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

The Blueprint

If you were to build a house, I'm not the man to call for help. My father instilled within me a fear of power tools when I was 5, and I still haven't quite recovered from his detailed description of what would happen if I touched a spinning blade. Suffering from ergalilektriphobia (fear of power tools) is something my boys will never struggle with...I don't own any. (Check that...Lauren has a drill she uses to put up curtains) And somehow, an individual who has no experience in building anything is charged with the task of building our church. Perhaps this is what Paul meant when he wrote to the Corinthians, "God chose the foolish things of the world." (1:27).

Building Christ's church in Bentonville is something I'm a little better suited for. It's also something I am very excited about and honored to do. Over the next 4 weeks I'm going to be sharing a series of messages from the book of Ephesians entitled, "The Blueprint." Here in Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus, he outlines some things that I believe function as God's blueprint for building and strengthening the Church. The blueprint is centered around Paul's description of Christ as the cornerstone and foundation upon which everything else is built:

"In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit." (Ephesians 2:21-22)

With Christ as the cornerstone of our lives and of our church, I hope we can rise to become the spiritual dwelling place of God in our community. For our church to become all that God has designed and purposed it to be, I pray that believers would become disciples. For this to happen, we as a church must embrace the blueprint we find in Ephesians. I hope you'll join us on this journey.

August 21 - Everyone Needs a Plan, Ephesians, 2:14-22

August 28 - Made to Worship, Ephesians 4:1-6

September 4 - Saved to Grow, Ephesians 4:7-16

September 11 - Called to Serve, Ephesians 4:7-16 & Luke 9:1-9

Click this link to see a video about The Blueprint at BNC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oupdOFO_0M

I look forward to seeing you in worship as we build Christ's church together!

Until He's Finished,

Pastor Mark

This Sunday at Church

I hope all of you enjoyed a great Independence Day. I know I did. Luke has added "firecracker" "loud" and "hot" to his vocabulary thanks to the robust celebration of freedom that went on late into the night last Sunday and Monday night.

As I reflected upon some of the values of our country, it dawned on me that our freedom of religion is something very foreign to the world of the Bible. The culture in which the Bible was written, particularly in John's day when he wrote Revelation, was hostile toward religions that did not include allegiance to Rome and the Emperor. In fact, it was very common for Roman citizens to say "Caesar is Lord." The Church in Smyrna understood the incompatibility of having two Lords. One could not be loyal to Rome and confess that "Caesar was Lord," and in the same breath confess "Jesus as Lord." As a result, they were persecuted.

The Risen Lord has a word of encouragement for those that remained faithful in the face of suffering. I believe he has a word of encouragement for us as well. We will never know what it's like to suffer for our faith the way that church in Smyrna did 2,000 years ago, and I doubt we will ever know first-hand of what it's like to suffer the way believers in China do today. That doesn't mean, however, that we are immune to suffering, adversity and trials from Satan. The assault on our soul takes many shapes and forms. Perhaps you need to be reminded that God is in control and that he has a plan?

I hope to see you Sunday...the Risen Christ has a word of encouragement for You!

Pastor Mark

A Weekend of Fasting and Transformation

I missed my day to post due to planning and running the 30hr Famine. Sorry about that.....

As I prepared for this wonderful and tiring event, I was drawn to Isaiah 58.

Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God. "Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?" Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers. Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.

Its easy to think very highly of one's self when one is doing something like fasting in public. Jesus seemed to have words to say about this that echo Isaiah's. And yet, the 30hr Famine is not about drawing attention to those who fast. Rather, it is about those who fast getting the attention of as large a group as possible, and then directing that attention away from themselves, and onto those who need justice, freedom, release, those who go to bed hungry night after night, using all of their energy merely trying not to starve. This weekend 42 teens from BNC and Rogers gathered together for the purpose of helping those in need. In the process they learned a little bit about what it means to be hungry, and they also had a really good time. As of right now, your teens raised enough money to feed 14 hungry people in Malawi for all of next year. That's two years in a row that we've accomplished that. They've done more than just dole out money, though. This weekend our teens were confronted with God's message of justice, of jubilee, and they were presented with the opportunity to be a part of the change that God wants to render in the world. You see God is always on the side of the poor, the oppressed, and the hungry. In a small way, our teens offered food to the hungry and satisfied the needs of the afflicted. In doing so, I caught a glimpse of them that looked less like a group of teens, and more like a "watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail." I hope they saw that in each other, and in themselves. I'm very proud of our teens, and you should be too.

Lord, may your light rise in the darkness, and may you chase away the gloom that is global poverty, and make it become like the noonday sun.

Keeping the "High"

Easter is my favorite holiday…partly because I was born on Easter. As Easter is a rotating holiday, it has only landed on my birthday three times but each time has made a definite and poignant mark in life. There is something amazing that happens at Easter. There’s an energy and excitement that radiates within our lives. We shout and declare, “Christ is Risen Indeed”!

For the last few days, I have heard many comments praising our preteens on their performance on the black light routine. They shared how this performance was memorizing, moving and dynamic. They shared how the Holy Spirit has impacted them throughout this performance and how significant it had been to demonstrate the power of Jesus’ resurrection. And I say, “Amen to that!”

First off, “Thank you preteens for leading us in such a transformational way. You ministered to us beyond our greatest expectations. You helped us experience the Jesus’ narrative in a way that drew us into the story and respond to the glory of God as we declared together, ‘Arise, Jesus, my Lord is alive!’”

However with all these comments it made me stop and think…how long will this last? We speak of mountaintop experiences and many of us recognize we can’t live in this extreme. But how can we take this spiritual “high” we experienced on Sunday and continue to allow it to resonate and affect us with a power that energizes us throughout the following days, weeks and even year?

Reading Wednesday’s gospel reading, John 15:1-11, I am reminded that it is our actions that energize us. “I am the vine and you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). It is living out the resurrection that continues to give us the “high.” It isn’t a church service, it isn’t a specific pastor; it isn’t a class or even a great performance.

It is living out the hope of Jesus Christ through each relationship we develop, through each way we give back to those around us, throughout our community and throughout the world. It’s how respond to social justice issues and the equal treatment of all persons. Its waking up each moment affirming that they only way to respond to the new life, new freedom you have received through Christ is through loving God and loving others. And when you make a choice to do this, you choose to live in the resurrection, in the moment—all of a sudden you’ll find that you can live with a “high” that never fades. Because it’s when you “do” and bear the fruit of the resurrection that you are able to experience the life that energizes and radiates and lasts to infinity and beyond…

Good Friday…Not Just a Catholic Thing

*Warning: This post is slightly longer than intended. Read on though – it will do you good! ☺

Many reading this blog are new to Good Friday. For many, when they hear Good Friday, the immediate thought is, “that’s a ‘Catholic thing.’” Well, I’m here to tell you that it is so much more than that – it is a Christ-follower thing. And therefore, it’s a thing for you.

Roman Catholics have made many mistakes and done many things wrong over the years: The Crusades, indulgences, The Inquisition, Mariology, and that’s not to mention some of the many contemporary problems that plague the Roman church, such as clergy abuse scandals, to name only one. We are right to be critical of these things. (But remember, some of these things are our history too, as Protestants trace their theological roots to Roman Catholicism. And, we too have many, many problems, including clergy abuse scandals – we just aren’t as organized and therefore don’t get as much publicity.) And yet, these things do not define, but rather they mar the Roman Catholic Church. Personally, I have many Roman Catholic friends and acquaintances that put my faith and life to shame. I admire them, and their faith. And yes, I disagree with them on certain points as well! But this is not a defense of Roman Catholicism. Rather, I want to say a little about the importance of Good Friday.

Good Friday has been faithfully practiced by the church for as long as there has been a Church. Remember that movie The Passion? (I don’t recommend watching it more than once….) Well, it’s a version of the travelling passion plays that early followers of Jesus would put on in order to share the Gospel. In fact, many scholars believe that some of the gospel narratives in the NT (Mark in particular) are descendant from these early travelling evangelistic shows. The Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church (in all its variants), the Anglican Church, the Episcopal Church, the Lutheran Church, and the Methodist Church, all faithfully remember and celebrate Good Friday each year. And yes, that means that John Wesley would have personally officiated or participated in many such services. These services were essential to the early Methodists who pursued religious revival through their Methodist bands, or small groups. Good Friday has a long, rich, history, that for some is celebrated each year, and for some, like many of us, is being rediscovered out of the depths of our ecclesial heritage.

Put simply, Good Friday is the day each year, when Christians around the world remember the crucifixion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Truly this was the darkest day in history. Jesus – the Messiah – the Christ – our Savior – was murdered, and not just by the Romans, and not just by the Jews, but rather it was both – Jew and Gentile alike that killed Jesus on that fateful day. In other words, all of humanity participated, and so, “all we like sheep have turned away, each has turned to her own way, and the Lord has laid the iniquity of us all upon Him” - we all have blood on our hands. So far, not so good, huh?

And yet, this is precisely what is so good about Good Friday. The day itself would have been terrifying, painful, confusing, or worse. Saturday, would have possibly been even worse still. But then came Sunday, and when that stone was rolled away, and the Angel of the Lord appeared to the two Marys the events of Friday were put into context, and that context was good – it was very good.

On Good Friday, we learn that God, who is not the creator of darkness, can nonetheless use darkness – even the darkest darkness – to bring about the most radiant light. My hope is that if you’re willing to embrace the darkness of Good Friday (Ash Wednesday is sort of a primer for Good Friday…..) then you will be able to better understand and appreciate the Light of Life that shines out for all to see on Easter Sunday.

Church, we have no choice, if we are to truly call ourselves followers of Christ, but to go with Him to the cross, and into the darkness. We do that today – but we do so, fortunately, with the knowledge that the darkness cannot and did not hold Him – and that means it cannot and will not hold us either! And that is very Good indeed!

Passover

One of my favorite things about Holy Week is Maundy Thursday. I love the mystery of this day. Can you imagine being in the upper room with Jesus as he began officiate a traditional Passover meal and reinvent it in a new contextual medium. I love how this meal became a tangible way for Jesus’ disciples to respond to God’s invitation and to experience God’s love in such a sacrificial manner. I love how we are able to experience something in this moment that connects us with one another in a deep and personal way which we fully can’t even articulate. Yet we are fully aware of how this meal bonds and unites us together not just with one another in our church but with all people throughout the world in the past, present and future.

Last night, I had the privilege of leading our children and families in a Messianic Passover. It was a joy to watch children as young as Grace Springer and Paul Snodgrass interact with other children and adults as each person responded and retold the Passover narrative. It was a beautiful sight to watch us all prepare and participate in the rituals-tasting and holding different elements, reflecting and remembering how God has redeemed and delivered us. And it was awe-inspiring to hear us all recite various prayers and blessings together as we shouted out our dependence and praises to Adonai our God.

While we often assume that a Passover meal is only a Jewish tradition, I am reminded how even more significant and powerful this meal can be in the context of Jesus’ saving, self-giving sacrificial death and resurrection. It was a powerful reminder of how I can tangibly experience and re-live a part of the Jesus’ journey toward the cross. And this imagery will last with me long after the close of this Easter week because through this meal I was able to not only experience but participate with and live out Jesus’ missional vision of redeeming all humanity.