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Given the day on which I’m writing this article, I think it’s only fitting for me to say something about the Super Bowl! First of all, I’m a big fan of football—college and professional. Even if the Panthers are, well, “in a rebuild,” let’s say, I always look forward to football season. And I’ve got to say, the game this coming Sunday has two incredible stories coming into it. On the one hand, you’ve got the Rams led by Matt Stafford, who has managed to get his team to the Big Game in his first year with them. And on the other hand, you’ve got the Bengals, a Cinderella team led by their second-year quarterback Joe Burrow who just appears unflappable.

But typically when I think of past Super Bowls, I don’t remember too many of the games themselves. The Eagles vs. the Patriots a few years ago was compelling, as was Kansas City vs. San Francisco to years ago. Typically, when I think of Super Bowls, I think of who I watched the games with. In 2003, I watched with my church youth group at a friend’s house where we played games, ate good food, and, at the very end, watched the Panthers lose a field goal. In 2006, I watched again with my church youth group as Tony Dungy became the first African-American head coach to win a Super Bowl. In 2016, I watched with close friends as Denver’s defense tore the Panthers apart from the opening drive. And last year, I watched with my family as Tom Brady became the oldest starting quarterback in league history to win the Super Bowl—he was 44 years old.

Now, that last paragraph makes it sound like I actually do remember the games, but I can assure you that the only reason I can recall them is because I can think back and remember, “I was with this group for that Super Bowl,” or, “Yeah, I remember sitting on this person’s couch as we celebrated this win.” The games themselves were not all that important to me, even though I do love football! What mattered was who I was with. The Super Bowl is one of those events that has a way of drawing people together. Whether the game is good or bad, the commercials are funny or not, or the halftime show is memorable, I remember the people I took in the Super Bowl with.

In the Christian life, we don’t always remember the exact things we did at various places—specific Bible studies that informed our faith or specific special events that we enjoyed. But I bet we can all remember specific communities of people who were important to us. I bet we can all remember the folks who were there with us during seasons of joy and celebration! And I’m sure we can all remember the people who came alongside us during difficult times in our lives. At its best, a community of Christians can come together and support each other in such beautiful ways that a person can look back and remember that they are loved. So, take a look around you this Sunday as you’re watching the game and let the folks around you know you’re grateful for them. If you’re not planning to watch the game or you’re just relaxing at home on your own, take a moment and call someone you care about or send them a text to let them know you care. Being part of a loving community is a wonderful thing and we shouldn’t wait till the final football game of a season to remind folks we appreciate them!

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Brothers and sisters,

I know that I’ve mentioned this before, but I love video games. I have loved them for as long as I can remember. I distinctly remember the overwhelming joy and excitement my brother and I felt when we got our first game console and our first two games – a Sega Genesis with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 & The Lion King. Since then, I’ve spent countless nights with friends playing round after round after round of Super Smash Bros, Phantasy Star Online, and Mario Kart. Games like those are wonderful because, well, they’re fun! But there is one series of video games that is my favorite. No contest.

The Legend of Zelda is a series of video games dating back to 1986 that, basically, tell stories of a hero, Link, and a princess, Zelda, who work together to defeat an evil sorcerer, Ganon, who threatens their homeland. As the player, you control Link, moving him through the world, fighting enemies, and solving puzzles. And each game in the series offers twists on the basic plot—sometimes Link has to travel through time, sometimes Link has to travel to a mirrored version of his homeland, sometimes the whole adventure was just a dream – but at the end of the game, Link has some kind of showdown with Ganon to save his homeland, with Zelda helping him take on Ganon. The story of each Zelda game is simple (good vs. evil) but each version of that story is told beautifully. Zelda games are consistently considered some of the greatest games ever made and they add one level of nuance that I love, that helps make them my favorite games. I want to write about that nuance as we continue with the pandemic.

One thing that I particularly love about the Zelda games is that they never ignore the other people in Link and Zelda’s world. In other words, while the main plot has to do with defeating Ganon, the player is encouraged to stop along the way and help the other characters you meet. The player is encouraged to commit small acts of kindness to help other people in the game. Sometimes that means finding a lost dog. Other times you’ll be encouraged help an overworked soldier find a gift for his son’s birthday. In one instance, you’re asked to simply listen as an older character tells you about their life. Though these things seem small and random, particularly when you consider the main plot, the Zelda series does a good job of communicating that fighting evil and holding on to hope are done with everyday actions. There is no act of kindness too small to make a difference. And it is always good to do the right thing.

I say all that because as the church enters an-other month of virtual services, it can feel like the pandemic is overwhelming. It can feel like there’s nothing that can be done in the face of Covid and its variants. But I would encourage you, throughout this week, to find small acts of kindness you can offer to someone else. Send someone a card telling them you’re thinking of them. Pay for someone else’s coffee in the Starbucks drive-thru. Tell an essential worker—doctor, nurse, cashier, server—that you appreciate them. No act of kindness is too small to make a difference. Everyone you meet is a child of God, fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image, deserving of love, respect, and dignity. Everyone you meet is your neighbor (Luke 10:25-37). In the face of the pandemic, may we always love our neighbors. May we seek out chances to help others and do the right thing.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Brothers and Sisters,

First things first, Happy New Year! This is the first Illuminator of 2022 and I hope that it finds you safe, happy, and healthy. I know that this year has started off rough with the continued presence of the Omicron variant of Covd-19, but my prayer is that 2022 will be a year in which we can return to some level of normalcy as a society and as a church. Regardless of what 2022 has in store, know that you are loved by your brothers and sisters in Christ here at Hope Valley. Know, as well, that you can call on any of us—both staff and church members—if you need anything! We want to be sure that we are all working together to love one another well.

As we start this new year together, we will be starting a new sermon series as well. There is always a bit of a lull within the church calendar between Baptism of the Lord Sunday (January 9th of this year) and Ash Wednesday (March 2nd), when the season of Lent begins in earnest. Over the next seven weeks, I wanted us to spend some time with the Apostle Paul, especially reading the latter part of 1 Corinthians. Paul’s letter to the Romans typically gets revered as his masterpiece—his best writing and his most elegant argument—but Paul’s letters to the Corinthian church contain elegant passages too. To read 1 & 2 Corinthians is to read letters between a church and an apostle who care deeply about each other. The Corinthians are unafraid to ask Paul questions about how to be faithful Christians and Paul is unafraid to tell the Corinthians exactly what he thinks! That relationship makes for a really interesting letter and so I wanted to spend some time with Paul and with the Corinthians, considering what it means to be Christian and what it means to be a part of a church full of different people with different life experiences.

The title of the upcoming sermon series is, “Gifts and Glory,” and is drawn from two of the major themes of the latter part of 1 Corinthians and the first part of 2 Corinthians. Simply put, as Paul writes to that congregation, he knows that there are divisions among them as people wonder what the gifts of the Spirit mean, how one should use their gifts, and why a person should be Christian to begin with. So, he writes to the people and speaks to them about the gifts of the Spirit. He writes to them about the mission of the church. He writes to them about the glory and majesty of God. He pushes them to embrace the mystery of faith. Ultimately, he reminds them that the love of Christ serves as a through line for everything Christians ought to do. He pushes them to understand that God is the animating force behind everything the church should be about. And he reminds them that God’s love has not failed and will not fail. This part of Paul’s letter is earnest and honest and beautiful. I’m looking forward to walking through it with you all over the next seven weeks!

Grace and peace,

Pastor Ben

Brothers and sisters,

Here we are at the end of the year—and what a year it has been! There have been ups and downs, twists and turns, things expected and plenty of things unexpected! But for this week’s issue of The Illuminator, I wanted to take some time and just talk about some of the many things we’ve done together as a church family.

In the year 2021—or at least in my eight months here—we have been incredibly dedicated to reaching out and helping our neighbors. We have collected all kinds of non-perishable foods to take over to our neighbors in McDougald Terrace, maintaining that ministry throughout the summer, and staving off hunger for dozens of kids when schools were not able to. We have collected food for the Yates Food Pantry, feeding people all over Durham. We have collected money for the Global Missions Offering. We adopted a family for Christmas this year and provided that family with three cars full of presents. We collected school supplies for teachers and provided them with gift cards to purchase more supplies for the children at Park-wood Elementary.

In the year 2021, we have been able to bring back wonderful moments of worship and of fellowship. We’ve been able to worship God together as a church family, celebrating special moments within the church calendar. We have spent time in fellowship with one another drinking lemonade and eating cookies during the warmer months. We just got through with a month of special services in which we hung the greens, ordained deacons, cried out to God in lament, sang the story of the Gospel, and welcomed the Christ Child once again. We’ve found ways, even in the midst of a global pandemic, to worship God in fullness and in truth.

In the year 2021, we’ve taken in several refugees, giving them a safe place to stay and find their footing here in America. We’ve built relationships with them and with other churches who also want to help refugees. We’ve had our first big public event since the pandemic began, with nearly two-hundred people coming to our Trunk-or-Treat. We’ve built a relationship with CBF Field Personnel in Kentucky and helped provide Christmas presents for children and teens in one of the poorest counties in our country.

And of course, I can only say that “we” did all this because on May 1 of this year, I officially began my time as your Senior Pastor. After months of emails, phone calls, interviews, a Bible Study, and a trial sermon, we agreed to partner together in ministry. I’m excited about all the things we’ve managed to do together so far and I look forward to the coming year as we continue to figure out what God would have us do for our community. The opportunities to serve God are endless and I look forward to making the most of those opportunities with you all in the future. My prayer for us all, as we move into 2022, is that we will continue to seek God and God’s will. As long as we do that, we will be able to honestly say that we have remained faithful to the call God has placed on all our lives.

Grace and peace to you all,
Pastor Ben