Because I’m Your Pastor

I…

Love and pray for you more than you’ll ever know;

Trust in God’s plans, promises and power in our lives;

Send you encouragement just when you need it as if I knew (it was the Holy Spirit);

Remember that this is about God;

Never give up on anyone or anything because with God all things are possible;

Serve at a church and my congregation also includes anyone I can reach, and anyone who needs the Lord;

Listen to anything you to have to say without judgment; keep it in confidence; and respond with grace, love and truth;

Teach the Gospel with passion and urgency – because I revere it and have experienced its power myself, and because I am highly aware of the need and hunger for it in lives and in the world;

Sacrifice and pour myself out because I trust in God’s strength more than my own;

Help make God’s grace and love more visible through communion, baptisms, weddings, and funerals; but also in diners, living rooms, and emergency rooms – everywhere I go and everywhere I am called.

Fail, get hurt, wrestle, forget, sin, lack, offend, disappoint, misunderstand, and more;

Thank God and you for the privilege, trust and opportunity I have been given;

Lead, question, initiate, and make decisions based on Scripture and based on what pleases, honors and is faithful to God and His Kingdom;

See God’s purpose, beauty and strength in you even when you can’t;

Rejoice and celebrate at the small and great works God has allowed me to see in myself, others, churches, and communities.

Rage at the injustice, poverty, suffering, confusion, abuse, exploitation, alienation, and pain in our communities, nation, and world.

Dream of healing, restoration, peace, purpose, and endurance for everyone I know as well as people in general;

Know what it is to be rejected, judged, broken, at the end of my rope, mocked, bullied, helpless, fearful, and defeated;

Fight to make church a safe place for the wounded, hurting and seeking;

Treasure sacred moments of being present for people in the best and worst events of life;

Love the Father, Son and Holy Spirit so much that it is beyond words and consumes me, it just overflows and pours out of me – so in awe and so deeply devoted;

Have in abundance (thanks be to God) the time, compassion, care and drive to serve you;

Remember and reach for the forgotten, rejected, isolated, bruised, heartbroken and trapped;

Forgive and bless even when I don’t want to;

Testify that Jesus alone has saved me and transformed my heart, soul, and life;

Envision Christians and churches that are radically graceful, hospitable, united, loving, compassionate and devoted to making Christ visible in this world.

Acknowledge that I am just a vessel, that there is nothing of value I can do apart from Christ, and that I no longer live but He lives in, with and through me;

So when you grieve, hope, suffer, yearn, celebrate, endure, fail, try again, wonder, rise, wait, go broke, awaken, hit rock bottom, forget, remember, get sick, grow, feel lost, trust, and more – I am with you…because I’m your pastor.

Amen.

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf

Isaiah 42:7

cbrianwolf@gmail.com

www.christopherbwolf.com

Christopher B. Wolf is pastor of First Reformed Church of Saddle Brook, NJ and is the author of Giving Faith a Second Chance: Restarts, Mulligans and Do-Overs (2007) and With You Every Step of the Way (2011); and the host of Walk With Me, Wednesdays 7 pm on WYFN 94.9 FM-NY and on www.yfnradio.com.

“It is a matter of sharing and bearing the pain and puzzlement of the world so that the crucified love of God in Christ may be brought to bear healingly upon the world at exactly that point.” N.T. Wright

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Just For You

 

It loves you and accepts you – knowing what you have done or where you have been – it loves and accepts you just as you are.

There is nothing you can do or have done or will do to make it turn away from you.

It has no limits.

There is always a second chance waiting.

It waits patiently with open arms.

It smiles and says, “You don’t have to be perfect for me. Please stop striving for perfection or some other ideal.”

It gently reminds you, “You don’t have to prove anything to me.”

If you embrace it, it will transform, heal and restore you.

 

This is God’s grace for you.

 

 

+++++++++++

 

It’s limitless and everlasting.

It’s unconditional.

It’s based on God’s heart, not your actions.

It will never leave you – as far away as you run – it will still be there.

It wants to wipe away your tears, if you’ll let it.

It is patient and kind and bears all things.

It will move you to pray and care for even your worst enemies.

It is sacrificial – it is for you at the cost of God – and that is okay.

It flows from the one who is Love – God.

If you open your heart and receive it, it will transform, heal and free you.

 

This is God’s love for you.

 

 

+++++++++++

 

 

When you have given up, it still believes.

When you are being swallowed by despair, it holds on to you tight!

It is the light in the deepest darkness.

It never sleeps or slumbers.

It is founded on endurance and character.

It transforms the impossible into possible.

It gives you a reason to believe even when all evidence is to the contrary.

If you hold it, it will bring you through anything in this world.

 

This is God’s hope for you.

 

++++++++++++

 

It makes you still and know God.

It surpasses all understanding.

It is better than anything else in this world that you seek to find comfort in or through.

It is a refuge in a storm.

It will make you stay still when you want to run.

It will whisper to you and settle you when all you can hear is noise and static.

It will give you rest when you are weary.

It will fall like a gentle rain and quench the fires of panic and anxiety in your soul.

It cannot be made, imitated, or put on.

If you know it, it will make you as solid as a rock that nothing in this world can break or tear down.

 

This God’s peace for you.

 

++++++++++++

 

 

It doesn’t change with circumstances.

It’s a constant flame – fueled by gratitude and appreciation for what has been done for you.

It’s better and bigger and deeper and truer than happiness.

It’s a constant trust in God’s goodness.

It gives you reason to celebrate even when all is lost.

It has its eye on the eternal.

It gives you unlimited strength.

It’s visible evidence of a life with God’s hand upon it.

It is a great encouragement to others.

If you have it, your need for things in this world will disappear.

 

This is God’s joy for you.

 

 

++++++++++++

 

 

“My arms are wide open to embrace you with my all-forgiving, all-encompassing grace.

I have loved you with an everlasting love – it’s why I went to the cross.

I never leave you, and I have a plan for you – a plan of future and hope; after all, I am alive even though I died!

I want to hold you until you stop trying to run away and you know the beauty and stillness of my peace.

I don’t want you to just be happy – I want you to have my joy and for it to be complete in you.

All of these – grace, love, hope, peace and joy are all for you – from me.”

 

This is God’s Son Jesus, who was, is and will be always – for you.

 

Amen.

 

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf

Isaiah 42:7

cbrianwolf@gmail.com

www.christopherbwolf.com

Christopher B. Wolf is pastor of First Reformed Church of Saddle Brook, NJ and is the author of Giving Faith a Second Chance: Restarts, Mulligans and Do-Overs (2007) and With You Every Step of the Way (2011); and the host of Walk With Me, Wednesdays 7 pm on WYFN 94.9 FM-NY and on www.yfnradio.com.

“It is a matter of sharing and bearing the pain and puzzlement of the world so that the crucified love of God in Christ may be brought to bear healingly upon the world at exactly that point.” N.T. Wright

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A Prayer for America, July 2012

Our Father, we are asking today for You to open the heavens and let Your rains mercifully, gently and abundantly fall upon this nation and people. Where the wildfires of violence, lust, and division burn out of control – let Your rain of peace and love cover and extinguish them. Where we experience crippling droughts of reason and sanity, let Your wisdom fall and satisfy. Where corruption and greed ravenously consume, let Your justice sweep down like a flood to purify and cleanse. Where grief and sorrow burden and weigh down, let Your rain of joy and strength lift and raise spirits. Where discouragement and desperation cloud and darken futures, let Your rain of hope reveal a rainbow of promise to come. In this time of trial for our nation in these last years and the ones to come, we ask for the power and strength through the Holy Spirit to repent and turn from away from the things and ways of death and destruction; and to turn to You, and to life, and to purpose. We cry out to you to renew and heal the soul of this nation; that we may truly become one under You. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf
Isaiah 42:7
cbrianwolf@gmail.com
www.christopherbwolf.com

Christopher B. Wolf is pastor of First Reformed Church of Saddle Brook, NJ and is the author of Giving Faith a Second Chance: Restarts, Mulligans and Do-Overs (2007) and With You Every Step of the Way (2011); and the host of Walk With Me, Wednesdays 8 pm on WYFN 94.9 FM-NY and on www.yfnradio.com.

“It is a matter of sharing and bearing the pain and puzzlement of the world so that the crucified love of God in Christ may be brought to bear healingly upon the world at exactly that point.” N.T. Wright

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Right There

 Whether we like to admit it or not, and we usually don’t, we all need to be rescued. Some of us need to be rescued from financial problems, from toxic relationships, from soul-killing jobs, from our worst selves, from mental or physical health issues, from our destructive habits and addictions, from pride, self-sufficiency and anger, from our denial of needing a rescue, and from our sins, guilt and pasts.

Likewise, whether we like to admit it, we spend a significant amount of time and energy hoping that rescue comes – in the form we would have it. Case in point, how many of us spent money and time dreaming of what we were going to do with the $640 million we were going to win last week? Many of us believed that winning would be the rescue of all rescues – all the other problems would go away.

If you can believe it, it’s the same idea or motivation that drew all those people to shout “Hosannas” wave palms and throw their cloaks (Mark 11:1-11) before a relatively unknown guy riding on a donkey. They believed he was the promised answer to their problems – Roman and economic oppression, spiritual disconnection from God, restoration of their kingdom. As we know today, those “Hosannas” turned to curses laster that week. What happened?

Well, then and today, God did come to rescue; it’s just that it often doesn’t come in the way we expect or are ready for or even desire. You see Jesus came into Jerusalem that day in peace. And in Mark’s Gospel, after the “parade” it says he went into the temple and looked around – his temple – think about it – the dwelling place for God and God in the flesh together. He had come in peace – to restore and reconcile God and God’s people to relationship. But the people were hoping for a warrior king who was going to lead a revolution and kick out the Romans. Thus the “Hosannas” turning to “Crucify Him!” He wasn’t the rescue or answer they wanted.

But he was the rescue God sent and the rescue they actually needed whether they knew it not. God knew then and still knows today that what we really need first is a spiritual rescue. First of course from our sins but if we trace and analyze the roots of all our other challenges and issues – the roots are spiritual. So in Jesus’ time, when the people were thinking that the answer to all their problems – their rescue needed to be an overthrow of Roman oppression – God sends the Prince of Peace – His peace to them. Because an overthrow of sin and pride and despair would be far more liberating and life-giving than Rome being evicted from Palestine.

And so today, there is no strategy, no plan, no system, not even steps that compare with the rescue God has provided – Jesus. Then and today, Jesus is the rescue and the answer. He himself is the rescue and peace – embracing Him. All the things we look to for a rescue – Megamillions, relationships, another drink, popularity, new jobs, new church, new city – all the things we think we make it all go away – will not get to the root.

Listen, it’s because the point is not to be richer or more successful or more loved as a way to achieve peace – God’s point all along with us is that our relationship with Him through Jesus is the starting point and source of our joy, grace, and peace, then all the other things will be added. It’s not about solving all our problems with cash and mantras – it’s so that we can see and endure anything that happens in our lives and still say or sing, “It is well with my soul (because I am His and He is mine).” When you and I can more and more genuinely say and believe that no matter what the circumstance – that’s abundant life, that’s living rescued and forgiven, that’s faith, that’s the peace beyond understanding.

Maybe you’ve been praying for a rescue or an answer for a long time. And you feel like it’s never come. Maybe you’ve been faithful in waiting for it – “it” as you hoped it would be. But you’re still waiting, still hoping. That’s a good thing. It’s a very good thing to recognize the need to be rescued and that God could be or is the one to turn to. And about that rescue or answer seeming delayed…

Maybe it’s because the rescue you needed, was right there all along, right in front of you…

Amen.

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf

Isaiah 42:7

cbrianwolf@gmail.com

www.christopherbwolf.com

Christopher B. Wolf is pastor of First Reformed Church of Saddle Brook and is the author of Giving Faith a Second Chance: Restarts, Mulligans and Do-Overs (2007) and With You Every Step of the Way; and the host of Walk With Me, Wednesdays 8 pm on WYFN 94.9 FM-NY and on www.yfnradio.com.

“It is a matter of sharing and bearing the pain and puzzlement of the world so that the crucified love of God in Christ may be brought to bear healingly upon the world at exactly that point.

 N.T. Wright

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Guess How Much God Loves You

 “Big Nutbrown Hare had even longer arms. But I love you this much,” he said. Hmm, that is a lot thought Little Nutbrown Hare.” This is just one of the wonderful exchanges in the children’s book, Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney. I highly recommend it although you will not find the audio version of my daughter Madelyn reading it – that’s just for me 🙂

 

But as Big Nutbrown Hare stretches out his arms to show how much he loves Little Nutbrown Hare, it reminded me of someone else who stretched out his arms to demonstrate his love for all of us, for the whole world. That’s right, Jesus.

 

I’ve done a lot of listening and one thing that comes up consistently is doubt about God’s love. Let’s face it, we often have trouble believing that people around us love us, so to then leap to believing that someone we can’t see loves us is often very challenging.

 

Which is why I want to ask you today, “Guess how much God loves you?” Let me show you…

 

One verse that always comes to mind, it’s a refrigerator verse is from Jeremiah 31:3, “I have loved you with an everlasting love…” or as The Message puts it, “God told them, “I never quit loving you and never will.” Now in order to appreciate these wonderful words from God, you have to know that they are spoken after God’s people had dishonored, disobeyed, and ignored him. And just when it seemed like God had completely given up on them by allowing them to be exiled from their promised land, God through Jeremiah, renews his promises of love for them. Later in the chapter, God goes even further and says, “I will be their God and they will be my people…I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more.” After everything, God was going to forgive and forget. When God forgets, it’s completely gone – as far as the east is from west as it says in Psalm 103.

 

Sounds crazy, right. I mean, I thought God only loves us when we are good and perfect, right?

Sadly, many view and experience love as conditional. As humans, we often tend to use or experience love as a reward, as something to manipulate or control others with, only given to those who “deserve” it and something that brings pain and disappointment. And then we often transfer all this into thinking that God’s love is like that too. I am very sorry for that. It’s not at all what God intended.

 

No, what God intended was that His relentless, unending love can reach, warm and transform the hardest, saddest, coldest hearts in this world. Even hearts that continue to reject, hide from, avoid, insult, and even hate God.

 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life,” Jesus said about himself and about God’s love. That’s God’s response to the world that rejects and doesn’t know him. How can we not be moved by this kind of love? Do you and I know anyone else who keeps loving in the face of insult, rejection, turning away, anger, hatred? No we don’t. But He’s still there loving us. And not just loving us by sending a Hallmark card. He sends and sacrifices His best, Jesus.

 

And, this love of God doesn’t wait for us to be good or get better. It reaches us, it touches wherever it finds us – at our best or at our worst. It’s the very definition of unconditional love.

 

It’s the kind of love that frees and rescues.

 

It’s the kind of love that heals and awakens.

 

It’s the kind of love that lifts us to want to try again.

 

It’s the kind of love that leads us to want to come home.

 

It’s the kind of love that eclipses our past.

 

It’s the kind of love that opens our eyes to seeing who we really are – in God’s eyes.

 

It’s the kind of love that assures us that when all else fails; it never will…

 

Yes, God loves you and me this much…arms outstretched; pouring over and through all the walls, sins and hurts; overflowing into the very depths our hearts and souls.

 

Amen.

 

 

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf

Isaiah 42:7

cbrianwolf@gmail.com

www.christopherbwolf.com

 

Christopher B. Wolf is pastor of First Reformed Church of Saddle Brook and is the author of Giving Faith a Second Chance: Restarts, Mulligans and Do-Overs (2007) and With You Every Step of the Way; and the host of Walk With Me, Wednesdays 8 pm on WYFN 94.9 FM-NY and on www.yfnradio.com.

“It is a matter of sharing and bearing the pain and puzzlement of the world so that the crucified love of God in Christ may be brought to bear healingly upon the world at exactly that point.

 N.T. Wright

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Stuck

Hello! Here is this week’s Living Water. This is a remix of Sunday’s message. Great news – whether you have a pc or a mac you can listen to Walk With Me live on Wednesday nights – 8 pm on http://www.yfnradio.com. We also have just added several new affiliates around the nation. Thanks be to God! Christopher

Feeling stuck today?

Maybe you feel stuck at a job; in a relationship; in a rut or routine that’s not helping; in an addiction; in a spiritual valley; at an organization or group?

You’ve thought about getting out but it never happens. Something else always comes up; rationalizations and compromises are made.

Are you haunted by, or overly attached to the past? Do you often wish or even exist as if the past was great and anything present or new just doesn’t match up?

Or do you avoid thinking about the past altogether because it’s too painful or shameful?

Deep down you know something is not right…

Stay and fight for a solution? Start over? They sound good but seem impossible.

What about something new altogether? That’s it! But a new start…scary.

Let it go (even though you’ve tried so many times before)?

Still stuck, right?

Stuck in the middle between old and new; comfortable and reaching; liking and loving; numbed and compassionate; circling and devoted.

Though stuck may feel safe – it’s not truly alive.

Let’s talk about why we get stuck and how we might get un-stuck.

Here are some ways we get stuck: Denial (“It’s not really over,” and “It never happened” and “I don’t have a problem”) and Pride (“It’s not going/ending the way I want it to”) and Fear (“What will a new beginning be like; who will I be if ____ ends, or I let go?”). All of these together point to something we all wrestle with – avoiding truth, reality, endings and losing control. To make things worse, I cringe when I hear the phrases, “just move on” and “swept under the rug” because they don’t work and cause even more damage beyond being stuck.

As you might imagine, truly getting unstuck might have something to do with shifts on these two – avoiding endings and losing control. Professor Walter Brueggemann explains it as, speaking from a Biblical and spiritual perspective, “only embraced endings permit new beginnings.” Not partial, not hints of endings or temporary ones – only embraced endings.

And he’s right. The Bible is filled with only embraced endings enabling new beginnings. The cross is the ultimate embraced ending…Jesus willingly went to the cross (ending) so that the dominion of sin and death could end and the resurrection and new life would occur. But also, in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:18) in which the son decided to return to his father and repent.

Listen to the words of Psalm 32 that is the voice of stuck to unstuck spiritually speaking, “While I kept silent, my bones wasted away…Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity…and you forgave the guilt of my sin… (Psalm 32:3, 5).” Do you see it? Suffering, strife while in denial or proud or afraid; then acknowledging the truth, embracing the need for God’s grace – new beginning – living forgiven.

Keep in mind, the “new” has already come – Jesus announced that the kingdom “has come near (Mark 1:15).” And in 2 Corinthians 5:17 we hear, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; the old has gone, the new has come.” So the denial, pride and fear can’t keep the new in anything from materializing (this is a key part of the Gospel). It’s whether or not we are going to engage it by first embracing whatever the appropriate ending is. And frankly when we are not engaged with the new that God is doing (which will always be life-giving), we are usually embracing things that are dying or of death.

So I want to say very lovingly to many of you today that yes it happened and it was awful and it was not your fault. I want to say lovingly that the guilt you carry from what you have done in the past is crushing and suffocating you. I want to lovingly say that there is a problem but you don’t have to suffer under it anymore. I am lovingly saying that you will still be you, in fact a more wonderful you than you have ever known. You know, “we are as sick as our secrets” and I am saying lovingly that all the pretending, denying, pride and fear are only hurting you and keeping you from the goodness and grace God wants to and is ready to pour out on your heart and soul. The irony of course is that to welcome and receive that healing and restoration, you have to embrace the truth of what has happened, what you’ve done, what you can’t control anymore, and what you fear; and it is in that embrace that it’s or their power over you will end and the healing and new beginning can begin.

Maybe it starts like this, “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God…Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love for they are from of old…Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord (Psalm 25:1, 6-7).”

And when you lift up your soul and trust in Him above everything and everyone else, and He supplies you with the strength to embrace whatever ending you need to embrace today, He will absolutely be remembering you according to His love and grace. Then you’ll see that those dreams that seemed so far away will be as close as a whispered prayer. Those dreams of forgiveness and restored relationships, those dreams of getting clean or sober, those dreams of being free of guilt and the expectations of others, those dreams of being and feeling loved unconditionally, those dreams of living fearlessly and purposefully, those dreams of the past being the past, those dreams of no longer being defined by past events or decisions, those dreams of having a future with hope, those dreams of finally more fully experiencing the joy and peace of God’s presence.

Amen.

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf

Isaiah 42:7

cbrianwolf@gmail.com

http://www.christopherbwolf.com

Christopher B. Wolf is pastor of First Reformed Church of Saddle Brook and is the author of Giving Faith a Second Chance: Restarts, Mulligans and Do-Overs (2007) and With You Every Step of the Way; and the host of Walk With Me, Wednesdays 8 pm on WYFN 94.9 FM-NY and on http://www.yfnradio.com.

“It is a matter of sharing and bearing the pain and puzzlement of the world so that the crucified love of God in Christ may be brought to bear healingly upon the world at exactly that point.
N.T. Wright

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Drawing Near

Hey there! Here is this week’s Living Water. Please also tune in tonight for Walk With Me – my new radio show – www.yfnradio.com, 8 pm Wednesdays. Grace and Peace, Christopher

 

 

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8

 

 

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you –

 

But why would he do this?

 

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you –

 

But why would he want to draw near to me?

 

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you –

 

I am afraid to draw near to him, because when he draws near to me, he might see

all the things of which I am ashamed.

 

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you –

 

It has been so long, he probably won’t remember me, even if I draw near to him.

 

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you –

 

What will it be like if I am nearer to God?

 

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you –

 

How do I draw near to God anyway?

 

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you –

 

Why doesn’t he just draw near me?

 

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you –

 

What if I draw near to God and then fall away again?

 

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you –

 

I go to church. Isn’t that near enough?

 

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you –

 

How near do I have to be?

 

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you –

 

I’ve tried before and it didn’t seem to work. What will trying again prove?

 

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you –

 

Is praying considered drawing near to God?

 

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you –

 

If I draw near to God, he might see the real me.

 

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you –

 

If I draw near to God, I might see the real Him.

 

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you –

 

What will I have to do if he draws near to me?

 

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you –

 

If he comes near me, I might have to change or changes might start happening.

 

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

 

Amen.

 

Discussion Questions

1. Have you asked some of these questions? What are some answers?
2. How do you draw near to God? What does that feel like?
3. In order to draw near to God, don’t you have to know where you are? Where are you in relation to nearness to God today?
4.  What is going to be your first step of drawing nearer to God today?

 

 

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf

Isaiah 42:7

cbrianwolf@gmail.com

www.christopherbwolf.com

 

Christopher B. Wolf is the author of Giving Faith a Second Chance: Restarts, Mulligans and Do-Overs (2007) and With You: Every Step of the Way (September, 2011).

 

“It is a matter of sharing and bearing the pain and puzzlement of the world so that the crucified love of God in Christ may be brought to bear healingly upon the world at exactly that point.” N.T. Wright

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Where You Belong

Come with me for a few minutes…I want to take you on a brief tour…

 

It’s a tour of the inside of my church.

 

At the front of the church is a cross. You know, it’s only because of the Jesus’s work on the cross that we became reconciled or “back together” with God.

 

Then there’s the pulpit, where the Bible is placed and the messages flow from. Messages of loving God and loving one another, of daily following Christ, and of the Gospel – that tells of us being new creations, hurts becoming healed, the lost becoming found, and life coming from death – and that absolutely nothing can separate us from belonging to God through Christ.

 

Then there’s the baptism font. That’s where the grace of God becomes visible and we see how through the water, we are cleansed from our sins and promise that through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are renewed and we belong to God and to the gathering of people.

 

The communion table is there too. It reminds us that because Jesus’s body was broken, we are restored to a relationship with God and that through Jesus’s blood that covenantal relationship is forever. In addition, that table also shows how we belong to God and one another by partaking in the bread and cup in unity.

 

Right in front of the communion table is usually where joining members promise to make for unity, purity and peace as they are received and to the church. It’s where husbands and wives promise to belong to one another in marriage until death parts them. It’s also where, when we have funerals, the casket is placed during the service and we remember, even through the tears, that the beloved person belonged to God and not even death could stop that.

 

Moving toward the back there are the pews, where perfectly imperfect and devoted believers (including me) sit, praise, pray, listen, give, love and serve one another. Looking to the right and to the left are people who have shared joys and tragedies, made the difference with meals, calls and notes, and have shared life together – who promised to belong to God and one another. You can see orphans and widows cared for, young people taken under wings, rides to church and doctor appointments, those who are weak and broken find strength, hungry are fed and hurts are healed, wisdom found and shared, marriages supported and even reunited, new and old friends welcomed, and a lot of understanding, forgiveness and second chances. To those who have known and experienced these things, this belonging is wonderful and priceless.

 

Finally, there are the doors. There is nothing magical about these doors. You don’t need a special “id” card or badge. Anyone can walk through them and find all of this blessedness of belonging.

 

Each Sunday morning, I celebrate those who God has gathered and brought through those doors as well as grieve and hope for those have yet to come through the doors. As a pastor, leader and brother in Christ, I insist that a church’s proper posture is to have its eyes on Christ, then one arm around someone who is already there and the other arm is outstretched – reaching for and welcoming someone who is not there yet.

 

See, I wanted to take you on this “tour” to highlight that nearly everything about the inside of a church, of our church, is about belonging. The geography and landscape of the inside of a church is of belonging. At the same time, you’ve heard of the unfinished symphony, well, a church is the unfinished community. There is never a cap or limit or threshold as to who belongs – when Jesus returns that is when it is “completed.” Until then, no church on this planet is “complete” or “done” with the people who are currently there. Now, I am well aware that to many who never come though those doors, nearly the opposite is thought of the “inside.” Thoughts that only select people are welcome – that only perfect, holy people are there, that the messages are only for certain people that will understand it – in other words, very exclusive. I am well aware that sometimes both wicked and well-intentioned people have distorted and warped what God intended churches to be.

 

But I also know this: That all of us from 5 year olds to 95 year olds want to and frankly, need to, belong. It’s not just a teenage phenomenon. God designed us to desire and seek community and fellowship with others.

 

And I believe with my whole heart, that more than a club/organization, or a team or workplace or even a neighborhood (and I’ve experienced all of those), that even with all its flaws, a gracious group of Christians sharing Christ and life together is the highest, purest form of community – because the bonds and connections are supernatural (the Holy Spirit) not performance or money or appearances or status – you just come and belong as you are. And it is the closest thing to thing to Heaven – it’s the closest thing to truly experiencing God’s love and presence. After all, a Christian community is an embassy of God’s Kingdom – where joy, love, justice and wholeness reign.

 

So, hey there, what are you doing this Sunday? I know many of you have been hurt by church and by Christians. I know that it is hard to trust again. I know you want to belong and to be a part of something real. I know you might think what I am saying sounds impossible. But remember, with God all things are possible!

 

I would love nothing more than to see you come through those doors, encounter God in new ways, as well as experience the loving embrace of people who may not know you but somehow have been waiting for you…the embrace of brothers and sisters to whom you can belong. I’ve prayed for it, I’ve dreamed about it, and one day…

 

 

Amen.

 

 

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf

Isaiah 42:7

cbrianwolf@gmail.com

www.christopherbwolf.com

 

Christopher B. Wolf is the author of Giving Faith a Second Chance: Restarts, Mulligans and Do-Overs (2007) and the forthcoming, With You: Every Step of the Way (September, 2011).

“It is a matter of sharing and bearing the pain and puzzlement of the world so that the crucified love of God in Christ may be brought to bear healingly upon the world at exactly that point.” N.T. Wright

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Promises

Remember the Magic 8 Ball? It was that toy that you thought of a question in your mind and then shook the Magic 8 Ball and then it gave you an “answer.” Now they have the Magic 8 Ball online. Back in the day, we could ask it questions such as “Does he/she like me?” or “Will I grow up to be a millionaire or professional athlete?” And it gave answers like, “Without a Doubt” and “Outlook Good” and “Don’t Count on it.”

Well, that was fun when we were younger. But somewhere along the way, the questions and the answers get much more complicated for us and the Magic 8 Ball.

Questions like why are young women and children left widowed and orphaned? Why do children have tumors and cancers? Why can we only watch helplessly as people we love make destructive choices for their lives? Why are some young people sexually abused? Why are long-time hard workers laid off? What can we do about children dying of hunger? Why do marriages fall apart? Why do friends betray each other? And many other questions that leave us stunned, discouraged and without answers.

So many times, I have wanted to find and/or give answers – as a friend and a pastor. But I didn’t have them. Sometimes all you can do listen – and that is hard!

And of course we are talking about answers from God. You and I have sat in silence waiting for answers for a lot of things. And many, if not most times, the answers do not come. WHY?

Let’s settle one thing first. It’s not that God doesn’t care or is mute. He does care and He does speak through the Bible and the Holy Spirit. But they can be hard to hear and it takes practice. But also, God’s ways are not our ways, and God’s thoughts are higher and great than ours can ever be. In other words, God is macro and micro at the same time – caring for us as individuals but also implementing a global plan of restoration and salvation at the same time.

Even with that in mind, there is a part of us that still wants, even perhaps demands answers. But let me ask you this. And this is just my thinking. Even if we had answers – the answers – that explained terrible events and behaviors from God himself – would it satisfy us? I have thought about it and I think in most cases it might temporarily help ease suffering and pain – it may even give some relief. But information or answers themselves do not have the power to transform something terrible into something good – something hurtful into something healed. I think we would hear the “answers” and kind of shrug our shoulders and move on – nothing really resolved.

I think we are hoping from God and others – for something more than information.

Fortunately, God does not leave us hanging…

It turns out, there is something, from God, that can transform even the worst situations, events and times into something good, something wonderful even…

It’s called…a promise. Only a promise can go beyond wisdom, and information, and answers and deliver us to a healthier, life-giving, life-saving, healing place. And I want to share four basic promises that aren’t just on paper or in the sky, but are real and are just waiting for us to embrace them to be actualized.

First, there is the promise of fellowship. Through baptism, Christians promise to be brothers and sisters in Christ – founded on the Holy Spirit – beyond friendship and acquaintance – a faith family. That when healthy and Christ-centered can be the closest thing to Heaven on earth – strength, peace, healing, encouragement, forgiveness  – orphans have parents, widows have companions, the hungry are fed, dying people are not alone, hurting people are surrounded, and much more. When people become members of churches they vow and promise to make for unity, purity and peace – and when it works – it is one the most beautiful things to witness – because it is Christ alive in and through us.

Second, there is the promise of comfort and God’s presence. Before Jesus ascended to Heaven, He promised to always be with us – even to the end of time. And through the Holy Spirit and one another – He is always with us. “…the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God (2 Corinthians 1:4).” It’s this beautiful portrait of a wellspring and an oasis in this desert of anonymity and suffering. As we suffer, God comforts us and then opens doors for us to share this wonderful gift with others and so on, and so on, and so on. The secular equivalent is the “Pay It Forward” idea. But this is better – because this is more than being good or nice – this is taking the comforting presence of God and God’s Word and sharing it through our brokenness and compassion to others – with God’s choreography. “Cause there’s nothing more beautiful to God, when his sons and daughters come – broken,” sings Mark Schultz, meaning when we come to Him in need – God fills us with comfort and that comfort overflows by design to others.

Third, there is the promise that this life, this fleshly existence is temporary. “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed daily…for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal…we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have an eternal building in Heaven made by God…(2 Corinthians 4:16-5:1).” Take that cancer! Take that ALS! Take that heart disease! Take that addictions! In fact, take that death! None of these have the last word in our lives thanks be to God! As much work as there is to be done, as hard as it is, we have to remember the promise that our time here on earth is very short compared to eternal life with God. “This is my temporary home, it’s not where we belong. Windows and rooms that we’re passin’ through. This is just a stop on the way to where we’re going. I’m not afraid because I know this is our temporary home,” sings Carrie Underwood.

Fourth and most importantly, we have the promise of salvation through Jesus Christ. By calling on the name of Jesus, by asking Him into our hearts as Lord and Savior and seeking to follow Him, we have the promise of all promises – to live abundantly here on earth and to live eternally in Heaven. And this is a promise that nothing, absolutely nothing in this world can minimize, take away, destroy, or get in the way of. It’s sealed in the precious blood of Jesus himself, made visible by the waters of baptism and by the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And, nothing disqualifies you from embracing this promise today – no amount of sins or time or distance from God – as long as you have breath – and you can utter the words, “Jesus, I give my heart, my life to you, only you can forgive all my sins and deliver me from death; from now on I seek to follow you first in my life” and this promise and the others are yours – forever.

Beloved ones, I know that many of you are asking those and other questions today. Real, painful questions that you have been wrestling with for so long – without answers. Let’s stop shaking the Magic 8 Ball furiously until it gives us the answer we want! And I just want to encourage you today, to let go of finding and seeking “the answer” or answers. I know about this – I have spent a lot of time asking for answers too – for a lot of things (well intentioned) – and I have usually found myself in dead ends. I have even heard God gently and lovingly say, “Let me take care of this.” And there have been too many times where I didn’t listen. But…But when I have exchanged my search and demand for answers for remembering and embracing these promises – that’s when I have healed and moved on and seen God working new things in my life. Let God be God, and let us be His people to whom He has promised wonderful things through good times and even in the midst of suffering, trouble and sorrow. We may never have or find answers in this life – but we do have God’s promises – promises that can’t be diminished.

I pray that you receive these promises as your own today – welcome, embrace, and cling to them.

 

 

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf

Isaiah 42:7

cbrianwolf@gmail.com

www.christopherbwolf.com

 

Christopher B. Wolf is the author of Giving Faith a Second Chance: Restarts, Mulligans and Do-Overs (2007) and the forthcoming, With You: Every Step of the Way (2011).

“It is a matter of sharing and bearing the pain and puzzlement of the world so that the crucified love of God in Christ may be brought to bear healingly upon the world at exactly that point.” N.T. Wright

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For You – From God

It loves you and accepts you – knowing (or not knowing) what you have done or where you have been – it loves and accepts you just as you are.

There is nothing you can do or have done or will do to make it turn away from you.

It has no limits.

There is always a second chance waiting.

It waits patiently with open arms.

It smiles and says, “You don’t have to be perfect for me. Please stop striving for perfection or some other ideal.”

It gently reminds you, “You don’t have to prove anything to me.”

If you embrace it, it will transform, heal and restore you.

This is God’s grace for you.

+++++++++++

It’s limitless and everlasting.

It’s unconditional.

It’s based on my heart, not your actions.

It will never leave you – as far away as you run – it will still be there.

It wants to wipe away your tears, if you’ll let it.

It is patient and kind and bears all things.

It will move you to pray and care for even your worst enemies.

It is sacrificial – it is for you at the cost of me – and that is okay.

It flows from the one who is Love – God.

If you open your heart and receive it, it will transform, heal and free you.

This is God’s love for you.

+++++++++++

When you have given up, it still believes.

When you are being swallowed by despair, it holds on to you tight!

It is the light in the deepest darkness.

It never sleeps or slumbers.

It is founded on endurance and character.

It transforms the impossible into possible.

It gives you a reason to believe even when all evidence is to the contrary.

If you hold it, it will bring you through anything in this world.

This is God’s hope for you.

++++++++++++

It makes you still and know God.

It surpasses all understanding.

It is better than anything else in this world that you seek to find comfort in or through.

It is a refuge in a storm.

It will make you stay still when you want to run.

It will whisper to you and settle you when all you can hear is noise and static.

It will give you rest when you are weary.

It will fall like a gentle rain and quench the fires of panic and anxiety in your soul.

It cannot be made, imitated, or put on.

If you know it, it will make you as solid as a rock that nothing in this world can break or tear down.

This God’s peace for you.

++++++++++++

It doesn’t change with circumstances.

It’s a constant flame – fueled by gratitude and appreciation for what has been done for you.

It’s better and bigger and deeper and truer than happiness.

It’s a constant trust in God’s goodness.

It gives you reason to celebrate even when all is lost.

It has its eye on the eternal.

It gives you unlimited strength.

It’s visible evidence of a life with God’s hand upon it.

It is a great encouragement to others.

If you have it, your need for things in this world will disappear.

This is God’s joy for you.

++++++++++++

My arms are wide open to embrace you with my all-forgiving, all-encompassing grace.

I have loved you with an everlasting love – it’s why I went to the cross.

I never leave you, and I have a plan for you – a plan of future and hope; after all, I am alive even though I died!

I want to hold you until you stop trying to run away and you know the beauty and stillness of my peace.

I don’t want you to just be happy – I want you to have my joy and for it to be complete in you.

All of these – grace, love, hope, peace and joy are all for you – from me.

This is God’s Son Jesus, who was, is and will be always – for you.

Amen.

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf

Isaiah 42:7

cbrianwolf@gmail.com

www.christopherbwolf.com

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf is the author of Giving Faith a Second Chance: Restarts, Mulligans and Do-Overs (2007) and the forthcoming, With You: Every Step of the Way (2011).

“It is a matter of sharing and bearing the pain and puzzlement of the world so that the crucified love of God in Christ may be brought to bear healingly upon the world at exactly that point.” N.T. Wright

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