Planning for the future

Across America there is a trend in congregational life that is somewhat alarming. Every denominational body is seeing a decline in people involved in worship and ministry. Church is becoming one of many options for people to choose from in their busy lives. In some cases, people are opting out of church and choosing other activities to invest their lives. There is no better alternative in one’s life than to have a strong relationship to God. The church will continue to be a place where people will be encouraged and supported through the best and worst of times. There is no other message than the Good News of Jesus Christ which brings strength for daily living, peace within one’s heart, and a purpose and direction for living. It is with this in mind that Lord of Life is committed to changing this trend within our community. Our church leaders and staff are committed to ensure that our relationship to Jesus Christ will be valued above all other competing forces that seek to engage individuals and families. Lord of Life will continue to search for ways to connect to the needs of people in this place and time. We will understand the barriers to faith development and seek solutions in overcoming them. These are some ways in which we will achieve this goal:

 

Provide opportunities for all ages to grow in their relationship to Jesus Christ. Marks of Discipleship and Children and Family Ministry have detailed in which every household will be offered practical ways to deepen your faith through sermon series, small group offerings, resources, and in-home activities.

 

Engage a research and development program to ensure a congregational life that reflects the present/future cultural trends with the power of the gospel. As we move into the future with rapid cultural changes, especially in the area of technology, we will endeavor to seek ways for the church’s ministry to connect with the daily needs of our people. Lord of Life seeks to be proactive in finding strength and purpose in our changing environment. 

 

 

Assess the worship needs and styles for the next few years: No longer is one style of worship is meaningful to all ages. Some worshippers prefer traditional, some contemporary, some contemplative, and some more informal worship. If we are going to reach all ages with the gospel’s message, we need to address how best to use our talents and resources in providing meaningful inspiring worship for all ages.

 

Live out the “Great Commission” (“Go therefore, and make disciples…Matt. 28:19) and the “Great Commandment” (“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul—and your neighbor as yourself”…Matt. 22:36-40). These two verses continue to guide our thinking and our planning. They are like our North Star. Our ministry is shaped by our Mission Statement and Biblical imperatives. Our leadership and staff teams are committed to be faithful to these.

 

Visibly serve in the community, nation, and world through acts of kindness: Lord of Life has a strong history of making a difference in the lives of others. We are driven by the Biblical mandate of Micah 6:2 “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God.” We will seek ways to assist our local government leaders, schools, and other community agencies to share our time, talents, and resources. This also applies to national and international needs.  

Proactively steward our resources to include prudent fiscal management of our monetary and human resources. Lord of Life is blessed with outstanding gifted people. Our motto continues to be, “Those who are so blessed have much expected of them as well”. We ask for everyone’s participation–sharing their time, talents, and resources—to be good stewards of what we have been given. Sound fiscal financial management of our resources has been another hallmark of our ministry. Lord of Life will continue to do so.

 

Ensure that Lord of Life’s future continues with dynamic leadership and vision. Lord of Life is committed to looking at the long term staffing needs to ensure this ministry moves from strength to strength. The congregation also remains committed to the continued necessity of a compelling vision to steer our ministry in the years ahead.

“I thank God in all my remembrance of you,” I chose Paul’s words to the church at Philippi to be my words as well. From the smiles and hugs from the little ones to the firm hand shake and look in the eye of each saint of God, this is a wonderful place to serve. Each of you is a treasure that God has placed in the midst of this congregation that together we can share each other’s burdens and celebrate each other’s blessings. May you know you are special to God and to each of us in this church family. So Let Our Light Shine. I like the wisdom of Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that has.” Also I share this quote from an unknown source, “The person who says it can’t be done should not interrupt the person who is doing it.” Never forgot that you are people of an Almighty God. Never forget that our highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live them out. May our thanks to God be expressed loudly and boldly as we serve one another in love and joy!

Go with God,
Pastor Qualley

 

Alive to the Unexpected: Seeing Ourselves as Servants

 

“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Luke 12:35-40)

Jesus tell this rather short but remarkable parable: The master has left to go to a wedding banquet and there is no way for the servants of that master to know when he will return. It could be that very night. It could be the next. It could be three days before he returns home, because weddings in Jewish culture were week-long events, one never knew how long the stay. If the wine held out and the celebration was lively enough, he could be there all week. But the servants are not privy to the master’s plans. They are simply to be ready when he knocks on the door.

On the surface, this is a routine story. Everyone listening would have understood the word picture that Jesus told. But there is a remarkable twist at the end. It involves a role reversal. Jesus says, “It will be good for those servants who are watching to meet their master at the door.” That makes sense. The master will have certain needs that must be met when he arrives. They must feed him if he is hungry. They must help him unpack. They must give him an accounting of what they have done since he has been gone. That makes sense but this is not how the story ends. It is not the servants who wait on the master. It is the master who waits on the servants. Isn’t that odd? It will be good for those servants who are ready for the master not because there is the threat of punishment for un-alert behavior but because there is the promise of a lavish master who upon his return graciously gives to his servants. Sets them down and serves them! This is quite a different picture of a master and a servant, one where the rewards are beyond measure and grace abundant. That’s the kind of promise that our Lord has given us upon his return. He will sit us down at his banquet table, and satisfy the needs of us—his servants.

Donald Trump is perhaps a household name. There is a touching story about Trump’s generosity with a stranger. It is said that Trump’s limousine broke down on the Garden State Parkway on the way home from Atlantic City during a weekend excursion. An unemployed auto mechanic stopped to help, succeeded in getting the limo running and then refused to accept any payment for his services. Trump was so impressed that the next day he sent flowers to the mechanic’s wife and a certified letter stating that the man’s mortgage had been paid in full. Trump was asked about the incident and refused to confirm or deny the story or say exactly what he did for the Good Samaritan mechanic. “I don’t do those kinds of things for publicity,” he said.

 

What a deal it would be to have someone really rich taking care of you. If you knew that with their vast wealth they would gladly help you, you could be free from many a worry. You would have financial security. How good it will be, when, out of the vast wealth of our Father’s grace, the Lord returns and we his servants are asked to sit down and be served by the master.

People get ready—there’s a train, a comin

You don’t need no baggage—

you just get on board

All you need is faith—

to hear the diesels hummin’

Don’t need no ticket—

you just thank the Lord

 

Go with God,

Pastor Qualley

Alive to the Unexpected: Getting Rid of Fear

 

Jesus had just finished dealing with a young man who was jealous because his brother was getting two-thirds of their father’s estate and he was only getting one-third. This jealous young man wanted Jesus to preside over his case and resolve the matter. He wanted half. He wanted a secure future. He wanted Jesus to turn the tables of Jewish custom in his favor. Jesus said, “I am not your lawyer young man but I will give you a piece of advice: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed.”

Now to us it seems fair that this young man should receive half but Jesus doesn’t see it that way. He turns to this fellow and tells him a parable about a rich man who had a great crop and stored it all for himself but that night his soul was required of him. On the very night he got his barns built and secured his future he died. He never ate a single grain of corn. It is better, Jesus concludes to be rich toward God. Jesus then turns away from this young man to address his disciples and he says, “This fellow is worried about his life and how it will all turn out. I don’t want you to worry about your life. I don’t want you to worry about what you will eat. I don’t worry about what you are going to drink and I don’t want you to worry about what you are going to wear. Consider the ravens and the lilies, he said. Doesn’t God take care of these, how much more valuable are you?”

Most of our life we spend worrying about our security. But what would happen to those insecurities if we suddenly sold everything we owned and gave it to the poor? I am convinced that we would view life from the perspective of needs of others and we would come to depend on God for our most basic daily necessities. Now I don’t think God is asking you to sell everything you have and give it to the poor. We remember Zacchaeus for his small stature and his climbing the Sycamore Tree. Few of us remember him for the tall stature of his attitude and what happened in his home. Out of the blue, during the meal, he says to Jesus, I will sell half of everything I own give it to the poor, and if I have wronged anyone I will pay them back fourfold. Do you remember Jesus’ response? He did not say, no, you must sell everything Zacchaeus. He said “No greater faith exits in all of Israel.”

We are to get ready for the unexpected by getting rid of our fears. Now, don’t think for a moment that Jesus has some Pollyanna view of the world here. He knows just as well as any of us that plenty is wrong with the world and much of it isn’t ever going to get better. He is not suggesting that Christians will be immune to suffering. Rather, he is asking his followers to adopt a way of life that is not rooted in the securities of this world. There is a standard but it is not selling everything you have. Here is the standard: How much time do you spend worrying about storing up treasures on earth and how much time do you spend storing up treasures in heaven? If the scales are tilting toward heaven then I believe you are meeting Jesus’ standard.

Money quickly traps us and cuts us off from both God and the needy. The key to using money wisely is to see how much we can use for God’s purposes, not how much we can accumulate for ourselves. Does God’s love touch your wallet? Does your money free you to help others? If your financial goals and possessions hinder you from giving generously, loving others, or serving God, sell what you must to bring your life into perspective.

Go with God,

Pastor Qualley

Alive to the Unexpected

 

A few years ago Curtis Mayfield passed away. At the height of the Civil Rights struggle Curtis Mayfield, the lead singer of The Impressions, wrote his most memorable lyrics. Listen to the chorus:

People get ready—there’s a train, a comin’

 

You don’t need no baggage—

you just get on board

 

All you need is faith—

to hear the diesels hummin’

 

Don’t need no ticket,

you just thank the Lord.

 

There is something so true, very positive, and ominous about that song. You see, it is the very message that Jesus is giving to his disciples. They are to be ready. They are not to be afraid; they are to sell their possessions—don’t need no baggage. They are to be dressed for service and ready to open the door when the master returns.

We are to be ready for the Master’s return. The Second Coming of Jesus is such a touchy subject for the church. We wonder why he has taken so long, so many have tried to figure out when he is coming back, and every one of them has been disappointed. William Miller (1782-1849) studying the books of Daniel and Revelation, predicted that March 21, 1844 was the precise date when Christ would return to earth. When this day came and went without the promised appearance of Christ, Miller changed his prediction to October 22, 1844. It came and went. Many of his followers deserted him but many stuck and today you know them as Seventh Day Adventists, a Christian Church founded on a very shaking beginning. Hal Lindsey makes predictions in his book The Late Great Planet Earth, which sold over 30 million copies. Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and many others have tried to predict this as well.

Luke 12:35-40 assures that your master will return for you and that he expects to find you ready for him, looking for him, anticipating his coming. Physically speaking, we are not made of eternal stuff. We are mortal. We will die. All of us do. But death is not a step into the void, nor is the text an invitation to morbidly concern you with death. It is an invitation to see death as a time when the Lord comes to pick you up. The old spiritual has it right. You’ve sung, “Swing low, sweet chariot, coming for to carry me home.” Death is not the end of our existence, but is the translation from this life into the life that has been prepared beyond this life. 

Abraham and Sarah are used to illustrate how believers ought to live. They received and believed the promises of God: they were to be led to a promised land, they would have offspring, their descendents would become as numerous as the stars in the sky, and through those descendents the whole human family would be blessed. That was God’s promise to them. They trusted that promise, even when they had no way of knowing how in the world God was going to accomplish it. They weren’t given the boundaries of a promised land. They were wanderers all the days of their lives. They had to go into old age, and even to the point of thinking that they had to help God by providing a handmaid as a surrogate parent, in order to get a child. But they kept on trusting that somehow God would keep his promise, even if they thought they had to help God out.

God did get the job done. God did make Abraham’s descendants as numerous as the sands on the seashore God did raise out of his descendants the Lord Jesus Christ, Savior of all humankind. All of the promises were kept, but Abraham and Sarah had to trust in them by faith. Most of the things that God is asking us to believe and to do are not things that we are going to see visually while we are here on this earth. They are to be taken by faith. God has given us words of promise, and by them we are to live just as Abraham and Sarah did. They died as they had lived, trusting in the promises of God. You are to do the same.

I am told that a lobster, when left high and dry among the rocks, isn’t smart enough, or does not have enough initiative, to make his way back to the sea. Instead, he waits for the sea to come to him. If the sea does not come, he remains where he is, and dies. He does this in spite of the fact that the slightest exertion would enable him to reach the waves, which are tossing and tumbling within a yard of him. Some people are like that lobster. At some time in their lives they find themselves left high and dry among the rocks. Life has been cruel to them, as it is to all of us at one time or another. And they give up. They become bitter. What they do not realize is that trust is something that develops as you confront your difficulties with God’s help. And you discover that there are those loving arms beneath you carrying you in those difficult places where you cannot make it on your own.

Go with God,

Pastor Qualley

Where Did You See God Today?

 

Most people believe in God. But many people have only a God “out there.” They have never opened themselves to the God who dwells within. To people with this problem, God seems somehow remote, unconcerned about their everyday cares and concerns. They have never seen God as a living presence in their lives. A story is told of a mother who, rather than asking her children the question: “How was your day?” did something much more helpful. As she tucked her children into bed each night, she asked them this question: “Where did you see God today?” In answer to her question about where they met God, they would answer, one by one: “A teacher helped me; there was a homeless person in the park; I saw a tree with lots of flowers on it.” After they finished telling her where they had met God that day, she would tell them where she met God, too.

 

What a grand exercise. We meet Christ everywhere when Christ dwells within us. We can face tomorrow because Christ loves us and Christ is with us. But note one thing more, Christ says, “Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them he is the one who loves me.” The love we have in Christ is not a sentimental, feel-good experience that says we are free to do our own thing.

 

Love for Christ is expressed through obeying his commands. We are like soldiers in Christ’s army in the war against every form of sin and injustice. That is what gives our lives meaning and purpose. On Memorial Day we honor the men and women who have given their lives in service to our country. The obedience that the soldier gives to those in command often puts our obedience to Christ to shame. Capt. James Key, US Army Chaplain, wrote some words which were carried in USA TODAY. “I served as chaplain for a 600 soldier logistics battalion in Baghdad. These soldiers had to deliver supplies along the most dangerous routes. When bombs exploded, the reality of war forced many to do some serious soul searching… I am back home in the states now, a safe distance away from the death and war that challenge many servicemen and women in ways most people in our country will never fully understand. One evening, a casualty officer and I drove down the road on our way to inform a soldier’s spouse that her husband had died. As an Army chaplain, I thought about how difficult it would be for this young mother and how empty the two children’s lives would be without their dad. We should pause as a nation and think about the men and women who continue to fight and die in such places as Iraq and Afghanistan. It is true that war is hell, freedom is expensive, death is painful and faith still matters especially to those in the foxhole.”

Jesus put it like this, “Greater love has no one than this; to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). Jesus is our friend. He lay down his life for us. Because he lives, we can face tomorrow.

Go with God,

Pastor Qualley

Because He Lives

Some of you are familiar with the Gospel song written many years ago by Bill and Gloria Gaither. The refrain goes, “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives.” The story behind that song is inspiring.

 

 

 

In the late 1960’s, while expecting their third child, the Gaithers were going through a traumatic time, two young children and now a third. Bill was recovering from a bout with mononucleosis. Bill’s sister, Mary Ann was going through a traumatic divorce. A close friend accused Bill and Gloria of using their ministry just to make a few bucks. All this plunged Bill into a deep depression. Gloria remembers this also as a time of fear and sadness in society. This was the time of the “God is dead” movement. Drug abuse and racial tension were increasing. The thought of bringing another child into such a world was taking its toll. But after a simple prayer by one of Bill’s close friends the strength of the Holy Spirit seemed to come to their aid. Christ’s resurrection, in all its power, was reaffirmed in their hearts. They were assured that the future, left in God’s hands, would be just fine.

In July 1970 a healthy baby, Benjamin, was born. Inspired by the miracle of their son’s birth, “Because He Lives” poured out of the Gaither’s grateful hearts. The song clearly affirms the hope believers have in Christ. We can face tomorrow, with all its uncertainty, as we realize that God holds the future and makes life worth living.

 

 

“Because I live, you also will live…” said Christ to His disciples. What does that say to us and our lives? First, we are loved. We have that on the authority of Scripture. This is the golden thread that runs through the Bible. Psalm 8, “When I consider the heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and stars which thou hast ordained—what is man that thou art mindful of him or the son of man that you pay attention to him—for you have made him a little lower than the angels and crowned him with glory and honor.” The birth of stars and galaxies—creation alone was not enough. Creatures for relationship were essential for God’s being. So we’re the pinnacle of creation, made in God’s image, and God loves us.

Comforting words come from the Old Testament which captures Isaiah’s record of God speaking of his people, “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget; yet, I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.” (Isaiah 49:15-16) In a world as immense as ours and as complicated, it is easy to think of ourselves as having no value, cogs in a machine, numbers in a computer, faceless, nameless, and unnoticed by the universe at large. Christ reminds us that Somebody in this universe not only notices us, but loves us. What many people need to know is not only that they can believe in God, but God believes in them. We’re not merely a nameless, faceless blob of protoplasm taking up space in the universe. The God of all the universe sees us, notices us, listens to us, and believes in us.

Not only does Christ love us, Christ is always with us. “I am in my Father and you are in me, and I am in you.” We don’t have to go to a mountaintop to find God. We don’t’ have to peer through the Hubble telescope. All we have to do is to listen for the Divine whisper from without ourselves. Pastor John Ortberg tells about some friends of his who have a daughter. When she was five years old, this girl told her parents, “I know Jesus lives in my heart, because when I put my hand on it I can feel him walking around in there.” Out of the mouths of babes come words of wisdom. Christ lives within us. That is good news because, as the writer of I John reminds us, “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (4:4)

Go with God,

Pastor Qualley

The Spirit of Christ

When the banks failed in the 1930’s and the Great Depression drove millions of people into poverty and despair, it took a lot of town sprit to get people through those dark days. When the levees fail, it takes a huge helping of community spirit to fill sandbags and ferry people to safety. When our favorite sports team is competing against a fierce rival, we call on the encouragement of team spirit to tip the balance in our favor. When the frigid coldness of winter throws a pall over our souls, we welcome the warmth of a Christmas spirit to bring comfort to a cold world. But all those spirits, however helpful, are human-based spirits. They are fragile and fractured from the outset. The flaws of the “first Adam”—disobedience, self-centeredness, “get-mine-first” greed cannot help but eventually infect all those human-rooted “spirits.”

 

 

The foundational Spirit of the Church has not cracks or flaws, has no weak points to warts. Why? Because the foundational Spirit of the Body of Christ is Christ’s own Spirit, made manifest on this earth. It is the “Spirit of truth” promised in the Gospel and breathed out upon the disciples’ community after Christ’s resurrection. It is the Sprit in Acts 2 that transformed “along-for-the-ride” disciples into heroic trail-riding apostles. When Jesus breathed new life into his failing followers, he recreated humanity. From that moment on, every new Christian bears Jesus’ name and is filled with Jesus’ Spirit. The first breath we take outside the womb fills our lungs with oxygen. The first breath we take after receiving Jesus’ gift of the Spirit fills our hearts with love.

 

 

 

Love is the breath of life. Love is the Spirit of truth. Love is the electro-shock that kick started eleven moribund mourners; you might even call them frightened “orphans” into a vital, living community of faith with a mission for the world. This love Jesus offers and demands is not a bland vanilla butter cream that frosts over every sin and pain with sticky sweetness. There are costs and consequences in choosing to take a deep breath from the Spirit of truth and love. There have been millions of martyrs who have followed Jesus’ own path to sacrifice. “Keeping” Jesus’ commandments requires developing a love that is far more than feel-good fuzziness. Jesus’ promise is music to our ears, “Because I live, you shall live also.” That is the heart of Christian faith. Christ is alive and because he is alive, we can live lives that overcome every obstacle.

Go with God,

Pastor Qualley

 

Always with Us

 

The Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen is the only non Italian sculptor commissioned to have one of his statues erected in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. He was not allowed to sing his “Monument to the Pope Pius VII” because he was a Protestant; not Catholic. What Thorvaldsen is most known for, however, is his Christus carving known popularly as “The Resurrected Christ.” You can see it today in the cathedral of Denmark’s magical city Copenhagen. Thorvaldsen wanted to create the greatest statue of Jesus ever made. Out of clay he molded a monumental, majestic figure with regal gestures: his face tilted upward in triumph, his hands raised in power and authority.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the unveiling. A partially opened window in his ocean-side studio let night fog and sea spray work their way with the clay. When Thorvaldsen returned to his studio after a brief absence, the upraised hands had drooped. They no longer commanded, but welcomed. The confidently unturned face had lowered itself on the Savior’s chest. The face was no longer that of a King wearing a crown, but a compassionate shepherd worrying about his sheep. At first Thorvaldsen agonized over the time wasted and the need to begin again. But the more he looked at the statue shaped by the mist, the more re realized that this was a more accurate Jesus than the one he had originally conceived. So instead of the inscription FOLLOW MY COMMANDS on the base of the statue, he chiseled another message: COME TO ME.

 

In the creation of the first human, there was another mist that molded the First Adam into an image of vulnerability and beauty. There are two creation accounts in Genesis: A macro one in Genesis 1, and a micro one in Genesis 2. In the Genesis 2 micro-creation story, God creates “Adam,” “the human being,” the first inhabitant of the earth, by breathing into his nostrils God’s breath, the “Breath of life.” Once divine spirit is added to physical matter, Adam “Became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). No other creature receives God’s own breath as its source of life…until Jesus. In Church theology, Jesus is sometimes referred to as the “Second Adam,” or the “Last Adam,” because Jesus’ perfect humanity expunged the failures and “fall” of the “First Adam.” Now Jesus breathed the “Spirit of truth” into a clueless collection of frightened followers and created a new, living entity, a new form of humanity. Jesus’ Spirit-breath created the community that today we call “The Church.”

 

Go with God,

Pastor Qualley