Three Things from Admin Council

The Administrative Council held their regularly scheduled meeting this past Sunday immediately following the Worship Service. Here are "The Three Things" you should know from that meeting:

1. S.A.I.L. Coming up on June 14 to July 19
   Our Summer Adventures In Learning series will return for a third straight year, with the program running every Wednesday Night from 5:45 to 7:30 from June 14 to July 19. There will be dinner, Bible stories, dramatic performances, crafts, songs, and wonderful fellowship! Postcards will be going out shortly to all of our young people and volunteer opportunities will be coming up for our church members!
   
2. Understanding our Love Gift Policy
   Mary led an excellent discussion on the church's "Love Gift" Policy. (For the record, "Love Gifts" are any financial donation that is made by a member or a friend of FCC Scottsdale that is not a part of their regular pledge or offering). The discussion helped all of the Admin Council members come to a clearer understanding of our church's financials, the difference between designated and undesignated gifts, and how we can better record the wishes of the giver for our church records. If you would like to see a copy of the "Love Gift" Policy then just contact us in the church office.
   
3. Introduction of the General Minister and President Nominee
   Rev. Brian offered a thorough introduction of the Rev. Teresa "Terri" Hord Owens who is our nominee for the General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The election will happen at General Assembly in Indianapolis this summer. Rather than rehash the introduction that was offered, you can learn more about Rev. Terri at the "Meet the Candidate" page on the Disciples.org website. In fact, stop by regularly because they are updating that page all the time with new materials!

Thanksgiving in an Unsatisfied Time

On the Third Sunday of Lent I want us to consider: What if Thanksgiving wasn't just a holiday meal featuring turkey and stuffing? What if Thanksgiving was a spiritual discipline -- a conscious, consistent act of carefully discerning the blessings of God and offering a word of gratitude? What would happen if we took an entire week, right in the middle of this Season of Lent to be thankful?

Because I'm willing to bet that if we did that, then something amazing would happen to us.

I'm willing to bet that if we started looking out for the things we can be thankful for, that we'd find them at every bend.

I'm willing to bet that suddenly, we'd have this amazing list of blessings to share...not because God is rewarding us with favors because of our thankfulness, but because our thankfulness opens our eyes to the blessings that have been there all along.

It is easy to get sucked into the vortex of dissatisfaction. To focus all of our energy on what we want, on what is wrong, on what hurts and what isolates us. We see that in this Sunday's scripture passage from Exodus 3:11-17, what I like to call "An Official Meeting of the Back to Egypt Committee." The Israelite people "thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?’" It is easy to be unsatisfied.

It is so much more life-giving, though, to focus on thankfulness -- on what is blessing us, on what we have to give, on the generous spirit that fills us and lifts us and sets us free. We see that in our other sermon scripture for this Sunday, Psalm 95: "Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God!"

This Sunday we'll look to take a break from "The Official Meetings of the Back to Egypt Committee" and instead focus our energies and our spiritual disciplines on the way of Thanksgiving.

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Exodus 17:1-7 Water from the Rock

From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.

The people quarreled with Moses, and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’ 

Moses said to them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?’ 

But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?’ 

So Moses cried out to the Lord, ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.’ 

The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.’ 

Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’


Psalm 95 A Call to Worship and Obedience

O come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and the dry land, which his hands have formed.

O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.

O that today you would listen to his voice!
Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
when your ancestors tested me,
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
For forty years I loathed that generation
and said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they do not regard my ways.’
Therefore in my anger I swore,
‘They shall not enter my rest.’

Whiteboard: The Second Sunday in Lent

I met with our Moderator, Judy K., this week and in our wide ranging conversation we really drilled down on one particular question: What does it mean to be God's people in such a time as this?

When Judy articulated the question with just those words I jumped up and grabbed my worship plans for the Season of Lent...because, well, sometimes the Spirit moves among us.

I showed Judy that I'd been planning a "Faithfulness in this Time" sermon series.

We kicked things off last Sunday with a sermon on "Forgiveness in an Unforgiving Time" and I'll continue the series this week with "Assurance in a Time of Fear."

If you are anything like me, when you see that word "Assurance" then the familiar words of an old church hymn fill your mind.

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine

O what a foretaste of glory divine

Heir of salvation, purchase of God

Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood

This is my story, this is my song

Praising my Savior all the day long

This is my story, this is my song

Praising my Savior all the day long

Perfect submission, all is at rest

I in my Savior am happy and blessed

Watching and waiting, looking above

Filled with His goodness, lost in His love

This is my story, this is my song

Praising my Savior all the day long

This is my story, this is my song

Praising my Savior all the day long

"Blessed Assurance" is one of the most beloved and well known hymns that we have as a church. It reaffirms the promises of God's blessing, the gift of his love, and the power of Christ to claim us and change us.

In the midst of a world that tells us so many stories (that we are unworthy, that we are insignificant, that we are in constant danger, that all is lost) we dare to affirm that "this is my story" (a story of salvation, glory, and the gift of Christ Jesus). 

This Sunday I'll be telling the little known origin story of "Blessed Assurance" to help us hear those words with fresh ears and to know that these promises are ours...even in times such as these.

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Psalm 121 Assurance of God’s Protection

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and for evermore.

Whiteboard: The First Sunday in Lent

Our friends at the SALT Project (the good folks behind the Advent Family Devotional Calendar we used last year) have put together an excellent Lenten Devotional Booklet. It comes with weekly spiritual disciplines, scripture prompts, and a meditation guide.

I'll be introducing the Lenten Devotional Booklet during my sermon this Sunday and we'll be using it each week throughout the Season of Lent.

And here is the thing: The SALT Project's Lenten Devotional Booklet has a fabulous "introducing Lent" section. Here is what they have to say:

The name "Lent" comes from the an old English word for "lengthening,"
referring to the gradually longer days of springtime. From Ash Wednesday

to Easter Sunday, what was cold becomes warm. What was dormant 

awakens. Just as green shoots break through the winter earth, so the

church stirs into action to proclaim the Easter mystery: in dying, God

destroys death and in rising, God delivers and proclaims newness of life.

Throughout Lent I'll be leading a sermon series on the spiritual gifts that we can develop like "green shoots that break through the winter earth" as we too stir into action. I'll be kicking things off this Sunday by focusing on the gift of forgiveness and exactly what it means for us to be "A Forgiving People in an Unforgiving Time." 

I hope to see you this Sunday (when we'll be handing out the Lenten Devotional Booklets to everyone at worship) and all through this holy season in the life of the church.

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Psalm 32 The Joy of Forgiveness

Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

While I kept silence, my body wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’,
and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Therefore let all who are faithful
offer prayer to you;
at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters
shall not reach them.
You are a hiding-place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.

I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle,
else it will not stay near you.

Many are the torments of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

I was in Indianapolis earlier this week for the General Board Meeting of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada.

Since we’ve developed this practice with our leadership board here at FCC Scottsdale, it only seems fair to do the same thing for the General Board…so without further adieu, here are “The Three Things” you should know from that meeting!

1. We formally nominated the Rev. Terri Hord Owens as our candidate for General Minister and President of the denomination.
   So there is a little bit of confusion in the church on this one. The General Board is NOT tasked with calling the next President of our denomination – only the General Assembly can do that. What the General Board does is affirm the nomination of a candidate selected by the Search Committee that is then forwarded on to the whole church for a final decision. So at the General Assembly in July we’ll have the chance to call a new GMP, and our candidate is the Rev. Teresa “Terri” Hord Owens.
   
   Rev. Terri is the Dean of Students at the University of Chicago Divinity School where she works with ministers in training, helping to develop the leaders of our tradition and other protestant denominations. In addition to that fulltime job, Rev. Terri also serves as the Senior Pastor of First Christian Church of Downers Grove, IL. That means that she has a unique, first hand understanding of bi-vocational ministry and what it means to serve in a small church context.
   
   What’s more, ministry is a second career for Rev. Terri. She has over 20 years of corporate experience where she served as an executive and consultant with technology companies. She specialized in working with large teams, restructuring organizations, and creatively meeting the needs of large scale operations.
   
   You can learn more about Rev. Terri by clicking here.
   
2. We formally launched a new Mission Imperative for the church.
   We have been doing a two year Mission First! Pilot Project as a General Church. As a part of that process more than 80 Mission Gatherings were held throughout the United States and Canada, with the intention of hearing directly from our churches and rallying around a common mission imperative.
   
   At the General Board Meeting the Mission Council unveiled our Mission Priority: “God calls us to work with and for children, youth and young adults so together we may share and receive the good news of Jesus Christ by creating communities of healing, learning and transformation.”
   
   The hope is that this Mission Priority will help orient the work of local congregations, focus the programs of General Church units, and foster cooperation between local churches.
   
   You can learn more about the Mission Priority and the Mission First Project by clicking here.
   
3. We approved a boatload of reports and resolutions for General Assembly this summer.
   
   The whole church will be gathering in Indianapolis this summer for General Assembly from July 8-12. In the build up to General Assembly we received reports from all of the General Units of the Church and the Regions as well (and that was really exciting! There are incredible things happening in the name of Christ!). We also edited official resolutions for consideration (which is about as boring as it gets, but is nonetheless necessary work!). Those reports and resolutions will posted on the GA Website shortly.
   
   You can learn more about General Assembly by clicking here.

Whiteboard: Guest Preacher

I'll be out of the pulpit this Sunday as I'm attending the General Board Meeting of our denomination in Indianapolis.

While I'm away Dave Groves will be our guest preacher and he'll be bringing a powerful word about the Parables of Jesus. You won't want to miss it!

Here is Dave's guiding scripture for the morning:

Matthew 13: 1-17
The Parable of the Sower
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!’

The Purpose of the Parables

Then the disciples came and asked him, ‘Why do you speak to them in parables?’ He answered, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. The reason I speak to them in parables is that “seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.” With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says:
“You will indeed listen, but never understand,
and you will indeed look, but never perceive.
For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;
so that they might not look with their eyes,
and listen with their ears,
and understand with their heart and turn—
and I would heal them.”
But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.

From this year's Week of Compassion Planning and Resource Guide:

It is a common, perhaps daily, experience for many of us, as we live in our technology driven age: a pin drops on a GPS map, marking a current location or indicating a destination, orienting us in space. These map pins represent where we are and where we hope to go.

The scriptures for the special offering this year provide a similar point of reference, an orientation for our lives-- God is near; love one another in truth and action; feed those who are hungry, clothe those who are naked, welcome those who are strangers. These texts help us position ourselves in relation to God and to one another by reminding us of our call to be here for one another, loving one another as God has loved us. Our destination, where our map pin sits, is near to the heart of God, is alongside our neighbors who are suffering.

FCC Scottsdale will be collecting the Week of Compassion Special Mission Offering from Sunday February 19 until Sunday February 26. Learn more at weekofcompassion.org

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Matthew 25:31-40 The Judgement of the Nations

‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

Whiteboard: Now Hear This

Jesus follows a familiar rhetorical formula in our scripture reading this Sunday: "You have heard it said...but I say unto you..."

In the fifth chapter of Matthew Jesus uses that turn of phrase five times, talking about everything from Anger to Oaths.

The distinction that he is trying to draw is that the world tells us one thing, while God demands of us something altogether different.

The trouble with our modern world (and a trouble that has grown all the more pronounced) is that we are hearing all sorts of things -- competing, often mutually exclusive claims -- and that more and more well meaning people can't even agree on the facts of an issue, much less how best to address it.

Into a confused and confusing media landscape the radical call of Jesus' words ring even more true. In a time when so much vitriol is spewed between rival political factions, Jesus says, "Turn the other cheek." When we define ourselves more and more by our antagonism of an opponent, Jesus says, "Love your enemies."

Gone are the days when we all get our news from one common source, when we can wait for the evening press to fill us in on "all that is fit to print." Nonetheless, Jesus call to us rings out clear and profound -- God demands of you more, not less. God calls you to be an ambassador for the Gospel, not another perpetrator of division.

This Sunday we'll talk about reconciliation, discipleship, and the importance of offering a different kind of witness to a world worn weary with division.

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Matthew 5: 21-26, 38-48 

On Anger, Retaliation and Enemies

‘You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgement.” But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

‘You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.

‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The Whiteboard: Be These

They are definitive statements from Jesus.

"You are the salt of the earth."

"You are the light of the world."

These words stand as reminders and challenges to us.

Jesus is, in essence, saying, "Be these!"

So this Sunday we'll talk about exactly what it means to be salt and light.

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Matthew 5:13-20 Salt and Light

‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Pictures from The Fifth With First

The Fifth With First was a tremendous success on Sunday January 29!

In the Fellowship Hall following the Worship Service we had a team of volunteers pack 48 lunch bags that have been delivered to our sister congregation at First Christian Church Glendale to support their homeless feeding program.

Meanwhile, across town our Workship Team was hard at work helping out a local neighbor in need. Once again we partnered with our friends at Operation Fix-It, and spent the morning doing yard work that otherwise would have resulted in major fines from the city. We had 32 people helping out, including our friend Deanna who comes down from Canada once a year and schedules her trips to coincide with out Workship Projects!

Here are some photos from the clean-up effort on Sunday:

Before Photo

Part of our Work Crew!

The tallest eucalyptus trees in Scottsdale, left us
lots and lots of leaves to rake up! 

Thanks to our friends at Operation Fix-It for
dropping off the supply truck!

Hard at work!

Serving the Lord!

The Kids' Team getting to work!

Trimming Trees

Welcoming first visitors and helpers

Cleaning out flower beds...

and more flower beds!

Stomping down the leaves.

After picture!

One of the giant eucalyptus trees

Our crew!

The clean-up pile, ready for our friends at the
City of Scottsdale to come and haul it away!