This coming Sunday, 5/6, we’ll continue to work our way through the book of 1 Peter. As we dig into 1 Peter 1:10-12, we’ll see the privilege that is ours because of the good news. Prophets and angels both longed to look and understand Gospel realities, but this is what is ours who have heard and understood this message. I hope you come expecting great things from God this weekend.
Happy May Day! What’s that? Allow this definition to help: “May Day is a public holiday usually celebrated on May 1. It is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and a traditional spring holiday in many cultures. Dances, singing, and cake are usually part of the festivities.” And, when we’re talking dances, a traditional maypole (see pic above) is in order. We grab streamers and carry them, celebration all that spring is. Cake? Well, I’m still holding out for that.
Spring is a great reason to celebrate. God has hard-wired creation to show forth his beauty as the seasons change. Spring speaks of new life. Growth. What we thought was dead stuff ends up coming out of the ground. Here in Kansas, May Day 2018 brings the humid smell of rain in the air. We are drought-stricken area. We could do with a good dousing of rain.
And, with that rain comes the threat of severe weather. Hail, strong winds, tornadoes. Even in the midst of a seemingly good celebration, creation is groaning, longing for redemption. So, as we celebrate May Day and approaching storms, it’s a great time to ask where you go for peace?
Jesus’ disciples were experienced fisherman who were once caught on a boat with Jesus in the middle of a storm. They were really scared. Jesus was asleep. They woke Him up, questioning His motives, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re perishing.” Jesus rebuked the storm: “Peace. Be still.” The storm stopped and Jesus asked, “Why were you afraid? Don’t you have any faith?” And, His disciples wondered to themselves, “Who is this, that even the wind and waves obey Him?” (Mark 4:35-41)
This May Day, whether your heart is celebrating life to the full or wondering what storms may come your way, we can all run to Jesus. He is the Son of Man, the Son of God, worthy of our worship and praise. Allow May Day adoration of Him.
Like I mentioned in March, I’m trying to do a better job this year of keeping track of books I’ve completed reading. As usual, there are some books/things, I’m always working in like the Bible (praying through the Psalms of the Day and doing lots of reading in 1 Peter in different translations), Sonship, as well as Crestview’s Leadership Pipeline material.
In April, I was also able to work through the following:
I received a week off from preaching duties yesterday, 4/29/18, but was blessed to be able to hear Luke preach on 1 Peter 1:6-9. His sermon, Joy In Trials, is online. The quote above really got at the heart of this sermon. In suffering, we try to soothe our souls with pithy cliches or by looking inward. And, Peter’s point in these opening verses of 1 Peter is to look, by faith, to the value that Christ has and rest there. I hope this sermon encourages you.
My 4/22/18AM sermon, Kept for a Hopeful Inheritance from 1 Peter 1:3-5 is now online. This sermon continued our 1 Peter series, giving hope to exiles and outcasts, which is what Christians are in this world. Peter, remarkably, didn’t begin this letter with a fixation on the world or even how believers should act towards the world (although that is certainly coming in the letter). He begins by blessing God and rehearsing some reasons why God the Father is worthy of praise. I hope this sermon encourages you.
My 4/15/18AM sermon, To Elect Exiles from 1 Peter 1:1-2; 5:12-14, is now online. This sermon introduced everyone to the book of 1 Peter, which is the book we’ll be studying for a while. It took those who are believers into tension between who we are in God and who we are related to the world. Specfiically, Peter wrote to elect exiles, to give us hope from God. I hope it encourages you.
This coming Sunday, 4/15, we are starting a new series at Crestview on the book of 1 Peter. The tag for this series is “hope for the outcasts.” Peter understands the problems believers face living life in the tension of the reality that we will be forever in heaven with the Lord but are stuck living life here in this world. We are very much not at home in this world. We are outcasts, exiles, aliens. So, this series will hopefully aim to help us have some insight for really living in this world. I hope it encourages you. Join me in praying to this end and, if you have time, read the book of 1 Peter.
Like I mentioned in February, I’m trying to do a better job this year of keeping track of books I’ve completed reading. As usual, there are some books/things, I’m always working in like the Bible (praying through the Psalms of the Day and doing lots of reading in 1 Peter in different translations), Sonship, as well as Crestview’s Leadership Pipeline material.
In February 2018, I worked through the following:
In April at Crestview, we’re learning Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty, and Graham Kendrick’s song, My Worth Is Now In What I Own (At the Cross).
Here are the lyrics:
My worth is not in what I own
Not in the strength of flesh and bone
But in the costly wounds of love
At the cross
My worth is not in skill or name
In win or lose, in pride or shame
But in the blood of Christ that flowed
At the cross
Refrain:
I rejoice in my Redeemer
Greatest Treasure,
Wellspring of my soul
I will trust in Him, no other.
My soul is satisfied in Him alone.
As summer flowers we fade and die
Fame, youth and beauty hurry by
But life eternal calls to us
At the cross
I will not boast in wealth or might
Or human wisdom’s fleeting light
But I will boast in knowing Christ
At the cross
Refrain
Two wonders here that I confess
My worth and my unworthiness
My value fixed – my ransom paid
At the cross
Refrain
I hope this song helps you give voice to what God’s done for you through His Son.
I was blessed this past weekend getting some fellowship time with my friend Adrion Roberson. Adrion pastors in Kansas City, Kansas in Wyandotte County. He’s laboring hard doing difficult work and I asked him to come and help our people understand race, injustice, and what the Bible demands from us. His 4/8/18 sermon, Racism and Injustice from an Adaptive, Biblical Perspective is now online. I’m still processing what my next steps of obedience and application are, but this challenge was big and the implications for the mission we’ve been called to are numerous. Take some time and dig into this sermon and experience the refreshment I did this past weekend.
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