Morning Prayer

Years ago I memorized a short prayer from the Book of Common Prayer to say daily. It goes like this:
“Lord God Almighty, and Everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us by your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, or be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord amen.”

I recite it every day when I get in the car to leave the house. I’ll admit I’m usually thinking of me and sometimes my family when I recite the prayer, but that’s going to change. I want it to be a prayer I recite for us… PCC. After all, it is written in the first person plural… it’s not “me”, it’s “we”. The prayer fits well what I think we want to be together & what we want to ask God to do for us, in us, & through us. Let’s break it down into the parts.

“Lord God Almighty, and Everlasting Father…”

We’re all created in the image of God, & through Christ we all call on the Almighty as “Everlasting Father”. That, of course, makes us brothers and sisters, family.

“…you have brought us in safety to this new day…”

When all is well with us, we know who to thank. When one brother or sister rejoices in some unexpected blessing or some long anticipated blessing, we all rejoice. We are a people filled with gratitude for our God. We come every Sunday to praise him and give thanks to the Lord together.

“Preserve us by your mighty power that we may not fall into sin, or be overcome by adversity…”

Together we face two adversaries in this life. The first is sin. We gather to confess our sin and receive forgiveness. We also respond to the gospel by turning away from sin to walk together righteously before God. We share a desire NOT to sin anymore. We’re not obsessed with the sins of non-believers. Rather, we are committed to walking faithfully before God ourselves… together.

The other adversary is adversity. The world is destined to be renewed. All wrongs will be made right. Every tear dried, & death will be no more. But not yet. Till Christ returns we endure adversity of all kinds. The prayer is not some fantasy that we’d never experience any trouble or hardship or suffering of any kind, but that we will not be overcome by adversity. So we stand together and share in one another’s sufferings and adversity, praying for those in chemo and rehab and looking for a job and trying to keep their family together. By the almighty power of God we will not be overcome! Faith, hope, and love will endure forever in us.

“…and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord amen.”

We’re doing more here than merely surviving, trying to avoid sin & enduring adversity. We have a God-given, God-ordained mission. We are sent to…
·        Proclaim the Gospel
·        Produce disciples
·        Praise God together

So we pray for God’s direction in fulfilling his purpose in us and through us.

That’s what we’re about here at Pflugerville Community Church. We share a communal faith that fills us with gratitude, and ministers to one another as we face temptation, seek forgiveness, endure adversity, & do the work of God’s mission… proclaiming Christ, producing disciples, and praising God together.

Backpack Pfriends

Dr. Alex Torrez, Superintendent of PISD delivered a video message to PCC on Sunday, December 15. He said, “Sometimes we think of not having access to enough food as a problem in other communities, other countries, but not in our own backyard. Childhood hunger is real. It is a problem and it exists in PISD right now.”

I was surprised the first time I heard Dr. Torrez talk about children right here in our community that don’t have enough food. These children are fed at school 5-days-a-week, but on the week-ends they often go without. I cannot imagine walking home from school on a Friday afternoon as a 2^nd grader wondering if I’ll have anything to eat for the next two days. Dr. Torrez raised awareness of the problem and then offered a solution. PISD is partnering with local churches on a pilot program called Backpack Pfriends. The program distributes backpacks loaded with nutritious food for the week-end every Friday for at risk children. PCC is one of churches stepping up to partner with the school district for the pilot program.

 This year’s Christmas Eve offering will be given in total to fund the Backpack Pfriends project at Brookhollow Elementary School. The backpacks have already been donated, so 100% of our offering will go to providing the food to put in them. Our goal is to raise $9000 needed to support the program through the spring semester and fall. Would you set aside an offering for Christmas Eve that will be an on-going blessing to children in our community?

 This year’s Christmas Eve project also provides opportunities for us to help in a “hands-on” way. PCC will need volunteers to stuff the backpacks every week and hand them out. More details about volunteering to be part of the Backpack Pfriends program will be available in January. What a great opportunity for PCC to make a difference for Christ in our own backyard.

 The proverb contends, “A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.” Proverbs 22:9 (NIV)

Our desire is to honor God by sharing our food and the Bread of Life, who is Christ our Lord. We won’t be slipping gospel tracts into the backpacks, but we will pray for each family that receives them. We won’t give with strings attached; we’ll simply be a blessing and let the Spirit work.

What I Learned from Nonbelievers Part 2

At a recent Explore God Discussion group believers and nonbelievers had an honest & open discussion about God. The specific topic was: “Why does God allow pain & suffering?” Another thing I learned was that some nonbelievers are perfectly ok with the randomness of suffering. This surprised me as much as anything that was said in the group.

For those of us who believe in God pain and suffering can be confusing & difficult, if not impossible, to fully understand. But, suffering always leads believers to a conversation with God. It is a test of faith, not so much whether or not our faith will survive, but how deep it will go. At times that “conversation” feels rather one-sided. All believers recall times when God felt far away or non-existent. Nevertheless, our faith pushes us to continue seeking, crying out, waiting to hear back, and taking comfort in the promises of God’s Word. We find great solace in the gospel that promises the redemption of our suffering in the end, and God’s good and holy purpose accomplished in it now. The promises are truly comforting, but it’s conversation itself that I need when suffering and disappointment crashes down on me. It is the consolation of having someone who knows how I feel and what I fear and cares and gives me peace beyond understanding.

Nonbelievers appear to need no such conversation. They say, “Suffering just happens.” It’s the way the world works. It’s science. Molecules break down. Natural disasters occur. Is there anything more impersonal and uncaring as science? Chemical reactions and molecules and nature don’t care, can’t possibly care when we suffer. One nonbeliever made the case that it is more tenable to accept the randomness of suffering rather than the alternative, that there is a God so cruel as to cause suffering. I would agree with her premise, if I accepted her concept of God as the cruel cause of suffering.

We believe in the God of love and redemption, not a God of cruelty who takes delight in the suffering of the people he created. We can debate the character of God, whether he is a God of grace and truth who redeems all suffering or not. We can all express our opinions, but in the end he is a God of love or he isn’t. He exists or he doesn’t. If he doesn’t exist or he’s committed to sadistic cruelty, then what hope is there for us when we suffer… really suffer? On the other hand, there is the deepest hope in the God revealed in Christ our Lord. And it isn’t just about heaven or life after death, it’s the conversation now. It’s the presence of God, who in Christ knows suffering personally.

Many years of being a pastor has taught me that even though I cannot “fix” someone’s troubles or stop someone’s suffering there is something about simply showing up. There is something quiet powerful in being with the one hurting. Only God can be fully present and with us in the midst of our most intense suffering, the suffering that ends in death. If there is no God, the final moments of suffering will also be unbearably lonely. Every time I go to the Lord’s Table and eat the bread of Christ and drink from his cup I am reassured that he has been through the shadow of the valley and I will not pass through it alone.

 

What I Learned from Nonbelievers

Last night I enjoyed visiting one of PCC’s home groups. It was a group that began as one of our Explore God Discussion groups that decided to continue the discussion after the official Explore God initiative was over. After the children were fed and ushered upstairs with the babysitter the seven adults took our seats in the living room. Four were believers & PCC members, another described herself as “not a believer, but open”, another described herself as an atheist, & me, “the pastor”. It was a delightful group of genuine friends having an honest and open discussion about God.

I could trumpet my success in the debate, how I bobbed and weaved to avoid the brunt of their arguments, floated like butterfly and stung like a bee delivering irrefutable theology. Actually, it wasn’t like that at all. I didn’t go to win a debate, but have a conversation, to listen and learn, as much as to share my views of God and faith. As it turned out, the two nonbelievers weren’t intimidated in the least by my clergy credentials. They didn’t hold back in sharing their views or questioning mine. Here are some things I learned from nonbelievers last night.

Hateful Christians do incredible damage to the cause of Christ. It is one thing to recognize that this is true in a general way, it’s another to sit next to someone whose been deeply wounded by a hateful believer in her own family or in her own childhood church. In her book Angry Conversations with God, Susan Isaacs describes her tortured teen years and observes, “…if just one, just one Jesus person had made me feel loved at the time, it could have changed a lot. It could have changed everything.” If I had one wish for every child growing up in PCC it would be that he or she would experience grace and love when it’s most needed. That was my own experience as young person. The love and grace I received in my most vulnerable moment served to confirm and seal my faltering, unsteady faith in Christ.

I have yet to discover an argument that heals the wounds hateful Christians inflict on struggling, searching, questioning kids in the church. The very term “hateful Christian” should be an oxymoron. How can those of us who claim to follow Christ be hateful? I’m not talking about a moment of passion when we fly off the handle and say something we immediately deeply regret. I’m talking about willfully feeding the monster of hatred so that it grows into a consuming obsession. I’m talking about unapologetic, proud, cruel, unrepentant hatred toward a group or individual. This kind of hatred often causes questioning young people in the church to conclude, “This is the way it is with God. So, I’m done with God, Christ, Church, faith, all of it.” All the believers in our little circle were quick to point out, “We’re not all like that!” But that wasn’t enough; it’s never enough. Being part of a faith community means owning the sins of our brothers. So our only defense is confession, repentance, and a plea for forgiveness on behalf of our brothers. I’m not sure I got that message across last night, but hope & pray so.

There’s much more that I learned from nonbelievers last night. I’ll add more to this blog in the coming days and weeks.

I Love the Bible

Christians worship Jesus Christ, not the Bible. Our first love is Jesus, the one John meant when he wrote, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” Some seem to think the Holy Trinity is the Father, Son, and Bible. The Bible is not God; it points to God. The Bible cannot save us or redeem us; only Jesus can do that. The Bible is our primary source, but not our only source, for learning about God and hearing and experiencing God. So, I love the Bible. If I were stranded on a dessert island with only one book I’d choose Lord of the Rings the Bible. I’ve memorized key passages of the Bible just in case I get stranded on that island without it.

It’s true, part of my love for the Bible stems from the fact that I grew up hearing its stories read to me by my parents and Sunday school teachers. My early childhood heroes included David, who slew a giant, Noah who built an ark, Samson who single handedly wiped out a few thousand evil Philistines with the jawbone of an ass, John the Baptist who ate grasshoppers, and of course, Jesus who out shined them all. They inspired me to dream of doing heroic things for God.

I remember how proud I was when my parents gave me my first black leather-bound KJV with my name embossed in gold letters on the front “Steven D Clem”. It felt like Mom and Dad were merely messengers delivering an incredible gift to me from God. Now I could read the word of God for myself. At the age of 8 or 9 I couldn’t understand much of it (it was a KJV), but I loved turning the pages and reading it out loud. I loved looking up the passages as the preacher called out his text on Sunday. I loved the Bible drills in children’s church. Bible drills were contests to see who could find the book, chapter, and verse first as they were called out by the teacher. Those Old Testament Minor Prophets were tough to find, but it felt good to find it first, win the race, jump up from my seat, and start reading, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8) There is a sentimental element in my love for the Bible I cannot deny. But it’s more than that.

The Bible is the only book I can read over and over, day after day, and still have a sense of finding something new, or more to the point, hearing something new and fresh every time I open it. It is the only book that sings to me (Zeph. 3:17) and stings me (Is. 64:6) and satisfies my soul (Ps. 62:1). It is the only book that I never read alone… even when I am alone. It is filled with mystery and yet God’s will for me is unmistakable. It scares the you-know-what out of me as it confronts me with my sin and God’s righteous anger. And yet the love of God in Christ is communicated in the story of the cross so vividly I can almost hear the nails being driven in his hands and feet. So often the words of Jesus seem meant for me alone.

If there is one key to reading the Bible, as I think God intends us to read it, I think it would be with an attitude of faith seeking understanding. We should bring our questions, doubts, and prejudices to God as we read Bible. I’m for honest thinking and questioning as we read it. The New City Catechism asks, “How is the Word of God to be read and heard?” Answer: “With diligence, preparation, and prayer; so that we may accept it with faith, store it in our hearts, and practice it in our lives.” My faith in Christ alone as my Redeemer, Savior, and Lord guides my reading and understanding of the Bible.

I won’t apologize for the Bible. Yes, there are some hard to understand stories, especially in the Old Testament; God seems very harsh at times. But this is the same God Jesus calls “my Father”. This is the same God who chooses to become one of us, suffer with us, and die for us. This is the God who loves and commands us to love one another. I love the Bible, not like I love a trophy or antique lamp. I love the Bible like I love a long, love letter that is brutally honest, but infinitely intimate and dripping with passion for me. This Sunday, October 13, 2013 I’m preaching on the topic, “Can we trust the Bible?” The bottom line for me has little to do with the typical issues of translation errors, who decided which books were to be included in the Bible, and historical and scientific errors in the Bible. The answer for me personally is, absolutely we can trust the Bible as a reliable document revealing God, like a passionate love letter revealing the heart of a lover.

If you miss the message this Sunday you can hear it online at http://www.pc-church.org/sermon-archives/explore-god/ .

What I Like about “Explore God”

The “Explore God” initiative is officially launched on September 8. There’s so much to like about the “Explore God” initiative that PCC is participating in this fall. I thought I’d share three elements I like best about the effort.

1. Equipping believers

I like the equipping element of “Explore God”. The training offered to believers in how to simply have a conversation about God is unique in that it doesn’t assume we’re all gospel salesmen commissioned to close deals for Jesus. It’s the kind of training that is useful in virtually everyone’s day-to-day life. It’s not about another church program, but becoming more aware of God working in you and through you at work, at home, wherever you are. If you missed this training check out the video @ http://vimeo.com/61399032

2. Welcoming doubters
I’ve always tried to be a pastor that welcomes people with doubts to PCC. I like the questions. I like the honesty. After all, we all have questions. This Sunday is the perfect Sunday to invite a friend who has doubts. The discussion groups that begin next week are designed for people with doubts and questions, so invite a friend to participate in a group with you.

3. Practicing unity

At last count over 350 churches are participating in Explore God. PCC is not alone in our mission to proclaim Christ, produce disciples, and praise God. While it is true that Christians find quite a lot to disagree about, the greater truth is that we all hold to the “main thing”. It’s a good thing for non-believers to see the kind of unity displayed among believers demonstrated in the Explore God initiative.

There is indeed a lot to like in the Explore God initiative. Keep praying that God works through it, through you and me, to reach many with the gospel.

More Questions??

Pflugerville Community Church is ramping up preparation for the Explore God initiative. “Explore God” is a unique, coordinated effort to engage the greater Austin area in spiritual conversation. 300+ churches have signed up to host a 7-week sermon series and discussion group series, aimed at giving Biblical insights into life's most challenging questions. In our “Explore God” training we talked about spiritual ice-breaker questions. Some suggested questions included, "What gets you through hard times?" and "How are you doing... I really want to know?" Here are 7 additional questions Andrew Wilson offers in his book, If God Then What? Wondering Aloud About Truth, Origins and Redemption. If you’re interested in how he develops his questions you can pick up a copy of his book at http://www.amazon.com/God-Then-What-Wondering-Redemption/dp/1844745694/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374789586&sr=1-5&keywords=Andrew+Wilson

So, here’s his questions which I think are quite good:

1. What’s wrong with the world? I cannot imagine anyone saying, ‘nothing’.
2. What’s the solution? This is a question that effectively asks, ‘what’s your gospel?’
3. How did we get here? Lots of people haven’t got much further than ‘the Big Bang and then evolution’. But why was there a Big Bang, do you think?
4. Why do you think? Does the fact that humans love thought, and poetry, and spirituality, suggest anything about the nature of ultimate reality?
5. What is possible? If God is possible then presumably ‘miracles’ are possible. Dead people rising again, for instance?
6. What happened on 9 April AD 30? I'm not sure how Wilson came up with that exact date, but I think it’s important to ask people what they make of the resurrection of Jesus.
7. So what? It’s good to ask what they think it might imply if Jesus was alive. Who knows? They might even ask you what you think it implies.

Before asking those questions it would be wise to first contemplate them yourself, and even do a bit of reading and research. Let’s keep praying for God to pour out his Spirit upon us as we look for those divine appointments, opportunities to have a conversation about God. Miss the two training sessions? You can watch the first video, “How to Have a Spiritual Conversation,” here: http://vimeo.com/61399032 and the second video “How to Use ExploreGod.com” here: http://vimeo.com/63711008.