Ethiopia has a very old and rich Christian heritage.

This Sunday we look forward to having Rev. Jason Polk, one of our Global Partners, visit from Ethiopia and preach for us. Jason will be preaching from Acts 8:26-40. The conversion of an Ethiopian in this passage reveals how the gospel continues spreading from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.

In this season of Pentecost, we pause to remember not only the sending of the Holy Spirit, but the spreading of Christianity across the world. The late English Pastor John Stott is famous for saying, “We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God.”

Read, meditate, and pray through Acts 8:26-40. Praise God for the spreading of the gospel to the ends of the earth and ask him to give you a global vision, while also praying specifically for Ethiopia.

Plan to stay after the first service or come early before the second service for the Middle Hour (10:10-10:50am). Jason will give a presentation and update on their organization, Ethiopia ACT. Click on the link below to read further details about the Polks, Ethiopia ACT, and how to connect with them during their visit.

I look forward to worshiping our global God with you this Sunday.

Pastor Adam

Want a picture of your insides?

X-rays and MRI’s, they show us what is going on underneath. They help diagnose structural weaknesses in our body and therefore help us plan on what to do to fix what is broken.

This Sunday we conclude our series on the spiritual practice of generosity. In our last sermon we saw that tithing is not being generous, it is simply trusting and obeying God. However, tithing is one practice that helps form us into generous people. Tithing is not about guilt and financial planning. It is about learning to taste and see God’s love and care for us and participate with God in his work of renewal in the world. Tithing forms us, but like an X-ray it also diagnoses us. In the last sermon I asked all of us to do three things: Find out how much your household tithed last year (to the worship and ministry of the local church), ask why you tithed that amount, and compare that to what you personally feel the scripture calls you to tithe.

What did this activity show you about what is underneath? Did you find some structural weaknesses? If so don’t be afraid. Don’t be ashamed. Read, meditate and pray through 2 Corinthians 9:6–15. Where you might have found weaknesses, God wants to build strength. Where you might have found the phantom of scarcity, God wants to show you a future of abundance. N.T. Wright reminds us, “In the normal and healthy Christian life, everything proceeds from God’s generosity, and everything returns to God in thanksgiving. Grace, generosity and gratitude: these are not optional extras of Christian living, but are the very heart of it all.”

I look forward to worshiping together.

Pastor David

Have you ever wondered what the differences are between the English Standard Version (ESV), New International Version (NIV), King James Version (KJV), etc.? Learn some of the strengths and weaknesses of our modern day Bible translations.

Contentment. Would you consider yourself a content person?

We often think of being content in relationship to our circumstances. You might be content this afternoon because you had a good morning, but who knows what tomorrow holds?

Contentment in the Bible is not related to changing circumstances. Rather, contentment is tied to God, who does not change.

This Sunday we will be looking at Psalm 131 and Philippians 4:11-12 as we reflect on how we can be content persons. Take a few minutes and read, meditate, and pray through those texts.

I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday!

Pastor Adam

Just tell me what to do!

Fine.

Talking about money at church is tricky, but we need to do it. Over the last two weeks we have been talking about generosity as a way of life rooted in God’s generosity towards us. I have invited us to start some new habits that put us into contact daily with God’s abundant generosity towards us. That of course is the soil out of which true personal generosity grows. So what about tithing? How is tithing connected to becoming generous people and does the bible really direct us to give a specific amount of money to the church? This is what we will talk about Sunday.

I know that this can be an uncomfortable topic for many of us. To help I also plan to make offensive political jokes as well! It should be fun for all. Seriously though, tithing is not about guilt and financial planning. It is about learning to taste and see God’s love and care for us, being shaped into generous people, and participating with God in his work of renewal in the world.

Tithing is an invitation to a rejoicingly raucous party. It really is. Read Deuteronomy 14:22-29.

I can’t wait to worship together.

Pastor David

Monk habits are not just for Roman Catholics who live in monasteries, but can also be practiced by everyday people. These habits and practices are not only good for our spiritual health, but also formative for who God is shaping us to become.

More than enough or barely enough? Which one are you? Which describes your home?

Last week I asked you to get with someone you trust and with them ask this question of yourself: “To what level do I functionally believe that everything I have is a gift from God?” Don’t let that conversation be theoretical or vague. Look at your actual behaviors and thought patterns. If you have not done this, consider taking a few minutes today or tomorrow. If you want to grow as a truly generous person this could be a significant step forward.

When you think about becoming a deeply generous person, where giving of yourself in healthy ways for the good of others becomes second nature, not a chore or even a hesitation, do you know where to start? Does that seem like a massive and overwhelming project of personal change? Read Deuteronomy 6. Notice the behavioral strategies that God gives Israel so that they would stay empowered for the mission. He is completely reshaping the identity of his people and empowering them for a massive mission, but by means of small, ordinary behaviors and habits. Read the passage again. Did you notice them?

This Sunday Deuteronomy 6 will help us see the power of small habits, little behaviors, to fundamentally shape us. Developing these small habits and little behaviors will build deep and genuine generosity into our character.

I look forward to worshiping together.

Pastor David

If only it was like flipping a switch; just decide to change that thing about you and “flip” you’re different. Find another behavior or thought pattern you want to change and, like flicking the light on or off, boom, changed. If only.

God’s word tells us that he is transforming us, conforming us to the image Christ. He does this by the work of his Spirit and he guarantees to complete the work he has started. Can we participate in this work of the Spirit? If so, how ? We can and should. Our spiritual formation is not like flipping a switch, but similarly it is a small movement, one done slowly, consistently in the same direction over the course of time, over and over again.

Do you know what kinds of practices, what kinds of small movements, we can give ourselves to that allow us to participate with the Spirit in our formation? Over the next several years we will periodically break from our current sermon series to engage two or three sermons in a row that explore the kinds of practices Christians have participated in for countless generations that have shaped us as a people. Well worn practices that the Spirit of Christ has used to slowly transform his people.

The first practice we will explore is generosity. Over the weekend read and meditate on Deuteronomy 8:11-20. One New Testament scholar and pastor has said, “virtue is what happens when wise and courageous choices become second nature.” Over the next three weeks we will explore how generosity can become second nature to us.

I can’t wait to worship with you all.

Pastor David

This Sunday Redeemer will do something we have never done before.

Redeemer takes the individual spiritual care of our members more seriously than anything else we do. Supporting your communion with God is the top priority of our leadership. In order to better do this we have been working hard over the last year to expand our team of leaders who provide our members with loving and proactive spiritual care. In the past this work was done primarily by our elders, but as the Redeemer community has expanded our six elders have struggled to provide all our members with the shepherding care they need.

A year ago the members of Redeemer recommended to the elders a handful of godly women to be considered to serve on the shepherding team as diaconal assistants with the elders and deacons. This Sunday, after months of training, five women will be appointed to serve in this capacity. Christie Brewer, Nancy Cox, Stephanie Handley, Emily Patterson and Anita Regehr will all be appointed to join the shepherding team and work closely with the elders and deacons to provide each member of our church with the shepherding care they need to thrive in their communion with God.

Consider allowing your older children to stay in the worship service during the sermon to observe and participate in the appointment. A shorter sermon describing the significance of this appointment will be followed by a ceremony for these women as we thank God for their service to Redeemer and charge them to faithfully carry out their duty.

This is an important day in the life of our church. I am excited to share it together.

Pastor David

Do you ever think about Jesus’ ascension?

As the church, we think regularly about Jesus’ birth, life, ministry, death, and his resurrection, but the ascension is more often than not an afterthought. The ascension is how Luke concludes his gospel account, but for most of us it is the forgotten ending.

This Sunday we are finishing our preaching series on the Gospel of Luke. As the grand finale of Luke’s gospel account, he describes the ascension of Christ our Lord. As we end our study of Luke, may Jesus’ ascension not be a forgotten ending.

To best let Luke’s finale stick with us and to prepare for our text, read, meditate, and pray through the Gospel of Luke 24:49-53. As you do, reflect on Jesus’ absence. Jesus is gone. He is gone! His presence turns to absence. How would you feel if someone you loved, depended on, and enjoyed is gone? Now what?

For the disciples this is what they are facing with the ascension of Jesus. Yet, the absence of Jesus moves them to worship and experience joy. How is that possible? We feel and know the absence of Jesus. Is joy possible for us?

I look forward to gathering with you this Sunday to see if Jesus’ ascension and absence can move us to worship and experience joy in the same way it did for the disciples!

Pastor Adam