January 2012 Archives
Continuing the Celebration
Dear Church Family,
We had a wonderful worship service last Sunday, which included a conversation I had with Jesse Jackson, a long-time member of NCPC. Jesse spoke of his experience growing up in the rural south, his time in the Army, and his master’s thesis on the Buffalo Soldiers. The point of our conversation was to share an example of how to “speak up for those who can’t.” We saw from Isaiah 1 that taking care of those who are vulnerable and disenfranchised is very important to God. And Jesse’s story moved all of us who were there. If you weren’t able to make it, I encourage you to listen online at http://www.ncpcfamily.org/services/sunday/sermons/3375-seeking-justice. My conversation with Jesse begins approximately 15 minutes into the sermon.
As it turns out, we’re going to continue that theme this Sunday as well. For several years now we have been partnering with the Kid’s Kingdom orphanage in Ensenada, as well as more recently with Greater Victory Church in Logan Heights. So on Sunday, we’re going to celebrate what God has been doing through our partnership with these two ministries, especially over the past few months. Pastor Williams from Greater Victory Church will be with us, and we’ll have an exciting report on recent developments at the Orphanage, along with pictures from our trip there during the Christmas season. I’m anticipating another very meaningful service.
And then you won’t want to miss the following Sunday either! On January 29th, we’re going to have a Family Celebration Service, and we’ll highlight the ways in which our children’s ministry has been reaching out to serve others all over the world. We’ll also have the opportunity to hear some of our students share what God taught them during their Winter Retreat last weekend in Big Bear. Exciting stuff!
I thank all of you for the ways you have opened your hearts to allow the love of God to flow through NCPC to our community and world. And I’m looking forward to the even greater ways God will work through NCPC in the year ahead!
Blessings,
Doug
So Ordinary
Dear Church Family,
It seemed so ordinary. A few nights earlier Lois and I had enjoyed ribs at a restaurant on Beale Street, the center of night-life in downtown Memphis. After dinner we strolled the street with friends, keeping count of the number of Elvis impersonators we encountered and enjoying the sounds of live jazz music that seemed to stream from the doorways of every establishment.
We were enjoying our week in this city that we had only driven through in the past. One of the quaint charms of downtown Memphis is the cable car line that travels down Main Street before looping around and following the banks of the Mississippi River. Later in the week we were riding in one of the wooden cars when I looked to my left and saw something that looked strangely familiar. It was only a block away in space, but it felt like it was light years away in time. Then I suddenly realized what it was: the Lorraine Motel.
The front of the motel has been preserved in its original state, right down to the 1959 Dodge Royal and 1968 Cadillac parked below room 306. It was on the balcony outside that room that Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot on April 4, 1968.
No wonder it looked familiar. I immediately recalled the picture of King’s aides standing over King’s body on that balcony, all pointing to the origin of the gunshot. The image was seared in my mind, in much the same way as the scenes from Dealey Plaza in Dallas, where President Kennedy was killed in 1963.
But that day in Memphis I felt something odd. It was the same feeling I had when I first visited Dealey Plaza. In my mind, these places were larger than life. Balconies, grassy knolls, sixth floors of book depositories…they are all monumental sites of epic historical events. So I expected to feel awed, not odd.
Finally, I put my finger on it. It felt odd because the motel—just like the grassy knoll—seemed so ordinary. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized how fitting it was that I should feel that way. Because this motel was not simply the scene of an historic crime. More significantly, it had become a symbol of the hatred that leads to crime. And it struck me that this sort of hatred is, sadly, so very ordinary.
As we commemorate Martin Luther King Day this weekend, I would challenge each of you to think through the ways in which we unthinkingly tolerate, and perhaps even perpetuate, discrimination. King’s battle was against racism, which despite significant advances, still rears its ugly head in our society today. But there are other forms of prejudice as well. We can be guilty of socio-economic, cultural, sexual, age, religious, and political discrimination. Obviously, the list could go on and on. What are the all-too-ordinary ways we perceive life that God would want us to change? That’s the question for us, because each one of those expressions of hatred breaks the heart of God.
And that’s why I am really looking forward to tomorrow morning. A couple of years ago, Lois and I had lunch with a member of NCPC who shared his life’s story with us and we were deeply moved. At the time I thought it was a story that the whole church should hear. And tomorrow is the day. It’s a story about discrimination, but it’s also a story about redemption, and how we can make a difference in our world. I hope you’ll be there to hear it.
Blessings,
Doug
New Year's Resolutions
Dear Church Family,
So how are those New Year’s resolutions working out? It’s only been six days, but I’m guessing you’ve already thrown in the towel on some of them. So why do we put ourselves through this year after year? What makes us feel the urge to change anyway?
Well, there are all sorts of good reasons to want to change. But if you’re like me, there are other reasons that aren’t so noble.
Sometimes we lose sight of all of our blessings and we resolve to simply add things to our lives that we don’t already have. That’s called ingratitude.
Other times we are ashamed or frustrated with where we are in life, and without any thought of God’s plan and providence, we resolve to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and make sweeping changes. That’s called pride.
And then more often than not, we choose resolutions primarily because they will improve the quality of our lives. There’s nothing wrong with that in and of itself, but when we undertake these sorts of resolutions without thought to how they will impact others around us, that’s called insensitivity.
So as I realized each of these three tendencies in my own life, I decided to simplify my resolutions this year. I’m praying for grace to be more thankful to God, more truthful to myself and more thoughtful to others. Being more thankful to God will enable me to be more content. Being more truthful to myself will enable me to own up to my weaknesses and seek God’s strength. And being more thoughtful to others will enable me to take my eyes off myself.
Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? But guess what? I’ve already broken these three simple resolutions hundreds of times in dozens of ways, and it’s only January 6th. And so I need one more resolution: that I will learn to rest more deeply in the righteousness of Christ. He is always thankful, always truthful and always thoughtful. And it’s His righteousness that is my only hope. Not just on January 1st, but on the 6th, 7th and 8th as well.
Blessings,
Doug Swagerty
P.S. We’re going to spend the month of January celebrating the ways that God has recently blessed us, changed us and used us. The services will be full of testimonies from people in our church family as well as our ministry partners. I hope to see you this week as we begin the celebration!
Now for a word from our Pastor
Musings and advice from our Pastor.