(section added on 2-14-24, 3:19pm)
Jesus can handle you saying something immature, selfish, or shallow. This past Sunday, Sean Cronin proclaimed the good news that God has our best in mind. God is a good Father (perhaps you think of the song with a similar title), as Luke 11:11-13 describes,
"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
God is a good Father who wants to hear our wants, no matter how ridiculous they might be. We get a glimpse of this from the life of Jesus in Mark 10:35-38,
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask." "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory." "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"
When James and John came to Jesus, they presented their request, and Jesus asked, "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus wanted to hear their desires. However, he also recognized, through the lens of the will of his Heavenly Father, that their request pertained to the kingdom of James and John, and not the kingdom of God.
Jesus eventually said "no" to their selfish, shallow request for earthly power, choosing instead to say "yes" to granting them the opportunity to have power in God's kingdom as his witnesses. Give your honest wants to God, but know that He is wise enough to see past our desires and provide what we truly need for the abundant life that he desires for us.
As referenced on Sunday, our wants often intersect with our finances and resources. While our requests to God can easily lean towards our personal and earthly desires (e.g., more money, a better job, improved housing, a newer car, the latest clothes, etc.), God may answer our requests with a "no" to say "yes" to something beyond ourselves.
God calls us to trust Him with our needs, just like the birds of the air. But God also calls us to become like Jesus – to desire what He desired, shaping our wants according to Jesus. And what Jesus wanted was to live out the will and heart of God, to love through self-sacrifice and service, and to be generous at the cost of His own desires. How might God be saying “no” to your wants, to say “yes” to his Kingdom? How might He be guiding you to be generous with your income and resources to allow your generosity to fund faithful ministry in and through the church? How might God be re-directing your wants and desires to meet the needs of those around you?
While God wants our honesty in prayer (it can be argued that this is what God commends Job for at the end of the book of Job – that he was honest with God while Job’s friends were not), He is so good that He won't give us anything less than the best. The best God has for us is His life, the kingdom of God.
James 5:16 reminds us not just to pray alone but also to "pray for one another." Below are several opportunities to come together to pray for one another. Almost every CCC group that meets throughout the week/month includes an aspect of prayer, even the children’s and youth gatherings. If you are not connected to such a group, I encourage you to connect to one and take a step toward being in community with others to pray for others, and for others to pray for you.
Alternatively, invite someone further ahead of you in following Jesus and someone further behind you in following Jesus to join you in prayer (over coffee, a video call, or a text thread). In doing so, God can use the example of the person ahead of you in following Jesus to help shape what you want from God – the more abundant things. Simultaneously, God can use your example for the person further behind you in following Jesus to be shaped in what they want from God – the more abundant things. This is how prayer and being disciples of Jesus and making disciples happen: each of us being with Jesus, to learn from Jesus how to be like Jesus.
If you would like the church body and/or the leadership of the church to pray for your current situation, please look to the bottom right corner of your screen, where it says, “Next Steps.” There you can submit a prayer request and also ask for further follow-up if desired. I hope you will take a step closer to the heart of God this week in how you pray, who you gather with, or how you seek God in how you can serve the church and those God places in your path.
Below you will find other CCC updates and resources for participating in the body of Christ over the coming weeks.
See you Sunday if not before then!
Jordan Byrd
Read and begin reflecting on Luke 5:1-16 before the sermon on Sunday
This Sunday we will continue the series of messages focused on reframing/refocusing on the life, ministry, and mission of Jesus as the standard for our own lives. We will be looking at the example of Jesus calling his first disciples. We’ll also be looking at the type of life that Jesus calls these disciples and a leper toward in his interaction with them. May God guide us in taking steps of obedience toward becoming more like Jesus this Sunday. May we be receptive to the depth of the good news that Jesus has to offer our lives.
R.&R. D. (CCC Mission partners in Alleyland)
While we can celebrate the adoption of a new Alley sister. R. & R. have shared how this new sister’s journey has been difficult in Alleyland. Please pr*y for this new sister to remained fixed on The Way of Light and not give way to the thief of darkness.
Quote to reflect on…
"Eternal life is not just life after death. Eternal life is a whole new kind of living made possible now by the very life of God in you." (Jeff Vanderstelt, from the free book: https://exponential.org/product/one-eighty-book/)
I shared the following a few weeks ago during this sermon, but still think the amount of digital data that is estimated to be created each day by the year 2025 is astounding: 181 zetabytes!!! I didn’t even know what a zetabyte was until I read this data. Hopefully it’s as interesting to you as it is to me.
The Chosen Group (jump in anytime):
Watch and catch-up on the overall story told throughout seasons 1-3 of the Bible-based show, The Chosen. The viewing of these episodes will lead up to the spring release of the season 4 episodes of the show. The group meets in the CCC youth room from 8:30am-9:45am. Contact Dave and Deb Farley to connect further.
Merge Youth Group:
Meets this weekend. For 6th-12th grade-aged kids. Sunday nights, 6:30pm-8:30pm. Meets in CCC youth room. Games and Bible lesson: continuing to look at the fruits of the Spirit. Contact Mitch Knight for more information.
Impact Kids:
"Little Impact" (PreK-1st) or "Big Impact" (1st-5th), parental preference for Grade 1. Kids participate in games, lessons, crafts, and reflection. They join parents for initial worship songs, then meet with class leaders during prayer time in the lobby. Parents pick up kids in classrooms after worship. Contact Mitch Knight for more information.
Ladies Bible Study:
Meets at CCC on the first and third Thursdays of the month, 10:30am-11:30am. Contact Linda Cronin for more information.
Flourish Ladies:
Meets at CCC on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month, 6:30pm-8:30pm. Currently discussing Justin Whitmel Earley’s book, Made for People. Contact Bobbie Ludwick, Valerie Hubert or Renee Paul for more information.
Guys Work Group:
Meets from 9am-11am at CCC. Coffee, treats, conversation, and a little upkeep work around the church building/property. Contact Dan Corbett for more information.
A CCC hosted event for 6th-12th grade-aged kids (local and regional), March 22-23. Be on the lookout for the opportunity to sign-up and participate as a kid or help as an adult. Contact Mitch Knight for more information.