iHOPE

The Four Chaplains

  Do you know the story of the Four Chaplains?  It is worth knowing -and celebrating.

   In a time when religion seems to divide people, it is a good reminder that at its best, it helps people find common ground that calls out the best in us.

  This Sunday, February 3rd will mark the 75th anniversary of the tragic sinking of the Dorchester, a troop transport ship filled with over 900 people.  Almost 700 of them died that night after being hit by a torpedo. By all accounts, even more would have died if not for the heroic efforts of the four chaplains on board, including supplying soldiers with their own life vests when it became clear that there were not enough to go around.

  The chaplains represented a diverse spectrum of faith.  Among them was a Methodist Minister, a Catholic Priest, a Rabbi and a Dutch Reformed Minister.  As different as their respective faiths, they worked as one in times of crisis, realizing that fidelity to their God included transcending their different beliefs and traditions when it came to serving people in need.  You can read more about this event and  the heroes who  who emerged by clicking on this link:   Four Chaplains

  I am proud that our church hosted the Four Chaplains service in our community last year and that we will do the same again this year.  The service will take place this Sunday, February 3 @ 3:00 in the sanctuary. You should be home in plenty of time for the Super Bowl kick-off and what better pre-game activity than honoring some real 'Patriots' and 'Giants'?

The '5 x 5' Challenge: Becoming a Bridge

  The first part of the '5 x 5' Challenge is to devote 5 hours a week to the things that help us become a dwelling place for God.

  Today I want to expand a little on the second part:  Identifying 5 people for whom you will become a bridge between them and God.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9)

  The word 'priest' can be a daunting word. It helps me to remember that the word in Latin which we translate into English as, "Priest" is, "Pontifex"  That is how we get words like, 'Pontif' or even, 'pontificate'.  What is interesting to me is that the same Latin word is also the root for, "Bridge" (think, "pontoon").

  It is not as far fetched as it sounds.  The job of the priest is to be a bridge between the great grace of God and the great needs of humanity.  A Priest bridges the gap when prayers are offered on behalf of the people to God.  A priest is also a bridge when they translate, interpret and represent God to humanity.

  The '5 x 5' Challenge is asking everyone to identify and commit themselves to become a priest (bridge) to 5 people. Pray for them. Connect with them. Ask God to help create times and ways that are appropriate to let them know of God's love for them.

  Who do you know who needs a bridge to God?

The '5 x 5' Challenge: Time for God

Let yourselves be built into a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5)

    Last Sunday I challenged the congregation to set aside 5 hours a week for the things that let God dwell in our lives so that we become a 'spiritual house' of God.  Prayer and Devotional Life are those things that everyone knows they 'should' do more, but mostly just feel guilty about and defeated. The 5 x 5 challenge is meant to give people a place to start.  Here are some of the practices that people will find helpful:

• Worship
• Sunday School
• Personal Bible Reading
• Group Bible Study
• Service
• Devotional Reading
• Time with your Home Group
• Prayer
• ???

   Which practices help you let God into your life?  Here are some  activities and events coming up that  you might find  helpful.

• Lent begins next week and we will have a devotional guide that will take us through the Gospel of John with daily readings.
• Dan begins a class this Sunday called, "New Hope 201:  Developing a Devotional Life".
• Saturday, February 23 is a "Day of Prayer" workshop for those who want to know how to deepen their prayer life.
• Erik and I will be teaching a Bible study on the Gospel of John throughout Lent.

  No one becomes a spiritual giant overnight.  It is a little like building a house: one board, one nail, one step at a time. Let's get building!

 

The 5 x 5 Challenge

  Last Sunday, the title of the sermon was "Fleeced by Forgetfulness" and I gave the "5 x 5" challenge. It consists of:

1. Setting aside 5 hours a week for the kinds of things that help us become a 'spiritual household'- a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit.  This can include any of the 'Habits of Hope' (Worship, Devotional Life, Community and Service), or anything else that helps allow God into your life. 
2. Identifying five people who are far from God and praying for ways to become a 'bridge' between them and God. They can be friends, co-workers, neighbors or family members.  The idea is to get to know them well enough that you can offer prayers on their behalf.  It also means praying for an appropriate time to let them know how much God loves them and wants a relationship with them through Jesus Christ.

  There will be more about this in the next few days. The important thing to know is that this is more than just a momentary challenge. The 5 x 5 Challenge is for the duration of the building project.  Even as there is much work and effort going into creating an attractive and inviting facility for God to use to minister to our community, we want to do the work necessary for us to become a spiritual dwelling place for God to use to reach into our community.

The Ripple Effect

  On Tuesday, January 22, our Presbytery will consider approving several overtures to our General Assembly for their consideration this summer.  There is nothing particularly noteworthy about that except that one of the overtures that will almost certainly be approved, concerns Zimbabwe. The short is that the Presbyterian Church (USA) will:

1. Call upon Southern African Development Community (SADC) heads of state to use their influence to stabilize the chaos in Zimbabwe and demand free and fair elections.
2. Encourage the US to increase its humanitarian aid to Zimbabwe
3. Support the work of the  congregations and church groups that labor so faithfully there
4. Establish a Day of Prayer for the people of Zimbabwe.

  This overture came from the Partnership of the Zimbabwe and Denver Presbyteries (PZDP) which was formed as part of the 'sister relationship' we have with the Presbytery of Zimbabwe.  This relationship came as an extension of the work of the Zimbabwe Mission Partnership (ZMP) that focuses on the needs in a northeaster province of Zimbabwe.  The ZMP consists of 7 congregations in our Presbytery who wanted to partner with New Hope's efforts in Zimbabwe.  New Hope initiated this partnership because it was obvious the needs in Nyamashato were too big for just one congregation to address.  Our congregation got involved because Ralph & Roberta Pippitt got involved. Ralph and Roberta got involved because  a friend told them about the needs of a school in Zimbabwe.

  Its a long road from a chance conversation with a friend to a whole denomination acting on a resolution with global impact.  Then again, maybe it's not that long a road when you consider Who is behind it and that  there was nothing 'chance' about the conversation or the one million other details that are a part of this story.

  All of this is a reminder to me that:

1. We have a Big God
2. Its important to keep our ears and hearts open so we can hear and respond the next time a 'chance' conversation  comes our way.

Sir Edmund Hillary

  Sir Edmund Hillary passed away last week.  He and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay were the first to successfully reach the top of Mount Everest in 1953.  They didn't do it on their first attempt, of course.  What many people today forget is that before there was the great success, there were many failures.

As part of our devotional time, the staff has started to read John Ortberg's If You Want to Walk On Water You Have to Get Out of the Boat.  In the first chapter, he talks about failure and Sir Edmund Hillary:

Failure does not shape you; the way you respond to failure shapes you. Sir Edmund Hillary made several unsuccessful attempts at scaling Mount Everest before he finally succeeded. After one attempt he stood at the base of the giant mountain and shook his fist at it. "I'll defeat you yet," he said in defiance. "Because you're as big as you're going to get—but I'm still growing."

Every time Hillary climbed, he failed. And every time he failed, he learned. And every time he learned, he grew and tried again. And one day he didn't fail.

  The sermon on Sunday was about how our identity is stolen (frauded) by failure when we let our failures determine our worth, our value or (even worse) our future.  This seemed to fit and act as a reminder that even (or especially) the giants among us who have reached the highest heights, failed regularly. Rather than let them defeat them, these folks found a way to use those failures as stepping stones to their eventual success.

It Has Begun...

  The last two days have been a little noisy.  The construction has started, beginning with the parking lot.  The driveway has been re-routed and parking will look very different for the next few weeks- and then it will change again!

  I won't repeat what is already on our Expanding Hope site (you can find it by clicking here: http://ihope.typepad.com/expanding_hope/), but it will mean lots of changes around here.  There will be more noise, more MUD, more confusion and frustration- exactly what we have been praying for!

  Thanks again to Bill Scott and the Expansion Implementation Team.  The work they are doing to make this work- and work well for the congregation, is amazing to behold.  Please tell them 'Thank You' the next time you see them.

The One We Didn't Use...

  I know it is hard to believe that a sermon that runs more than 20 minutes (as mine often do) has ectually been edited down.  I'm afraid it is true.  It is not unusual for more to be left on the cutting room floor than what shows up in a sermon.

  The clip we shoed on Sunday was one example.  It was a terrific clip and my first choice.  It was a little tricky downloading it and getting it into a format we could use.  If Di hadn't done her usual terrific job of making things work, we would have either viewed a clip from Snow White (with the Queen and the Magic Mirror) or this one, taken from an old episode of the Muppet Movie. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NblU3J_5mI

  Enjoy.

Dove Film

  Several folks have commented on the clip we showed yesterday. It is on various Internet sites (YouTube, Photo Bucket, etc) or you can see it be clicking here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emQUHRlpeaE

  Its worth a second look.

The Next Ten Commandments

  Someone sent this to me and I thought you might enjoy it. You might consider these as 10 New Year's Resolutions worth making:

MOSES COULDN'T CARRY ANY MORE TABLETS AND THESE GOT LEFT BEHIND:

11th. Thou shalt not worry, for worry is the most unproductive of all human activities.

12th. Thou shalt not be fearful, for most of the things we fear never come to pass.

13th. Thou shalt not cross bridges before you come to them, for no one has yet succeeded in accomplishing this.

14th. Thou shalt handle only one problem at a time, and leave the others to the Lord until their turn comes up.

15th. Thou shalt not take troubles to bed with you, for they make very poor bedfellows.

16th. Thou shalt not try to carry the problems of the world on your shoulders, for nobody (except for One) has a back that is broad enough.

17th. Thou shalt be a good listener, for God often speaks to us through the mouths of others.

18th. Thou shall not try to relive yesterday; for good or ill, it is
forever gone.  Live in the now and rejoice in it.

19th. Thou shalt firmly dismiss feelings of frustration, for 90% of it is rooted in self-pity and will interfere with positive action.

20th. Thou shalt count thy blessings, never overlooking the smallest, for our biggest blessings are composed of many small ones.