Advent, week 4

Here's Fourth Sunday of Advent

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT – MAGI

3 PURPLE AND ONE PINK CANDLE

Scripture: Mt 2:1-12

1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5"In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:
6" 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

LIGHT 3 PURPLE CANDLES AND ONE PINK

The wise men had been seeking the One born King of the Jews. No one knows from what country they came or what studies led them to leave home seeking. It is clear that God wanted them to find the Baby because He put signs in the heavens and in ancient prophecies that lead them, enabling them to find. God’s Word tells us to seek Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. We are to seek God in the morning, and continually. He calls us to seek His face while humbly turning from our wicked ways. If we seek God and His Kingdom above all else, the promise is repeated often: God will be found and He will hear, heal and provide. Christmas is God’s answer to the longing and searching of every man, woman and child.

PRAYER: Jesus, like the wise men we come seeking You, sometimes from far places. You are behind us, before us, underneath us, above us and in us. In You we live and move and have our fullest being. Thank you for your perfect plan which reveals Your love more and more as we search for You. Amen.

Our Advent Wreath

Advent, week 3

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT – SHEPHERDS

ONE PINK CANDLE AND TWO PURPLE CANDLES

Scripture: Luke 2:8-12

8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

LIGHT THE PINK CANDLE AND TWO PURPLE CANDLES

These shepherds were doing what they always did, watched sheep. Through the days lambs were led to the best pasture. This day the shepherds were given the night watch with the sheep. They lived with the sheep. God stepped into the shepherds’ daily routine and turned their world upside down. While going about their ordinary tasks an angel startled these humble people with the best news in the world: The Messiah is born! As if the heavens could no longer contain their excitement over this amazing news, thousands of angels broke through the skies with a joyful song. After going to see for themselves, the shepherds returned to their work but with what a difference! Now their hearts were alive with the miracle of what they had seen and heard. Praise filled them.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, help us to remember that with you there are no ordinary days. Each day that we live in your grace is a day that is beyond the ordinary. We feel the joy of this. Joy yesterday, that you came into our world and forever changed it. Joy tomorrow, that you will come again and usher in the fullness of the kingdom. And joy today, that you give us opportunities to be Your hands and feet, so that our lives share the message of Christmas during this Advent season. Amen.

Advent, week 2

ViaCordis has some begun some Christmas traditions that you're welcome to borrow and use in your own churches. We pray that they will bless you as they are blessing us.

We use an Advent Wreath to draw attention to the coming of the Messiah. This is the reading we will hear on Dec 6, the second Sunday of Advent.


SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT--BETHLEHEM
SECOND PURPLE CANDLE

Scripture: Luke 2:1-5
1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.
4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

LIGHT TWO PURPLE CANDLES.

It was a crowded city that night, Bethlehem, the city of David. People from all over had returned to the city of their fathers. Here they would register and a census would be taken. Joseph and Mary looked for a place to stay. An inn. A room somewhere, anywhere. A safe place from the chilly night air. But there was no place. At the city’s edge was a stable. There, in a stable, Mary and Joseph found warmth and protection. They would stay here until a new day brought light.

Why God chose to send his son into our world as a baby of humble birth, born in common surroundings, we do not know. What we do know is that God reached out to all people including the poor and wealthy, the simple and the wise, the powerless and the powerful. It is possible to know God because He came to us, at our level.

PRAYER: O Lord! God of the little and of the large, your love is as universal as all creation, and yet as individual as my small heart. Here at Christmas, you embrace the nations. I open the doors of my heart wide to all You have planned for me. Thank you for your humility and love which made room for me. Amen.

The Altar

We continue to grow at ViaCordis as God works among us. Our international ties are growing, with one couple visiting their native Hong Kong for the first time in seven years, and another person is in Mexico producing a Christmas album. This week Bob leaves for Japan. Our life transformation groups (LTGs) are continuing to grow as well. Janet and Sylvia just started a new group in El Sereno last week and the group in Rancho Cucumongo continues to grow and multiply.

Yet we also maintain a ritual that centers us in worship as we meet in our house churches. Each month a member is responsible for designing an altar to set up in the living room where we meet for worship. Right now the altar at one of the house gatherings consists of an open Bible on a cloth square with a light shining down on it. The Bible is laid open to Psalm 67 and the light serves as a reminder that God blesses us so we can bless others. The head phones signify and ongoing dialogue with God that involves both listening and talking. And the candle symbolizes Jesus as our one constant.

The altar changes living room or family room into a sacred space for the church gathering, then it gets packed up during the week. For the host, it provides a good visual reminder of sacred space and creates a boundary between your home and your church.

First Fruits

A German brother in Christ recently baptized his "first fruit" in the cold waters of a nearby stream. The person baptized - whom we'll call Peter- is a nationally known singer in Germany and is popular among fans of typical German folk music. Peter committed his life to Christ, confessed his sins and desired baptism - immediately! Please pray for Peter and his family as they seek to follow Christ in discipleship.

The God who heals

We have two hospitalized children we are praying for and visiting. Both have serious medical issues; one is a newborn and the other is the son of one of our regular attenders, who has pneumonia. As a church we regularly pray for healing and we have seen God answer in dramatic ways that have caused more than one doctor to pause and say things like, "Hmmm, that's highly unusual!" These are the two people for whom we are currently interceding.

God is faithful

Remember how our Rancho Cucamonga church passed out backpacks to a community of homeless people? One of the recipients came to a BBQ hosted by the church and talked at length about his spiritual journey. Two weeks later he died. We thank God for His faithfulness to reach out to this man right until the very end of his life.

Backpacks of love

*Note: This is a report from our church in Rancho Cucamonga, not the Pasadena location.

One couple in ViaCordis, Keith and Hope, are part of the Rancho Cucamonga gathering. A few weeks ago on a Sunday afternoon they distributed backbacks to homeless people in their area. They had been collecting items to put in the backpacks, but then had the idea to take this ministry one big step further. They decided to ask their neighbors for contributions for the bags as well. Many neighbors were very excited to help.

Here are some of the stories from Keith of the homeless people that God put in his path:

Wayne (aka Leprechaun) is trying to get back to Texas where he believes he can get work as a truck driver. We found him under some trees next to the freeway. He needs a $198 Greyhound bus ticket and is collecting bottles and cans to recycle to earn money. He really appreciated the back pack!

We found Doug wandering through a truck stop. He lost his job, then his apartment. After we gave him his backpack, he led us to two other homeless men, Peter and Paul. Peter was kicked out of his father’s house. We didn’t ask why. He immediately opened his backpack and began eating the food inside. Paul told us he is on the street because of alcohol. Both were overjoyed at receiving backpacks. Just outside a Jack in the Box, Scott, Doug, Peter, Paul, and I held hands in a circle of prayer to ask God to meet their needs and keep them safe.

Then Doug led us to another homeless man, Ky. Ky was sleeping on cardboard boxes near a fence. His greatest treasure in the backpack? The socks! Doug, Scott and I prayed with Ky and then Ky told us where we might find “Ma,” a homeless lady. We looked, but didn’t find her. We will continue looking for “Ma” and other homeless people to give away more backpacks soon. We just received two more back packs already packed—by one of our neighbors! What a great place to be a part of.

ViaCordis in Mandarin

A few weeks ago, we had people from three countries visiting ViaCordis. God is putting flesh to our vision of an international, multicultural movement. We had a first-time visitor from Honduras who lives in Hollywood now. We had a woman from Indonesia who also lives nearby now. And we also had a new Chinese-American couple with us, who brought along her mother who was visiting from China.

As we were sharing insights from scripture, the church service was quietly being translated into Mandarin. Then Bob asked the woman from China, "What did you see in this passage?" She responded with her thoughts through a translator. This woman is not yet a follower of Jesus, but she expressed after the service that she would like to know more and would like to have a Bible. Since then, she received a Bible in her own language and returns to China in November, but we hope to see our new visitors from Honduras and Indonesia again soon.

Anger Management

Community service for two ViaCordis participants involves teaching Anger Management at a women's recovery house. Here's what some said after the completion of a recent class.

-"I've been able to better pinpoint what is a major trigger for me, where my anger stems. I am not isolating as much anymore."

-"I can express anger without physical contact."

- "It has helped me understand others' anger and through that I understand myself more. The changes I've seen for myself are patience and understanding."

-"This class pointed out areas and issues I never knew were anger-based. It was spiritually directed through Scripture."

-"It helped me step back and take a moment to get my thoughts together so I can react properly. I've calmly addressed my issues when necessary. It helped a lot knowing God gave us anger as a defense mechanism - it's all in how we express it appropriately."

-"The instructor really got involved with each of us individually and as a group. We not only did the book work but also used everyday situations as examples and talked about how we walked through each situation, i.e. what we could have done differently."

Praise God for the work of his Spirit in softening hearts and opening minds to a better way to live.

The future is bright

A couple of months ago, we began seeing children coming to our gatherings on a more regular basis. One 5^th grade girl had some paper and colored pencils with her and she was drawing as we were discussing John 15 and talking about fruitfulness. Someone mentioned that people can count the number of seeds inside one apple, but that only God knows the number of apples inside one seed. The little girl looked up from her drawing and asked, “Could you say that again please?” The man repeated his observation, and the girl got engaged in drawing a new picture. At end of gathering I asked if she’d share what she’d been working on. She pulled out her picture and explained the frames: a seed being planted, the sun is shining and the sprout coming up, then storms that are hard but bring needed water, then a final slide of the mature tree bearing fruit with apples falling to the ground so they can bear more trees. The girl had taken that spiritual concept and had spent the rest of the time fleshing out in her mind what that looked like. Although it may have looked like she wasn’t paying attention, she was engaged in the process of setting aside time for God.

Simplicity

I continue to be excited about the simplicity of serving, getting together, praying, and asking “Who else?” It’s simple but profound. It’s about spending time and discerning what people God wants us to invest in. They may not even be the people we like. That’s a sign of the kingdom. This party is for everybody. It’s not our party-- it’s the kingdom party. It’s not for a bunch of like-minded friends who enjoy each other’s company. It’s for whoever listens and responds to the invitation.

Another surprise from God

Well, ViaCordis has gone international. We’re now in Germany. A pastor in Germany had started a large church there, but then felt the call to something smaller and more multiplying. He connected with Bob to process the idea, and instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, he decided to associate with ViaCordis. We’re still trying to figure out structurally what that could look like, but it’s exciting. We’ve always had the vision of ViaCordis spreading beyond the borders of the U.S. but we had no idea what that would look like or what form it would take. God is constantly surprising us.

One observation I’ve made over the last few weeks is that this disciple-making movement isn’t locked in by anything other than where we go. ViaCordis goes wherever its people go. It doesn’t take a building, it doesn’t take a campus. It doesn’t take a big budget. It just takes people. Most movements of the kingdom are like that—they just keep spreading like a wildfire without regard to boundaries and structures.

Becoming Bridges

Bob recently reconnected with Randy, a man who was once a teenager in a church Bob was working in. Randy had felt a pull towards church planting since those teen years and is now an adult living out that calling. He had lived in the Inland Empire (part of the greater Los Angeles area) and had built connections with people there. Without even meaning to, he had run across several people who were spiritually hungry for a relationship with Jesus, yet wanted something different than traditional church.

This would seem to be a church planter’s dream—except that Randy felt called to plant a church in Modesto, a community well north of the Inland Empire. Randy felt the tension of his dilemma. How could he follow what God wanted him to do while leaving behind spiritually hungry people?

When he and Bob reconnected recently, they hit upon a solution. He would become a bridge person, introducing these people he’d built relationships with to Bob. Bob and another member of ViaCordis who lives nearby would facilitate house church gatherings for a while as the group figures out what this could look like.

Please pray for this new house church starting up. Pray for the people hungry for following Jesus, and pray that we would find and raise up the leaders among them. Our desire is to develop these people into all God wants them to be, to resource them and get them started on the right track. This is what we’re all about at ViaCordis—raising people up from the harvest as we develop them into leaders who can continue reaching the harvest.