October 24, 2024
Dear Central Church,
One of my favorite passages of scripture is Jesus inviting all who are “weary and heavy laden” to “take my yoke upon you.” (Matthew 11:28-30, KJV) In The Message, Eugene Peterson translates the last part of that passage like this, “Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.”
This is such a helpful way of thinking about our life in Christ: it is an unforced rhythm of grace. So much of the world we live in is “forced,” very little is in “rhythm,” and nothing seems to be a gift of “grace.” The people of God, however, have found a better way. We live this life completely dependent upon the Lord as an unforced rhythm of grace we do not deserve and could never earn.
I have learned so much about these rhythms of grace from Rev. Jeren Rowell, and I am excited to hear him preach this Sunday. Jeren serves as the president of Nazarene Theological Seminary, where men and women are being equipped and trained to be faithful ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Before serving in this capacity he was the district superintendent of the Kansas City District, but his primary vocation will always be pastor. Jeren will be inviting us to “Listen with Care” as we “BLESS our neighbors, one friendship at a time.”
The BLESS approach and this current sermon series is based on a book entitled, B.L.E.S.S. 5 Everyday Ways to Love Your Neighbor and Change the World by Dave Ferguson and Jon Ferguson. It’s available in the lobby for $10.
I want to follow up with you on three things:
The Prayer Card. Seeing people come to know Jesus doesn’t happen without prayer. The “B” in BLESS stands for “Begin with Prayer.” Who are 3-4 people in your life that are far from God and you want to see them come to know Jesus. If you didn’t get a prayer card, we’ll have them again this Sunday. Write down these names and let’s ask the Lord to give us divine appointments with these folks.
A Pastoral Prayer in an Election Season. You may have heard there was an election going on in the United States. We took time last Sunday to pray for wisdom as many of us will participate in this very important process. I wrote this prayer after a time of reflection, solitude, and fasting from divisive media in hopes that God would give us divine discernment as we vote and help us be faithful to who he has called us to be.
Kids Ministry Remodel Update. I want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who has prayed and supported the Kids’ Ministry Remodel project! The construction crews will begin work next week, and we hope to have this project completed by January.
This is possible because of your generosity! We had 84 families commit $46,000 over and above their tithes and offerings. This designated giving has closed the gap ($175,000 total project budget) and allowed us to fully underwrite this from our general operating funds. It’s not too late to be a part of this! Any gifts to the Kids Ministry project will free up resources for other ministries in this fiscal year. Thank you and may God use this space to transform the lives of our kids!
I can’t wait to see you this Sunday as we learn from one another how to live in these unforced rhythms of grace!
Until He’s Finished,
Pastor Mark