red, white, and blue...something old and something new

Hey New Hopers,

Happy 4th of July!! It's impossible for me to think about this day without remembering the awesome times we had as a church at our old property.  For three years we ran a community outreach event: we handed out sno-cones and water to our neighbors who parked up and down our street to see the Peoria Sports Park fireworks show, we BBQ'd like nobody's business, and of course...we had the BAND.  For three years our worship team, led by the nearly mythical Matt Beem, played a super fun set of rousing (and often racous) rock and roll.  I will remember those awesome 4th of Julys for the rest of my life.

This year of course is quite a bit different.  We sold our property in December of last year and for 6 months we've been a mobile church meeting in a school.  One of the things I miss most about not having our old property will be our 4th of July celebrations.  I think they were our church at it's best.  It is hard to say goodbye to old traditions...especially ones we remember so fondly.  From the bottom of my heart I would like to thank the folks of New Hope for those great celebrations. You blessed me and our community.

It would be tempting to be nothing but saddened by the loss of such a great tradition.  But I think that would be the wrong posture to take.  Why?  Because I think, while we must leave some traditions behind, we have in front of us a whole new future to build new traditions.  Our community stands at the starting line of a great new adventure.  Who will we be in this season of our church?  What new events and traditions will we build together?  How will we think, using the limitless creativity of the Holy Spirit, about new ways to bless our new neighbors?  I don't have all the answers to these questions...but I am confident in our future.  Confident in the new memories and traditions we will forge together during this new season of our community...but more than that....simply just confident in our church.  I have seen your love for each other and for the community around us and I KNOW that as this new adventure begins to form itself in front of us we will make every opportunity to build exciting and lasting memories and traditions together.

So a blessing to you all on this 4th of July.  As Tom Petty said in "Into the Great Wide Open"....the future is wide open!!

Blessings In Christ,

Pastor Jason

Freedom!

Galatians 5.22-23
 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Recently ran into an old friend who has become part of a Christian-sect that is demanding adherence to the Old Testament Torah (the Law) as a requirement for those who would be "truly Christian".  It was very painful for me to see this friend decend into the never satisfying abyss that is "striving to impress God".  This age old temptation to "prove" ourselves before God rears its head from time to time in the church...and every time it damages people and hurts the cause of Christ.  I was instantly reminded though, of these amazing words from the apostle Paul (who had every reason to think that if anyone could impress God by their behavior it would be him).  Paul corrects any notion that any of us brings anything of worth before God before, or during our salvation.  Paul knew that no code, no law, no set of performance based "have to's" matters for squat.  What matters is a faithful dependance on what Christ has accomplished on our behalf on the cross and in the resurrection.  Paul was confident that when we place our faith in Christ, we are sealed with God's Spirit...and that this same spirit was more than able to produce in us the good fruit that marks a true disciple.  Press on my friends into the grace of Jesus Christ.  "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus".  You were called by his grace, saved by his grace, and are sustained by his grace.  Live free of the fears of measuring up...live free of "the have to's".  Live free in the grace of our Lord who has accomplished EVERYTHING that was required of every human when the one who knew no sin became sin for us!!  Live free!!!