Staring Down Death

Thoughts From Daily Readings from the Live Like You Are Dying Series ...

"Death is the most inevitable event that we are least prepared for.  There is great irony in this in that there is, for each of us, a hundred percent chance of dying and a next to a hundred percent chance we aren't anywhere near ready for it.  Our whole culture is in a state of denial when it comes to death.

Our elderly family members die in nursing homes sometimes far removed from the families they nurtured and that nurtured them.  We are often not even there when they breathe their last.  And the main goal of the funeral home is to shield the family members as much as possible from the reality of what just happened.

But we are embarking on a 30-day journey to change all that.

The Bible clearnly states that we all have an appointment with death -- "It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment" (Hebrews 9:27 NASB).  But instead of running from that appointment, as so much in our culture encourages us to do, we are going to run right for it.  We are going to fearlessly stare down death to ride right up to the precipice and let the winds from the valley of death blow back over our lives and stir us to something new.

This study has one goal:  Change.  We want you to discover that one thing that will alter the course of your life that you wouldn't find any other way unless you lived like you were dying.

This will take courage, but we have help in this:  "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me" (Psalm 23:4).

We have company.

You see this is no way we could have the nerve to face death - even hypothetically - if we didn't know that the Son of God has already stared down death and won.  He's been there and back, and he is going to lead us right up to it, through it, and on to the other side.  So what do we have to fear?

We are going to assume that we only have thirty days to live, and reevaluate our values, priorities and dreams in light of that.  How would this knowledge change the way you look at things?  What might you be emboldened to do that you have never done before?  What would become important, and what would suddenly not matter at all?  We want to invite you to explore these questions with us on this 30-day journey.

This experience will have different results for each person.

Somone might take that trip they've wanted to take for a long time.  Another might learn to paint.  Someone might discover the words "I love you" roll more easily off their lips.  Someone might reunite a broken relationship through the gift of forgiveness.  Others might talk more freely about Jesus.  It's unpredictable what exactly might happen because we're all different and we will all interpret the message in a different way, but that's the beauty of it.  It will be your way ... how God inspires you.  What happens in the next thirty days will be entirely up to you.  Are you ready to live like you were dying?" (Live Like You Are Dying Daily Reading - week 1 day 1)

What would happen if each of us put the following into action?  What changes would we make in our lives?  Read this aloud and ask God to help you make this happen. 

I am willing to do what God wants me to do to act on the insights I receive in the next thirty day, not just think about them.  I am willing to take risks I might not normally take unless I knew I was dying soon.  I am willing to stare down death and grab a hold of my life.

The Upside Down Kingdom

We had a great Ash Wednesday service last night. We began a journey that takes us from the early days of Jesus' ministry to his trial and crucifixion and ultimately to the empty tomb. I have chosen Mark's Gospel to guide us. I'm looking forward to walking with our church through these passages that reveal the Kingdom of God. This Kingdom Jesus speaks of is very different from the empire of this world. At times, it appears that Jesus is inviting us into a Kingdom that is upside down and very different from life as we know it. However, as we experience more of this Kingdom we discover what is truly upside down and what is really right-side up.

Our church is reading through the Gospel of Mark as we approach Easter Sunday. Periodically, I will post my reflections on some of these passages. I would love to answer any questions you may have about something you read in the book of Mark. You can email your questions to: msnodgrass@bnaz.org. I look forward to this exploration of scripture together and to what God wants to show us.

Just An Ordinary Girl

I hope you are enjoying a wonderful season of Advent. I am enjoying this countdown to Christmas, but I find myself fighting the same battle every year. I struggle ever year to not get caught up in the busyness of all I have to do. I must discipline myself to remember that the parties, the gifts, the programs, and the lights all point to a moment in time in which God came near. Everything we are engaged in as we prepare for December 25 points to God’s answer of Isaiah’s prayer:

O that you would tear the heavens and come near… (Isaiah 64:1)

One night in an unsuspecting Judean town, God did come near. He came so close, in fact, that a young mother in Bethlehem was able to wrap Him up in swaddling clothes and kiss His face.

Take a moment and re-read Luke 1-2. I invite you to hear the story of that young mother. I invite you into her world. We don’t know much of her other than the limited details that appear in the Christmas narratives and a handful of references throughout the Gospels. However, the more I think about Mary and her role as theotokos, or “God bearer”, I want to know her more. I want the kind of faith that would submit to this mysterious plan of God to save the world.

We forget Mary’s side of the story. We forget: that which ultimately would save the world turns Mary’s world upside down. Even though the angel's message rocks Mary's world, she displays a faith that is OK with that whatever God wants to do. May we confess with Mary:

May it be to me as you have said. (Luke 1:38)

This is the confession of an ordinary girl with extraordinary faith.

Good News and Bad

How many of you have ever had someone say to you: “Well, I’ve got good news and bad news. Which one do you want first?” When someone begins a conversation with me that way I get nervous. I imagine we all squirm in anxiety when it’s our doctor, banker, attorney or accountant who is beginning a conversation that way. I’ve found that the order in which we hear these tidings does not matter. Sometimes they cancel one another out, but most of the time the bad news trumps the good.

As a pastor charged with the responsibility of preaching the Word of God, I’ve got good news and bad news. Which do you want first? Do you want to hear about the economic crisis, the unemployment rate, the famines and food shortages in the world, and the recent death of family members that have touched our congregation?

OR…

Do you want to hear the Good News? Do you want to hear that there is one coming? Do you want to hear that God has a plan? Do you want to join the millions upon millions that have gone before us who have dared to believe that God’s Good News will trump all the bad? Like John the Baptist in the wilderness, I have some Good News to share with you. There is one coming who will baptize us with the Holy Spirit and with fire. In the hustle of this season, I pray we recognize him.

Everything Beautiful

Beauty is all around us. Since moving to Arkansas, I have enjoyed the natural beauty of this place. One of my favorite places to run is the Crystal Bridges nature trail. In addition to the trail, we’ll now be able to enjoy the beauty of the art contained within the museum. There is certainly a lot of ‘pomp and circumstance’ associated with the opening of this facility. It might be the understatement of the year to say: “Our community is very excited.”

As we welcome the opening of this landmark, I’m reminded that beauty is a gift from God. In the beginning God created all things good and they are for His glory. The earth is the Lord’s canvas, and every now and then he will paint a masterpiece in a morning sky or an evening sunset. Moreover, his works of art are sometimes as subtle as a wildflower or an infant’s first smile. These divine expressions of beauty remind us that, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11) As Bentonville becomes the center for American art, I pray that we continue to be a people who display God’s handiwork and the beauty of holiness in our character, our conduct and our worship.

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