The Twelve

At the end of the Old Testament are twelve relatively short books that pack a punch. Sometimes called the Minor Prophets, these books are both harsh and hopeful. 
 
Harsh because these twelve folks spoke up when they saw something wrong. And often what they saw made them mad. Called prophets, their main job was not, as many believe, to predict the future. Sometimes they did, and when their predictions came true it made people pay attention. But that was not their main job. Instead, their primary role was to speak to the people on God’s behalf. And speak they did; against the people’s idolatry, unrighteousness and injustice.
 
All this doom and gloom made them appear cranky. But what many don’t know is that they had a surprisingly hopeful vision of what is possible; the life we all want to live if we could only see it. 
 
During a period of just under 400 years, they told the people to repent, change their ways, and receive God’s mercy and forgiveness. But the people refused. 
 
It must have been tempting to give up, but the prophets kept speaking up. The tragedy is, that for all their powerful rhetoric, the prophets were ignored, even shunned. That is until their warnings came true. While the cranky side of the prophets’ message gets much of the attention, it was the hope they pointed to that led people to preserve their important message. And that’s why we still have these books today. 
 
During the months of July and August, we’ll be looking at five of these prophets. We’ll spend a week each on four – Habakkuk, Haggai, Joel, and Micah. Then in August, we’ll take an in-depth look at the surprisingly up-to-date perspective of a man named Amos. Whether in person or online, join us in the weeks to come as we look to these wise mentors to challenge and encourage us with an ancient message still relevant today. John Sommerville – Senior Pastor

A Faith That Works (When Life Doesn't)

We don’t choose our circumstances, but we do choose how we respond. In the last few weeks our lives have changed in ways few could have imagined. It’s hard to make sense of all that’s happened. We’ve been left anxious and afraid. Disappointed and sad. Isolated and alone. It would be easy to despair.

But faith needs to work in bad times as well as good. That’s why we’re all looking for answers. How can we make sense of what’s happening? Where can we find hope for the future? And is it even possible for good to come from all this bad news?

St. Paul did not live an easy life (2 Cor. 11:24-31). Among other hardships, on more than one occasion he was arrested and put in prison. Experts tell us he spent as long as five and a half years in custody. Paul never called his hardships good, but he also didn’t find them meaningless.

Paul had a vision for life that was robust enough to find meaning even in suffering. On multiple occasions he pointed out how God was often at his creative best in bringing good out of very trying circumstances. But he did more than simply promise, “you’ll get through this.” In fact, he said, “you’ll do more than get through this; you’ll grow through this.” His was a faith that works. A faith that helps us navigate our way through whatever comes our way.

Paul learned from his suffering. His struggles clarified his understanding of and confidence in God. He grew to be a stronger and better person from his hardships. And he found purpose in life that motivated him to work hard at the things God gave him to do. In the end he found a contentment and joy that transcended circumstances.

AskAmy

Amy searches for answers to some of our practical questions.

A Faith That Works (When Life Doesn't)

We don’t choose our circumstances, but we do choose how we respond. In the last few weeks our lives have changed in ways few could have imagined. It’s hard to make sense of all that’s happened. We’ve been left anxious and afraid. Disappointed and sad. Isolated and alone. It would be easy to despair.

But faith needs to work in bad times as well as good. That’s why we’re all looking for answers. How can we make sense of what’s happening? Where can we find hope for the future? And is it even possible for good to come from all this bad news?

St. Paul did not live an easy life (2 Cor. 11:24-31). Among other hardships, on more than one occasion he was arrested and put in prison. Experts tell us he spent as long as five and a half years in custody. Paul never called his hardships good, but he also didn’t find them meaningless.

Paul had a vision for life that was robust enough to find meaning even in suffering. On multiple occasions he pointed out how God was often at his creative best in bringing good out of very trying circumstances. But he did more than simply promise, “you’ll get through this.” In fact, he said, “you’ll do more than get through this; you’ll grow through this.” His was a faith that works. A faith that helps us navigate our way through whatever comes our way.

Paul learned from his suffering. His struggles clarified his understanding of and confidence in God. He grew to be a stronger and better person from his hardships. And he found purpose in life that motivated him to work hard at the things God gave him to do. In the end he found a contentment and joy that transcended circumstances.

Crucial Conversations

What did Jesus actually do? Seriously. How did he spend most of his time during the years he spent here on earth? Giving TED talks? Healing people? Telling stories, like the parables he’s so famous for? The answer? None of the above. You see, Jesus spent most of his time in conversation; conversations with people about life and faith. He spoke with the rich and famous, the poor and overlooked; with women and men, young and old, the educated and illiterate. He even had a conversation with the devil. Some of these conversations are familiar, others, not so much. 
 
During Lent, the six-week period of preparation for Easter, we’ll be looking at nine of these conversations. Our goal is to imagine what it would have been like to listen in as the conversation unfolded. If we put ourselves in the shoes of the person Jesus was talking with, we can allow the full impact of Jesus’ perceptive questions, compassionate words and insightful wisdom to speak powerfully into our current circumstances. So join us from now until Easter Sunday as we learn what we can from these crucial conversations.

Practice Not Perfect

"Practice makes perfect!"  Most of us at one time or another have had heard this phrase hurled at us, often in response to our own resistance to practicing. Whether it was a sport, a musical instrument, or a performance, we have been told the more we practice, the more successful we will be in whatever we are pursuing. And there’s of course truth to that idea. The regular exercise of an activity or skill is the way to become proficient in it. Ethicists call it habituation. Athletes call it muscle memory. Popular culture calls it second nature. Journalist Malcolm Gladwell quantified it in his 2012 book 10,000 hours: You Become What You Practice. 

And this is true in our spiritual lives, too. God has given us both as individual followers of Jesus and as people gathered in one community - the church - specific practices we can participate in to help us become more like Jesus. God uses these practices to change us so that we can live more effectively into the reality of His kingdom and can fulfill His purpose for us: helping people find and then follow Jesus. There are numerous practices we join in as a church, but during the month of January, we will look at just four, as prioritized by the Apostle Paul, to one early church in Corinth: the practices of serving, loving, worshiping and giving. 
 
But instead of Practice Makes Perfect; we’re going with Practice Not Perfect! Because while these practices are essential for us pointing people to God in Minneapolis, we will never get this completely right this side of heaven.  Sometimes the fear of not doing something perfectly hinders us from even trying! But the reality is that unless we start somewhere, we will never grow. In order to learn to walk, we must first walk badly. In order to learn to tie our shoes, we’ve got to try it and fail. It’s a learning process. And in order to practice what God intends for us as a church, we’ve got to start by doing it imperfectly.  

But in this case, it’s not as if we will ultimately do it perfectly. Churches are made of human beings, and human beings aren’t perfect. The beautiful truth is that as we practice serving, loving, worshiping, and giving, we will see Christ’s Church built up - and others will be drawn into the life He offers - even though we practice it imperfectly.

I’m looking forward to practicing these behaviors with you, City Church!  Look for special opportunities to get more connected and to start practicing immediately after each service all four weeks in January in our Practice Room (The Commons). Only imperfect people allowed. :)

Amy Rowell - City Church Community Life Pastor

The Cast of Christmas