Dear Friends,
A young couple comes to their pastor seeking his counsel. “We’ve begun to wonder if maybe God is calling us to be missionaries,” they tell him.
He pauses, smiles and says “That’s very exciting to think about. And as it turns out, I can very easily help you resolve that question. The answer is yes, He is calling you to be missionaries. The only question we need to consider is whether He has a change of venue in mind for you.”
We spent time last fall talking about the command in scripture that all of us who name the name of Christ are in fact commanded by Him to go and make disciples. Like a soldier, we’ve been given a commission from our commanding officer. The orders have been issued. All of us are called to serve. The only question for us is “where?”
I was reminded this week of what the Apostle Paul wrote to the people in the church in Philippi from his prison cell in Rome. “I want you to know, brothers,” he said, “that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ” (Philippians 1:12–13).
When Paul, who was called by God to be an apostle to the Gentiles, found himself in prison, he did not see his imprisonment as an interruption of his assignment. He saw it as a change of venue. The mission hadn’t changed. Just the location.
And while Paul would have no doubt preferred to be in a different setting, he was thrilled for how the gospel was being advanced as a result of his arrest. He continued to have a profound impact for the cause of Christ in the midst of his confinement.
My friend Dave Wilson likes to say that all of us are called to make a dent where we’re sent.
But what do we do if we’re sent somewhere we’d rather not be?
The answer is, we look for gospel opportunities wherever life takes us. And we rejoice when we see God at work in our new surroundings, even if they’re unpleasant.
Paul was in prison. Colleen Chou has been, for many years now, seeking to advance the gospel in a cancer ward.
I hate cancer. I hate the pain and suffering it brings to individuals and families. I hate that the chemotherapy and radiation treatments are most often destructive and painful. And I hate when the treatment falls short and the cancer claims a life.
But I’ve also seen God pouring out His grace on those whose assignment has them fighting the disease. Colleen is one of those people. She’s been battling her cancer since 2017. Here’s what she wrote this week about her journey.
“The veil feels extra thin today... like gossamer or tulle. And while I may be living my best 90-year-old life right now (*snort*), it helps to know there’s a reality so much bigger and better than this present one—a fact that makes today deeply meaningful and worth living to the hilt.”
This week, God had Colleen back in what she calls “the chair” getting a chemo infusion. “If I were independently wealthy,” she wrote, “I’d rip out this ugly old, patched linoleum and these cheap uncomfortable chairs and remodel this joint with as much warmth and beauty as possible.
But more than a desire to remodel, my heart cries out, Jesus, shine your Light and Love into this place, into these hearts.”
“I’m convinced that a long goodbye, a slow death, is an unspeakably precious trust from God—a coveted window of time to share his goodness with a captive audience. People are enamored with the death process (albeit, terrified too, if it gets personal). They want to see how someone dies. So, when I talk about the life and joy and hope Jesus has given me in the face of death, most people lock eyes with me and listen.
“Then all this protracted suffering (that can so easily turn me inward and grumpy and wearied into numbness), matters immensely. It's a continual invitation to engage with eternal souls, to share the Love of my life with incredibly special people who desperately need him. My death could be at work for their life. That’s ginormous and glorious and compels me to show up for yet another dreaded appointment or to push through another painful day.”
I was deeply moved as I read Colleen’s latest update. She has the same perspective about where she is that Paul had about his prison sentence. The cancer ward is a change of venue for her, and not one she would choose for herself. But God has sent her as a missionary to testify to His goodness to the med techs, the doctors and nurses and her fellow cancer patients. And although she would rather be almost anywhere else, like Paul, she finds joy in knowing that as a result of her suffering, the gospel is advancing.
Most of us are not facing a prison sentence or a cancer diagnosis today, although the medical news in our church in recent months has moved all of us to our knees, praying for one another with more regularity. I trust that will continue as these battles come our way.
But all of us will cross paths today with people who are lost, hopeless, discouraged, empty, or angry. People who need to hear good news. We have the news they need to hear.
Be like Paul. And Colleen. Even if the path God puts you on today is the road marked with suffering, remember His assignment for you wherever He takes you. He has ordered your steps.
Live on mission. Make a dent where you’re sent.
Our re-scheduled couples date night is all set for next Friday, March 7.
If you had hoped to come last week but couldn’t make the February date work, now’s the time to add your name to the reservation list! Click here for more info (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=64ed35efe9&e=fbb0a4052b)and to register for the new date!
And following our date night, on Sunday March 9, we’ll begin a six week Art of Marriage Study that is open to all married couples.
The Art of Marriage study happens on Sunday mornings at 8:30 sharp. Child care is available, but we need to know you’re coming so we can staff the child care area accordingly.
Find out more or sign up now by clicking here (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=d9d65c781b&e=fbb0a4052b).
This weekend, our students are taking part in our D-Now discipleship weekend event.
And it all wraps up on Sunday with a bake sale after church. Plan now to take home some baked goods and support the Roots ministry with a donation that morning.
And students – once the D-Now weekend is over, you can start looking forward to a hang out at the Perkins’ house in mid-March.
Should you attend? Yes. Do you have questions? Reach out to Pastor Matt at mattgurney.rcc@gmail.com (mailto:mattgurney.rcc@gmail.com).
The next Redeemer Men’s Institute get together happens on Thursday night March 6. Our discussion will center on what Spirit-led decision making looks like, and how we can make wise decisions for our own lives and for our families.
The next Redeemer Men’s Institute get together will happen on Thursday night March 6. Our discussion will center on what Spirit-led decision making looks like, and how we can make wise decisions for our own lives and for our families.
Also men – registration is now open (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=ae95f8dc1b&e=fbb0a4052b) for our Men’s Spring Retreat at the Cross Heirs Retreat Center, with our special guest speaker, Jared Wilson.
if you haven’t blocked out the weekend of March 28-29 on your calendar yet, do it now.
Space is limited. The cost is $100 which includes four meals and one night’s lodging. We’ll start on Friday night at dinner time and wrap up after dinner on Saturday. We’ll be back home in time for church on Sunday.
Scholarships are available. Please don’t let the cost keep you from coming.
If you have questions, email Matt Gurney at mattgurney.rcc@gmail.com (mailto:mattgurney.rcc@gmail.com).
Next Sunday, church members are invited to our annual Church Business Meeting. Complete with cheesecake.
Okay, full disclosure. It’s not Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake. But it’s still cheesecake.
We’ll be updating everyone on what’s happening at Redeemer this year and where we believe God is leading us as in 2025 and beyond.
Sunday, March 9 at 4:00 pm. Everyone is welcome!
Here’s our New City Catechism questions for this week.
Question: What Does God Require in the First, Second, and Third Commandments?
Answer: First, that we know and trust God as the only true and living God. Second, that we avoid all idolatry and do not worship God improperly. Third, that we treat God’s name with fear and reverence, honoring also his Word and works.
Here’s this week’s link (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=c38090c417&e=fbb0a4052b) to a three minute video where John Lin talks about this week’s question and answer.
(https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=faa61dfd7e&e=fbb0a4052b)
And here is the link (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=8989b4e5fa&e=fbb0a4052b) to the song for families that covers all of the Ten Commandment questions.
(https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=242d4aaac8&e=fbb0a4052b)
And again this week, here’s a link (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=7619485e04&e=fbb0a4052b) that will take you to a Spotify playlist of the songs we’ll be singing together this Sunday!
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How do the saints in heaven respond to the news of the fall of Babylon the Great? Revelation 19 give us the answer and invites us to ask ourselves if we view the destruction of the enemies of God the way those in heaven view it.
See you in church.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Pastor Bob
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