Post-Easter Expectations

One of our church staff's conversations in preparation for Easter is that Easter (for us) is another Sunday. We celebrate the same truths on Resurrection Sunday that we do every Sunday. We open God’s Word, sing God’s Word, pray God’s Word, read God’s Word, apply God’s Word, and live in light of God’s Word on Resurrection Sunday like we do - hopefully - every Sunday. But certainly, we can feel the pressure of trying to cultivate greater meaning or intentionality into this one day - for those who call our churches home, and for those who may walk through the doors for the first time.

Hear me, Easter is not unimportant. The whole purpose of the incarnation, the whole purpose of the season of Advent and Christmas is to lead us to this moment - celebrating the resurrection. The resurrection is of eternal importance.

But often as worship leaders, we can believe that it is our efforts - song choice, skill in leading, our team’s ability to execute with excellence, unique articulation of truth, and creative and artistic prowess - that makes the day special and set apart.

Here is the good news: you are not that powerful. We are not so powerful that our skill and ability - or lack thereof - can make or break the truths we celebrate on Easter or every week. That means whether you sit on this side of Resurrection Sunday feeling the swell of pride in a flawless set list, or the drop of disappointment that what you executed did not live up to the vision in your head and heart, neither reality is the truest thing about you, about the team, about the church, and the resurrection. We bless God for flawlessly executed set lists knowing that was his kindness. And we bless God for unrealized visions knowing that this too is his kindness.

And we lay down what we have been carrying, and serve faithfully into the next Sunday and beyond.

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August 3: Tuesday Refocus

‘If you know you are Beloved of God, you can live with an enormous amount of success and an enormous amount of failure without losing your identity, because your identity is that you are the Beloved.’ - Henri Nouwen

What is true for every follower of Christ, regardless of how visible or overlooked, how successful or forgotten:

You were dead, Christ has made you alive (Eph 2:5)

You are a new creation (2 Cor 5:17)

God has canceled the record of debt standing against us (Col 2:14).

You have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His marvelous light (Col 1:13).

God is for you (Rom 8:31).

You have peace with God (Rom 5:1).

You are sealed by the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13).

Christ has taken the punishment and death we rightfully deserve (Rom 6:23).

You have been set free, for freedom (Gal 5:1).

You are a child of God (1 Jn 3:1).

God has not left you as an orphan, He has come to you (Jn 14:18).

You are adopted into the family of God (Eph 1:5)

God is your father and Christ is your brother (1 Cor 8:6).

You are a coheir with Christ (Rom 8:17).

Nothing can separate you from the love of God (Rom 8:31).

Nothing can snatch you from His hand (Jn 10:28).

You are forgiven (Ex 34:6-7).

You are justified (Rom 5:1).

Christ has made you His own (Phil 3:12).

God has prepared good works for you to walk in (Eph 2:10).

God has never forsaken you (Heb 13:5).

You have been bought by a price (1 Cor 6:20).

Your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev 21:27).

All this and more.  In and through and because of Christ.  Hallelujah.

Lord, let me live like it is true, amen and amen.

Amen,

AB

August 27: Tuesday Refocus

‘…whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked.’ – 1 John 2:6

When we walk in His way, we follow a path of radical obedience.  We share in His sufferings as the One who was despised and rejected (1 Pet 4:13, Is 53:3).  This path is self-giving service to others, and surrender to God.  It claims all our heart, soul, mind and strength.  When we abide in Him, He may slay us, but we can still say ‘not my will, but Yours be done.’ (Job 13:15, Lk 22:42)

In the path of Your judgements, O LORD, we wait for You; Your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul. In Christ name, Amen.

Walking,

AB

May 28: Tuesday Refocus

‘Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands…’ Ps 149:6

Worship prepares us for battle.  Not a physical battle – against flesh and blood – but a battle against rulers, authorities, cosmic powers, and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Eph 6:12). 

This is a battle already won: ‘He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him.’ Col 2:15

Although final victory is already secured in Christ, we battle to strengthen our brothers, we battle against the accuser of our souls, we battle to keep our eyes fixed on the Author and Finisher of our faith (Lk 22:32, Rev 12:10, Heb 12:2).

We are strengthened for this battle in our inner being by the power of His Spirit, according to the riches of His glory (Eph 3:16).  And into this battle we cling to the sword of the Spirit – the Word of God (Eph 6:17), living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb 4:12).

With sword in hand, we sing: ‘Worthy are You to take the scroll and to open its seals, for You were slain, and by Your blood You ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation (Rev 5:9).’  

Jesus, You are our conquering King, hallelujah!The victory is Yours – and because our lives are hidden in You – the victory is ours as well.Forgive us for not worshiping You as Victor. Forgive us for charging into battle with opinions rather than the Sword of the Spirit. Let Your praise fill our throats, and Your truth fill our hands. Amen.

Hallelujah,

AB

May 14: Tuesday Refocus

‘The things that we love tell us what we are.’ – Thomas Aquinas

Lord, we confess that our affections are divided. 

We are lukewarm and half-hearted, easily pleased and quickly bored. 

We have sought life, acceptance, value, and worth in dust-formed creation returning to dust.

We have exchanged the truth for a lie.

The eyes of our enemy roam the earth looking to devour,

our eyes roam the earth looking to be devoured.

Our enemy crouches at the door that we barge through.

We have seen, tasted, tried and tested and found all things meaningless…

But for the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ our Lord.

You have loved us with an everlasting love. 

Nothing can separate us from You. 

Nothing can snatch us from Your hand. 

You hold our lot, and You are our keeper. 

You satisfy our souls with Yourself.

Enable us by the power of Your Spirit to look to You and live. 

To behold and become. 

To be conformed and transformed in worshipful response to the work of the Son. 

For Your glory and our good.

Amen.

April 30: Tuesday Refocus

‘And He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind…”’ Luke 10:27

What is the greatest commandment?  To love God with all that we are.

 Too often we find ourselves tossed like children on the waves of doctrine, human cunning, craftiness and deceitful schemes (Eph 4:14).  We are quick to exchange truth for a lie, worshiping creature rather than Creator (Rom 1:25).

 And because this is the natural proclivity of the human heart, we arrive on Sunday morning acutely aware of the distance between the greatest commandment and our personal reality.  We arrive with the whispers of flesh and culture telling us to leave our divided affections at the door: ‘just pretend,’ they say.  But denying our divided hearts only causes further division.

 So what do we do with these divided hearts and lives?

 We offer them as an act of worship (Rom 12:1).  We offer our whole heart, whole soul, whole strength, whole mind, the good and bad, divisions and fragmentation – we offer them all on the altar of worship.  And we join the psalmist in saying ‘…unite my heart to fear Your name.’ (Ps 86:11)

30 January: Tuesday Refocus

‘The greatest sign of pride isn’t the presence of boasting, it’s a lack of prayer.’ – BJ Thompson

Ouch.

We can wax lyrical about being humble servant leaders, but if we don’t come away from the crowd for communion with our Father (Lk 5:16), if our lives are not filled with unceasing prayers (1 Thess 5:16-18) of dependence, humility is merely aspiration.  And if our songs are really prayers, sung in faith and belief – they must be desperate echoes of a father, ‘I believe! Help my unbelief!’ (Mk 9:14)

Pray like you believe. 

Pray because you believe. 

Pray because you need to believe.

To prayer,

AB

9 January: Tuesday Refocus

‘We need to reorient our hiding places today. We have attempted to hide from God, but by the cross, He declares that we have been hidden with Christ in God! We can still hide, but today we hide in God rather than from Him.’ – Jennie Shut
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I am praying that the truth of God’s Word, who He is and what He has done, and who we are because of Him become anchors for your 2018 and beyond.

I am praying the excitement and joy of the New Year, our greatest treasure our deepest joy is found in the person and work of Christ.

I am praying in our deepest sorrow, struggle, and sin, we fight against the automatic response of isolation in an attempt to put distance between us and God, us and God’s people, and instead run to the Strong Tower that is our lives hidden with Christ in God. Finding God's care and provision toward us in and through His people - the family of God [Pr 18:10, Col 3:3, Ps 68:6].

I am praying that this year, our hearts are soft and attentive to the voice of the Holy Spirit… As He leads us in all truth – Jesus, who stands before the Father as our advocate – the Father who has set His affections on us before the foundations of the world, the One that allows us to stand in His presence because of the perfect and complete work of Christ, who’s Spirit allows us to cry ‘Abba Father!’ [Jn 16:13, 1 Jn 2:1, Deut 10:15, 2 Cor 5:21, Rom 8:15, Gal 4:6].

In subtle and significant ways 2018 will try and convince you otherwise, but ‘This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. For the LORD of hosts has purposed, who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?’ [Is 14:26-27]

I am praying for you, for me, for our leading and serving, and our people that Truth will be the anchor of our souls [Heb 6:19].

Be anchored in what is true. Lead others who are anchorless to the Rock who is higher [Ps 62:2].

Be anchored,
AB

10 October: Tuesday Refocus

‘All truth, no grace… we dry up. 

All grace, no truth… we blow up. 

Truth and grace… we grow up.’ – Scotty Smith

This is my prayer for each of us, that grace and truth will be inseparable in our lives.  And this marriage will be reflected in our demeanor and attitude, in our posture of serving, and in our words, actions and thoughts towards our families, friends, and the family of God. Oh, that Truth would pierce our hearts with floods of grace!  Would you pray that with me this week?

AB