Category: Bruce’s Newsletter Articles

This past weekend, the sermon directed us to look inward to find the tension we have with worship. Without rehashing the whole sermon, the inner tension we have with worship is probably related to the fact that we are created in God ?s image. Because we are made in the image of God, we sometimes confuse the worshipper with the One who should be worshipped.

For example, we walk into the Sunday morning worship gathering with preconceived notions about what worship should be like and what it should mean to us. When we leave, we comment about how good worship was, based upon what we liked about the time spent and about the feelings we have when we leave. While I don ?t want to negate those good feelings, perhaps they are misdirected. Shouldn ?t our good feelings be based upon the good things we brought before the One who is to be worshipped?

This internal tension becomes an “internal” struggle for the body of believers because we all have different understandings and expectations of worship. Our own internal tension is compounded by the internal tensions of the ones around us in the worship gathering.

The solution for our own internal tension is to give up our own self to God in our worship. Whatever it is that causes us to focus on ourselves in worship, we need to give it up selflessly and give God what he desires. Not only does that refocus our attention, but it redefines worship. With that kind of selfless attitude, worship isn ?t confined to an hour Sunday morning but to our whole lives.

By becoming “life slaves” to God, being completely, selflessly sold out to Jesus, we begin to reduce the tension in the body of believers as well. By giving up our own agendas and expectations for the worship gathering Sunday morning, we are bridging the gap within the body.

Even though I don ?t feel it, I am coming to grips with the reality that I ?m getting older. I ?m not ready to say that I ?m old, but now that the ?oldies ? radio stations are playing Billy Joel and Elton John, I can see that the culture may be passing me by. And that ?s OK.

The fact of the matter is that culture is always changing. Nobody recognizes that more than the church ?sometimes it seems like our right or duty as Christians to point that out every chance we can. Unfortunately, nobody fights it as much as the church. Despite our awareness of how quickly culture changes all around us, we are more likely to complain about it or insulate ourselves from it than to adapt to it.

Now before anyone worries about ?watering down ? the Gospel message or any of God ?s Truth found in his Word, consider the words of Jesus in John 16:33: ?In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. ? Jesus warned his disciples that they would face trouble; times were changing for them. But he wanted them to be encouraged by the fact that his victory was over culture as well.

Here ?s where it gets tough. God is who he is; that won ?t change. The Bible is what it is; that won ?t change. Our mission ?to love God and others and to make disciples ?will never change. Culture, however, will always change, and we can ?t do much about that. What we can do is adapt our methods to bridge the gap between Christ and culture. We need to rely on the strong foundations of our faith and the Bible and do whatever needs to be done to connect the lost people living in this changing culture to the One who never changes. While the seven last words of the church may be ?We never did it that way before, ? the scariest words may be ?I ?ve got an idea! ? Let us take Jesus at his word and not be afraid of the changes but trust him as we bridge the gap between Christ and culture.

Even though I don ?t feel it, I am coming to grips with the reality that I ?m getting older. I ?m not ready to say that I ?m old, but now that the “oldies” radio stations are playing Billy Joel and Elton John, I can see that the culture may be passing me by. And that ?s OK.

The fact of the matter is that culture is always changing. Nobody recognizes that more than the church ?sometimes it seems like our right or duty as Christians to point that out every chance we can. Unfortunately, nobody fights it as much as the church. Despite our awareness of how quickly culture changes all around us, we are more likely to complain about it or insulate ourselves from it than to adapt to it.

Now before anyone worries about “watering down” the Gospel message or any of God ?s Truth found in his Word, consider the words of Jesus in John 16:33: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus warned his disciples that they would face trouble; times were changing for them. But he wanted them to be encouraged by the fact that his victory was over culture as well.

Here ?s where it gets tough. God is who he is; that won ?t change. The Bible is what it is; that won ?t change. Our mission ?to love God and others and to make disciples ?will never change. Culture, however, will always change, and we can ?t do much about that. What we can do is adapt our methods to bridge the gap between Christ and culture. We need to rely on the strong foundations of our faith and the Bible and do whatever needs to be done to connect the lost people living in this changing culture to the One who never changes. While the seven last words of the church may be “We never did it that way before,” the scariest words may be “I ?ve got an idea!” Let us take Jesus at his word and not be afraid of the changes but trust him as we bridge the gap between Christ and culture.

The local church doesn ?t seem to have the same valued position in communities that it used to have. Because of scandals, the church isn ?t always viewed in a positive light. Because of changes in our culture ?acceptance of homosexuality, abortion, divorce, etc. ?the church is marginalized because of what we believe. And that has harmed the church ?s influence in our community.

Even when it comes to “simple” things like adding parking spaces or holding events outdoors on our property, it ?s more common for our neighbors to be irritated with us. When we try to bridge the gap between the church and the community, distributing invitations to Easter services or light bulbs or food, people look at us with wary eyes.

Sometimes the church deserves those wary looks. It reminds me of the position of Israel in 1 Samuel 17 as they were heckled into inactivity by Goliath. While the story of David ?s defeat of Goliath is the exciting part, the key for the church today is in verse 46 where he states that the victory over Goliath was meant so “the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.” It seems that Israel believed they were God ?s chosen people because there was something special about them. The church seems to have adopted that same view, and now that the world sees that we are people just like them, they dismiss us. David ?s statement shows that Israel ?and, by extension, the church ?is made “special” because of God ?s presence.

Regardless of what people think of the church, we cannot let it stop our ministry of bridging the gap in the community. While we need to stand firm in our beliefs, we need to make sure that we do so in a way that shows that God is among us. As we increase our outreach, benevolence, and evangelistic efforts, we must lift the name of Jesus, not our own, so that he will be praised in our community.

On Sunday, March 11, the team that went to Louisiana in February gave their report. It was an eye-opening experience, seeing the devastation that remains in the Mississippi Gulf Coast region a year and a half after hurricane Katrina. It was a heart-breaking experience, hearing stories about lives that were lost and lives that have not yet recovered. But it was an encouraging experience, hearing the excitement and love of the team members sharing their stories. As I listened, it became clear that we are experiencing what God intends for the church.

That morning the sermon was about the title “Christ,” the Greek word for “Messiah” meaning “the anointed one.” Jesus is the anointed one, set apart by God for a specific purpose, to bridge the gap between sinful people and our perfect, holy God by offering his body as a sacrifice. We who wear that name, Christians, also have a purpose: to bridge the gap among people. And as the body of Christ, we must sacrifice in order to do that.

And that ?s what this body of believers has done to bridge the gap for the people of Slidell, Louisiana. People sacrificed their time, taking vacation days and giving up their daily routines. People sacrificed money, giving donations and paying for gas and meals on the trip. People sacrificed their pride, cleaning up trash and debris, working outside their knowledge and skills. People sacrificed their comfort, driving for 16 or more hours, sleeping on the floor. That ?s what we ?re supposed to do.

Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:10: “We are God ?s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.” He continued in verses 12 and 13: “Remember ? you were separate from Christ ?. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.” God has bridged the gap to us through Jesus so that we will also bridge the gaps among people through what we do as the body of Christ, beyond Bible lessons and sermons, with deeds of love and compassion. Let ?s keep this body working!

Now that the team from Louisiana is back, I ?ve heard several stories about how they were able to help IDES (International Disaster Emergency Service) help the victims of hurricane Katrina rebuild their homes and lives. At first I had a minor concern about the team being anywhere near New Orleans for Mardi Gras, but now I consider it one of those “God things.”

Mardi Gras is the beginning of the Lenten season among the Catholic and other liturgical churches. This is the season of preparation for Easter, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. I like the coincidence of Mardi Gras and the team ?s trip to Louisiana because Jesus ? resurrection is the beginning of the ultimate rebuilding project. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17, 18: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ.”

From the beginning of time, God has desired to have a relationship with the people he created. Even after that relationship was first broken by Adam and Eve, he desired to have a relationship. That ?s why, from immediately after Adam and Eve sinned, God had a plan to bridge the gap between people and himself. From the beginning, God had in mind a path that would allow sinful people to be forgiven and to come back to a full relationship with God. The bridge that spans the gap between God and people is his son Jesus. God put that bridge in place, and it is his plan to offer grace, reconciliation, and rebuilding.

We have a part in that effort as well. Paul ends verse 18 stating that God “gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” Our church, then, needs to become a place where people can find that bridge. Let ?s consider the ways that we can show our families, our workplaces, our communities the bridge God has provided. Watch for opportunities to help people find God so that he can rebuild their lives.

It has been only one day that the team has been gone to Slidell, Louisiana, and I am suddenly aware of the truth of Paul’s comparison of the church to a body. Sure I understand the basic concept of “we’re all different” with different gifts and talents. But it wasn’t until Sunday evening did I fully comprehend the interconnectedness, the dependence we truly have and need in the church.

I have to admit that not everything went as well as I had hoped throughout the day. I know that the whole staff planned ahead to make sure that all of their roles were covered. I know that the volunteers were in place and were prepared. But even with all that in place, all it takes is one little thing or the coincidence of a few little things (forgetting to turn the heat on the night before, a missing organ key, etc.) to make you realize how much we depend on each other to get the job done.

And it’s not just a matter of getting work done. A body isn’t healthy if the parts aren’t connected. That’s why we need to stick together. And when we find that some of our parts aren’t connected the way they ought to be, that’s when we need to bridge the gap. Sometimes we will get sick, go on vacation or missions trips, or even just get mad at each other. Regardless of the reasons why we get disconnected, we always need to work on bridging the gap between members of the body.

Well, forty-one of our members, including the rest of the staff and my wife, have gone to Slidell, Louisiana, to help with the rebuilding process after Hurricane Katrina. The director of IDES (International Disaster Emergency Service) said a few days after Katrina hit that it was easy to collect donations for the folks who need it right then; it was easy to get help right then. The problem, he said, would be getting help a year later, two years later, when the news crews are all gone, when most people have moved on.

And so there they go down I-75 towards the Gulf Coast. We haven’t necessarily forgotten, but I have a feeling they’re in for a shock. I think they’re going to meet a lot of people who have been forgotten, or at least feel that way. From what we’ve seen on the news in the past year or so, it seems that the government has forgotten, and it’s clear that some of the insurance companies have. And I think that even some Christians have as well.

I pray that the people of Slidell will experience the love of God, who has not forgotten them, through his children, the Church. I pray that the team from MCoC will be able to bridge the gap for those people, helping in little, tangible ways; sharing God’s love; and giving them hope.

I pray that the team will experience the joy of serving God by serving others. I pray that they will have the physical strength to do the work that must be done. I pray that they will have the strength to bear the burdens of broken people. I pray that they will have the opportunities to share the Good News of God’s love through Jesus, the hope of changed lives on this side of eternity and the hope of life with God beyond this life. I pray that they will return with hearts that are broken for all kinds of people: lost people, broken people, frightened people, poor people, people who are like us and those who are not.