Marysville Nazarene

Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus model, lead, teach, inspire, convict, and instruct his followers. This instruction--the command to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind; and to love our neighbor as ourselves--comes before The Great Commission. A commission is a formal, written warrant, granting the power to perform various acts or duties. It's the authorization to act in a prescribed manner. And those who've been commissioned have been given a charge to serve.  So what are our "marching orders"? Go. Make. Baptize. Teach. 

Failure identifies a gap between where we are and where we can be. But just as He did with Peter, Jesus fills that gap! The aftershock of Christ's death and resurrection made a difference in Peter's life, and His love inspires us to respond as well. 

Just like our fears, our doubts are opportunities for God to work in our lives.

No other king loves his enemies, humbles himself, heals the unclean, eats with the outcasts, washes feet, or died for us. This is not just good news... this is great news! And the truth of the Resurrection is imperishable and unfading, nor can it be spoiled by the happenings of this world.

What we do on Sundays is meaningless without the foundation of understanding both the vertical AND the horizontal nature of the Greatest Commandment--to "love the Lord your God [out of] your heart, soul, mind, and strength" and "love your neighbor as yourself." What comes out of us reflects the king that we worship--the king of pride or the king of humility. Grace helps us reconnect the vertical (loving God) to the horizontal (loving others). Humility feeds gratitude, gratitude feeds generosity, and generosity allows us to love our neighbor. Which king are you feeding?

Mark 12 tells the Parable of the Tenants--but it's not a lesson in dollars and cents. It's not even about Rome or the image of Caesar. It's about lordship. The image we bear reflects who (or what) we worship. May our lives reveal his majesty and mercy as we humbly walk in the way of Jesus and give God what belongs to Him.

Jesus as Messiah is clear to those of us reading the gospels, but for those participating in the story, there was still confusion. Jesus didn't arrive to bring them freedom from the temple of Rome like they'd hoped, but instead engaged in a "battle" that was far more personal. He lived out Micah's lament (Micah 7), proclaiming hope that comes from the Lord and calling each of us to be trees not just full of leaves, but trees that bear fruit.

The story of Bartimaeus in Mark 10 is the story of someone who finally "gets it," unlike the rich man or James and John. And while the disciples were quick to dismiss Bartimaeus, Jesus called to him, and Bartimaeus threw off his cloak--his only possession--and ran to Jesus. 

No matter where we are in our journey toward worshiping God (our ascent)--whether we're at the bottom in need of grace to begin the climb, halfway up and laboring to keep going, or at the gates of the Holy City--there is still more that God has for us. We are still climbing and God is still working in us as we confront the kings that vie for our hearts.

The story of the rich man in Mark 10 is not a story about money, but rather that of idolatry. Jesus put himself in direct competition with what the man loved most and made him choose--he could keep his "stuff" or he could follow Jesus. He couldn't do both. And the same is true for us today. When it comes to serving God, we need not ask ourselves "what do I need to do?" but rather "what am I missing?" What might be getting in the way of following the one and only king? Because whoever loves anything more than God... is lacking.

The Gospel is unbelievable! And yet our stories, proclamations, and testimonies express our belief. May we not be guilty of being called unbelieving--a faithless generation.

The pharisees relied on oral regulations to pretct people and their relationship with God. But over time, external things became their focus, and these traditions had blinded them to who God was and what He wanted. Corruption begins inside our hearts, not outside. The pharisees' hands were clean, but their heart had been defiled. Jesus wants holiness to be understood through mercy, grace, caring and compassion, deliverance and community. Let us not miss the invitation the way the pharisees did, and join Jesus in the mission of God. 

The disciples had just seen Jesus feed 5000 people, and yet they were still surprised to see Him walking on water. How many times do we react the same way today, when our expectations don't match what God is doing? Sometimes, while we're straining at the oars of life, He is trying to get us to understand who He really is. Doubt and wonder can't coexist... 

Faith matters. It is the lens through which we view wonder, drawing us closer to Christ and helping us not only see who Jesus is, but how much God loves us. 

Are the questions we ask in the midst of our spiritual storms the right ones? Like the disciples facing a storm in the boat, we might recognize the authority of Jesus, but fear and panic still lurk when we don't know who Jesus is.

In the Gospel of Mark, the author focuses on how Jesus was received and the reaction of the people. Jesus taught differently because He was different. He taught with authority because he was the authority! The world and the Law hadn't changed, but His heart, intent, and motive were different. When we drift from the truth, from His authority, the wonder fades.

After the Israelites passed through the waters, they were tempted and failed to live in obedience to God. But Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days and lived in obedience and fidelity to the Father. The very tempations that Satan presented to Jesus attacked his sonship and his obedience, but Jesus proved to be the true Son of God--a sort of redo for the destiny of Israel. But, practically speaking, what does it look like to live a life of obedience to the Father? "Let me who you how it's done."

The Magi traveled with eagerness to worship Jesus, the newborn King of the Jews, though they had limited knowledge of who He was or why His birth had been foretold. These men of satus, position, and means were among the first to worship the Messiah... but no one followed them to Bethlehem. Why not?

Culturally, Christmas has come and gone, but for those who understand the history of the Church, Christmas is just beginning! The twelve days between Christmas Day and the Epiphany of the Magi (on January 6) are for us to revel in the wonder of the incarnation of Jesus--Emmanuel, God with us.

When we share the Messiah with others, there is power in that testimony because of the Christmas Story itself. WE are the reason for the season! The shephers recognized the angels had brought them good news of great joy: God is not dead, nor does He sleep.

When we consider Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus within the Christmas story, we know the least about Joseph--he only appears twice in the Bible and doesn't speak in either appearance. But Joseph was provided, by God, to shepherd and guide Jesus on His mission as Emmanuel--the Lamb of God sent to take away the sin of the world. Jesus is God's gift to the world. Joseph was God's gift to Jesus. Both were given with the all-encompassing love of our Heavenly Father.

Through the story of Mary's visit from the angel, we learn key ingredients to finding everlasting peace in our lives.

There are lot of situations in our world that make us feel hopeless at times, which causes us, like Zechariah (Luke 1:5-25), to pour out our hearts over and over to God just looking for a little bit of hope. We also struggle to keep silent--we've got lots of words and lots of outlets through which to say them. In this day and age, it's almost an expectation! But... what if God is inviting us to be quiet for a bit? Out of the silence, God speaks. And the word God speaks is Jesus. Emmanuel. God with us, embodying hope and bringing about redemption that's available for all people.  May this Advent season be one where we slow down, remove some of the "noise" in our lives, and practice silence so that when we do speak, our words bring life, peace, and good will to men.  

Thanksgiving isn't just a Thursday in November. It's an attitude. And at the heart of thanksgiving is God. Jesus... grace... JOY! As the Church, we are called to distribute what we have been given and what He has blessed and multiplied. There is enough for ALL to have their fill.

Praying with passion isn't about words, or years in church, or even theological understanding. It's praying for God's glory--seeking His face before His hand. All prayer leads us to God. Hallowed be His name!

Intercession is an essential testimony of a vibrant, united faith family. When we learn to pray specifically for others--to stand in the gap--we position ourselves to pray for the things important to us, our passions, and our own Spirit-sourced desires. Practicing intercession prepares us to recognize God's ordained intersections and to depend on His leading and the Holy Spirit's prompting.

The core of sin is birthed out of selfishness, but Jesus invites us to something better, something more--relationship with both God and others. We need only repent and respond! For when we seek redemption and acknowledge our separation from God, we gain intimacy, relationship, and closeness with Him. And the heart of the kingdom of God begins with forgiveness.

The progressive nature of prayer is important. Each part prepares and leads us into the next. First we must refocus on God, then realign our will to His, then release our needs... the order matters! And in those moments when we don't know what to pray for, the Holy Spirit steps in. When we lead with God, our needs and requests change.

We pray to be reminded of who He is, what He has promised, and of His faithfulness. Prayer gives attention to our covenant relationship with God, prioritizing our time and aligning our hearts with His, and our prayer life is a reflection of who we believe God to be.

We often approach prayer as words or thoughts we express TO God, or maybe ABOUT God. But if prayer is not a conversation WITH God, then we never really understand or experience all that God has for us. Especially when we presume that prayer begins when we speak first.

Reflecting on the message from a couple of children's movies regarding who we are and WHOSE we are.

The act of worship is a significant part of who we are as a church. We experience worship in community with others. We discover worship in our growing. We express worship through compassion and generosity. Worship is all over our values! And we worship best when we are poured out. It's what we strive toward--what we are compelled to DO in response to who God IS.

Jesus invites us out of whatever state of "emptiness" we find ourselves, and doesn't ask us to do anything He hasn't already done. Therefore, we find life in community, in growth, in compassion, and in generosity. We are FILLED UP to be POURED OUT.

It's easy to discuss generosity in terms of money, thinking of it as only what we "give." But while giving is an important expression of generosity, a much broader understanding of what it means to be generous involves sharing all that we are and all that we have. Discipleship requires us to be generous with our service, talents and gifts, resources, assets, and money... but also our with our story--our witness--and with the Gospel of hope. Giving might be what we do, but generous is who we are. We are filled up to be poured out!

Compassion captures the motivation and result of discipleship, and is an essential value for us as The Well Church of the Nazarene. But to say we care and not act is to not care at all. Caring is not just a feeling--there has to be a response. True compassion demands action... even when it interrupts our schedule, our plans. It's the fuel behind God-glorifying moments in our everyday lives, the link between loving and serving one another. Don't miss out on divine opportunities to truly care for others... and for God to care for you!

We are commissioned to be disciple-makers. Jesus intentionally multiplied Himself by loving, inspiring, teaching, and training His disciples to do what He did. We do the same by equipping and empowering one another to follow Jesus, allowing ourselves to be changed by Him, and by joining Him in what He is doing in the world. As disciples who make discples, we are intentionally multiplying. So... where do we grow from here?

We want to cultivate a church others want to be a part of, not just go to. It's not our programs or personalities that matter, but rather what God is doing IN us, TO us, and THROUGH us. Our mission extends beyond ourselves, and because He first loved us, we are to love one another. Together, we are a faith family--adopted children of God. This is us... and you have a place here!

Recognizing where we've been as a church as we celebrate where God is taking us as we officially begin a new chapter as The Well Church of the Nazarene.

Dave & Cindee Johnson share a piece of their story with our congregation.

When we take the transformation that has happened within us and try to bring about the Kingdom of God in a way that Jesus describes throughout the Sermon on the Mount, we're bound to face persecution from those who think we're doing it wrong. But having encountered Christ, and experienced His righteousness and resulting transformation in our life, we are called to take that message into messy places even though we risk our "nice, neat" way of doing Church. And when that happens, Jesus says you're living the good life! His way is a better way.

To hunger and thirst for righteousness is to be obedient to God in submitting your will to Him and then allowing Him to mold and shape you into who He wants you to be. God alone can remove our character defects, but it's a process. And we don't have to have successfully completed the transaction of righteousness to be blessed. Instead, it's a "long, slow obedience in the same direction.

Celebrating four baptisms, two new local licenses, and one incredible testimony!

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reveals to us what we truly need to be in relationship with him--to walk with him, to be who he created us to be. The blessing of a pure heart is that we SEE God. We understand grace. And we SEE because we get what God is calling us toward and willingly let go of what blinds us. "Seeing God" is evidence of the change grace makes in our lives--what a pure heart leads to. 

Happy (or blessed) are those who have surrendered themselves to Christ's care and control, for they are living the good life. And as difficult as this concept of committing and surrendering our life and will to Christ is, it's been the call of Christ since the very beginning. Have you accepted that you are accepted? Are you ready to relinquish control? 

Mourning was a constant theme for those in exile, yet God promises to comfort those who mourn--replacing their mourning with joy.  But what is the source of mourning that leads to being blessed in this way?

Our world is filled with competing voices and value systems that seek to guide our lives, and these messages often prioritize our control, comfort, safety, and convenience. But Jesus gives us a different reason for living--a new direction through life's detours and delays. Because of Him, we have the ability to know who we are (and whose we are) and that our lives have purpose and meaning.

The calling of the prophet Isaiah is quite dramatic, to say the least. But in the midst of this strange story, there is actually a pattern of an encounter with God that leads to a calling. And that pattern can be quite helpful for all of us as we determine what it is that God is calling us to.