The Kingdom Perspective

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to a special-edition series of The Kingdom Perspective.

The past few weeks have presented our community with unprecedented challenges. Yet, in times of darkness the light shines all the more brightly. Therefore, I’d like to take today’s program to express thanks and to celebrate the many ways that all of you are serving our community at this critical hour.

So many of you have stepped up to volunteer by bringing a bit of relief to those whose life and work has been significantly disrupted and especially burdened. Here is a sampling of the things Christ Redeemer volunteers have been doing over the past two weeks:
• Daily calls to read scripture and pray with many that are isolated.
• Coffee and donuts taken to all our area schools for teachers that were mandated back to the classrooms in order to prepare for remote learning.
• Notes of encouragement and prayers for our many medical professionals that are battling this outbreak on the frontlines.
• Meals taken to two DHMC units that are working directly to respond to the COVID outbreak, including a 6:00am breakfast delivery for the night shift.
• Many donations of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) requested by DHMC.
• Etc.

Special thanks to Lauren Groves for helping to organize many of these service opportunities. If you would like to help or have some skill to offer, please contact Lauren at the email posted on this podcast transcript.

Finally, I want to thank our many medical professionals and health care leaders that have been working around the clock. Thanks to and to your families for your selfless service to our community! Together, by the grace of God, we will come through this trial strengthened in our ability to serve God and our neighbor.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

NOTE: If you wish to volunteer or know of needs in the community, please email [email protected] to be directed to a CRC point person. We also encourage you to continue to give regularly to support the work of the church. All the more in the face of growing needs in our community, we encourage you to give above and beyond your regular giving, by contributing to the church’s Benevolence Fund. The Benevolence Fund is used in two main ways – 1) to help those with material needs within our church, and 2) to help those with need in the broader Upper Valley Community.

For your convenience here are the links to giving online:
Regular Giving to CRC
The Benevolence Fund at CRC

You may also give by mailing your gifts to Christ Redeemer Church, PO Box 5523, Hanover, NH 03755.

To learn more about CRC’s charitable work and financial giving policy, please visit us at: http://christredeemerchurch.org/home/resources/financial-contribution/

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to a special-edition series of the Kingdom Perspective.

What should you do in response to the coronavirus epidemic?

Obey the governmental authorities.

All people need to obey the civil authorities, but this is all the more so for the Christian. Why? The Christian knows that authority is an essentially good thing. All authority is from God, and He Himself is the authority above all authorities. It is not just a necessary evil.

Now, certainly human authority can become corrupt, and we must be on guard for such a threat. However, human authority, whether it is in the home, workplace, church or government, is essentially good and proper, as it is a reflection of God’s love and care for us. Imagine what the world would be like without it!

In times of crisis this is especially true for governmental authority. It exists for the good order of society and the flourishing our humanity. As the Apostle Paul puts it in his letter to the Romans:

1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves… (Romans 13)

Therefore, in the present crisis, as you obey the recommendations and requirements of your federal, state, and local authorities, you are not only loving your neighbor by maintaining good social order, you are also loving your God who established such authorities.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

Transcript:

What should we do in the face of the coronavirus epidemic?

We should pray!

Prayer is the cry of desperation, a final resort when there is nowhere else to turn. It is the instinct of every human heart to look up to heaven for help, when all else has failed. There are no atheists in foxholes.

However, for those who know God as their Father through Jesus Christ, prayer is not merely the last resort, but the first response. When anxiety and fear arise, as a matter of first order, we can turn to our God in prayer. The Bible commands us to! Listen to Philippians 4: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

In your care for one another and in your ministry to your unbelieving neighbors, prayer is powerful and irreplaceable. Pray for your neighborhood. Pray for your school. Pray for your workplace. Ask God to give you opportunities to serve those that are anxious or in need. Offering to pray for a friend or co-worker who is sick or fearful is a great way to minister to them and to help direct them to God. We have a God who hears!

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

Transcript:

What should we do in the face of the coronavirus?

We need to drink deeply of good gospel-driven doctrine and theology. The history of the church is rich with centuries of pondering the good news of the Bible and the comfort that it brings to us, especially in times of trouble.

The 16th century Heidelberg Catechism as one excellent example. Listen to the opening question and answer:

Q: What is your only comfort, in life and in death?

A: That I belong—body and soul, in life and in death—not to myself but to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, who at the cost of his own blood has fully paid for all my sins and has completely freed me from the dominion of the devil; that he protects me so well that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, that everything must fit his purpose for my salvation. Therefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

Transcript:

What should you do as a member of the church do to respond to the coronavirus?

Sacrificially care for those in need.

Fortunately, we have 2,000-years of history of the church facing such crises with love and wisdom. One such example comes to us from a description of the church in 3rd century Alexandria as a lethal epidemic swept through that ancient pagan city. Listen to a church leader describe the response of Christians:

“[During the great epidemic] most of our… [fellow] Christians showed unbounded love and loyalty, never sparing themselves. Heedless of danger, they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ. Many, in nursing and curing others, transferred their death to themselves and died in their stead…. The pagans behaved in the opposite way. At the first onset of the disease, they pushed the sufferers away and fled even from their dearest, often throwing them into the roads before they were dead…” (Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria, 260 AD).

Fortunately, with modern medicine the personal risk of caring for the sick is somewhat mitigated. However, the impulse to care for the sick and dying must not be. The gospel makes us courageous and loving even in the face of death and disease. Why? Because the One who has so loved us has overcome the mother of all fears—death itself!

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to the Kingdom Perspective!

What should the church do in response to the coronavirus?

We should generously care and provide for our fellow believers and our neighbors!

We can assume that there will be many whose lives and livelihoods will be disrupted by recent events. People may be out of work and there will be increased strain on families and social services. This is precisely where the church should shine. The gospel makes us generous people—meeting the needs of both those inside and outside the church. We do this though the shared benevolence or mercy ministries of our local churches. Now is the time to up your game in giving to these ministries above and beyond your regular faithful support to the church’s gospel ministry.

In the 4th century the non-Christian Roman Emperor Julian tried to squelch the growing Christian movement. He ultimately failed and in a letter admits why? He laments that his own pagan religion was failing to attract the public while “the charity of the Christians to strangers…has done the most to advance their cause…. For it is disgraceful that…these… [Christians] support our poor in addition to their own” (Roman Emperor Julian, Letter to Arsacius, 360 AD).

We see once again that the gospel makes those infected by it unusually generous. Why? Because we are beneficiaries of the infinite and eternal generosity of God in Christ.

Something to think about from the Kingdom Perspective.

Transcript:

Hello. This is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church and the following Kingdom Perspective is a part of a special series on the coronavirus pandemic.

What should we do in the response to the coronavirus?
We must rethink the arrogant assumptions of our lives.

If this crisis exposes anything it exposes the frailty of our life and the assumptions we make about it. The fact that something so small, that it is unseen to the naked eye, could not only kill me but bring modern civilization to a standstill ought to be a warning to us all.

Your life is not your own. You belong to God. You were made by Him. You were made for Him. You will give an account to Him. Your life is in His hands. To not recognize this, both deeply and continually, is what the Bible calls worldliness—and it is the height of foolishness.

This foolishness is what the New Testament writer James (echoing both Jesus and the Old Testament) goes after in James chapter four. “13 Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a city and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”

~ James 4:13–16

Transcript:

What should the church do in the face of the coronavirus pandemic?

We can take some inspiration from our shared Christian history.

The great German reformer Martin Luther is one who knew fear and tragedy. But he also one who knew the power of Christ to overcome these. When the plague hit the German university town of Wittenberg in August 1527, the pastor and reformer along with his wife Katharina maintained their post, ministering to both the spiritual and physical needs of those suffering. Katharina was pregnant at the time, but they opened their home to the sick and needy. How could they do this? Well, their hope was in the God of Psalm 46.

Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea…

History suggest to us that it was about this time that Luther wrote his most famous hymn based on this Psalm. The opening lines declare:

“A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing

…[Later he goes on to end his hymn with the following]…

Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also:
The body they may kill:
God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is for ever.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah”

~ Psalm 46

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to a special-edition series of the Kingdom Perspective.

What should the church do in the face of the coronavirus?

We should aim all the more to be social reconcilers.

Right now, many from all different persuasions are tempted to become critics and complainers—trying to find fault and pin blame. However, the gospel categorically bars us from going down this road. This is no time for finger pointing or trying to score cheap political points. Rather, this is the time for true Christians to put their faith to work, bringing not only a positive and hopeful attitude into the public square—blessing where there is cursing—but also bringing their own time, treasure and talents to help those in need. You should up your game in giving to the shared ministry of your church, so that the ministry can flourish at this critical hour. Don’t focus on social media. Rather, determine how you can be of real social good. Are their ways you can provide practical care to your fellow Christian or to unbelieving neighbor?

What I am suggesting is not some add-on tactic to make the gospel look good. Rather, what I am suggesting is absolutely intrinsic to the gospel itself. God so loved the world that he did not sit back in judgment and critique. Rather, He gave Himself for us. As Jesus himself put it: He did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life away for others. This is the true Christianity, and those “infected” by it will be true to the pattern portrayed in it.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

For your convenience here are the links to giving online:
Regular Giving to CRC
The Benevolence Fund at CRC

You may also give by mailing your gifts to Christ Redeemer Church, PO Box 5523, Hanover, NH 03755.

To learn more about CRC’s charitable work and financial giving policy, please visit us at: http://christredeemerchurch.org/home/give/

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to a special-edition series of the Kingdom Perspective.

What must we, as the church, do in response to the coronavirus?

We must learn from Christians that have gone before us, such as St. Patrick and the Celtic Christians that followed and originated from him. When European civilization was overwhelmed by the barbarian hordes, the recently converted Celtic Christians preserved, and then eventually reestablished Christianity throughout the continent. In the words of author Thomas Cahill “the Irish…saved civilization” (see How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill).

Most basically, they did this by starting and nurturing gospel communities (i.e. churches). These churches were not what we tend to think of today as churches, but were essentially monastic-type communities that cared for every aspect of life. They believed that the lordship of Jesus redeems all of life, and they put this truth into practice.

However, these “monastic communities” were significantly different from much of what developed in Roman Christianity. As one writer put it: “The…monasteries [in Roman Christianity] were organized to protest against and escape from the materialism of the Roman world and the corruption of the church; the Celtic monasteries organized to penetrate the pagan world and extend the church?” (see The Celtic Way of Evangelism by George Hunter) These Celtic communities were not an escape from “Main Street” or the “public square”, but a mission to “Main Street” and the “public square”. Often these monasteries were set up at the gates of the ancient cities, in order to minister the gospel to these cities. They were, in effect, a “new city” within an existing city—a new society “in but not of” the existing society.

For us, this means the redemptive community of the church must become all the more critical. How can we be and live like a distinctively new society in the midst of our existing society that is full of fear? How can we love and care for one another, practically, especially in times of crisis, in such a way that the watching world sees the truth of the gospel on display in each of our communities, through each of our churches?

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

We encourage you to continue to give regularly to support the work of the church. All the more in the face of growing needs in our community, we encourage you to give above and beyond your regular giving, by contributing to the church’s Benevolence Fund. The Benevolence Fund is used in two main ways – 1) to help those with material needs within our church, and 2) to help those with need in the broader Upper Valley Community.

For your convenience here are the links to giving online:
Regular Giving to CRC
The Benevolence Fund at CRC

You may also give by mailing your gifts to Christ Redeemer Church, PO Box 5523, Hanover, NH 03755.

To learn more about CRC’s charitable work and financial giving policy, please visit us at: http://christredeemerchurch.org/home/resources/financial-contribution/