I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
and wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

____________________________

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

____________________________

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

____________________________

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

____________________________

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

____________________________

And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

____________________________

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

Christmas Eve at The Bridge

Just a reminder:

On Christmas Eve at The Bridge, we'll gather for an abbreviated version of our weekly worship service at 10 AM, and then again for our annual Candlelight Service at 5 PM. Have a blessed week!

Weekly Announcements

Don't Miss Him

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Isaiah 9:6-7 (NIV)

This prophecy from Isaiah opens with the birth of a child.

He would be born in a stable, laid by His virgin mother in a humble feeding trough.

The Word became flesh. God became human.

He did not have to. He was not obligated to. He willingly became like you and me.

Jesus is our unimaginably, mind-bendingly Wonderful Counselor.

Jesus is the indescribably just and righteous Mighty God.

Jesus is our sustaining, Everlasting Father, and He is the Prince of Peace who brings us shalom, who makes us whole.

The greatness of His kingdom and His being is eternal.

And yet He came into our sin-plagued midst, dwelt among us, and voluntarily gave His life so that you and I could experience the fullness of life.

And then, defeating darkness, He resurrected from the dead. Jesus is our risen and reigning King.

And yet we can still know Him intimately. He lives to intercede for us.

Why?

Because our Creator God’s zeal – His passion, His fervor, His jealous love for His people – knows NO bounds.

God loves you.

He loves you because He loves you because He loves you.

That’s why.

Don’t miss the jaw-dropping, earth-shaking, life-giving heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ this Christmas. And as His love transforms you, give it away. Unleash it on everyone you meet.

We serve a gloriously good God, friends.

With great joy and for His glory,

Erika

Living Waters

I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
 yes, I will remember your wonders of old. – Psalm 77:11

In the busyness and chaos of this time of the year, do you find it surprisingly easy to forget God’s faithfulness and goodness? I do. As I move from one thing to the next, I can become so wrapped up in the trappings of the holiday that I don’t pause to enjoy the beauty and the magnitude of the hope that this season represents.

The Israelites, too, struggled with amnesia when it came to God’s faithfulness to them. They had to be intentional about remembering how and why He was faithful. So at the end of Nehemiah 8, we find them celebrating the Feast of Booths, during which they built and stayed in temporary lean-tos to remind themselves of the many ways God provided for them while they were in the wilderness, en route to the Promised Land. It was a reminder to trust not in bricks and stone, nor in the new wall that circled Jerusalem, but to trust in God alone for provision and protection.

Just as the Israelites remembered God's faithfulness during the Feast of the Booths, we have an opportunity during this Christmas season to remember God’s faithfulness to us. 

You see, just over 2,000 years ago, the Israelites were again celebrating the Feast of the Booths in Jerusalem. As they had done in Nehemiah’s day, as part of the temple celebration, the priests poured a full pitcher of water into a bowl at the altar to remind themselves of how God had provided water from a rock in the desert when they were desperately thirsty.

But this time, a man named Jesus stood up in the temple courtyard and made a declaration that shifted history. To the temple priests and all who could hear, He said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him (John 7:37-38).”

Just as God had delivered water from a rock to quench the thirst of His people in the desert years earlier, He had again delivered water…but this time, they would never thirst again!!! And neither will we. 

We needn't go through this entire season depleted. Are you thirsty? Are you empty? Are you weary?

Come.

Remember.

Rest.

Drink from His living waters. 

This Sunday morning at 10 we'll remember together at The Bridge. Hope you're able to join us!

Joyfully,
Erika

Weekly Announcements

There are lot of great things happening this December...don't forget mark these dates on your calendar!

Longing & Waiting

So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days.
- Nehemiah 6:15

It happened! They completed the wall! In 52 days, no less!

The wall is built, but there is still unrest. There is still longing.

The longing that God has placed in the hearts of His people to be with Him – to commune with Him – to experience the fullness of His unfathomable loving kindness – this longing remained for the people of God even after the wall had been built. It was a longing that would not be fulfilled until a small baby boy was born in Bethlehem hundreds of years later – a baby who would be the Savior of the world.

As we approach the beginning of December, Advent reminds us that we, too, are waiting.

“Even on this side of Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, there is brokenness in our world no cart full of Black Friday bargains can fix; there is hunger in our souls no plateful of pumpkin custard can fill; there is twistedness in our hearts no terrestrial hand can touch. “The whole creation,” the apostle Paul declared, “has been groaning together for redemption” (Rom. 8:22).

In Advent, Christians embrace the groaning, recognizing it not as hopeless whimpering over the poverty of the present moment but as expectant yearning for the divine banquet Jesus is preparing for us.

In Advent, the church admits, as poet R. S. Thomas puts it, that “the meaning is in the waiting.” And what we await is a final Advent yet to come. Just as the ancient Israelites awaited the coming of the Messiah in flesh, we await the coming of the Messiah in glory. In Advent, believers confess that the infant who drew his first ragged breath between a virgin’s knees has yet to speak his final word.”*

As we continue to learn from Nehemiah, may our hearts look forward with anticipation, willing to push pause on the busyness of this season to allow ourselves to fully feel the longing that God has placed in our hearts as His people. And as we long, may we be thankful for the Messiah who has come – the One who has granted us citizenship in a City of God that will one day be free of opposition and unrest.  It is this truth that invites us to wait well. It is this truth that undergirds our hearts and minds with the "joy of the Lord" Ezra mentions in Nehemiah 8. It is this truth that leads us to worship.

See you Sunday!

*Taken from https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/why-celebrate-advent/ by Timothy Paul Jones

Giving Thanks

For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands. – Nehemiah 6:9

When we begin Nehemiah 6, the oppression has ceased, and the wall is miraculously nearing completion. The people of God have persevered, and victory is near. But their enemies haven’t given up. In fact, Sanballat and the gang are back and more determined than ever.

Nehemiah could have looked at the situation and decided there was no way the wall would get built without bargaining with his enemies. He could have compromised. He could have acted from a place of fear and made idols of self-preservation, comfort, and safety. He could have. I might have.

But the term "self-preservation" is an oxymoron. It leads only to decay. Only God can preserve. Nehemiah knows this. He is on guard. He is wise. He refuses to walk away from the work God has laid on his heart, and because he stays focused on His Father’s business, he doesn’t fall into the many traps laid by his enemies. He trusts that as he continues the work, God will be faithful to bring it to completion. And God – ever faithful to His Word and ever benevolent toward His people – does exactly this.

Many of you have been moved to action lately. You’ve heard the call of God to pick up your tools and build. You are walking in faith, in obedience to what God has for you. Praise God! He is working through you to build His kingdom on earth!

So remember this, friends: no man – no enemy – can thwart God’s purposes. Sanballat never had a chance. Nehemiah knew this. Do you?

When you are faced with opposition – temptation to sin, the brokenness of our flesh and this world, doubt, a desire to self-preserve, apathy, illness, suffering – don’t compromise! Don't fall prey to the ironic idols of self-preservation, comfort, and safety, as I have many times. Be about the Father’s business – continue to build, continue to worship, continue to love, continue to stay humble, continue to be thankful! He is faithful to bring to completion what he begins! 

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. – 1 Peter 5:6-11

May we be people who thank our God for His goodness and faithfulness this week and every week. May we remember that even in our suffering, the God of all grace who has called us to Christ, will restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish us, now and forevermore. Now, O God, strengthen our hands and bring to completion the work which You have begun. 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

With great love and joy,
Erika

Come & Feast

Nehemiah 5 is a story of oppression, injustice, conflict, and resolution among the people of God. It is a story of broken, tired people, who have reverted to sin and are treating one another poorly because they have lost sight of their identity and mission as the sons and daughters of God. Immediate gratification has taken over as their king.

Through Nehemiah, God delivers some tough love to His people in the form of a reminder about who they are, whose they are, and why they exist. Nehemiah goes on to invite many of them to feast with him at his table, where he models selflessness, generosity, and grace.

A few hundred years later, Jesus Christ would perfectly personify the qualities that Nehemiah displayed on occasion; Jesus was and is selflessness, generosity, and grace in the flesh. And as Nehemiah invited these people, fresh out of conflict and sin, to feast at his table, Jesus invites us to feast at His table. It is at this table, through His life, death, and resurrection, that we find unity, peace, and joy.

Is there a brother or sister in Christ with whom you're experiencing conflict right now? Someone whom you need to forgive? Or maybe from whom you need to ask forgiveness? Is there someone with whom you need resolution? A relationship that needs to be restored? 

As we go about the rest of our week, may we live and love one another and our King as Jesus prayed for us in John 17:

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” - John 17:20-26

Sunday, let’s come – humbly and joyfully – and feast at His table, together.

Weekly Announcements

It's RALLY Time.

19 And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. 20 In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.” – Nehemiah 4:19-20

Do you ever feel isolated? Disconnected? Alone?

Nehemiah 4 says God's people were “separated…far from one another.”

Have you ever thought about our footprint as a church? Based on what we know about where many of us work and live, during the week, when we’re away from 504 E. 12th Street, we spread out over more than 2,500 square miles. And this is a conservative estimate.

Now think about the number of people with whom you interact on a daily basis. Clients, patients, students, teachers, coworkers, neighbors, your family, friends, the cashier at the store, the barista at the coffee shop...based on the average interactions each American has daily, we, as a church, are interacting with more than 4,500 human beings PER DAY.  Again, this is a conservative estimate.

The work is GREAT and WIDELY spread, friends. And as we go about our daily lives, we enter into places and spaces and engage with people who need true and lasting hope – hope found only in the Jesus we know. But we encounter obstacles, hardships, etc. We willingly enter into our own suffering and the suffering of others as we bring the kingdom of God to earth – as we “build the wall.” We’re in a battle!

But we’re not called to this work – to this battle – alone. 

Nehemiah says, “In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.” The workers were dispersed to their assigned portions of the wall, but the moment they heard the trumpet, they left their places on the wall and unified to defeat the attacking enemy.

Notice that THEY weren’t doing the defeating. Nehemiah made it clear that GOD Himself would fight for them. Because ultimately this isn't OUR work. It's His!

In biblical times, the trumpet often signified an alarm of war, a call to assemble, or a command to march.

Friends, the trumpet is sounding. The work is great and widely spread, and we are in desperate need of regular rallying!

We don’t gather on Sundays to summon our own will to make it through the week.

We don’t gather on Sundays to build ourselves up based on what we have to offer.

We gather together on Sundays – and throughout the week – to declare to and for each other that God will fight for us. We gather together to surrender our will to His will. We gather together to invite His will to become our will, and for our will to become His will. We gather together to declare how great and awesome He is, and to pour out our thankfulness as we meditate on our adoption as His sons and daughters. We gather together to be effective in our scattering, as we go about the great and widely spread work – through the power of the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ, to the glory of our God who fights for us!

24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. – Hebrews 10:25

We need each other, and even more importantly, we need our God. Let’s rally this Sunday. Join us. 10 AM. 

From Rubble to Life

“What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?”  {Nehemiah 4:2}

Sanballat, a ridiculer and a bully, attacked God’s people by questioning their strength, their ability to fulfill promises, their faith, their perseverance, and their power to rebuild from ashes. 

Even they questioned themselves at times! The people of Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”

They had begun to take the accusing questions of Sanballat as truth.

Have you questioned your strength to do what God asks of you? Have you questioned whether you had enough perseverance to endure difficult times? Have you looked at our world…or perhaps your home or your life and thought, “There’s too much rubble. This is unredeemable?”

You’re not alone. Much like Sanballat in Nehemiah’s time, the devil speaks lies over us and questions our motives. Our flesh fights against our desire to walk in faith. The world in which we live is often hostile as well.

However, the devil, our flesh, and the world make a critical mistake, as did Sanballat. In their ridicule, they do not take into account the great and awesome God who has called His people to this work.

You see, our God is made strong in our weakness.

Our God keeps promises perfectly, even when we fail to do so.

Our God helps us overcome our unbelief.

Our God preserves us when we grow weary.

Our God redeems, restores, and rebuilds burned rubble.

 Just as Nehemiah trusted in God alone to build the wall, we trust in Him alone to redeem, restore, and rebuild us, our families, and our world through Jesus Christ, the living Stone.

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house...For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”  {1 Peter 2:4-6}

Father, Thank you for taking our rubble and ashes and molding us into living stones through Jesus. Thank you for His life, death, and resurrection. May we look to the living Stone when we tire, when we falter, when we lose hope, when we think our lives are in too much disarray to be redeemed. Thank you for removing our shame through Jesus. May we live as people who trust in Jesus, unashamed of You. In Jesus' Name, Amen. 

See you Sunday!

He Knows Your Name!

Names. Lots of names.

Upon first glance, Nehemiah 3 might be a chapter I’d skim. Like many of the genealogies in Scripture, we see name after name after name.

But this fact alone is glorious. It’s glorious!

 The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. - John 10:3

Friends, the Savior of the world knows your name. He knows my name.

God doesn’t need us. But out of His goodness and love and grace, He has invited us by name into the story He has been writing since before the beginning of time.

Just as Nehemiah invited all of the people listed in chapter 3 to join him in rebuilding the wall, God invites us – His people – to join Him in the redemption and restoration of all of creation. You and me! Can you believe it? He wrote us into the story.

But to know our part – to know which part of the wall we are to build – a few things are required of us.

First, we have to know and love the Author of the greatest story in eternity. We have to spend time with Him, seek His intention for our role in His story, and understand the purpose of the story.

Second, we have to know and love our fellow cast mates. Our brothers and sisters in Christ, who have also been written into this story, are indispensable. When we know only what God is doing in our individual lives, we miss out on the fullness of the story. When we bear witness to how God is moving and calling us – when we share with the family of God – we get to weep, rejoice, and grow together. The unity and teamwork of Nehemiah 3 is incredible. Jesus desires this for His body today as well.

Finally, we have to have willing and available hearts. In Nehemiah 3, those mentioned are each doing their part. What’s more – few if any of them are professional carpenters! These are people of all professions and walks of life stepping up to join in the mission. Sound familiar?

This is us. Today. In 2017. At The Bridge in Alton, Illinois. The question is, how are you building the kingdom? Do you know the Author? The One who loves you and calls you by name? Do you know the family of God? And how is your heart today? Is it willing and available? Oh He desires to have full access to it for your good and His glory.

Imagine what could happen if each of us committed to building our part of the kingdom. Just imagine!

Father, may your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. Thank you for writing us into your story. May we live our parts well. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

See you Sunday!

Weekly Announcements

Praying through Tears

Have you ever received bad news?  What was the news?  How did it make you feel?  What did you want to do about it?  Was there anything you could do about it?

Nehemiah hears bad news.  It's news that Jerusalem, the city of God, is in disrepair - broken down walls, gates on fire, people in great trouble and shame.

And when Nehemiah hears this, he sits down and he weeps and mourns for days.  Doesn't sound like much of a response, does it?  He's heartbroken, but his tears transform to prayers and his prayers prompt him to action.

What breaks your heart?  A wayward child?  A troubled marriage?  A sick parent?  A debilitating disease?  An addiction you can't break?  A mistake you can't get past?  A natural disaster?  A shooter opening fire during a concert?  

As we begin a journey through the book of Nehemiah we will meet a man who says it's okay to have a broken heart, but it is not okay for our broken hearts to paralyze us. God has called us to prayer and prayer prompts us to act.  

Nehemiah reminds us that in the best of times and in the worst of times God is on His throne.  And when our hearts break God's ear is still attentive and his eyes are still open.  He is the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments. (1:5)

May we be a people whose hearts break for the things that break God's heart.  May we be a people whose tears transform to prayers.  May we be a people whose prayers prompt us to action.  May we hear the call to REBUILD, RENEW and RESTORE and may God grant us grace to answer the call.

See you Sunday,
Steven

Freedom Sunday

Dear Bridge Family,

This Sunday, along with thousands of other churches across the world, we will devote our 10 AM worship gathering at The Bridge to God's call for us to seek justice in partnership with our friends from International Justice Mission. We will hear the latest from IJM, sing songs of worship together that celebrate God's power at work in the world, Steven will preach on Scripture that highlights the kingdom of God here and hereafter, we will pray together for IJM and those still enslaved, both spiritually and physically, and hear from one of our own about her story of injustice, oppression, and freedom. There will be tables with information about IJM in the lobby and ways you can respond if you feel led. 

Why are we doing this?

More than 45 MILLION people are TRAPPED IN SLAVERY RIGHT NOW. This is more than at any other time in human history. Just as saints who have come before us have sought freedom and justice in the name of Jesus, we stand today as the body of Christ at work in the world. We take seriously the call for God's people in Isaiah 1:17 to seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, and plead for the widow. 

In the midst of our sin and brokenness, we have been rescued by a Savior who loved us enough to die for us. As we have been rescued, so we offer rescue - spiritually and physically - to those still in chains. We are facing a task unfinished, friends. 

Join us. 

This Sunday. 10 AM. The Bridge. 

Until all are free,
Erika

To learn more about IJM, please visit www.IJM.org.

What does God think of you?

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. - James 5:13-16a

What does God think of you?

Does He merely put up with you? Tolerate you? Does He hold His nose around you?

Or does He delight in you? Does He cherish you?

Our answer to this question impacts our response to nearly every situation in our lives. Suffering, success, sickness, sin…our lives are filled with beauty and pain, and God invites us, above all, to do one thing in response to everything that happens: commune with Him. BE with Him.

Would a God who merely puts up with you extend this kind of invitation?

Matt Chandler puts it like this: “It's a delight and a gift for the people of God to commune with their adopting, loving, merciful Father. We see here, "Are you suffering? Go to him. Are you cheerful? Sing praises about him. Are you sick? Gather with others, particularly the elders, and go to him. Regardless of what's going on, get in here."  

If we believe we need to earn God’s approval in some way – if we believe He just tolerates us – the last thing we want to do is run to Him. When our prayers become mechanical, when we struggle with habits and sins we desperately want to overcome, when we are at our lowest and our highest, God is not standing far off, stiff arming us until we get it together. 

Rather, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

If you hear nothing else today, hear this: when you are in Christ, God delights in you. He loves spending time with you. He cherishes you, even as He cherishes Jesus.

Because of Jesus, we have the immense privilege of approaching the Almighty God of the universe as our Abba Father. We – because of grace beyond my understanding – have the gift of being adopted sons and daughters of the Most High, friends.

And this makes the invitation offered by James a remarkably delightful one.  When we understand how God esteems us, we are able to esteem others in the same way.  When we understand the depth of Jesus’ words, “It is finished,” we are able to freely confess our sins, knowing and believing they’re forgiven. When we know God as Abba Father, we are able to pray to Him as loved children, not avoid Him as filthy, abandoned outcasts. And as we pray, we experience His love and grace more and more deeply. We are healed.

Almighty God, Abba Father, Thank you for Jesus. Thank you for adopting us into your family. We pray that we would accept your invitation to be with You. That we would pray in our suffering. Please draw us to prayer, Father. Show us how to celebrate, how to sing. We pray for increased faith in your power to heal. And we pray that we would be secure enough in the finished work of Christ Jesus that we would confess our sins to one another. Give us Your love for our brothers and sisters, Father. We ask these things in the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Weekly Announcements

We will have a wagon available to transport your donations from your vehicle to the church doors!

If you have any additional questions, Zack may be reached at zjohn893@gmail.com.

In addition, if you'd like to be kept aware of future disaster relief opportunities, including many in the months to come in Texas, please reply to this email. 

Please continue to pray for those impacted and for Zack as he travels south.

We invite everyone interested in getting more involved with The Bridge (or even just those curious to know more) to attend our Intro to The Bridge Lunch this Sunday. This is an opportunity for us to talk with you in more detail about our mission, and to hear from you on how you came to The Bridge. 

To RSVP, send us a message here!

Sunday, September 17th, we are hosting a trivia night at The Bridge to raise funds for Healing Haiti and for the team members still in need of financial assistance. 

Join us from 5-7 PM for 2 hours of fun trivia mixed with stories and videos from Haiti! Tables are $200 (10 people max.) or individual tickets are $25. There will be t-shirts and jewelry from Haiti for sale, as well as a few snacks available for purchase. Lemonade, tea, and water will be provided. Feel free to bring additional food for your table! 

Tickets may be purchased this Sunday at The Bridge or at the door on September 17th. We do ask that you let us know you're coming by clicking on the button below or signing up on Sunday!

Hold on or be held?

I love rollercoasters. The rush of the wind past my face, the adrenaline pulsing through my veins, the elated laughter (and terrified shrieking)…I can’t get enough!

But there is a vitally important moment in the life a rollercoaster rider: the moment you decide to reach over your head, pull down the overhead harness, and snap it into place. In this moment, you either place full trust in the person who engineered and designed the rollercoaster, or you trust in your grip strength to keep you in your seat through the twists and turns.

How long would it be before your white knuckled fists tired out? Before the rollercoaster became little more than a death trap? It would be terrifying, wouldn't it?! Fear would reign.

While writing to his brothers and sisters in Christ, James encourages them (and us) to be patient in suffering. In the midst of this conversation, he provides the how:

“You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” – James 5:8

Establish your hearts. Strengthen your hearts. Take heart. Fix firmly your hearts. Set fast your hearts.

Elsewhere in the New Testament, usually when this phrase is used, it speaks of God strengthening our hearts. Of Him providing the sustenance we so desperately need in the midst of suffering.

Much like the moment we strap in to the rollercoaster, placing full faith in the power of the harness to keep us still and safe in the midst of unbelievable drops and twists and turns, when we establish our hearts in the One who created us, we are held still and eternally safe in the midst of life’s drops and twists and turns. 

Our steadiness is not dependent on our ability to hold on. Because of Jesus, our response in suffering doesn't have to be to hunker down and get through tragedy and sorrow in isolation. 

Rather we are able to reach out to the God who knows the next turn, who holds us close to His heart, and whispers, “I’m here. I have you. You are mine. No one can pluck you from my hand, or take you out of my sight.” 

As we establish our hearts in Him, not in our own willpower to survive, we receive sustenance and hope and perseverance to go on. 

And as we experience His faithfulness and presence and His comfort through our brothers and sisters in Christ, we rejoice in the fact that He is coming again. We live in a broken world, yes, but one that will one be fully redeemed. One day pain and sin and death will be no more, and oh what a day that will be!

Until then, we reach up and buckle in, trusting in the designer and engineer of all of creation, taking comfort that He who holds us will never fail and looking toward the day when all is made new. It's not about holding on. It's about being held.

What an incredible God we serve.

See you Sunday!
Erika

Open our Hearts

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” – John 10:10

As human beings, we are constantly moving toward either death or life.  The enemy has it out for us. He steals, he kills, he destroys. And when left to our own devices, apart from Jesus, we often gravitate toward death too.

But God didn’t leave us on a path toward death. He sent Jesus so we could have life. Forever. For the Christian, there is no eternal death. There is no lasting destruction. We have life abundantly! And thus we have hope.

At times, death and life may not seem clear cut. In our world, they get distorted. Displaced. Throughout Scripture, we read cautionary tales about ways of living that may seem to bring life but actually result in death. In His grace, God has given us heads up after heads up as if to say, “You see this way of living? This will eventually bring pain and destruction and death! I don’t want these things for you! There’s another way! Take the path toward life!”

In James 5:1-6, we see one of these warnings. He cautions those who are obsessed with wealth - those who don’t pay fair wages, who oppress, who mistreat others for their own gain, who have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. He even says, “You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter.” (5:5)

If hoarding things and living in self-indulgence leads to a day of slaughter, what’s the alternative? What’s the path toward life? What's the response of the Christian?

“But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:17-18)

When we are filled with love that brings life – which is God Himself – it gushes out of our being in practical, tangible ways. Rather than hoarding, we give generously. Rather than living self-indulgently, we learn the life-giving gift of living self-sacrificially.  We don’t close our hearts. We OPEN them. The Holy Spirit in us gravitates toward life. 

Granted, at times the love and life trickle out of us. We flirt with self-indulgence. We hoard. But by His grace, this isn't who we are. Even when we begin to walk back toward death, He draws us back to life.

Father, In Your presence is fullness of joy and fullness of life. You have loved us generously. In light of this reality, may we live and love generously. God, there are GREAT needs in our world right now. We know You are a God of justice and mercy. Where there is oppression, give us the courage and means to intervene in Your Name. Where there is poverty – both spiritual and material – please move us to action.  And where we are choosing spiritual poverty over the riches you have offered us, please help us in our unbelief. We want life abundantly. Please let Your love and life overflow from us in deed and in truth. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

See you Sunday!