Banquet with Strangers
Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”
Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, “What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!”
Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
“The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come so that the house will be full.’“
-Luke 14:12-23, NLT
Being from the South, I was taught from a young age how to throw a proper party. My grandmother instilled in me and my mother the importance of a well-decorated table, coordinated foods, and good hostess practices. Could you imagine how you would feel though if you went through all the work to prepare a top notch party, then all of your friends and family didn't show up? What if they all sent one excuse or another for their absences?
That's exactly what happened in the parable that Jesus tells in Luke 14. The point of the story isn't that we shouldn't get discouraged when the perfect party doesn't go well. The point of the story is that we should be seeking a different group of people to invite.
The host in the story goes into the streets and finds people to fill his home, so his perfect party isn't wasted. His table is filled with strangers.
Jesus wants us to understand the importance of seeking out people who are not expecting us to be kind to them. Individuals who have nothing to give in return. The reward we are receiving is not on this earth, but in heaven, knowing that we are doing God's will. This is the next step for us if we are going to become a Great Commission church.
Blessings,
Faith
PRAYER FOR THE SERIES
God, reignite my heart to have a passion for you. Give me eyes to see other people as you see them so that I can love them with my whole heart. Teach me how to be a living example of the hope of Jesus Christ. Give me the courage to shine for Jesus Christ in everything that I do so that I can help bring others into relationship with Christ. Give me a heart for my community. Through your strength, make me into a Great Commission Christian so we can become a Great Commission church.
Faith Parry serves as our Associate Pastor, and has been at the church since 2015. When she's not preaching and teaching, she enjoys documentaries and TV. Read more about Faith here.
Our Week in Ecuador - July 2016
The inevitable question after you get back from a mission trip is “What did you do down there?” Depending on who you ask, you might get a one word response like “stuff,” or you might be occupied for the next ten hours hearing every little detail of the flora and fauna before they even touch on what really happened. So to get the obvious stuff out of the way:
- Yes, we had beds.
- No, there were not millions of Zika virus mosquitos.
- The food was great!
- No, we didn’t eat guinea pigs (although that was almost an option)
- The people were friendly - they don’t speak English and most of us didn’t speak a lot of Spanish but we communicated anyway.
- The weather was not freakishly hot, but rather a cool 70 degrees most of the time.
So now that we have those things out of the way, here’s what we really did. Our first day in Ecuador we visited a church in Santo Domingo. For most of us it was just another church, and if you were to visit there you probably wouldn’t think much about it either.
The rest of the week was divided between two main tasks. The first task was relatively simple: remove a thatch roof and prepare it for a new metal roof. We spent the mornings throwing the old roof into a fire armfuls at a time, sanding and painting steel beams, and trying to move three levels of scaffolding around.
The second task was a Vacation Bible School, or VBS. The really cool part about the VBS was that it was the exact same one our children here in Navarre have been doing all summer. We were able to take the same stories, same crafts and skits, and tweak them just a bit to make them work in a culture that is completely different from ours. The kids (and their parents) absolutely loved it and were so proud of what they did.
And that’s basically it. We didn’t do anything grand or super adventurous. We didn’t go and build a new church all by ourselves or convert an entire village. We simply joined alongside people who have been working in that area for many years. Which brings me back to the church from our first day.
While we were sitting in the service they brought out a block: the first block that our church had helped lay a decade ago. They talked about how Navarre had been a critical part of the church being built - one of our team members had even helped build the columns on the first floor on a previous visit. At the end of the service nearly 100 kids came racing down the stairs from what is now the children’s ministry area on the second floor. And the team right before us had been working on the third floor youth area. The longer we stayed and talked to the pastor and heard stories, we started to realize that we are now part of a larger story. We didn’t do anything spectacular by being there for a week. We weren’t the white saviors coming with lots of knowledge and money. We encouraged, we supported, we did what we were asked to do by the locals. And the reason it was so important that we did it that way is because now that we’re back in the States, Pastor Isaac is still working on the roof and he’s still doing ministry with the kids. They continue to be ministered to and receive love and encouragement. In 20 years, the roof we were a part of replacing will probably still be there, but if that’s what we are proud of then we missed the point. If there happens to be even one kid from the VBS who grows up and becomes a leader in the church, that’s something worth giving God the glory for.
But for those that still want to know what we did, here's a video that will give you an idea of what we did.
Blessings!
-Nathan
Nathan Persell serves as our Youth Director. When he's not leading devotions and playing basketball with teenagers, he enjoys disc golf and bike riding. Learn more about Nathan here.
Change is a Good Thing
Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.
-1 Peter 2:2-3, NLT
Have you ever noticed how some people seem to seek out change and other people don't? At our house in Kentucky, AJ used to rearrange our living room and bedroom furniture almost everytime we did a seasonal clean.
He was always looking for new ways to make the room more functional. Granted, it was a long and skinny room, which made it difficult. But at least once a year, we seemed to rearrange the furniture again. That became less when we mounted our TV on the wall because then we couldn't move the TV anymore.
Every time we changed it, though, it took me about a week to get used to walking in and not being shocked by the arrangement. I suppose the time period of adjustment is why many people leave everything the same in their house for 10+ years without any modifications.
If we are not careful, we can start avoiding change like it's the plague. But in reality, change is a part of growing, and growing is what scripture calls us to do. Our scripture passage this week talks about how we all mature spiritually as Christians. That growth never stops. No matter how old you are in calendar years, you should always be growing closer to God, and that means change.
When was the last time God caused a major change in your life? How did you respond to it?
Blessings,
Faith
PRAYER FOR THE SERIES
God, reignite my heart to have a passion for you. Give me eyes to see other people as you see them so that I can love them with my whole heart. Teach me how to be a living example of the hope of Jesus Christ. Give me the courage to shine for Jesus Christ in everything that I do so that I can help bring others into relationship with Christ. Give me a heart for my community. Through your strength, make me into a Great Commission Christian so we can become a Great Commission church.
CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEK'S FAITH NOTES.
Faith Parry serves as our Associate Pastor, and has been at the church since 2015. When she's not preaching and teaching, she enjoys documentaries and TV. Read more about Faith here.
We Must Come Down From the Mountain
Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. Peter exclaimed, “Lord, it’s wonderful for us to be here! If you want, I’ll make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
-Matthew 12:1-4, NLT
This Sunday, we will be starting a new sermon series called We Can’t Stay Here. I’m so excited about this series because it's a topic that's near to my heart. When I decided to go into ordained ministry, I chose that path of ministry because I wanted to inspire congregations to change the world around them. I wanted to help develop leaders and help people grow in their faith. That is what this series is all about.
This week, we will be looking at Matthew 12:1-4. Peter, in his usual, bold style, gets all excited when Jesus meets with Moses and Elijah. He’s on a "spiritual high," you might say, as he watches his teacher have a conversation with the heroes of his people. For me, it would be like watching Jesus, John Wesley, and Martin Luther having a theological discussion over dinner. I would have pulled up a seat and listened forever. Peter felt the same way.
The problem with that? Peter just didn’t understand though what his purpose was. Peter was going to be the foundation of the Church. We are all Christians today because of the work that Peter did. Just think of where we would be if Peter never left the Mountaintop. What would have happened to him if Jesus allowed him to build his shelters, or tabernacles, as he wanted? He could have stayed on that mountain and worshiped God for the rest of his life. But what would have happened to all of the people that he touched during his ministry?
I've written a prayer for our congregation to use during this series. You can find it at the bottom of the page. It's my hope that you can use this prayer during your personal quiet time this month, to help you focus in on your role in the future of our church. Hope to see you Sunday!
Blessings!
-Faith
Prayer for the Series
God, reignite my heart to have a passion for you. Give me eyes to see other people as you see them so that I can love them with my whole heart. Teach me how to be a living example of the hope of Jesus Christ. Give me the courage to shine for Jesus Christ in everything that I do so that I can help bring others into relationship with Christ. Give me a heart for my community. Through your strength, make me into a Great Commission Christian so we can become a Great Commission church.
Click Here for This Week's Faith Notes.
Faith Parry serves as our Associate Pastor, and has been at the church since 2015. When she's not preaching and teaching, she enjoys documentaries and TV. Read more about Faith here.
Baby Steps: Beginning Family Devotions
Having a regular family devotional time is important. Finding and/or making time for it? That's not so easy. Everybody’s schedule screams for priority, and when you add in life events, cleaning, repairs, work, sleep, school, extended family and friends, church, hobbies....Well, it's exhausting just writing about it!
To make matters worse there are a ton of wonderful resources on the market for devotions. Which one is right for you?
Here are a few ideas to help you get started:
Keep It Short
Gauge your devotional time to the ages and stages of your family. Keeping your time brief will help you to fit it in your schedule.
Keep it Simple (at least at first)
The simplicity can help your family remember the point. Start with stories or ideas that you and/or your family already know.
Repeat
Messages and lessons about God are not heard much in our media hyped world. Repeat them often, or they will get lost in the chaos of the other messages that life sends us.
Make it Personal
There are several ways to do this. You can invite other family members to share Bible stories, and or lessons that have impacted them. You can ask other members to share comments, ideas or questions that relate to your devotional message. Help members of your family invest in the process, the lesson, and in the application of that lesson. How does what you have heard impact or help you in your life today? Tomorrow? In the future?
Be Committed
Make regular time for your family, and don’t give up. If you miss a time or two, don’t get discouraged! Just begin again. This will look different for every family - experiment until you find what works for you!
Pray
Always stop to invite God into this time with your family and help you understand what God wants you to learn.
Next month I will review some devotional tools that you can use as a family. Enjoy your time together this week!
Blessings!
- Lori
Lori Ferguson serves as Children's Director at Navarre UMC, and has been at the church since 2015. When she's not planning or teaching, she enjoys spending time with her grandkids. Read more about Lori here.