Today is the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “Tomorrow’s Worries”. Our Scripture passage comes from Matthew 6:24-34 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 118. We look forward to joining you in this time of Worship.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 118)
Leader: O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good:
People: His steadfast love endures forever!
Leader: Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
People: The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.
Leader: With the Lord on my side I do not fear.
People: What can mortals do to me?
Leader: The Lord is on my side to help me;
People: I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
Leader: It is better to take refuge in the Lord
People: Than to put confidence in mortals.
Leader: It is better to take refuge in the Lord
People: Than to put confidence in princes.

Question for Further Reflection:
In this passage, Jesus tells his disciples not to worry.
How can these words be good news to people who are struggling to get by?
What do they say to those with more than enough?

Today is the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “Be Perfect”. Our Scripture passage comes from Matthew 5:38-48 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 112. We look forward to joining you in this time of Worship.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 112)
Leader: Praise the Lord! Happy are those who fear the Lord,
People: Who greatly delight in his commandments.
Leader: Their descendants will be mighty in the land;
People: The generation of the upright will be blessed.
Leader: They rise up in the darkness as a light for the upright;
People: They are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
Leader: It is well with those who deal generously and lend,
People: Who conduct their affairs with justice.
Leader: For the righteous will never be moved;
People: They will be remembered forever.
Leader: They are not afraid of evil tidings;
People: Their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.
Leader: Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid;
People: In the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
Leader: They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor;
People: Their righteousness endures forever.

Question for Further Reflection:

In this passage, Jesus gives his disciples a simple command, “Be perfect.”
How can we take a command like that seriously?
And how does a command like that change the way we view the world?

The next three Saturdays (July 11th, 18th, and 25th) are going to be wonderful times here at Hope Valley Baptist Church. Starting this Saturday, July 11th, we will be hosting Vacation Bible School from 9:30AM – 12:30PM. These will be days filled with fun, learning, and fellowship for the kids in our community! We’ve got games lined up for them to play, crafts ready for them to assemble, missions projects for them to participate in, and, most importantly, Bible stories for them to hear that all tell them one very important thing—God loves them!

Our theme for this year is “God’s Toolbox: Built for a Purpose.” Each Saturday, we’re going to be exploring a different theme with the kids, reminding them that they have been made by God to do good things for other people. The themes include phrases like, “God created me,” “I am equipped,” “I am strong,” “I can help others,” and “I can build God’s Kingdom.” I love these themes because it tells the kids who come to our VBS that they are already a part of God’s kingdom. They are already a part of God’s plan for the world. They can already live like God wants them to live and do the things God calls them to do.

There are several things you can still do to help out with these Saturdays. The first is to pray. Pray for the kids that are going to be coming to the church these Saturdays. Pray that they would have fun, make friends, and learn more about God. Pray for the volunteers as well, that we would be able to help disciple these kids and show them what faith looks like.
The second thing you can do is to reach out friends, neighbors, and family members to invite more kids to come! You can register on the church’s website or you can call up to the church office to let us know you’re coming. Also, kids can drop in on any Saturday, so if a kid can only be here on the 11th and 25th, bring them on!

Finally, if you have the time, we can always use more volunteers to help out. Whether that’s walking around with the kids, helping the various stations prep for them, or helping to clean up throughout the day—there’s always work to be done. If you are planning to volunteer, please try to be at the church by 9:00 AM each Saturday.

I’m looking forward to these next three Saturdays and all the things God has in store for these children and for us as a church!

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Today is the sixth Sunday after Pentecost. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “Different Priorities”. Our Scripture passage comes from Matthew 5:1-12 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 15. We look forward to joining you in this time of Worship.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 15)
Leader: O Lord, who may abide in your tent?
People: Who may dwell on your holy hill?
Leader: Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right,
People: And speak the truth from their heart;
Leader: Who do not slander with their tongue, and do no evil to their friends,
People: Nor take up a reproach against their neighbors;
Leader: In whose eyes the wicked are despised,
People: But who honor those who fear the Lord
Leader: Who stand by their oath even to their hurt;
People: Who do not lend money at interest,
Leader: And do not take a bribe against the innocent.
People: Those who do these things shall never be moved.

Today is the fifth Sunday after Pentecost. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “Eldad and Medad”. Our Scripture passage comes from Numbers 11:24-30 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 104. We look forward to joining you in this time of Worship.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 104)
Leader: O LORD, how manifold are your works!
People: The earth is full of your creatures.
Leader: These all look to you to give them their food in due season;
People: When you give to them, they gather it up;
Leader: When you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
People: When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
Leader: When you take away their breath,
People: They die and return to their dust.
Leader: When you send forth your spirit, they are created;
People: And you renew the face of the ground.
Leader: I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
People: I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
Leader: May my meditation be pleasing to him,
People: For I rejoice in the LORD.

Question for Further Reflection:

In this passage, God’s spirit falls freely on whoever it wants to.
How does God continue to surprise you in your own faith journey?
What does this radical freedom say about God’s character?

Happy Father’s Day! Also, today we will celebrate our Graduates! Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “Do As He Did”. Our Scripture passage comes from Matthew 9:35-10:11 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 100. We look forward to joining you in this time of Worship.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 100)
Leader: Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
People: Worship the Lord with gladness;
Leader: Come into his presence with singing.
People: Know that the Lord is God.
Leader: It is he that made us, and we are his;
People: We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Leader: Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
People: And his courts with praise.
Leader: Give thanks to him, bless his name.
People: For the Lord is good;
Leader: His steadfast love endures forever,
People: And his faithfulness to all generations.

Question for Further Reflection:

In this passage, Jesus commissions His disciples to live a life like His.
What is something you could change today to live a little more like him?

This week, Robin and I got a reminder of what it means to be the church. This week has been a busy one up at Hope Valley. We’ve had meetings to prepare for and attend, special documents to print up for services, a funeral service to plan, and then the day-to-day stuff that comes with working at a church.

For myself in particular, I know that I’ve had pastoral care meetings this past Monday. I led staff meeting on Tuesday morning, where we started looking ahead to things like Graduate Sunday, the first Sunday of July, and VBS. I met with a family to plan a funeral service for their mother and have coordinated with another pastor who will be participating in the service. As I write this article, I’ve worked with Robin to get a prayer list together and sent out, proofread the rest of this Illuminator (if there are any typos, I’m sorry), and started prepping for a committee meeting I have this afternoon. In addition to that, we’ve had our usual Wednesday foot traffic at the church.

I say all that to say that just as Robin and I were get-ting to a place where we could really get into a groove and work on the things we needed to, a man rode his bike up to the church and told us that he needed help. We sat in my office and talked for a little bit. And I must confess, my mind was racing through a thousand other things I “needed” to be doing in that moment. Prayers needed to be written. Volunteers needed to be contacted. Paperwork needed to be reviewed. And again, I’m going to confess, there was a part of me that thought, “Just tell this guy you can’t help and you can get back to the stuff that needs to get done; the stuff that matters.”

Then, I remembered something I’d literally just read Wednesday morning. When preaching about the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote that the Good Samaritan “will always stand before us as a nagging reminder that we must … see men as men.” He goes on to talk about why the Priest and the Levite may have passed by the injured man on the Jericho Road and argues that they may have had perfectly valid reasons to keep going — be it religious duties, civic duties, or just fear of bandits on the road. He says the question of the Priest and the Levite is, “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” Dr. King writes, “Then the good Samaritan came by, and by the very nature of his concern reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?’ … The good man always reverses the question.”

So, Robin and I helped him. We stopped doing all the church things that needed doing. We went and got a gift card to help pay for some medicine. We gave him some water to drink. We took him to Burger King to get some food. And, amazingly, when we got back, the church had not fallen apart. Emails went out. Prayers got written. Volunteers were contacted. Paperwork was reviewed. And a man who needed help was seen and helped. I’m grateful for Dr. King’s sermon and his conviction to call me out of my own selfish preoccupation and attend to this man. Dr. King asked both Robin and I, “If you do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?” Thanks be to God, we saw past the day-to-day and were able to do the work God called us to do.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Today is the Third Sunday after Pentecost and Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “In My Bones”. Our Scripture passage comes from Jeremiah 20:7-13 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 86. We look forward to joining you in this time of Worship.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 86)
Leader: There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
People: Nor are there any works like yours.
Leader: All the nations you have made shall come and bow down before you, O Lord,
People: And shall glorify your name.
Leader: For you are great and do wondrous things;
People: You alone are God.
Leader: Turn to me and be gracious to me;
People: Give your strength to your servant;
Leader: Save the child of your serving girl.
People: Show me a sign of your favor,
Leader: So that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame,
People: Because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Questions for Further Reflection:

In this passage, Jeremiah is going through a wide range of emotions.
Why might it be encouraging to see this passage in the Bible?
How can we, as a church, provide space for people who are struggling?

Today, Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “Words as Gifts”. Our Scripture passage comes from John 17:1-11 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 68. We look forward to joining you in this time of Worship.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 68)
Leader: Let God rise up, let his enemies be scattered;
People: Let those who hate him flee before him.
Leader: But let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God;
People: Let them be jubilant with joy.
Leader: Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
People: His name is the Lord—be exultant before him.
Leader: God gives the desolate a home to live in;
People: He leads out the prisoners to prosperity.
Leader: Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth;
People: Sing praises to the Lord,
Leader: O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
People: Listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
Leader: Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel;
People: And whose power is in the skies.
Leader: Awesome is God in his sanctuary, the God of Israel;
People: He gives power and strength to his people.
All: Blessed be God!

Questions for Further Reflection:

In this passage, some of Jesus’ last words are a prayer for His disciples.
Which of His words resonate with you?
What does He mean when he says “eternal life” comes from knowing God?

We are entering an interesting time of the church year this coming Sunday. We are entering Ordinary Time. Now, you may read that and think, “What is he talking about?” Basically, the church year is divided into two halves. Starting on the First Sunday of Advent and running through Trinity Sunday, the church calendar is in a pretty consistent rhythm of anticipation and celebration. Advent anticipates the celebration of Christmas. Lent anticipates the celebration of Easter. There are a few Sundays between the end of Christmastide and the beginning of Lent, but for the most part, that first half of the church year is spent in those two modes: anticipation and celebration.

Now, however, we enter the second half, a long stretch of Ordinary Time that, this year, ends with Christ the King Sunday on November 22nd. On a practical level, that means the paraments on the pulpit and the communion table will be green through November 15th (Christ the King Sunday gets white paraments). On a pastoral level, that means that I’ll have a little more freedom in what kinds of sermon series I want to preach and which passages I want to preach from.

But, you may read the name for this season, “Ordinary Time,” and think, “Well, that just seems condescending. Yes, Christmas and Easter are special, but ‘ordinary time’ makes this part of the year just sound…boring.” While there is some debate on where the name came from, the most common explanation is not that the church thinks these Sundays are “boring”. Rather, they are “ordinal” numbers, that is, they tell us how long it’s been since Pentecost. So, for example, this Sunday, June 7th is liturgically known as the “Second Sunday after Pentecost.” That continues until November 22nd, the “Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost” aka “Christ the King Sunday”. These numbers keep track of where we are in the church calendar.

Now, what that means for us as individual believers is simple—this time of the year is one meant for exploration. There’s no pressure to be preparing for Christmas and all its celebration. The quiet reflection of Lent and the pomp and circumstance of Easter Sunday have faded. We are entering a time of the church year when we can meander through Paul’s letters if we want to. We can spend some time reading stories about Abraham or Moses or David. We can challenge ourselves with some of Jesus’ harder teachings (think the Parable of the Dishonest Manager). And in so doing, we have the unique opportunity to draw closer to God in ways that feel uniquely personal. Where is God leading you during Ordinary Time? Which books, which passages, which characters is the Holy Spirit guiding you toward? Or, which part of Jesus’ life is compelling you these next twenty-five weeks? If you’ll seek God’s guidance, this time will be anything but ordinary.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben