Whiteboard: Names of God

This Sunday we'll be talking about the Mighty Names of God. We'll be building off of Isaiah's declaration about the Messiah (and the various names we know him by) as well as Matthew's reminder that we are invited to be "fishers of men and women".

Isaiah 9:1-7

The Righteous Reign of the Coming King

But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
The people who walked in darkness
   have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
   on them light has shined.
You have multiplied the nation,
   you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
   as with joy at the harvest,
   as people exult when dividing plunder.
For the yoke of their burden,
   and the bar across their shoulders,
   the rod of their oppressor,
   you have broken as on the day of Midian.
For all the boots of the tramping warriors
   and all the garments rolled in blood
   shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
For a child has been born for us,
   a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
   and he is named
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His authority shall grow continually,
   and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
   He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
   from this time onwards and for evermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. 

Matthew 4:12-23

Jesus Begins His Ministry in Galilee

 Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
   on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people who sat in darkness
   have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
   light has dawned.’
From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him.As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. 

Jesus Ministers to Crowds of People

 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.

Whiteboard: MLK

It is MLK Weekend, and we'll be honoring the faithful witness and example of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this Sunday in our worship service.

For the first few years after Henry was born my family and I honored Dr. King on MLK Day by going out to a bookstore and picking up a children's book about Dr. King that my wife and I could read to our son (in more recent years as Henry has gotten bigger we've started showing him video clips of Dr. King's speeches and sermons in addition to reading his books).

This year in my sermon I'll be sharing excerpts from my favorite book of Henry's, one called Martin's Big Words. The book takes some of the words and phrases that were fundamental to Dr. King's work and uses them to challenge us to continue living out our faith and building the beloved community.

As such, the Whiteboard this week is a reflection one of Dr. King's better known quotes: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."

Come join us this Sunday at FCC Scottsdale as we gather in worship to celebrate the light of God that we know through Jesus Christ and through those faithful disciples who shine in his name.

FCC Scottsdale 50th Anniversary

Our 50th Anniversary is right around the corner!

And we have big plans for that day (February 9, 2014 by the way) including a special worship service at 10:15, Brunch at Noon, and a Afternoon Program at 1:30. We are expecting a big crowd, but to help us get a sense of just how many folks will be there we're accepting RSVP's to help the planning committee to prepare appropriately. Each Sunday in January we are including a yellow RSVP insert in the Sunday morning bulletin -- just fill it out and drop it in the basket in the narthex. Or you can always call or email us in the church office and we'll make sure we have included in the totals.

Yesterday our faithful 50th Anniversary Planning Team met for their final planning session (they'll still be meeting for a few more work days in advance of the celebration, but this was the last "committee style" meeting). They have done tremendous work over the last 18 months to get us ready for our 50th Celebration. I cannot thank our Pastor Emeritus, the Rev. Don Jones enough for chairing our committee and leading our group of volunteers forward.

The 50th Anniversary Planning Team includes (pictured below from left to right): Liz Leach, Don Jones, Joan Brune, Carolann Prast, Marilyn White, Brian Frederick-Gray, and Curt McCormick as well as Jan Atkinson (unpictured).

The Fifth With First Photos

On December 29, 2013 First Christian Church Scottsdale officially kicked off a new Outreach Ministry.

We are calling it "The Fifth with First" which is our shorthand slang for "the fifth Sunday with First Christian Church Scottsdale."

You see, on those months with five Sundays (and there are four of them every year) we take that fifth Sunday to do something different with our worship service. While there is still a 10:15 worship service that happens in our sanctuary (although admittedly it is streamlined and paired down that day) we also have a second service that happens that same morning.

We call it "Workship" (see what we did there!) and it involves members of the church meeting at a nearby part for a very brief prayer service. We have scripture, we sing a hymn, and we share in communion all in order to prepare us for the good work (the faithful, faith-filled, holy work) we have in front of us.

We've partnered with Operation Fix-It here is Scottsdale, an amazing organization that helps pair local, neighborhood homeowners in need (folks who for whatever reason cannot keep up with their property) with local groups and organizations who want to lend a helping hand.

December 29, 2013 was our very first "The Fifth with First" and it was a tremendous success. To hear a little bit more about it in sermon form then click here. To see some of the pictures from the day, just scroll down!

For more photos and stories from the day please visit our Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/fccscottsdale

Whiteboard: Catching Up

Now that we are through the Christmas Season, my holiday travels, and an early 2014 Clergy Retreat, it is time to get caught back up on The Blog!

Here are the last several week's worth of Whiteboard posts complete with a link to the corresponding sermon the church website!

 With the Christ Candle lit this could mean only one thing: the celebration of Christ's birth
(in our hearts and in our world) on Christmas Eve. Click here to listen to my
Christmas Eve homily entitled "An Answer to Prayer."

 Okay, you caught me. This isn't a Whiteboard picture. Instead it is a photo card of my son Henry
and my nephew Ben wishing you a Happy New Year. I was in Texas most of that week, so I
didn't have access to The Whiteboard in my office, but I did still make it back in timeto preach my first sermon of 2014 entitled "What Will It Bring?"

Did you know that the holiest day of the year for the early church wasn't Christmas or Easter?
It wasn't Pentecost or Good Friday or Maundy Thursday either. The holiest day of the year
for the early church was the day they celebrated The Baptism of Christ. Which got me thinking
about "The Fifth With First" and the most holy day of 2014. Click here to listen to

my sermon entitled "The Most Holy Day."

The Fifth With First T-Shirts

The Fifth With First is right around the corner.

Here is a sneak preview of our Fifth With First t-shirts, which should be arriving any day now!

Pricing details, sizes, and availability will be forthcoming. 

Whiteboard: Christmas Sunday

Our fourth Advent candle is lit, which means that we are almost to Christmas.

As is our tradition, on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, the Sunday of Love we will be celebrating Christmas Sunday at First Christian Church Scottsdale. And this year are we in for a treat!

The Music Ministries at FCC Scottsdale have taken the lead in the service and have prepared a wonderful featuring all sorts of special music.

The service will feature portions of Handel's Messiah, guest musicians, guest vocalists, a youth trio, the Children's Choir, and more!

It is going to be a wonderful service as we sing out our praises to God and ready our hearts once more to celebrate the birth of Christ Jesus our Lord.

Whiteboard: Expecting Joy

With the third Sunday of Advent we add Mary's voice to the litany of stories in our season of anticipation and expectation.

In fact, "expecting" takes on a whole new meaning this Sunday with Mary's story. After all, she is the one who is "expecting" (literally) with the Christ child.

It makes her song of joy (known as the Magnificat) all that more remarkable, and even stronger testimony of faith.

-------

Luke 1:46-55 Mary’s Song of Praise

And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

Hanging of the Greens

You are in for a pleasant surprise when you step into the Sanctuary this Sunday!

Thanks to our wonderful Hanging of the Greens Crew the Sanctuary (as well as other spots all over the church campus) have been thoroughly transformed for the Advent and Christmas Season here in the life of the church.

Honestly, I can’t thank the Hanging of the Greens Crew enough for their hard work. Last Sunday we had 30+ people stick around after Worship and Fellowship Hour. They made quick work of all the projects and have truly turned our sanctuary into something special.

We did things a little bit differently this year, and I dare say that it really worked. Usually we do all of our decorating on the Saturday before the First Sunday in Advent, but this year the Worship Team decided that we would help folks embody the spirit of anticipation and preparation that mark the Season of Advent. So we purposefully stripped the sanctuary bare (did you notice that we didn’t have any cloths on the pulpit or lectern and that I wasn't wearing a stole last week?) so that the explosion of colors, wreaths, lights, and flowers really would be a physical transformation emblematic of the spiritual transformation we are undergoing.

An extra word of thanks to Dorothy and Carrie (our Worship Team Co-Chairs) for getting everything to ready, to our “behind the scenes workers” who came in midweek to get out all the right boxes, and to Don and Kay for coming early to set up the Fellowship Hall.

Whiteboard: Sunday of Peace

This week in worship we will celebrate The Second Sunday of Advent, which is the Sunday of Peace.

Our assigned scripture readings this week are interesting pair.

Isaiah 11:1-10 makes perfect sense. This is the prophet's foretelling of the Peaceful Kingdom where the wolf will lay down with the lamb, the lion will eat straw like the ox, and a little child shall lead us. It contains the promise that there will be no more war or fighting and that our lives will be defined by righteousness and knowledge of the Lord. For the Sunday of Peace there couldn't be a better text to guide us.

Our second text is a bit trickier of a fit. But I suppose that was always the case with John the Baptist.

Matthew 3:1-12 introduces us to John the Baptist. Throughout the Season of Advent we are introduced to these important characters who helped set the stage for the mission and ministry of Jesus. That is certainly John the Baptist's role. While he might not have the most peace-filled tactics for sharing the message (calling people a "brood of vipers" and warning of an "unquenchable fire"), sometimes you have to mix things up so that they can be made ready for the coming of the Prince of Peace.

-------

Isaiah 11:1-10 The Peaceful Kingdom

A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

Matthew 3:1-12 The Proclamation of John the Baptist

In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,
‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.” ’
Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

‘I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’