. Some of them experienced this saving grace at a camp, or on Wednesday night, or on a mission trip, or possibly at a Nazarene Youth Conference. However they experienced it, we thank God for his saving grace, but now we pray for keeping grace as these students move on to another season of life. God’s grace pursues us, saves us, and keeps us.  

As we think about these students and the life God has planned for them, I’m reminded that God is able to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20). God has a great future planned for each one of them – one that is better than anything they could imagine.

Over the last few weeks I've been preaching on how the resurrection changes everything. That includes our future. Because of God’s grace and the power of the resurrection at work within us, our future is bright.

In order to fully embrace God’s future for our lives we must be free of the pain of our past. The mistakes we’ve made in the past have a tendency to haunt us. It’s easy to dwell on what we could have done differently and should have done better. Jesus’ disciples knew what it was like to be plagued by their past, especially Peter. In Jesus’ last appearance with his disciples he restores Peter, ensuring that he does not allow debilitating guilt to ruin the glorious future made possible through the resurrection.

Maybe you don’t feel like you have much of a future. You can’t imagine being as hopeful about your tomorrow as some of these high school graduates are. The empty tomb proclaims there is always a new day in Christ. God has something special planned for your future.

Well Done!

“Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” I’ve always wondered what it would be like to hear our Lord speak those words. Yesterday as I was gathered with friends and family, I believe my heart overheard Jesus speak that commendation to our dear friend, Mary Coleman. The scripture promises that those who are faithful in this life will be welcomed into the life to come with that special greeting. I can’t imagine anyone more deserving of our Lord’s affirmation than Mary.

As many of you who attend BNAZ already know, Mary went to be with Jesus yesterday around 1:40 PM. It is an understatement to say we will miss her. It is NOT an overstatement to say she has impossible shoes to fill. Her ministry and service to this church were simply amazing. Countless numbers of people have been changed and impacted through the selfless and kind service of Mary Colman to Christ and his Church. She served quietly, and many times her work was behind the scenes. Only in light of eternity will we ever be able to fully know how many people were influenced by her thoughtful encouragement, her diligent labor, her servant’s heart and faithful stewardship of all God’s gifts to her.

We are saddened by her loss. However, we can take great comfort in knowing that our faith in Christ that sustains and nourishes us throughout our life is the same faith that promises a transformation of these mortal bodies into ones that are eternal and imperishable. Resurrection is the foundation of our shared Christian hope. The apostle Paul said it like this:

For our perishable earthly bodies must be transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die. (I Corinthians 15:53)

A viewing is scheduled at our church for Monday, September 26, from 6-8 PM. A celebration of her life will be held at the church on Tuesday, September 27 at 10 AM.

Please keep Jim, John, Susie, Paula, Mike, Erin, Kelsie, Kylie and Bethany in your prayers during this time.

This Sunday we will have Worship and Life Groups as usual. I hope you’ll join us in the Lord’s house this weekend. I think it’s important that we worship together as a church family and allow the presence of the Holy Spirit bind us up, strengthen us, and encourage us during this time of loss. We grieve, but thankfully, we do not grieve as those without hope. Our hope is in the Lord!

Until He's Finished,

Pastor Mark