More Floor Fixing!

Ministry Objectives/ Corporate Goals/ Congregational Goals

The MO’s function like an architectural model of a proposed building. With some information and the desires of the client, the architect designs the building and constructs a foam model, based on the design. You can look at the model and get a real sense of what the outcome will be. The model inspires and motivates those who have a stake in the new building. But all of the details, the wiring, the plumbing, the color of the carpet, etc…remain to be seen and are not part of the model. They are underneath the surface. The model is there for all to see and for all to be inspired by and for a clear vision of what the future will look like. MO’s are the model. As Les Stroh puts it, they are the broad-brush strokes that point the congregation in a particular direction and describe what the congregation will look like. The MO’s describe a preferred future vision.

Having said that, the struggle is that we all want to see the details now. But we must fight against the urge to put all of the “how-to’s” into the MO’s. The How comes at a different level and is functionally part of the individual action plans of the staff, not the MO’s.

• We use the gifts and talents God has given us in service to His Kingdom here and throughout the world. (Matthew 28:19-20)- Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
• We share the love of Jesus Christ within the Native communities of Alaska. (Acts 1:8)- But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
• Multiple generations influence one another in their faith journey. (1 Timothy 5:1-2)- ¹ Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, ²older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.
• Strong bridges exist for young people at major transition points in their faith and growth. (Luke 18:15-17)- ¹⁵ Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. ¹⁶But Jesus called them to him, saying, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. ¹⁷ Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."
• We are constantly driven toward Christian maturity as disciples of Jesus. (Ephesians 4:11-16)- ¹¹And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. ¹⁵Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

The mission statement: Proclaim Christ’s Gospel to all people.

The Great Commission: ¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:19-20

The Great Commandment: ⁹Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' ³¹ The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31

The over-arching vision comes from 1 Corinthians 7:17- Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.

The Silence of Jesus

Mark 15:5 But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

There are times in our lives when words simply do no good. When someone close to us passes away, words usually do no good to heal the pain. When we’ve hurt someone so badly with our harsh words, more words do not make it better. When faced with horrendous arguments or hostile debates, silence is often the higher road. But in all of those situations, the struggle is to let silence be silence and not to fill it with noise just so we don’t have to face the still, small voice in our heads.

Jesus knew that words would fall on deaf ears as he stood face to face with his accusers. He knew that it was for that very purpose that he was sent to this place. It was necessary that he face this time. And arguing his case would have only made it worse, though it’s hard to see anything worse. Accusations were flying, but Jesus was silent. Fingers were pointed, but Jesus said nothing. The mob was stirred up and demanded blood, but Jesus remained passive.

On this Wednesday before Palm Sunday, we will let Jesus’ silence speak for you and me. No need for more words, except… amen.

Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done

Thy Kingdom come

“My Kingdom is not of this world.”

Thy Kingdom come

The Kingdom of heaven is like…

Thy Kingdom come

Baruch atah adonai elohenu melech ha-olam

Blessed are you, O Lord, our God, ruler of the universe

Thy kingdom come

Does he need our invitation?

Does the king of the universe need the permission of his creation to bring his kingdom?

No… certainly not

Thy kingdom come

It has, it is, it will always be

Thy kingdom come

Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is at hand, it’s near, its here

Thy Kingdom come

Our Father who art in heaven

Hallowed be thy name

Thy kingdom come

In heaven, on earth, throughout time and space

Baruch atah adonai elohenu melech ha olam, our Father

In me, Lord Jesus, in me

In me through Faith

In me through Word

In me through Body and Blood

Thy kingdom of forgiveness

Thy kingdom of life, now and forever

Thy kingdom of salvation

Thy kingdom come

Thy will be done

In thy kingdom

Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.

But I want…

I want…

I want…

Thy will be done

Thy will be done

Not the will of the one who opposes

Resist the Devil and he will flee from you

“If you are the son of God…”

“It is written…

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Thy will be done

Does he need our permission?

No, certainly not.

Is it just kind of us to put our own wills aside?

No, not kind, necessary

Thy will be done

Thy will is done in heaven

Thy will is done in the universe

Thy will is done where the Spirit moves

Thy will be done here, now, in this place, in me.

In all I say, thy will be done

In all I do, thy will be done

In all I know, thy will be done

Wherever I go, thy will be done

When I rise, thy will be done

When I fall, thy will be done

When I get back up, thy will be done

When I get knocked down, thy will be done

When you pick me up, they will be done

In those who see me, thy will be done

In those who speak with me, thy will be done

In Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth, thy will be done

In me, thy will be done.

Death Leads to Life

John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Death has come to our congregation once again. A dear man, a saint in his own right, has passed from life to death and people are sad. This is as it should be. Death is sad. Death is not an easy event to pass through for anyone. Sometimes a sense of relief accompanies death, but it’s not a time to celebrate. And it’s hard to know what to say to the family and friends. You hear all kinds of things that people say in an effort to soothe the grieving.

Jesus doesn’t offer pithy statements or sappy sentiments about being in a “better place” or looking down from “heaven.” In verse 23, Jesus simply says, “Your brother will rise again.” And then later, he offers the amazing, yet confusing statements in verse 25. The question comes to all of those who look death in the face. “Do you believe this?”

Do you believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life? For those who believe in Jesus as the Son of God, the Christ, the Savior, He is not only the way to eternal life, he is the eternal life itself. He is not the reincarnation nor the resuscitation, he is the resurrection. He is not just someone who talked about life or offered a good path to living a good life, he is the life eternal. Life only exists in Jesus forever.

Death leads to life for those who believe in Jesus. Life is lived in anticipation of the inevitable. Death will come to each one of us, eventually. But, according to Jesus, death leads to life. It doesn’t just lead to a life of a disembodied soul which now is in heaven. It doesn’t lead to being turned into an angel and watching over your relatives. Those are Greek philosophies and Hollywood special effects. No, it’s none of that with Jesus. With Jesus, death leads to real life. Eternal life. Are the dead ones form our past now living? For those who believe in Jesus, they are. They are living, right now. And we are living, on this side of death, waiting to join the eternally living.

Death is not easy. It is not supposed to be. Death is the result of the sin that has so corrupted the world and all of us with it. But that sin is taken care of by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, the one who passed through death and into life. The first one to pass through death into life. In our baptism, we are eternally connected to the one who is the life and the resurrection, the life eternal, Jesus.

We say goodbye to the ones that have passed on. It is sad. But because of Jesus, we can honestly say, “We’ll see you soon.”

Father in Heaven, watch over the living and those who are on this side of death. With hope in your son Jesus, we await the day when all of the living and the dead will be reunited in the feast that never ends. In Jesus’ name, amen.