connecting with jesus, connecting with people, connecting with the world
What do you stand for? There are many things people can stand for: a clean environment, fighting poverty, affordable health care, equal education for all, equality in general, racial reconciliation, etc. All of these causes and many more are important.
For some people, it is sometimes difficult to know how to spend our time and to what cause we should commit. For others, it is difficult to even know what we stand for. The writer of Hebrews says that, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (13:8). The issues mentioned above have to do with issues that Jesus cares about: stewardship, justice, equality, and understanding that all people everywhere are created with intrinsic value in being created in the image of God.
As we follow Jesus, we seek to love God and love people in a way that makes a difference in our daily lives but also focuses on following the One through whom we may have life. In talking about Jesus, John writes that “whoever believes in him will have eternal life” (3:16). As we follow Jesus, we know that we can be active interacting with every day issues that are important to God and people while maintaining our focus on worshiping God through his Son, and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Ice Skating Social - This coming Saturday, January 23rd, from 4pm–9pm at Millenium Park. $10 for skate rentals and free if you have your own skates. Dinner will follow at Jon and Heidi’s afterward. RSVP and details for the Ice Skating social here: facebook.
ALL ARE WELCOME!!
Anyone here love listening to podcasts? “Inside Worship” is an official podcast put up by Vineyard Music and sheds light on what’s new and emerging from the Vineyard Churches in the US and around the world. Be sure to check out all the interviews and learn more about the current worship culture. As a worship leader, I find this inspirational to listen to and it gives me a deaper understanding of what songwriters are thinking about when they come up with these new songs.
check it out! http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=280094561
Inside Worship Podcast
Right about now it can be really easy to lose sight of the point of Christmas. Stores have been bombarding customers with Christmas music for almost the last two months in hope of sending customers in a zombie-like trance to the cash registers. For those attempting to finish any last minute shopping, it would be best to protect yourself with a space-suit of patience. For those of you who don’t shop for Christmas you may be feeling like you were missing the point of Christmas. And finally, for those who don’t “celebrate” Christmas, it would be wonderful to hear what, if anything , is appealing about this hyped and sometimes joyless “happy holiday.”
Jesus came to this earth naked. The biblical account has him wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying in a manger. He came to the earth to laying in a feeding trough since there was no room in the inn. There was no glitz, no radio voice doing introductions, and no theme song. It was most likely a chilled Fall night with the smell of manure wafting in the air and parents happy that their baby boy was healthy and at least sheltered somewhere.
Now that is not is say it wasn’t without fanfare: a declaration of infanticide, narrow escapes, dreams, angels, magi, and presents. But the focus is on what this infant embodies: the reconciliation of the human race to God. It meant that each human being could now connect with God in a way that wasn’t possible before. No more striving, no more frustration and a lot of peace. Jesus came as more than just a baby. Jesus came to give life to all of those who trust in him.
With some holidays I rarely reflect on the reason why we have the holiday. Labor Day is one of those holidays. From a practical standpoint, it means relief. It means that I have another day where I don’t have to go to work and a day in which I’m paid for not going to work. Most individuals who enjoy Labor Day probably think along the same lines.
It was the Pullman Strike that happened in present day Chicago (then Pullman, Illinois) which led to Labor Day being a national holiday in 1894. The historical roots of Labor Day bring up the topic of rest and issues of justice more so than the issue of labor or working.
It is wonderful that God has valued rest enough to ask people to regularly take time to rest (Exodus 20:8-10). In a city/world where everyone always seems too busy, rest is a wonderful thing. God wants us to experience this rest.
Breathing in contaminating coal dust for eighty hours a week is something that I’m happy we’ve gotten rid of. Cleaner working conditions rather than disgusting and putrid ones is also a bonus. God loves justice (Isaiah 61:8) and the Labor movement is one that at its onset promoted fair and just treatment.
This past Sunday we looked at why Jesus came to earth found in Luke 4:18-19. Jesus is called, among other things to “preach good news” and to “release the oppressed.” Part of this “good news” is that all our mistakes, all our ignorance, and all the junk that has happened to us because of others’ mistakes can be covered in Jesus and a relationship with him. It is this relationship that brings us freedom and favor in God’s sight. It is in this relationship that we can understand God’s purpose for us, the most personally fulfilling purpose we have. It is because of what Jesus has done, his work, on our behalf that we can live out this purpose. It is in Jesus that we can have this rest, this release from whatever has oppressed us. It is in looking at Jesus’ life that we can be inspired to stand up for what is just here on earth.
Almost every decision we make makes a difference. This is true at any time in our life, but it is especially true when individuals with new-found freedom are able to establish patterns and habits which will affect the entire trajectory of their life.
The world is wide open and the opportunities are seemingly endless. It is a time for reflection, a time for doubting/questioning, and a time to start envisioning what the rest of life will look like. Life makes us think and transitions magnify differences people experience in life. Whether that difference is the people someone spends time with, the city someone lives in, the goals someone has, or what is now important to someone, the differences are glaring and the need to reshape a person’s identity and get connected in a community is important.
When I first left for school, I experienced this freedom. I learned that the world was very different than the microcosm I grew up in. My view of the world changed differently. In my second year at school, I gave my life to Jesus. It was this experience that has given me the ultimate freedom to find my identity and be connected with other people and God. It was an experience made possible by God’s love for me and other people living out God’s love so I could experience it.
The following passage comes to mind in thinking about the college experience: “Be merciful to those who doubt, snatch others from the fire and save them.” (Jude 22-23). In this time of transition, the Near West Vineyard is a place where a person can feel comfortable expressing their doubts and be encouraged to live a life that is life-giving in their own lives and is life-giving to others.
by Albert Yau
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