agri.church

Chris has started blogging!

So this coming sunday is our first chance to gather and worship together. I am very excited! One of the original intentions / hopes for this blog was that I’d be able to throw out ideas and thoughts about messages and scripture that I’m living with and get input from the community. I truly believe that truth is found in community and that means that in order for me to stand before a gathered community preach the good news of the Kingdom of God, I need to rely on God’s people for help. I like how Brian McLaren describes it in a book I recently read. To a certain extent, I only know things in community. In order to feel like I have something to share, I need a community of people where I can throw out an idea and have them work it out with me. I think Chris is one of those people as well as several other friends. This makes writing papers for seminary hard, because when I sit down to write I feel like I’m missing half my brain. This is what I mean by truth being found in community. Does anyone else feel this way?

So this week I’m working on a message from two passages of scripture:

Isaiah 65:17-25

17″Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth—so wonderful that no one will even think about the old ones anymore. 18Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation! And look! I will create Jerusalem as a place of happiness. Her people will be a source of joy. 19I will rejoice in Jerusalem and delight in my people. And the sound of weeping and crying will be heard no more.

20″No longer will babies die when only a few days old. No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life. No longer will people be considered old at one hundred! Only sinners will die that young! 21In those days, people will live in the houses they build and eat the fruit of their own vineyards. 22It will not be like the past, when invaders took the houses and confiscated the vineyards. For my people will live as long as trees and will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains. 23They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune. For they are people blessed by the LORD, and their children, too, will be blessed. 24I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking to me about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers! 25The wolf and lamb will feed together. The lion will eat straw like the ox. Poisonous snakes will strike no more. In those days, no one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain. I, the LORD, have spoken!”

1Here begins the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. 2In the book of the prophet Isaiah, God said,
“Look, I am sending my messenger before you,and he will prepare your way.

3 He is a voice shouting in the wilderness: ‘Prepare a pathway for the Lord’s coming! Make a straight road for him!’ “

4This messenger was John the Baptist. He lived in the wilderness and was preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had turned from their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. 5People from Jerusalem and from all over Judea traveled out into the wilderness to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. 6His clothes were woven from camel hair, and he wore a leather belt; his food was locusts and wild honey. 7He announced: “Someone is coming soon who is far greater than I am—so much greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave. 8I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”

9One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and he was baptized by John in the Jordan River. 10And when Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens split open and the Holy Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11And a voice came from heaven saying, “You are my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with you.”

12Immediately the Holy Spirit compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness. 13He was there for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was out among the wild animals, and angels took care of him.

14Later on, after John was arrested by Herod Antipas, Jesus went to Galilee to preach God’s Good News. 15″At last the time has come!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Turn from your sins and believe this Good News!”

16One day as Jesus was walking along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother, Andrew, fishing with a net, for they were commercial fishermen. 17Jesus called out to them, “Come, be my disciples, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 18And they left their nets at once and went with him.

19A little farther up the shore Jesus saw Zebedee’s sons, James and John, in a boat mending their nets. 20He called them, too, and immediately they left their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men and went with him.

I’ll make a few posts (either in the comments or new post) this week but I’d really like it if some others would share what they see and hear in these chunks of scripture. My focus will be on the God’s mission and the Kingdom. What implications does the vision of Isaiah have for God’s mission? What is the “Good News”? What is the Kingdom of God? I invite your help and insights this week as I prepare a message for Sunday…

Andrew Jones brought this idea to my attention recently. I can’t help but think the combination of high gas prices and environmental impact is another compelling reason to think ultra-local about communities of faith.

Chris and I originally where drawn towards a geographically focused community because we think that things like community and mission will be easier if a lot of us live in the neighborhoods around the building. I’d never really thought about the impact of thousands of cars driving from all corners of a city to gather in one huge building on our environment. It makes you think… One dream we have for our community is that we would take creation care very seriously. What do you think? Is this a legitimate concern? I’m not sure yet but, it’s really making me think this week. What about you?