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Brothers and sisters,

This past Sunday, April 19th, I mentioned the idea that becoming a Christian does not require us to forget who we are or where we came from. That point was prompted by Peter’s encouragement to Christians to remember they were “ransomed from the futile conduct inherited from your ancestors” (1 Peter 1:18) and I wanted to expand on it here.

I think the reason Peter says this to Christians is because he understands that if we fall back on old habits, old routines, or old ideas, and expect them to save us the same way God saves us, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment. The things we’ve inherited from “our ancestors” cannot save us—only God can. But I want to make sure to emphasize that I don’t think God wants us to disown our histories — the people, the places that made us who we are. Rather, they need to be put in their proper place and understood through a Christian lens.

For example, I’ve told y’all this before, but I have been deeply formed by my hometown, Goldsboro, NC. A wonder-fully strange little city in Eastern North Carolina, I am who I am in part because of this odd place. It is a city filled with eccentricities and contradictions. I sat in classes with friends whose families would travel to New York City every year to see Broadway shows or go to the US Open. Right next to those kids were others who were given special absences when the Wayne County Agricultural Fair started because they needed to go and prep their tractor for the tractor race that night!

Goldsboro is a city that has always encouraged a sense of service and community. It’s easy to get plugged into volunteer opportunities in Goldsboro, helping build houses with Habitat for Humanity, serving at booths during the Relay for Life, or basically anything the Goldsboro YMCA gets up to. You know, positive things to bring people together. At the same time, when I was growing up, one of our most beloved traditions was a celebration of civic unrest. For years, Goldsboro celebrated something called, “The Derailebration.” Over a hundred years ago, a railroad company ran tracks through Center Street in downtown Goldsboro. Frustrated by the noise and inconvenience of the trains, the citizens of Goldsboro went out one night and took up all the tracks! For over a century we celebrated this act of collective vandalism. Those celebrations ended years ago when Amtrak—you know, the train company—started courting Goldsboro to put a station there! (Admittedly, it’s a connector bus stop four blocks over from Center Street, but my point stands!) My hometown is ridiculous; I’m so proud to be from there.

My point in all this is simple: I don’t believe God would want me to disavow Goldsboro. For better or for worse (I think better), I have been shaped by that strange little city. And I’d like to think God loves the weirdness that comes from a place like Goldsboro because God loves how wonderfully unique each person is. I’m sure each of you has a strange story from where you grew up. Or you have memories of wacky events in your life that make you chuckle. You’ve been shaped and molded by those things — and I don’t think God wants you to for-get them. Rather, I think God always wants us to understand that these wonderful, unique, weird stories are all part of God’s story. Let us place our faith in God’s story and bring our whole selves to it.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Brothers and sisters,

At the end of this month, we will be starting up one of my favorite traditions here at Hope Valley Baptist Church—Operation Inasmuch. For the last several years, we have dedicated a week at the end of April and into early May to missions. This year is no different. Operation Inasmuch will run from April 26th to May 3rd. The goal of this week is to find opportunities to do the work Christ has called us to in our communities, to serve others, and to let them know that they are loved by God and by this church.

I’m particularly excited about Operation Inasmuch this year since we were not able to have our Holy Wednesday Hand-Washing service again this year. (Truly, I am going to do everything I can to make sure I don’t get sick until after Easter next year!) On that night, we usually talk about the ways that Jesus calls us to be servants to others in the way that he came to be a servant. We model that servant attitude by washing and drying each other’s hands. It’s a service that asks us to take time out of our day, see our brothers and sisters, and do what we can to show them they are loved.

Operation Inasmuch works because of that same spirit. It works because we know that Christ has called us not only to serve him, but to serve our wider community. Each person is a beloved child of God and so it is always worthwhile to show them that. It is worthwhile to let them see the church in action, so they can say, “I have seen God’s people and they have seen me.”

In light of that, you’ll notice that there is a list of planned activities in another part of this Illuminator. I would encourage you to look over those activities and see if there’s one you’d like to participate in. If you’re not sure you can participate in any of them, see if there’s one you’d like to donate to. If you’re not sure you can do that either, that’s totally fine; pray for the church as we go out and do these things. Pray that we would lift up the hearts of those we help. Pray that they would hear a good word about a God who loves them.

I’m looking forward to the end of this month!

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Brothers and sisters,

Easter is quickly approaching! In fact, by the time the next Illuminator comes out, Easter Sunday will have already come and gone! So, I wanted to write to you all this week and give you a breakdown of the services we have coming up during Holy Week.

First, this Sunday, March 29th, will be Palm Sunday. During worship we will celebrate the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into the holy city of Jerusalem. The children will process in during our first hymn and wave palms in recognition of that first Palm Sunday, when Jesus rode in on a donkey. Be sure to join us for worship at 11:00AM!

Then, on Wednesday, April 1st, we will have our yearly Hand-Washing Service in the sanctuary. That service will start at 6:30PM. For that particular service, we will meditate on the way that Jesus served his disciples by washing their feet, modeling for us the kind of service he calls all of us to. We will wash each other’s hand as a tangible part of our worship, reminding ourselves that we are called to serve others.

Our Good Friday Service will be on Friday, April 3rd at 7:00PM in the church sanctuary. In my opinion, this is one of the most meaningful services all year. Throughout the service, we well read about and meditate on the death of Jesus on the cross and what that means for us as Christians. The service ends in darkness and silence, reminding us that in the immediate wake of the cross, the light of the world seemed to have gone out.

Finally, on Easter Sunday, April 5th, we will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus in our church sanctuary! Worship will begin at 11:00AM and we will spend the hour singing songs of joy and praise as we remember the truth that Christ is risen, sin’s power is broken, and death has lost its sting. Make plans to be here that day and celebrate the resurrection with our church family.

In addition to all those services, don’t forget that we are having our annual Easter Egg Hunt and Craft Fair on Saturday, April 4th from 10:00AM to 12:00PM. All children are invited to come make crafts, hunt for eggs, and hear the Easter story!

I’ll look forward to seeing you all throughout Holy Week!

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben