February 11th, 2010

This Sunday we are going to talk about the Transfiguration in Luke 9:28. Look at this passage very closely. There were many events in Jesus' life which were reported by the evangelists. In every case there was something theological that Jesus was communicating and the eye witnesses were reporting through the pen of the evangelists. But look at this one very closely: Jesus was discussing his immanent departure with Moses and Elijah. The witnesses were awake during that discussion, (though Luke says they were very sleepy). But apparently the discussion of Jesus' departure didn't register. The experience had overwhelmed all three of them. They report: a spectacular light show! An EXPERIENCE that was out of this world! An ENCOUNTER with dead people. GLORY inexpressible and the VOICE of God. The experience of God's presence superseded everything else. They had an experience. And that was worth reporting.

Have you experienced the presence of God? We usually call this a mountain top experience. There's not much content to report. But there is an amazing encounter with God. Furthermore, Jesus took his three friends along on this experience, not to teach them something but simply so they could experience something. That's worth a LOT. We tend to discount experience and emphasize theological distinctives. If it was important enough to the early christians to remember this experience and talk about this experience, and PREACH about this experience (because the gospel accounts are essentially exerpts of apostolic sermons arranged in story form), it should be important enough for us to do the same. Have you experienced some sort of divine encounter with a Holy God? Tell me about it. Today we are not accustomed to talking about our spiritual experiences and their significance. But in the early church it was worthy sermon material and useful for mutual edification. (as it was also among the Israelites who recounted the wonderful deeds of God throughout history). No theological statement is being made. Just the experience of God's presence.

Pastor Mike

January 26th, 2010

The very first sermon Jesus preached was based upon Isaiah 61:1 (quoting several verses from that chapter). Among other things he came to bind up the broken-hearted and release from darkness for the prisoners. It strikes me that this is also our mission. How many people do you know who are broken and bound up in some kind of darkness? Of one of the women Jesus healed he said that she had been bound by this illness her entire life! Do you know people like that?

There probably isn't a lot you can do to reverse the brokenness or bondage, in many cases. The loss of a loved one for example, hurts all the time. But you can come alongside these friends to offer them comfort and relief. Your prayers for their pain will be answered. Your offer of friendship will remind them that they are not alone in their grief. Very few people in America have someone that close with whom to share their burden. You might be the very first person to ever come to them and set them free from their isolation! You don't have to be a professional counselor to be a good friend. And for most of us, a good friend is all we need!

Pastor Mike

January 7th, 2010

We are nearly done with our visioning process, at the stage where we review all the ministries we currently engage in. The list right now is 60+ events long! Some of them are events that take place once a week, some are once a month, and some are once a year.

It has been amazing to me to see this list develop! I am relatively new around here, having just started here a year ago October. I knew of some of the things people did in ministry. But I had no idea it was this extensive. We have members working with the food shelf, shelters, bible studies of many different kinds, providing meals to those in need, raising funds for dozens of different outside groups, etc. And we are forming many more groups and events to engage members and non-members alike.

Do you like scrabble? We have a group for that. Do you like archery; we have a group for that as well. Perhaps your interest is more cullinary. Boy, have we got groups for you! The idea behind all these types of groups is to find ways of creating community at every level possible. And it's not just for members; it's for the whole community. We want to provide ways for everyone to find new friends and through those friendships to learn what Jesus taught his disciples when he said, "love one another."

Pastor Mike

November 24th, 2009

Our process of visioning continues. In the process we are creating a list of all the ministries that take place in and through Zion each year. Some of these are single events and others are weekly or monthly events and activities. So far the list contains 68 different ministries we are involved in.

Some of these are obvious, such as Sunday morning worship and Sunday School. But there are many that are lesser known, even to our members. We have an Zion archery club, a Scrabble club, a book club, and a card crafting club; all of which are new this year. Free guitar lessons are another new ministry this year! Being so new there are probably a lot of members who have yet to discover these. There are also ministries with unusual names such as Undie Sunday, which is new, donated underwear and socks for men, women and children. And our annual Mitten and Hat Tree in December. The list goes on and on. Soon we will have the list on our website, with contact info, so that you can get involved.

There are so many ways to make a difference in this world, and so many ways to build up the body of Christ. Many of these means of building community are quite new and inovative. I hope you will get a chance to try out several of them in the coming year. There's nothing quite like working together on a project of common interest. And the blessings that come to you through your engagement as well as the blessings that come to those we serve are way beyond what you might expect.

Make a difference in your world. You will not be here forever. But what you do for others will have a lasting impact.

Pastor Mike

October 1st, 2009

This has been a while since I last wrote something here! A LONG time!!! Sorry for the lapse.

We have been doing a lot of planning, concerning our vision or mission. We have come to a conclusion that God is not done with us. We are a work in progress. Our vision has two parts:

1) we are becoming Disciples. This is an ongoing process. While on the one hand we have declared ourselves to be followers of Jesus Christ, we are constantly seeking to follow His lead. We are never at a point where we can just sit down and refuse to budge. Jesus is constantly leading us on. So we are constantly on the move, following Jesus. It is a constant state of transformation.

2) We are becoming Disciples in a changing world. That second part is a tough one. Once-upon-a-time you might have been able to say that the world was rather static or constant. But now the only thing that is constant is change itself! And because of this we are constantly adapting to a changing world around us.

We want to see ourselves in the center of an ever-changing world and following a leader who is constantly on the move as well. What remains constant through all of this is our faith in our leader, Jesus Christ.

Someone once asked Jesus if he could become a follower. Jesus reminded him that "foxes have dens, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." He was constantly on the move and wanted this erstwhile follower to understand that. To follow Jesus means to be constantly on the move. Fortunately, we have a faithful leader to follow!

Pastor Mike

March 1st, 2009

I was just watching a video clip of street interviews asking the question, “If you could talk to God and knew he was listening, what would you say?” One of the more common responses was, “God, why am I here?”

So, what do you think? Why are you here? What is your purpose on earth?

Personally, I want to Glorify God. God does appear to be silent to a lot of people. And I know he is not silent at all, just not always easy to hear with all the noise around me everyday. God does appear to be doing nothing to a lot of people. And I know he is ALIVE and ACTIVE, but in ways I often don’t recognize because it isn’t always very flashy. So I want to Glorify God. That’s why I am here. I want to prove to others that there is a God, he speaks, and he acts.

For Israel, the Glory of the Lord was something they could occasionally see with their own eyes. But most of the time the Glory of God was something you could only see in his believers. Israel proved there was a God by their faith. They trusted that God would bless them, and he did! They trusted that God would help them, and he did! When they lost trust in God, that too reflected upon God and his glory was not seen. When I act in faith it makes God known. Faith is the evidence of things you cannot see. It is not a far stretch from that to believe that faith reveals the invisible.

I believe because I watched my parents trust in God. And I learned from them to trust in God, no matter what. And it made a difference. I hope that my children believe because they see my faith as well. The writer to the Hebrews knew this principle to be true. He listed the heros of the faith from the very beginning. They are examples that we can follow. Their example helps us to see God more clearly. They glorified God.

That’s a good purpose for Zion as well. Zion will glorify God in Cottage Grove. People will see their faith and know there is a God in their midst.

Pastor Mike