Week of Justice Theme

so i have decided on the theme for this year’s week of justice…

‘mystery revealed’

this comes from ephesians 3:9-11

I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.

God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.

i love the idea that the church is used to display wisdom in its rich variety…
it is truly a mobilizing verse-

so, the answer to injustice is Jesus- but displayed through the church.  definitely more to come on all of this.  i think i’m going to spend some of the afternoon wrapping my mind around this verse…

*hasler

Fleeing to the Oppressor

i was reading a portion of scripture last nite in the book of matthew, and i came across something in the second chapter that had never really occurred to me. (don’t you love when you discover something new in a text you have read a ton of times…?)

matthew 2:13-14
“When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt”

i find it very interesting that here, Jesus and his family are forced to flee ‘the promise land” back to the place from where the hebrew people had to flee generations prior, egypt.  what a strange turn of events; that what was once a place of slavery for the people to whom Jesus was born, was now a refuge for Him.

this is in a strange sort of way, very symbolic of what the presence of Jesus can do… it turns places of slavery into redemptive places of refuge.  just a late nite, not very well thought through observation…

ps. i shared this with one of my roommates and they said, that it was actually a very common phenomenon even today- that once oppressed people, often end up flocking to the oppressing land- and that it is especially prevalent in the colonial world (ie: the population of indian people living in london)

*hasler

Berlin Bound

i just got off of the phone with mike edwards, the guy we have been working with on the ground in berlin. it is really invigorating talking with him because i feel a strong connection with him and his heart. all of our discussions up to this point have been efficient and fruitful, which is a wonderful confirmation from the Lord, that we are moving in the right direction.

today, we chatted and dreamed a bit about what our schedule for the week could entail- from getting an overall feel of berlin, to meeting with other spiritual leaders there, to getting down and dirty in some of the diverse neighborhoods that comprise the capital city.

i am looking forward to getting on the ground with our team- walking the streets and dreaming about what the Lord might want to do through us there. it is truly amazing how God has connected the dots throughout my life to bring me to this point. in His time, if we have patience, He will bring fulfillment to the paths and journeys on which we have traveled. it’s a beautiful thing.

*hasler

WOJ4

who would have thought that it was july already?
with the ethiopia trip and other things to fill the calendar, the spring time just flew by. and since it’s july, that means it’s time to start planning week of justice…

this year we are going to do it to conclude our summer semester and series on neighborhoods. normally, we embed woj within the missions series- but that series is being infused into the summer.

so for now, i am just trying to gather some ideas on theme, topics, connections, etc. each year usually takes on a unique character and the Lord really moves in and through people to reveal all kinds of injustice that is happening. i’m excited to see what comes of this year. there are always a lot of divine appointments and great networking connections that happen and push individuals to take further action far beyond the week. i pray that this year will be nothing short of the same.

i’ll update here when we land on a theme and graphic. stay tuned…

*hasler

Playing and Praying

the ncc staff had their annual play and pray retreat this past few days. it was great time away together out over the bay bridge on the chesapeake bay. we stayed in an old plantation house with access to kayaks, canoes, sand volleyball, tennis courts and a pool. of course we brought our own bags set to make sure that we got plenty of tossin’ in as well.

it was also a great time of seeking the Lord together. we had daily morning and evening devotions- and it mostly consisted of quiet contemplation with one another. we even had some open air worship time, which is always a wonderful experience.

it was mentally relaxing, but physically exhausting… i think i played about 7 to 8 games of sand volleyball yesterday alone. all in all though, it was a really fruitful time- and it really helps you see your co-workers in a different light, and gives you time to connect with them in ways that you normally are unable.

check out pmark’s blog for a few pics…

*hasler

Sin

yes sin- this is an ugly and unpopular word around our culture these days. most people don’t really enjoy talking about this topic. a lot of people don’t believe in it. some see it as a manufactured idea on behalf of religion to control people. it’s often associated with a laundry list of actions, and the list goes on and on.

but sin is really a core fundamental idea to the christian worldview. within the context of this worldview, sin is merely anything that detracts us from our original purpose of worshiping God and experiencing perfect harmony with Him.

most people today want to see others as being genuinely good. they think, yeah, we have some issues from time to time, but all in all people, given the right circumstances, people have the capacity of being good. and while i also believe that there is a level of good that can come from all, in the eyes of a perfect, holy and glorious God, the best we can muster up is no where near what He knows as good.

it is our small understanding of God that really keeps us from truly seeing our true size (smallness) and over-exaggerating our obedience and goodness. and because we inflate our own actions, opinions and goodness- we do not see the need for a redeeming character- this is why the longing to see Jesus the Christ- a Holy intercessor on our behalf- is not present in our culture- because if there is no sin- there is no separation from God. and if there is no separation from God, there is no need to be reconciled back to Him. so for those who don’t believe in sin- of course Jesus doesn’t make sense or seem necessary. there is no arguing that- Jesus is only necessary, if one sees the need for redemption.

this is why- in the end- preaching the Gospel of Jesus to today’s culture, without dealing with the idea of ’sin’ is futile in the end. the two cannot be divorced…

*hasler

A18 Neighborhoods

today the ncc summer semester kicks off!

we have over 80 groups meeting in the dc metro area. this time around we are using one sermon-based curriculum for every group. this will keep continuity with the theme as well as prepare everyone to serve their neighborhood.

we are asking every group to be involved in a practical project, ongoing or one time. i’ll be organizing and keeping track of them all. this is a really important step in our ncc discipleship process. we are hoping and praying that this experiment will be a great success in helping people get a bigger view of what following Christ is all about- not about what the church can do for individuals, but that we would rather be on mission, as Jesus called us to do-

for more info on the groups that are meeting- check out the link here:
ncc small groups

also- check out heather’s sermon from this weekend- should be posted shortly here…

Local Life

i recently found a cozy home in a local establishment in my neighborhood. it is an interesting place that feels like home. there is something unique about becoming a regular somewhere- and it is amazing the kind of community that you can build in a very short time. over the past few weeks i have met everyone from police officers to street hustlers. no matter what though, you discover that if you have an ear to listen, you can find out a lot about people. and i think this is a critical place for disciples to be.

this is really the basis of our new small group initiative this summer. to get people out of their inner circles and engage their neighborhoods. there is no doubt an instrumental place for strengthening the inner core with other believers- but at the end of the day, we need to be out, as incarnate voices of hope in all areas of life… it’s a sad day when christians are either seen as inward, circles, impenetrable by outsiders… or voicing their disgust about the culture. neither are models that Jesus displayed. how did we get there? it’s time to reverse this trend.

*hasler

*h

Total Church

reading through sections of a book called ‘total church’ by tim chester and steve timmis. we got it as a free gift from the advance 09 conference.
check out this line- i think about this all of the time, but it was articulated perfectly here:

“Indeed part of our evangelism to the rich is our evangelism to the poor. We subvert their preoccupation with power and success as they see us loving the unlovely. We expose their self-righteousness and selfishness as they see us eating with outcasts. They begin to see Jesus living through us.” (pg. 73)

this is like spillover blessing, when reaching out to those seen as marginalized in society. it is like a double portion of Kingdom effectiveness, as the Holy Spirit is allowed to work efficiently in these instances.

*hasler

Neighborhoods

i’m really excited about the recalibration of my thinking these days as we gear up for the ncc summer semester of small groups. we are doing a church-wide curriculum (a departure from our normal free market style) this summer focused on neighborhoods- and serving them.

as i wrap my mind around how this is going to play out- i am forced to reflect on how far we have come as a church in this arena. not only in physical action, but in mindset and purpose.

but things like serving the poor, evangelism, and community building really entail deep theological reflection to accompany the obedient action. it is interesting to try and wrap your mind around phrases like ‘blessed are the poor.’

*hasler