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Don’t Praise God for the Flu but…
Last month, of course, was Decision 2022. Newsmedia syndicates are aiming to keep the interest churning for at least another several weeks. But looking back, certain anxieties, concerns, and opinions welled up in our minds leading up to election day. Yet we, as followers of Jesus the Lord, pivot to prayer – the act of demonstrating our dependence on the One who is sovereign and coming again.
The results of the election may not have panned out the way we hoped and prayed. I was particularly grieved by the passage of Proposal 3 here in Michigan, which swings the floodgates open to abortion-on-demand – even to the latest point of pregnancy. Circumstances like these concern and sadden us. Yet let’s tune-in to a familiar passage from Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians:
“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:16-18)
Following on the heels of our national election cycle was Veterans Day. We are certainly grateful for the men and women who selflessly serve to preserve and protect the peace of the USA. Thanksgiving Day arrived soon after with many opportunities to remember God’s faithfulness and love toward us. We give thanks to Him for His great grace over our lives. Yet soon after influenza A barged into our house without an invitation. My family was knocked out by that nasty flu for 10 days. Argh!
But are we to thank God for the tragic, sad, or grievous situations of life?
Take a closer look at the passage above. We are not commanded to give praise and thanks for every circumstance but in all circumstances. Suffering, pain, illness, and loss set-off many conflicting emotions within us. Suffering is a reality that dates back to The Fall (Gen. 3). Death, disease, and rampant sin have been a part of the world ever since. We don’t praise God for these pangs of brokenness. We don’t thank God for influenza A. However, we – through Christ Jesus – are called to give thanks to Him in the middle of it.
Why and how can we take such a counter-intuitive step?
Two truths to put into action today:
- God arranges all things together for His glory and our good (Rom. 8:28). If we are called by God’s grace according to His redemptive purpose and love Him who has saved us through the Son, then we recognize this is ultimately, eternally true. We can bank on God’s promise for the future because the past proves He is faithful. Therefore, we give Him thanks – even amid trial and trouble.
- Our momentary affliction will serve to amplify our future joy (2 Cor. 4:15-18). All the suffering, enduring, and waiting in this life produces “for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (v. 17b). We are prone to lose heart in our natural perspective (v. 16). Our bodies are wearing out. Life hurts. But just like running through the pain and agony of a 26.2-mile race (a marathon!), the exhilarating joy at the finish line intensifies with each “light affliction” along the way (v. 17a). And Jesus is guiding us through the race and all the way home. Glory! So, we give thanks to Him who is the Author and Finisher of the race. He is the one who has drawn us in by grace.
Stay on the path of gratitude in grace. Finish well, my friends.
Love in Christ,
Pastor Michael
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The 3 Advents
ad·vent
/ˈadˌvent/ Advent
noun
- the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event.
appearance
dawn
birth
coming
nearing
advance - the first season of the Christian church year, leading up to Christmas and including the four preceding Sundays. The coming or second coming of Christ.
Most of us are familiar with the season of Advent leading up to Christmas Day. A quick stroll through the grocery store proves that Advent calendars are more associated with gobbling up chocolates hidden behind little cardboard windows than they are with Christ. Here’s a picture of my kiddos’ devoured Advent “calendar” (left). But what is the meaning of Advent and how is it intended to work down into our everyday lives?
Various dictionaries offer general definitions for Advent, such as “arrival,” “coming,” or “appearing.” The word, of course, is most commonly utilized in Christian theology and worship to connote our celebration of Christ’s first coming and our anticipation of His return.
But more is discovered beneath these surface investigations. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153 AD), a long-ago leader in the Medieval church, described not just two but three Advents through his deep study of Scripture.[1] Centuries later, Martin Luther, the great Reformer of the 1500’s, echoed the same teaching.
First Advent
The first draws our attention and celebration toward Christ’s incarnation: “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Christ’s arrival as an infant proclaimed the clearest sermon on humility the world has ever heard. Jesus came as God-in-the-flesh, fully divine and yet also fully human.
He had every holy right and prerogative to reside in the glories of heaven. Yet He voluntarily and lovingly showed up in the middle of humanity’s mess. He arrived as a dependent infant to be the Savior of a beautiful yet broken world. He “emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men, being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:7-8). Our baby King was swaddled in strips of cloth, which may also have been used for unblemished lambs raised for temple sacrifice (Luke 2:12). So as we gaze upon our baby-King Redeemer, we are called to clothe ourselves with the same humility and self-sacrificial love toward one another (Phil. 2:3-5).
Our worship at the manger beckons us to ask: Is Christ’s humility and sacrifice shown each day in my life?
Second Advent
The second points our hearts toward the hope of Christ’s return. Today, we live with the birthpangs of sin-riddled world. Suffering is a daily, universal reality. All creation groans and longs for the day of final, full redemption (Rom. 8:18-25). But at His appearing, Jesus will make all the sad things come untrue by redeeming and reconciling all things to Himself. His Kingdom rule will be consummated on earth in power and great glory. Perfect justice and righteous will reign and our tears will be wiped from our eyes (Rev. 21:4). Satan and his hoard of fallen angels will finally be conquered by the “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev. 19:16b, 20-21; 20:7-10).
The power and presence of sin will be no more. No more disease or death. No more distrust, division, or war. Peace will cover the earth because the government will rest on our Savior’s shoulders (Isa. 9:6-7).
Our hope-focused worship invites us to ask: Is Christ, the Blessed Hope, changing how I consider suffering and pain? Is Christ’s any-moment return governing my peace and outlook right now? How are my decisions of work, time, money, service, and family storing up eternal treasures in heaven? Is His not-yet Kingdom already my rule-of-life right now?
Third Advent
The third and less familiar opens our understanding to the experience of Christ’s presence in our hearts. The disciples were anxious and worried about Christ’s departure on the eve of His crucifixion (Jn. 14:1, 27). We, too, often fret and worry about the challenges, decisions, and difficulties of the day. Yet Christ’s promise to His first-century followers also holds true in the twenty-first century: The very presence and power of Christ is with us anytime – anywhere – by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Has not Christ said, “and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20b)? His commitment of presence to us comes through the Helper, who is given by the Father and the Son to be in us: “the Spirit of truth . . . He abides with you and will be in you” (Jn. 14:17, cf. v. 16).
Therefore, we have peace in the middle of any circumstance: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you” (Jn. 14:27a). The presence of the Spirit continually advances the arrival of Christ’s grace and truth upon our hearts. We experience Him in our prayers, reading of the Word, gathering in worship, observing baptisms, receiving the Lord’s Supper, in our rising and our lying down, indeed, in every facet of life. He is ever near.
Our Advent worship of Christ guides us to ask: Is my heart resting in the truth that Christ’s presence is with me wherever and in whatever circumstance? Is my soul troubled and worried so that I’ve forgotten to run to the ever-present Christ?
Today, dear brothers and sisters:
Rejoice in the humility and sacrifice of our Savior. Remember the hope of the glory yet to come. Rest in the advent of His ever-presence.
Celebrating, Anticipating, and Resting in the Advents of Christ,
Pastor Michael
____________________________
FOOTNOTES
- St. Bernard of Clairvaux (Sermo 5, In Adventu Domini, 1-3: Opera Omnia, Edit. Cisterc. 4 {1966}, 188-190. It appears in the Office of Readings for Wednesday of the First Week of Advent.
- Martin Luther wrote, “For God’s ancient people that time was fulfilled with Christ’s advent in the flesh, and in like manner it is still being fulfilled in our daily life, whenever a person is illumined through faith, so that our serfdom and toil under the Law come to an end. For Christ’s advent in the flesh would be useless unless it wrought in us such a spiritual advent of faith. And verily, for this reason He came in the flesh, that He might bring about such an advent in the spirit. For unto all who before or after believed in Him thus coming in the flesh, even to them He is come. Wherefore, in virtue of such faith, to the fathers of old His coming was ever present.
From the beginning of time to the end of the world everything must needs depend upon this coming, this advent, in the flesh, whereby humanity is set free from bondage, whensoever, wheresoever and in whomsoever such faith is wrought. And the fulness of time is come for every person when we begin to believe in Christ as the One whose advent was promised before all times and who has now come.” – Sermon for the Sunday after Christmas, 1522
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If You Came Out of Hiding
If you came out of hiding
What would you find there?
Who would others see?
The real you
Your heart, mind true
Your past through all the distance, too
If you came out of hiding
Where would you go?
What place of quiet solitude?
What would you say?
Unloading all your fears, hopes, and sorrows
Who would you tell all your dark secrets to?
If you came out of hiding
How would others see you?
Their eyes might lower
Their opinions may sink about you
If you came out of hiding
Who would embrace you
With all your hurts, bruises, and pains
If you told them all you knew about you?
If you walked out of the darkness
What would God think of you?
He would see you and know you
Yet still love and embrace you
No matter…
…the mud on your skin
…the stain on your heart
…the stench of your past
…the guilt of your present
…the fear of your future
…if you feel like death
If you came out of hiding
He would find you there
And invite you to come and rest
To roll the burden off your heart
The weight from your shoulders
The pain from your soul
The shame of your mind
Grace and peace would find you there.
If you came out of hiding
Michael J. Breznau | September 1, 2022
“How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!”Psalm 139:17-18, 23-24
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
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Jack, Our Beloved Son
This week, God gave us the most indescribable gift: the finalization of Jack’s adoption into our family.
My soul is so full as my arms wrap around my son, this child of my heart.
He is not of “my flesh and bone,” but by God’s unbelievable grace, he is now my very own.
I think of what Joseph, the adoptive daddy to Jesus, must have felt. Looking into those eyes, caressing His cheeks, and softening the midnight cries…
“How can this be?” he must have wondered.
And so do I.
God chose Jack for us.
God chose Jack for us. We quietly knew this for months. But we privately, silently prayed in our hearts; still with undercurrents of fear and anxiety about what the future would hold.
But God provided in countless ways.
- A wise and wonderful adoption attorney: Mary Conklin.
- A Jesus-loving adoption agency: Families Through Adoption.
- A giant team of friends and family who prayed, supported, and encouraged along every step of the journey.
And Jack arrived.
Healthy and whole and now overflowing with effervescent happiness. And this glorious Tuesday, surrounded by family and friends, our dear friend, Judge Brian Pickell, pronounced him now and forever: Jackson Carter Breznau.
I am forever his and he is mine.
So also God our Father embraces us as His own. Through the indescribable gift of Christ the Son, we – by grace alone through faith alone – are chosen and adoption into His family, the Beloved. God calls us sons and daughters.
We are forever His and He is our Father.
Adoption is the eternal gift that flows from the gospel. In this love and grace we rejoice!
“He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.” (Ephesians 1:5)
“To redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” (Galatians 4:5-7)
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ…” (Roman 8:14ff)
“For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith…” (Galatians 3:26)
A Prayer for our Son
Thank you, oh Lord of mercy, for giving us Jack. Our hearts pour out in praise to You.
Lead Jack’s heart to Your love. At a very young, early age, we ask that You draw Him to the rescuing, redeeming Truth of Jesus the Christ.
May He walk with you and serve you with joy all of his days.
May He wholeheartedly love you and draw many others to love you through proclaiming Your great grace.
Give us wisdom, knowledge, and insight to guide Jack in Your Word. For Your glory to be displayed, we pray.
Through Christ our Savior and by the power of the Spirit, we pray to You, our Father. Amen.
Thank you, friends! We love you all!
Love in Christ,
Michael, Stephanie, Hudson, Everlynn, Carson, and Jackson Breznau
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Lessons From the Mountain
Life on the journey with God often feels like a switchback trail up a mountain.
We may wonder if we’re progressing forward or upward at all. Have the past 2, 5, or 10 years been a waste?
Here are some quick, key lessons from the mountain during my hike up Byers Peak in the Arapaho National Forest near Fraser, Colorado.
:: Lessons from the Mountain :: Video-Devo:
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Summer-Time is Thinking Time
Summer-time is Thinking-time
Perhaps your thinking spot is sitting on the riding lawn mower as you tool around the yard? Maybe on the shoreline of your favorite fishing pond? Perhaps on your bike as you cycle along Michigan’s many backcountry roads? Maybe your pondering place is when you go out for an evening walk or a brisk morning stroll? Or simply as you sit on a porch rocker and listen to the birds?
Here’s one of my favorites: reflecting on the past weeks and months as I gaze into a warm, crackling campfire.
As we take time to think, it’s quite incredible how lessons from the Lord bubble-up to the surface. Loose, stray thoughts land into place and become a meaningful picture or axiom for life.
One day, Moses was working alone with his livestock. My hunch is that he was doing a lot of thinking out there in that dusty, Midianite wilderness. What else was there to do but recall all the lessons, stories, mistakes, snafus, and sins of his past 40-50 years of life? He fled Egypt at the prime age of 40, but now decades had passed (see Exodus 7:7; Acts 7:22:30). Undoubtedly, many thoughts swirled around in his head. Fear, regret, and frustration likely collided back-and-forth in his heart.
Alone.
Thinking.
Then God showed up from the midst of a burning bush: “Moses, Moses!” And Moses replied, “Here I am.” (Exodus 3:4)
Rattled loose from his daily, lonely introspection, Moses heard the voice of God. He received a mission (Exodus 3:10-22). Every past decade mattered. God had a purpose for all the waiting. Moses was changing through God’s process.
Today, we don’t expect God to speak to us from burning bushes (of course, Moses didn’t either). But through the Word and the indwelling Spirit, God speaks. God directs us and guides us.
Think about it:
What “burning bush” sort of moments have you had with God? Do you remember a time when God clearly spoke to you about a key decision, a personal crisis, a sin conviction, a career change, or a new ministry endeavor? Perhaps an experience like this occurred years ago or maybe quite recently.
Now think collectively as the keepers-of-the-story here at Mayfair Bible Church (or your own local church): what kind of “burning bush” moments can you recall from the recent or distant past in Mayfair’s history? How did God attune you and/or the church family to His guidance?
Let’s take action by sharing a brief story or two about your “burning bush” moments or your family’s seasons when God quite literally shocked you with His gracious guidance and fresh direction. I can’t wait to hear what you’ll bring to the “campfire” this coming Sunday as you converse in the foyer, hallways, pews, or over Sunday dinner.
Anyone bringing s’mores?
In God’s Vineyard,
Michael
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Striking Parallels: Why Jesus Died
We live in a world darkened… stained by sin. Sin = anything we, as humans, think, say, or do that is contrary – opposite to God’s way of love and truth. We face the effects and consequences of sin – death and evil and destruction are everywhere. Depravity is, perhaps, the most empirically verifiable fact in the world.
So, is there any hope? Is there mercy for broken, messed up humanity?
This One, Jesus, who spoke life, hope, forgiveness, and freedom… died. Why?
Tonight, let’s discover why through parallels – looking at lines from one Old Testament passage and crossing over to a New Testament passage. Exodus 24 and Matthew 26. Two men, two leaders. Moses. Jesus. Two tables. Two Covenants.
But first envision a picture frame around these two biblical passages with two short verses from the apostle Peter:
“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as foreigners/strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God through sanctification of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.” (1 Pet. 1:1-2)
What do all those words mean?! Sprinkling blood??
Hold the thought. Keep that frame in view because Peter had a parallel of Scripture in mind. Let’s discover the parallels which reveal to us WHY Jesus died…
God led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt via Moses. God gave them the 10 Commandments and additional laws for the functioning of the nation. Then in Exodus 24 we see…
As Moses arose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with 12 pillars for the 12 tribes of Israel (v. 4), SO Jesus, in Matthew 26, built His mission on and communicated the New Covenant in His blood with the 12 disciples (Matt. 26:26-28).
As Moses sacrificed young bulls, took the book of God’s covenant and read it for all the people so that they might respond to God (v. 5-6), SO Jesus instituted the New Covenant with His disciples so that they (and we) could respond to God with faith in His promise.
As Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the altar and the people, who had responded in confession with the covenant (v. 8), so Jesus symbolically held the cup up as the sign of the New Covenant in His blood, which is poured out for the forgiveness of sins.
As the Israelites responded with a promise to obey God (v. 3, 7), yet later failed, so now Christians have been chosen by God to the obedience of faith in Jesus Christ, and so are sprinkled with His blood, by which we’re forgiven (1 Peter 1:2) and He will not fail on His promise to us (Heb. 10:23).
The Israelites were considered cleansed within by being sprinkled with blood on the outside. OUTSIDE – IN. But not anymore! Jesus poured out His blood once-for-all to erase our debt of sin. INSIDE – OUT!
As Moses and the other leaders “saw the God of Israel,” yet did not die but instead saw God, and they ate and drank (v. 9-11), so Jesus the initiator and communicator of the New Covenant was God-in-the-flesh, and the 12 disciples gathered together with Him at the inauguration of the New Covenant and they ate and drank. Table fellowship with God.
And as Moses was called by God to go up a mountain to receive the Law of God on stone tablets, so Jesus the Son of God was called by God the Father to climb up another mountain called Calvary to be the Way of grace, to inaugurate a New and Living Way through the sacrifice of His body on the Cross (Hebrews 10:19-25), so that His Law could be written on the tablets of our hearts (Jer. 31:33-34; 2 Cor. 3:3; Heb. 8:10). God mediated His relationship with the Israelites through the Law of Moses, but the Law was never a way to salvation but only the way to demonstrate one’s faith in God and His promises.
Now in Christ, there is just one mediator, the man Jesus Christ, the one whom Moses looked forward to and anticipated (Deut. 18:15). “…the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). And all God’s promises are “yes and amen” in Him! (2 Cor. 1:20)
So, Jesus is Greater than Moses. Jesus Christ is the Ultimate Leader of His people. He is Prophet, Priest, and King. Jesus Christ is your hope and your inheritance.
This is why Jesus died…
So that this world-changing, heart-redeeming good news is what we could be brought into! Therefore, Peter writes to Christians scattered around the ancient known world: “May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure!” The world’s rejects are now God’s elect!
The parallels.
We discover through Exodus 24 and Matthew 26 framed around by other verses that…
Christ’s death – His blood poured out on the Cross – fulfilled the full picture of the Old Testament sacrifice to give us the New Covenant, the new promise, so that the world’s rejects are now God’s elect.
Chosen and cherished by God… so though our sins they are many, His mercy is more.
In God’s Vineyard,
Pastor Michael
Here is the slightly elongated version of this message as delivered on Good Friday 2022 at Mayfair Bible Church in Flushing, MI:
FOOTNOTES
As it turned out, Dr. Thomas Schreiner affirmed my findings:
“To what does the sprinkling of blood refer? In the Old Testament the sprinkling of the blood is used for the cleansing of a leper (Lev 14:6–7), for the sprinkling of priests in ordination (Exod 29:21), and the sprinkling of the blood when the covenant with Moses was inaugurated (Exod 24:3–8). We can reject the sprinkling of blood in the ordination of priests immediately since the context suggests nothing about ordination. Grudem thinks the background is in the cleansing of lepers, arguing that it is an apt picture of the need of cleansing and forgiveness for the sins that disrupt fellowship with God after conversion.34 In addition, he thinks a reference to sprinkling that occurs at conversion is unpersuasive since this sprinkling comes after sanctification and obedience.35 Grudem’s view is possible, but once again it is ultimately unpersuasive.36 His objection about the order of sanctification and obedience only stands if both of these terms refer to life after conversion, but I have already argued that both of these terms refer to conversion as well. Sanctification, obedience, and the sprinkling of blood are three different ways of describing the conversion of believers in this context. Further, Exod 24:3–8 is the most probable background to the passage.37 The covenant is inaugurated with sacrifices in which blood is shed and sprinkled on the altar (Exod 24:5–6). The people pledge obedience to the God of the covenant (Exod 24:3, 7). The promise to obey matches the obedience Peter noted in the first part of the eis clause. Moses then sprinkled the people with the blood, stating, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you” (Exod 24:8). The blood of the covenant signifies the forgiveness and cleansing the people needed to stand in right relation with God. We see, then, that entrance into the covenant has two dimensions: the obedient response to the gospel and the sprinkling of blood. Similarly, God’s work of foreknowing and the Spirit’s work of sanctifying introduce the readers into God’s new covenant.38 Believers enter the covenant by obeying the gospel and through the sprinkled blood of Christ, that is, his cleansing sacrifice.[1]”
34 Grudem, 1 Peter, 52–54.
35 Ibid.
36 For views similar to my own see Michaels, 1 Peter, 12–13; Achtemeier, 1 Peter, 86–88.
37 Michaels also draws attention to the sprinkling of the ashes of the red heifer in Numbers 19 (1 Peter, 12). It seems unlikely, though, that this is the most natural background since Exod 24:3–8 relates more directly to conversion, to the inauguration of God’s covenant with his people.
38 So Achtemeier, 1 Peter, 89.
[1] Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, vol. 37, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003), 56.
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Jesus.
Jesus.
He is the reason we live, breathe, and have our being. He is the foundation of our existence as a local church. He is why we gather, serve, worship, and proclaim.
When Jesus was transfigured in front of Peter, James, and John, the scene of glory overwhelmed them. Moses and Elijah were there, too.
Imagine the sights, sounds, and feelings for a moment.
But Peter – being the ever talkative one – starts jabbering about how to apply the experience. “Here’s what I think we should do…” he starts in. But the next line grabs our attention:
“He [yes, that is Peter] was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5; cf. Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35)
Yes, listen to Jesus.
We have much planned for tonight’s Good Friday communion service. Our team is over-the-top excited about all that is in the works for Resurrection Sunday. But unless God is at work, it’s all just paper and noise. Unless Jesus is exalted, reverenced, remembered, and listened to, then the whole weekend is a long, tiring adventure of missing the point.
So tonight, come and listen. Soak in the Story of stories. Respond to the Savior.
Come to the Table.
Be renewed… maybe even redeemed.
An acquaintance of mine, Glen Scrivener, labors as a preacher, evangelist, and poet in the UK. He wrote these beautiful, powerful words for this set apart Friday:
1. The glory of the bloodied God,
His fruitfulness in shame.
Stooped lower than all men have trod,
In torment in the flame.2. The writhing worm, disjointed dry,
Rejected from His birth.
Thrust groaning into Satan’s sky,
Accursed by heaven and earth.3. Hell’s blackest cloak enfolds with death,
From Pinnacle to pit.
To choke the Source of Living Breath
Extinguish all that’s lit.4. The Mighty Man at war cries out,
It echoes ‘gainst the sky.
Resounding as a futile shout,
Within a victory cry.5. Creation torn from Head to toe,
His body out of joint.
The Rock that splits is split in two,
Creation to anoint.6. Our Jonah hurled as recompense
Into abysmal depths.
The beast that swallows Innocence
Is swallowed by His death.7. Divine appeasing blood poured out,
Divinely pleasing scent.
While man appraises with his snout,
Declares it death’s descent.8. Then crowned in curse, enthroned on wood,
My God nailed to the tree.
The reigning blood, that cleansing flood,
Is opened up for me.
_____________________________________
I’m praying for you and looking forward to listening to Jesus tonight with you at our 6PM Good Friday Service and through the special events and services planned on Easter Sunday, too, at Mayfair Bible Church.
Soli deo gloria.
Love in Christ,
Pastor Michael
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Holy Week.
Holy Week.
Christians all around the globe set this week apart from all others to remember Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem amid shouts of “Hosanna,” His steps to the cross, the foot-washing and Passover celebration, and the impending Resurrection Sunday. Such is why we call it Holy Week. The Father’s love for the world poured through the passion of the Son.
His body broken for us.
His blood shed for us.
For nearly 2,000 years, followers of Jesus have recited these ancient-yet-ever-true words:
THE NICENE CREED
We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe one holy universal and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
Pause for another moment. Retrace this confession of faith birthed from the Council of Nicea in 325 AD.
These are phrases of deep Gospel truth.
Notice how the Nicene Creed leads us through Creation, Incarnation, Crucifixion, Resurrection, and the coming Kingdom’s Consummation? This week, let’s take time each day to reflect and rejoice in this great announcement of good news to the world.
Love in Christ,
Pastor Michael
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We, the Church
Common nomenclature compels us to talk about going to church, being at church, and liking or disliking a church or church service. But Christ’s plan for the church is something quite different.
Although we’re blessed with a beautiful church facility here at Mayfair, we could have all the carpet nicely vacuumed, a superb sound system, great coffee, good song selections, and a decent sermon, yet still miss God’s pattern and purpose for the church.
A church is…
…a worshiping assembly of believers in Jesus
…a body of localized followers functioning as one in Jesus
…a holy dwelling of the Spirit founded on Jesus
…a spiritual family and household in Jesus
…a team working together on the mission of Jesus
Further definition could be added to a fully-orbed picture of Christ’s plan for His people (the list above is simply derived from Acts 2:42-47; Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 3:9; 12:11-14; Eph. 2:18-22; 4:1-13; Phil. 1:27).
But notice something about the descriptors and metaphors employed by God to define His church: the church in whole and in part is a people not a place. The church is not a building, business, or buy-in social club, but the new covenant community of the Spirit — a radically distinctive entity commissioned by Christ, the resurrected Savior.
You live these truths so faithfully, beloved.
As we look ahead to what is known as Holy Week, starting this Sunday and through Easter, consider how our worship gathered and our service to one another scattered is distinct from and compelling to people who don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus and His church.
Today, who may you invite to Jesus? This coming week, who could you invite into the environment of our Good Friday and Easter Sunday gatherings?
You see, we’re not inviting them to enter a building for a program but rather to experience first-hand the good news and joy Christ among us. The beauty of Christ’s life-giving gospel isn’t found in a facility or service set-up, but in the smiles, tears, laughter, singing, giving, praying, and serving of the people He has redeemed.
So let’s pray, invest, and invite.
- Pray for the love and truth of Jesus to be communicated in word and deed through us. Pray specifically, by name, for people who need Jesus’ saving grace.
- Invest time into caring for the people for whom you are praying.
- Invite them to experience an environment that is composed of people redeemed by Jesus, his church.
Wait. Trust. See what God can do.
Soli deo gloria.
Love in Christ,
Pastor Michael
Mayfair Bible Church gathered for worship. Photo credit: David Kamuiru (2021)
P.S. This Sunday at Mayfair Bible Church, we’ll supply you with handy-dandy invitations to utilized in our “pray, invest, and invite” mission. These aren’t “on-the-fridge” reminder slips for you, but intended as a tool for others to experience the grace of God’s family among us.
So take as many as you’ll give away! 🙂
