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The Ladera Post

Thanks to the persistence of Kris, the Ladera Post did a feature on our church. I've added the page to the right (the type is a bit small so it's hard to read). This must be a good week to cover the church because there was also mention of the July start date for Holy Trinity Catholic Parish.

Fr. Furrell scored the front page while the story of Village is found on page 3. I think the Ladera Post is a good paper and I'm glad they see the church as a news-worthy item.

We had a good discussion in our Men's Group this morning. We looked at Matthew 11 where John the Baptist seems to waiver a bit in relation to his faith. He sends a delegation to Jesus to ask if he is the Messiah or should they be expecting someone else. John was looking for reassurance and Jesus offered it to him. Jesus didn't answer with a simple yes but he challenged the disciples of John to report to him what they see and hear. Jesus points to the evidence of his ministry, "the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them" (Matthew 11:5). I wonder what those words did for John. Did he find strength and comfort in the testimony of his friends? Was that enough for him? This morning we talked about where we turn today when our faith seems to waiver. It was encouraging to know that even a spiritual giant like John the Baptist didn't always have it together. But even so, Jesus brought reassurance to him. It made me think about the passage from 2 Corinthians 4, "We have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the live of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies" (7-10). What a beautiful promise to the faithful and to those who struggle to find faith.

Musings on Mission (follow-up)

I was thinking a bit more about how to make our mission statement easy to remember. Last week I wrote about how to think through the statement on one hand. When I was explaining it to Joy I started goofing off and listing the various combinations. It's amazing the things I learn even when I'm clowning around. In our worship service on Sunday we set aside time for the "passing of the peace." It's one of the few "churchy" phrases that I really appreciate. But think of this when worship (God is #1...index finger) and hospitality (second finger) are held in combination, there is the sign of peace. Cool!

And hey, when we remember "we are God's agents of grace in the world" who are in the process of "reaching out in love," we create "hang loose" kind of situations. Okay, I'll stop now.

PS: our church website is new and improved...check it out here.

A Growing List

I was listening to a story on NPR this morning about the watch list for airline passengers. Unfortunately, many people in this country share the same name and so they were interviewing various passengers whose names were on the watch list. Many are regularly delayed when they arrive at the airport. It sounded like a real hassle to me. But it got me thinking about lists.

I keep a list every Sunday of who is in worship and who we are missing. I think of it as a caring list. If someone is absent for more than a few weeks I want to know so that we can respond appropriately. The list gets created as people sign the Village Connection Notebooks and then later in the day on Sunday, I rely on my memory to fill in the blanks. Did you know you put less stress on my brain when you remember to sign the notebook?

The mention of lists also got me thinking about the long list of the “sons and daughters of Village Presbyterian Church.” This past Sunday we celebrated the baptism of Rylee, daughter of Annette and Scott. I’m thrilled about the growing list of children who have received baptism here. Rylee is actually number ten on the list of newly baptized children (Presbyterians have always been committed to keeping good records). And this next Sunday we’re going to be celebrating yet again as Michael and Debbie  bring their daughter Morganne for baptism. This growing list also comes with a deep sense of responsibility. As a congregation, we said yes to the following commitment this past Sunday:

Do you, as members of the church of Jesus Christ,
promise to guide and nurture Rylee
by word and deed, with love and prayer,
encouraging her to know and follow Christ
and to be faithful members of his church?

Our participation in Vacation Bible School is one step to fulfilling our promise. Perhaps some might step forward to serve in the nursery or to teach Adventure Village. So also we should expect that a significant part of the annual budget of our church will be invested in the education of our children. Your giving on Sunday is yet another way to fulfill this promise. The list of what we can do goes on and on. It is my great hope that we won’t try merely to increase the length of the list. What we need to do is to keep loving, serving, teaching, and encouraging the many children who are currently on this list and the many more who received the sacrament in other churches as well as those who have yet to receive. What a joy it is to see a well-known African proverb fulfilled before our very eyes, “It takes a village to raise a child.”

Musings on Mission (5 of 5)

The final focus statement is this, "We are reaching out in love (Matthew 20:28)." The pinkie might be the smallest finger but no hand is complete without it. As Mother Theresa once said, "We can do no great things. Only small things with great love." I hope that's what we're about at Village Presbyterian Church. I think we miss the mark if we seek to be a great church. Instead, let's seek to be a good church who dares to reach out in love. The true measure of the church is not found merely in the love we receive for ourselves but rather it is in the love that we share with others. Jesus said it like this, "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35) Love is the true mark of those who are followers of Jesus!

PS: Happy birthday to me!
 

Musings on Mission (4 of 5)

In the continuing series on our focus statements, today we're thinking about the ring finger. This finger reminds us of the heart and devotion. The focus here is clear, "We are learning to be like Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20)." Isn't that what the life of faith is all about? When I gave my heart to Christ at the age of 16, I had no idea that I was embarking on a life long journey. To be "like Jesus" isn't something you accomplish on a weekend retreat but it's the task that is ever before us. To be like Jesus is to offer every aspect of ourselves in devotion to the Lord.

Musings on Mission (3 of 5)

I realize this one is a bit problematic...being the middle finger and all. Yet even so, there's a good point to be made. The middle finger centers the hand and it is the tallest of all the fingers. When connected to the thumb (see picture), it creates a circle which reminds us of the space we seek to create for others. Hospitality is all about creating space where people can discover for themselves what it means to belong. Our third focus statement is expressed like this, "We are committed to hospitality (Romans 12:13)." In Romans, Paul speaks of the requirement to "extend hospitality to strangers." That's what we need to do, not only on Sunday morning but in every place that we find ourselves throughout the week. In the book Reaching Out, the late Henri Nouwen advocated restoring hospitality to “its original depth and evocative potential.” In the New Testament, the Greek word for community, koinonia, finds its root in the term for “participating in” and “sharing.” And so, to be a community is to share, to have in common. A church that is committed to hospitality will find a variety of ways to welcome and embrace strangers and members alike. I hope that's who we are and who we are becoming at Village Presbyterian Church.

Musings on Mission (2 of 5)

Yesterday I started a series reviewing the five focal statements of Village Presbyterian Church. With an extended index finger, we remind ourselves of a truth that is often lost to this generation: the number one priority of the church is God! I know it sounds obvious and simple but it's always tempting for us to want to fashion the church according to our own needs, wants and desires.

The second focus statement declares, "We are called to offer ourselves to God in worship (Romans 12:1-2)."

First and foremost, that's what the church is about. Writing to the church in Rome, the Apostle Paul said it like this, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer you bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is true worship. Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. There you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." True worship isn't about us. True worship is about the only one who is worthy of worship: the Lord. And so as a community of faith we exist to proclaim and embody that reality.

Musings on Mission (1 of 5)

I love to get the day started with an early morning swim. It seems like some of my best ideas come to me in the water. And this morning the "creative lightning" struck once again. Now, in truth, it might not be as creative or life changing as I think, but it is a helpful way to think about our mission at Village Presbyterian Church.

Many years ago now, Dr. Ken McCullen did a series on the 10 Commandments and he offered a way of counting one to ten on your fingers so that you could remember all the commandments. The method was helpful to adults and children. So I was thinking about this morning in relation to the five focal statements we have at Village Presbyterian Church. And then it hit me (right in the middle of a flip turn): find a way to connect the five statements to the five fingers of the hand. I'm sure I'm not the first to come up with this absolutely brilliant methodology but I do think it fits our focus. Over the next few days, I'd like to review the five statements and show how they are connected to the hand and, hopefully, how they are connected to life in the everyday world.

The first focus statement is this: In Christ, we are God's agents of grace in the world. I was exchanging email recently with one of my former professors at Fuller, Dr. Charles Van Engen. I took one of Chuck's classes during my final semester many years ago, "Applied Missiology for Ministry." That course has continued to influence the shape of my ministry. The primary text for the class was a book that Chuck wrote, God's Missionary People. That phrase alone describes who we are called to be in Christ. To be numbered among the people of faith is to be God's missionary people in the world. We often think of "missionaries" as people who "go over there" in order to share God's love with "the lost." In fact, we're called to be missionaries right in our own backyard. And yet, I thought the phrase might be intimidating to some and so I reworked the language, though I'm still committed to the same bottom line. The thumb best represents this statement in two ways. First, in Christ, God offers us new life. It is through Christ that we experience grace, forgiveness and love. It is through Christ that we are able to stand strong. But the new life we receive in Christ is not an end in itself, as if we receive treasure only to spend it on ourselves. We're called to a new life in Christ in order to participate in something much larger than ourselves (this is the second part). God is in the business of bringing new life to the world around us and, as "agents of grace," we are called to stand in opposition to the way of the world so that God might be able to accomplish something beautiful through us. It all starts with the thumb.

As I sit here writing, I was also thinking how important the thumb is to writing...without the thumbwewouldmissthespacebetweenwords. So thumbs are important and so too is this first focal statement about who we are by faith in Christ. Check back in the days to come and I'll offer my musings on the rest of the hand.

Much Needed Wisdom

I had lunch last Tuesday with Steve Yamaguchi. Steve’s the Executive Presbytery for Los Ranchos. He is a man of wisdom, compassion and he is a trusted colleague in this mission. I shared with him my perspective about the progress we’ve made in recent months. I also shared some of my frustrations (yeah, there are a few). Steve listened carefully, which is a gift in itself, and then he pointed out the obvious. Funny how wisdom is crystal-clear as soon as someone says it. His words clicked on a light in the midst of my darkness. This is the gist of his observation (and I know he’s not the first person to say it): I should not expect to continue doing the same things I needed to do in order to get things going at Village Presbyterian Church. I should be attentive, assertive and do only the things that only I can do. Now if that sounds like a mess of double-speak, you might need to read the last two sentences again. I know I’ll need to read them again in the weeks ahead. The essential question for me these days is one of expectation. What should I expect of myself in relation to my call to serve Village Presbyterian Church? What does the Lord expect of me? And what should people expect of their pastor? It’s easy to get obsessed with all the externals that are required for a New Church Development (so much to do, you know) but I know also I must pay attention to the internal work as well. I must be diligent in relation to setting aside time to read, to pray, to study, to write, to rest, to think, to play, and to spend time with my family and with others.

I know I’ve posted on this topic before. Maybe it looks like I’m trying to figure things out along the way. You’re absolutely right! Well, for now I’m going to keep sittin’ on this porch and enjoying the morning. It's a beatiful day and I don't want to miss it!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my Dad's birthday. I won't tell you how many candles are on his cake today but there were thirty-two of them the year I was born (you do the math). I just got off the phone with him and we had a great conversation. We both enjoy movies so it was good to hear his take on two he watched this afternoon. "Sideways" and "Hotel Rwanda" are at opposite ends of the spectrum but that's my Dad's style. He liked them both.

I'm very thankful for our conversation tonight, especially our parting words. I won't tell you what he said (don't want to embarrass my Dad, if I haven't already), but my response was clear, "Dad, I love you, too." I'm glad tonight for my Dad! Blessings to you in all the years ahead!