Judgment Vs. Mercy

Question: When it comes to relationships, would you say it is easier to focus on who is right or wrong or to extend unconditional forgiveness?  In any relationship- especially marriage, grace and mercy go a super long way.  It is guaranteed that any day and any moment I am going to need to be forgiven when I don’t deserve it.  I am so glad I have a wife who forgives and forgets.

Communion is an opportunity to celebrate forgiveness we don’t deserve!  Communion reminds us that forgiveness matters way more than deciding who is right or wrong. It is natural for us to want to discover who was wrong and then dwell on it.  However,  James 2:13 states mercy triumphs over Judgment. Our default is judgment, but it takes work to learn to extend mercy.  Matt 9:13. States, but go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. In other words- anyone can point fingers, anyone can figure out who was wrong, but undeserved forgiveness takes major self discipline!  

When we remember that we all have received forgiveness we do not deserve, when that really sets in, it changes how we treat one another.  We begin to be more forgiving and more accepting of one another.  Christ becomes more and we become less.  This is when the power of Christ is unleashed in our lives.  2 Corinthians 12: 9, My grace is sufficient for you.  My power is made perfect in weakness."   

Forgiveness is powered by love and we know in Ephesians 3:19  that love surpasses knowledge.  The goal is to grow in love more than knowledge. The goal is not to grow in proving who is right, but to grow in the ability to forgive and love others when they don’t deserve it.  

Communion reminds us of the power of forgiveness and love.  1 Corinthians 11:24-25 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

Let’s pray:

Father, thank you for this moment that reminds us how much God loves us: not the feeling love, but the action love. The love that is patient.  The love that keeps no record of wrongs.  The love that always protects, always, trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.   The love that never fails. 

A Time of Extremes

We want to welcome our onsite and online family this morning.  As we prepare for communion, we are reminded to focus on Christ, His body that was broken for us and His blood that was shed for us.  

 We are also reminded the reason we gather is because we are part of His body.  Just as the eyes and ears serve their own function.  We, together, serve an important function.  Communion is a time to recharge through repentance and remembrance so that we can be the powerful unit together that we were called to be.  

 You see, it could be easy for our body of believers to be torn right now. 

 We are in a time of extremes where it is  very uncomfortable to be in the middle.  For instance, some think this whole Covid thing has been blown out of proportion to a great degree and  are huggers!   While others believe that we should continue to be locked in our homes and make no contact at all. Others are somewhere in the messy middle and it’s hard because you know we have to get back into living, but you aren’t so sure it has to be done right now. 

 We watch and listen to lessons being learned from the tragedy with George Floyd. Some believe we should defund the police and take over city blocks while others don’t understand why there is so much opposition and protest. Others are somewhere in the messy middle and it’s hard because you are trying to understand why not being racist isn’t enough.  

 Christ calls our church to be leaders in these times and gives us his Holy Spirit to do things that we could never imagine doing.  He gives us the power to love others no matter where we (or they) are.

 And so I want to have you all close your eyes as we prepare to meditate on Christ’s body and our role here today. For it is during this time of remembrance, where we will find power in unity through love to help our body become stronger than ever.

 Let’s pray: Father, thank you for bringing us here today. Thank you Jesus for your examples of love through miracles.  If you can turn water into wine, we know you can rejuvenate our spirits.

 

If you can feed 5000 with five loaves of bread and two fish, we know you can give us double doses of love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness.  

 

If you can allow the blind man to see, we know you can open our eyes to the injustice that exists in our world and help us engage our brothers and sisters in a loving manner.  

 

Father, you wept when you saw Lazarus in his grave. But then you did the impossible and brought him back to life.  We pray for that same power to restore our spirits in our lives.  

 

In Jesus name amen.

Communion 2020: Guided Imagery

How are you doing?  What’s up?  I love and hate those questions.   There is a lot up, but we don’t have time to go over it all!  Imagine we are all sitting at a big table. We are here as a church family and there is a gigantic round table and we are about to eat together.  We are going to talk.  Jesus sits down with us.    Pause.  Take a deep sigh breath.   I am going to give you a few moments to imagine sharing with Jesus your thoughts.  Things you are happy about and things you are worried and upset about.  I am going to wait about 20-30 seconds.  Cue to take a deep breath and then read another verse.    Pause.  Take a deep sigh breath.

For those who don’t feel they know the truth: “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”   John 14:6 NIV   “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”   John 8:31-32

Pause.  Take a deep sigh breath

For those who feel down, depressed, sad, and overwhelmed:  “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  John 10:9-10 NIV

Pause Deep breath.  

For those who are confused.  Eph 3:19 and I pray that you, being rooted and established in love may have power to grasp how wide and long high and deep is the love of Christ and to know His love that surpasses knowledge.  

Pause Deep breath.  

For those who keep messing up.  I can’t break the habit.  Matthew 17:20 He replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Pause Deep breath

A reminder why we are here in this moment:  “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.”  1 Corinthians 11:23-29 NIV

Don't be like "little Andy"

As we prepare for communion- A time to remember Jesus and His sacrifice for our sins, I want to encourage you all not to be like "little Andy."  

Before I go into detail, I am going to give you four words to remember and repeat back after my short communion thought:  Protects.  Trusts.  Hopes.  Perseveres.

Do you remember receiving gifts as a kid?  Do you remember how excited you were?  Did you ever open one present and then without pausing to think about what you had just received hurry and open the next present?  That is how "little Andy" sometimes handled his gift opening.  Sometimes the temptation to see what was next overcame my ability to focus on the gift I had just received.

As communion time is here we are encouraged to examine our hearts.  We are charged to take the bread which represents his body that was broken for us and the juice which represents his blood that was shed for us with a focus on Christ.  I remember some Sundays growing up when my Dad would not take communion.  His focus was off.  Whether it be a problem at home or at work, he would not take communion unless his focus was strong enough to be on Christ.

If you are like me, you struggle with focus at times.   What were the four words you were asked to remember?

I am going to pray and teach you how these four words help me focus during communion.  Feel free to use the same exercise at this time to help you not be like "little Andy." 

Dear Jesus, thank you for protecting us through your death, burial, and resurrection.  Thank you for predicting your death, dying, and coming back to life which allows us to trust that you are who you said you are and that you will do what you said you would do.  Thank you for the hope of heaven.   Thank you Holy Spirit for giving us the power to be relentless in perseverance.  Amen

Rocking the Parade of Life

Communion is about remembering we are sinners, confessing our sins, and praising God for forgiveness and our new life in Him.  But, if God is all knowing and is in control of everything- in other words, He knows everything about the past, present, and future, are we like puppets?  Are we predestined to live a certain life?  Why ask for forgiveness?  Why ask for forgiveness if He already knows we are going to sin?   Good question right?  Let’s talk about something else!

The Louisville Constitution Parade was awesome!

We had our golden oldies hanging out in back of a sweet Toyota truck (we have the coolest experienced wise people around).  We need to hang with them more often!  We had our youth carrying an awesome banner leading the way.  We had an awesome float tribute to religious freedom with Tony and Carly singing.  We had representatives from all different missions with over 60 people.   I mean, when you have 10 ft tall Brannon at the front of the parade walking with a viking hat (hat with horns) and a motorcycle in the middle, who wouldn’t want to go to this church right? Other than McKenna getting sick from breathing in car exhaust, and the struggle to have enough candy saved for the end (you wouldn’t believe the number of older people fighting the younger people for candy), it was fun.  We won third place! 

God sees our lives like a parade.  He sees the beginning.  He sees the end.  He sees the main path, but He gives us free will to do what we want in between.  He also gives us freewill whether or not we want to finish the parade.  He knows we may stop and talk, give too much candy here or there and not enough elsewhere.  He knows we may tear the flag while marching.  He knows accidents might happen.  He forgives us when we make mistakes and aren’t perfect.  This allows us to forgive others.  Speaking of forgiveness, how much should we forgive?  “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”  Matthew 18:21-22 NIV

He gives us power through his Holy Spirit to walk and run in the parade. He gives us His word and each other to help us have an awesome float and to help us find the best path to the end. He wants us to finish the parade and to finish strong. 

Communion reminds us to forget the past and start new.  It reminds us to press on toward the goal. Philippians 3:13-14  “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  

Prayer: Thank you for the exciting parade of life.  Thank you for forgiving us.  Please forgive us of our sins and help us forgive others.  Help us to grow as a church.  Help us be strategic as a church and use our talents to best represent you in the parade of life.   Amen

New School Year. New Beginning.

How many are excited to go to school this week?  How many wish you could have a few more weeks off?  I felt both ways when I was young.  I remember the first day of school.  I was excited to see my friends again.  I was excited to start new.  New beginning. I remember one year around the Middle School days wanting to look like Don Johnson and thinking that that was going to be the key to kind of fitting in.  I remember getting to school and thinking I must’ve missed the memo.  “No one else looks like this.”  Awkward!

Speaking of awkward, I remember I would want to do some extra stuff like speak up in class, try to make new friends, volunteer to participate,  football, wrestling, and baseball.  I would have in my mind how cool it was is going to be and then I would get there and I get nervous and it would be hard.  But a lot of people around me encouraged me not to give up and I believe the Lord used those people to help me grow into who I am today.

I remember some of the moments were so much fun and I felt like I was doing the right thing in the right place and other times I felt like I was alone and that nobody liked me.  There would be times when the playground or cafeteria/hall time was amazing.. It was all good and other times it was like I had no one to play with or I had no one to hang out with.  There would be times when I would feel like an outcast and all alone.

No matter what happens to you all, we here at Louisville Christian want you to know you are supported and that you have family that cares about you. We understand. We also know your future is bright.  We will celebrate the victories you experience which will be numerous and we will also be here for you when you feel lost or alone.  

Keep in mind, as you start your new year, that you are created in Christ Jesus to do good works and that you don’t have to be like everyone else. You are saved, and Christ is going to make you new.  He is transforming you which will make you a leader for those around you.  You are called to be different.  You are called to be a light, an example, and encouragement to all around you. Your future is bright no matter where you have been or where you are right now.

The songs we sang this morning before this moment are perfect for representing your journey in Christ during this time of remembrance. You see, we take communion because just like starting new in school, we get to start new when we are in Christ.

Read Ephesians 2:1-10

Father- You are good, You are love, You are light, You are hope, You are peace, You are joy and You are life.”   Thank you for Jesus.   Thank you for making us new so that, we are not only saved, but we can run and sprint out of the grave.  You are transforming us.  You are helping us be over comers and leaders.  Work in us.  Help us do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine.

My Gratefulness Journey: A Brief Communion Meditation

Gratefulness or praise has been a journey for me.  The earliest memory of becoming aware that gratefulness would be elusive for me would have been around 12 years of age.  I know this behavior happened earlier, but that is my earliest memory of being aware that gratefulness was something that would have to be trained.  

I wanted a new three wheeler front tire for Christmas really bad!  I thought about it for months. I looked at them in the DirtWheels magazine all the time.  When I got my tire, I remember my mind quickly going to the thing I wanted next. I remember thinking…”this is weird.  Why am I not more grateful for what I wanted forever?”

I remember in my mid 20s battling negative thoughts and hearing the quote, “the antidote to negative thinking is not positive thinking, but gratefulness.” I remember starting to write prayer journals of praises because my mind didn’t want to go there naturally.  I would go on runs thinking, I am just going to praise God this morning, but in 30 seconds I would start to think about things that were wrong or things I needed to work on.

I remember falling in love w James 1:2-3. “Consider it pure joy when you endure trials of many kinds because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance."  Then I learned the navy seal motto is that they thrive on adversity when reading Marcus Luttrell’s book, Lone Survivor.  In it, he writes, “I persevere and thrive on adversity. My Nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission.”

Gratefulness takes work. It is not something that comes natural. We have a grateful muscle that we have to work out.  We can’t rely on our feelings to lead us to gratefulness.

The people who really amaze me are the ones who can go through adversity, crazy hard times, and praise God anyway.  How do they do that? Some that I know seem to have a strong understanding of eternal matters.

As we prepare for communion, we are reminded of the major reason for our gratefulness.  The bread represents His body that was broken for us and the blood represents His blood that was shed. One last thought.  

My latest run in with gratefulness was Jan 6 when Tony lead us in “I Raise a Hallelujah”.  His dad dying of pancreatic cancer, Tony is raising a hallelujah. In front of everyone, without a tear in his eye.  He is raising a hallelujah. I would like to read these lyrics as our prayer:

Raise a Hallelujah Bethel Music, Jonathan David Helser
I raise a hallelujah, in the presence of my enemiesI raise a hallelujah, louder than the unbelief
I raise a hallelujah, my weapon is a melody
I raise a hallelujah, heaven comes to fight for me
I'm gonna sing, in the middle of the storm
Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar
Up from the ashes, hope will arise
Death is defeated, the King is alive!
I raise a hallelujah, with everything inside of me
I raise a hallelujah, I will watch the darkness flee
I raise a hallelujah, in the middle of the mystery
I raise a hallelujah, fear you lost your hold on me!
I'm gonna sing, in the middle of the storm
Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar
Up from the ashes, hope will arise
Death is defeated, the King is alive!

Sing a little louder (In the presence of my enemies)
Sing a little louder (Louder than the unbelief)
Sing a little louder (My weapon is a melody)
Sing a little louder (Heaven comes to fight for me)
Sing a little louder (In the presence of my enemies)Sing a little louder (Louder than the unbelief)
Sing a little louder (My weapon is a melody)
Sing a little louder (Heaven comes to fight for me)
Sing a little louder!

I'm gonna sing, in the middle of the storm
Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar
Up from the ashes, hope will arise
Death is defeated, the King is alive!
Songwriters: Jonathan David Helser / Melissa Helse


#2As we prepare for communion this morning, I would like you to consider the possibility that lack of gratefulness is a major reason for our inability to resist temptation.  

When I was about 13 years old, I remember wanting a new front tire for my three wheeler.  I imagined it giving me better control and looking really cool. I planned the kind I wanted for months.  I thought about it all the time. I would get the dirtwheels magazines and could see myself on the cover of the magazine.  Christmas came, I got what I hoped for and I remember my mind going straight to the next thing that I wanted. I was happy I got the wheel, but once I received it, I didn’t take much time to be grateful for the gift I had received.  

Over the years, I have learned that gratefulness does not come natural.  In fact, I have learned that gratefulness takes work. When I am grateful, I am in a better place.  We have a gratefulness muscle. It takes work to be good at being grateful.

On a scale from 1 to 10, how easy it is it for you to be grateful? How much of the day do you spend thinking about things for which you are gratefulness? Is it easier for you to be grateful or to feel like you deserve more?

Satan wants us to believe that God is holding out on us.  Why is it that the one apple Eve ate, was the one she was not supposed to eat?  Could it be she wasn’t grateful for what she had, and just wanted something more believing that God is holding out on us?

Indeed, perhaps lack of gratefulness is a major reason for our inability to resist temptation.  Our sin, leads us here to this moment

Luke22:19-2019 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.Prayer:Grateful for Jesus.  Thank you for His example.  Thank you for forgiving us. Thank you for your Holy Spirit that helps us be transformed.  Thank you for your love that surpasses knowledge. Thank you for being patient with us. Help us grasp how wide and long, high and deep is the love of Christ.  Father help us build our gratefulness muscles so that we can truly grasp the power of your love in our lives.