I was scanning through the birthday card aisle awhile back and stopped when I came across a cute card with an old lady in a hospital gown on it that said “My mind says I’m in my twenties. My body says ‘Yeah, You Wish!’” I chuckled to myself, but then recalled my own age and the relentless ache in my knee. An older friend of mine recently purchased his first pair of reading glasses and was amazed how clear print really could be when reading. In fact, his comment to me was, “Wow, these glasses really speed up reading and make things clearer!” Yes, it’s true, my husband and I are not in our twenties anymore. For many of us we take these physical gifts for granted until one day we wake up and our body requires a careful stretch before movement or an extra arm adjustment to read the morning paper.

I’ve worn glasses since the fourth grade so I had to snicker a bit when Josh was explaining how great his new glasses were. The clarity one finds when putting on the new spectacles is really pretty exciting. I wonder if this excitement of new found sight is true of our spiritual lives too. Both Josh and I grew up knowing our Savior mostly due to the families we were born into. We never questioned who Jesus was or why our family participated in different ministries. We were given the lens of the Gospel early on and accepted it into our hearts as adolescents. I would say this is probably true of most of you reading this little article, but what about the others?

The others? What do you mean, Becky? I simply mean the others – those who do not sit among us in the church pews; whose lives may lay in ruin; the folks who seek peace from the world never finding it. Simply put, those who do not know Jesus to be their Savior. For many, the lens of the Gospel has never been offered to them, others have denied the need for it. So what does that have to do with us? Everything! We have the gift of sight, and Jesus instructs His servants to share it with others!

All this talk about sight reminds me of Paul. After all, he was blind and then had the gift of sight restored – in more ways than one! Still known as Saul, he was traveling down a road one day minding his own business when suddenly a bright light and voice appeared to him and just like that he was blind. After his physical sight was restored he received the gift of the Holy Spirit and began his ministry. In Acts 26 Paul reflects on the day his life changed forever with King Agrippa sharing the words Jesus spoke to him on the road, “Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

Equipped with the power of the Holy Spirit, Paul obeyed Jesus’ instructions and shared the Good News with everyone he encountered. As he showed the light of Jesus to others, hearts were transformed and eyes were opened to know their Creator and lives were restored. We have been given the same instructions, and like Paul, the same Holy Spirit that worked through him works in us.

Becky Ossefoort

HOLDING ENVIRONMENT CONVERSATION INVITE

Since our retreat in September the Ridder Church Renewal Team has been working on “owning” and “mastering” the following core values and skill sets of the process—and in particular owning and mastering Generating and Sustaining Creative Tension :

1. We were to give our word to developing a schedule for completing all of our home work with integrity—doing what you say you will do, when you say you will do it, and in the manner it was meant to be done. Our team meets on the first and third Tuesday of the month to report and reflect on our completed homework.
2. Each team member was challenged to develop a relationship with a “sojourner,” (someone who is spiritually disoriented) using the 5 Guiding Principles in a Mental Model of Mission as a guide. You will learn more about the 5 Guiding Principles in our To Grow Means To Go message series.
3. As we considered a few weeks ago, to be missional means to be sent. And in order to be sent I must be willing to leave something behind. Part of our homework included confronting an area of habitual disobedience that keeps us from leaving old ways of behavior or thinking behind—those thoughts and attitudes that keep us from faithful and fruit mission. Once we identified our areas of habitual disobedience, we shared them with our team.
4. Often times our areas of habitual disobedience have to do with our lack of emotional maturity so each person had to develop a plan for growing their emotional maturity. In addition to participating in our fall series on Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, our team also had to read the The Leaders Journey by Jim Harrington and Trisha Taylor. Jim and Trisha are also two of the instructors of the Ridder process.
5. In addition to all we are learning and practicing, we were challenged to consider who in our congregation needs to learn what we’ve been learning and to develop a plan on how we would help them learn it.

And this is where you come in! First, the method of sharing what we’ve been learning is called a “holding environment.” A holding environment is simply a safe space to have a crucial conversation about challenging topics.

And in our case the challenging topic is that, if American Reformed Church is going to continue to be faithful and fruitful in mission in a rapidly changing culture, we must move from an attractional model of doing church, to a missional model of declaring and demonstrating the message of the Kingdom of God. Part of the conversation includes identifying the current reality of our understanding of what it means to live on mission.

On December 6, 2016 the Ridder Team held our first “holding environment conversation” with several members of the Consistory and a few other key stake holders of our congregation.  Our second conversation with several designated Life Group leaders, Sunday school teachers, and youth ministry volunteers was scheduled to be held this past Tuesday; however it was postponed because of the snowstorm.

And so, we are rescheduling our final holding environment conversation for this coming Tuesday evening January 31 at 7:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall. In addition to those who were invited to last week’s conversation, we want everyone who is interested in engaging in a conversation about the exciting future of ARC to join us. Please understand, we are not asking you to commit to anything more than having this conversation. If the future mission of ARC is something that interests you, please call or e-mail the church office by Tuesday at noon.

Growing and going,

Mike Altena

I recently stopped at a local restaurant to do some reading while enjoying a cup of coffee. Only a few minutes had passed when a couple of elderly women at the table to my right began expressing their thoughts and feelings about their church. One of the women in particular seemed most passionate and therefore did most of the talking.

She began by expressing her frustration about her church by saying, “all they really want is our money.” She went on to explain to her friend that her finances were tight which made it difficult for her to give. Then she gave an example of how greedy her church was in that they charged a fee for the use of the church for weddings and other activities.

When it came to her daughter’s wedding, she said it didn’t really make any sense to her that her church would charge her rent, especially since she had been a member of the “damn church” her whole life and she helped pay for it. So what did her and her husband do; they rented a town hall in another town and her daughter’s wedding “was just as nice of a wedding as if it was in a church” (I assumed the rent of the town hall was less than the church).
Next she shared how her brother had been offended by one of their pastors. As she told this part of the story, her voice got softer so I was unable to hear the extent of the offense. However, raising her voice again as she finished the story, it seemed as if she wanted everyone in the restaurant to know he hadn’t been back to church for over 45 years!! And then she finished by sharing that she didn’t attend her church very often anymore.

I thought, oh my, I’m sure glad the members of ARC would never talk that way about our church or about me in public! And I’m sure glad that none of our members would harbor unforgiveness for 45 years for something the pastor said. And I’m sure glad we don’t charge our members for using the church they helped pay for—oh wait!

And then it dawned on me, since the book I was reading was entitled Organic Outreach for Churches; Infusing Evangelistic Passion into Your Congregation, I wondered if it was divine appointment, so I was about to engage the two ladies in a conversation about their painful church experience, but they began talking about the exorbitant cost of health care. And so I let the grand opportunity slip away.

Then ironically, I began reading again in chapter three where Kevin Harney writes, “When we criticize the church and sling mud at Christ’s bride, our vision for outreach grows hazy…The church, as the bride of Christ, is made up of frail and broken people…But Jesus still loves his bride, even with her warts and weirdness, and we should love her too. When we judge and condemn the people and practices of the church, we are attacking our brothers and sisters, and ourselves.”

As I reflected on the witness of the two women, I couldn’t help but think of Alexander the metal worker. Paul writes about how Alexander negatively impacted the Kingdom in II Timothy 4:14-15, “Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.”

May it not be so with us to slander the bride of Christ, but rather in love, may we speak only that which is helpful for advancing the Kingdom, that it may benefit those who listen…because you never know who might be listening.

Grace be with you, Mike Altena

“These I will bring to my holy mountain, and give them joy in my house of prayer.  Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”  (Isaiah 56:7)

And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”  (Mark 11:17)

While attending seminary about ten years ago, one of my favorite professors began teaching us that it was always God’s intention that His chosen people would be on mission.  This is the theme of our video in worship today by Ray Vander Laan called, “Israel on Mission:  Abraham, Sarah, and the Three Strangers.”  My professor helped us to see that it wasn’t just for their own good that the descendants of Abraham were called, but that they would make God known to the whole world.  When you look at the Bible that way you see…

God called his people out of Egypt, not just to escape slavery, but to be free to serve Him.

God gave Israel the law and called them to be holy, not only for their own good, but that they might be set apart as a priesthood for all the nations.

God established his people in the promised land, a rich land flowing with milk and honey, not just for their own pleasure but for the purpose of having extra resources for mission.

God gave David and Solomon great favor, wisdom, and resources, so that his Holy Temple would be prepared as the rallying point for all who would seek to discover God.

God allowed his people to be exiled so that they would carry His message to the world.

God sent Jesus to redeem Israel from sin, not just for their own sake, but to renew their calling.

God invited Gentiles to join Jews in the new Israel, and to also be sent on mission.

God allowed the church to be persecuted, again forcing them to carry His message to the world.

Nevertheless, we still face the same temptations as Israel did in the Old Testament.  We are tempted to keep our faith to ourselves, and to spend our lives focusing on our own comfort and personal achievements.  We are glad we are called by God and can enjoy peace and forgiveness and the hope of heaven, but we aren’t terribly concerned about others receiving the same benefits.  In fact, we look down on them for not figuring life and faith out, forgetting that it was God who pulled us out of the miry pit and gave us understanding and hope.

But here is the point:  He saved us for a reason, and we must spend our lives discovering our calling and living it out, and each person’s calling will include being sent into mission in some way.  What is your calling?  Why did God choose you?  Where are you being sent in mission?

Cory Grimm

On New Year’s Eve, Vicki and I were invited to join with several friends for some good food, fellowship, and fun. The food was delicious, the fellowship was delightful, and the fun…well, it was unique.

One of the most exciting activities was the White Elephant Gift exchange. In a White Elephant Gift Exchange, everyone brings a gift and yet the goal is usually to entertain rather than to gain anything meaningful.

The gifts can be funny, weird, or nice. Funny gifts make the biggest splash at the party, but aren’t always that desirable. The weird gifts are often artsy things and gadgets that aren’t really that useful, but some people want them anyway. And then the nicer gifts are highly sought after.

Our exchange began with all 22 of the guests sitting in a circle. The facilitator of the exchange then began by playing some music at which time everyone began passing their gifts around the circle. When the music stopped, the facilitator would call out a number and then that person would open their gift. After the first gift was opened, the music began and everyone passed gifts again until the music stopped and another number was called. But then after the first gift was opened, from then on, before the next person would open their gift, they had a choice if they wanted to take someone else’s gift.

The gifts ranged from a miniature outhouse, to a dancing chicken, to a toilet plunger that looked like a BB gun. Then there was the cute little slinky wiener dog, the large size frog made out of wire and covered in green lights, the candle with candy bars, a very nice desk lamp, a pair of men’s gloves, and a piggy bank with $12.76 in it. And then last but not least, everyone had a good laugh when the person opened the little ceramic man who was bent over with his pants pulled down and when you turned him on he would fart little bubbles.

As you can imagine, everyone enjoyed a great deal of laughter as well as some interesting conversation around the opening and exchange of gifts. The White Elephant Gift exchange was indeed a hit.

As I was reflecting on the experience, I wondered if for some people, Christmas is like a White Elephant Gift Exchange. God sends his Son into the world as a gift to all people. People open Him up; some find Jesus to be funny—his humble, selfless way of life and his claim to be the only way to the Father—how funny.

And then some find Jesus weird, what do you mean “don’t worry about what you eat or what you wear.” What do you mean “bless those who persecute you,” and “don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you,” that’s weird. While yet others find Jesus to be like a very generous gift card; he’s just enough to pay my sin debt.

I believe for many people, Jesus is like a White Elephant Gift, he provides good entertainment and is worthy of an interesting conversation. Jesus is good enough to take home after the party and yet they stick him in a closet until next year when they can re-gift him at the next exchange.

So what do you think? How valuable of a gift is Jesus to you? And who is Jesus to you; do you find him to be interesting, weird, nice, but not really that meaningful? Is Jesus someone who could be traded for a better opportunity?

May it not be so with us, but rather like Paul in II Corinthians 9:15 may we declare, “Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!”

Speechless,

Mike Altena

“I don’t know how.” It’s a common phrase around our house. My husband uses it when doing household tasks. My children use it when they need help with homework. Even I use it when trying to get out of going in the hog barn. Yet, as a mom, I often have to find out how to accomplish these tasks no one else knows how to do – Biology homework and all!

A few weeks ago I heard this familiar phrase uttered from an adult and it left me to do some thinking. Let me fill you in on our conversation a bit. A gentlemen and I were discussing lesson ideas for the youth of our church. I mentioned it would be great to get the students outside the church walls and have a lesson on service and being more mission minded in our day-to-day activity. He agreed and just as I started brainstorming out loud, he stopped me and said, “But, I don’t know how, so you are going to need to teach me.” I knew this man had an understanding of what it means to serve and even how to do so, yet he felt inadequately prepared. I assured him he had all the “know how” he needed downloaded into him from the power of the Holy Spirit, but I understood where he was coming from. We each grew up in different churches, but had a similar upbringing. Our conversation continued by acknowledging we had been raised in the church, we had been taught what we are called to do, yet the instruction of “Go!” is sometimes difficult to put into action.

In The Tangible Kingdom Primer Hugh Halter writes “This gap between learning and action has handicapped the modern church by producing passive ‘disciples’. We have taken discipleship off the streets and brought it into the classroom and the church pew.” When I read this I was reminded of the “I don’t know how” statement in the conversation about the youth lesson. Hugh is right. Now how are we going to change it?

I am not sure when the shift of taking a more passive approach to discipleship began, but I do believe God is instructing us to turn course and find ourselves out among the world. Turning to the Gospel will be a key tool in learning how to engage in the lives of those who do not know their Savior. Jesus was a living example as He instructed the twelve disciples on how to show others the Kingdom of God. Jesus said “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12

I believe another way to start would be to pick up your copy of The Tangible Kingdom Primer and get yourself in a Life Group! Jesus always sent His disciples out in pairs or groups and you should do the same – plus it is a lot of fun to do together. I am certain there are many within our church family who “don’t know how”. So, let’s learn together without any shame, no feelings of guilt, and filled with grace as we practice this new way of life. Just as I help my children learn how to do something new, Jesus will lead us as we follow Him across the street or fence. Living an intentional lifestyle will take a little work at first, but like anything else, the more you practice the easier it will become; and soon you’ll be living it without any extra effort at all. As we grow together, may we ignore the “I don’t know how” voice in our minds and focus on our Leader as we shift our discipleship out of the seats and into the streets of our community.

Go and be a blessing, Becky Ossefoort

One of the things I have really come to appreciate since our series on Flesh a few years ago is the weekly sharing in Communion during Advent. What a gift it is to be invited to share a meal together with the Incarnate Word of God—the Word that became flesh and made his dwelling among us. I also consider it a treasured privilege to gather around the table with all of you as we share in the Bread of Life.

However, like every meal shared with friends and family, after receiving the nourishment and being enriched by the conversation, eventually it’s time to get up from the table and continue pursuing the purpose for which we were created. And yes, getting up from the table may include doing the dishes and taking a quick nap, but then it’s time to resume our part in Christ’s kingdom mission.

And so it is with ARC, over the past year we have focused on “getting well” (John 5:1-14). We spent several weeks considering how we could become more intentional about living with integrity and authenticity. We spent over three months focusing on the characteristics of strong marriages and strong families followed by some powerful wisdom on growing our emotional health—remember you can’t be emotionally unhealthy and love well at the same time. And now after being encouraged once more by the good news that a Savior has been born and that Jesus will soon come again, it’s time to GO and complete those good works that God has prepared in advance for us to do.

Therefore, Lord willing, beginning on January 8 until Easter, we will be challenged from the Word of God to become more intentional about living on mission. To be missional is simply to join God in God’s mission to reconcile the world to himself and restore it to its original design.

In addition to reflecting on God’s plan of redemption and the lifestyle of mission that Jesus modeled, you will have access to a resource entitled, The Tangible Kingdom Primer.  This primer gives practical insights and steps on how to live on mission. Although divided into 8 chapters, we will take 16 weeks to work through it, which will give us extra time to complete the suggested mission. The primer will be available beginning next Sunday, January 1 in the Narthex.

And then for those disciples who are really serious about learning what it looks like to live on mission, I would encourage you to sign up for a copy of Hugh Halter’s book, The Tangible Kingdom. In his book, Hugh shares how the church in American does pretty well with communing with God and with each other inside of the church, but not so good at connecting with lost people.

The Christmas story presents us with two choices, either we can be like Herod and look for a way to eliminate the threat that Jesus presents to our personal kingdoms, or we can be like the shepherds who “spread the word concerning what they had discovered about Jesus.”

My prayer in 2017 is that the Spirit of God will stir a greater passion in us for declaring the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light. As Peter reminds, “But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted” (I Peter 1:9-10 The Message)

Wishing you a blessed Christmas and abundant New Year,

Mike Altena

This advent we have been talking about surprises in the lives of the characters surrounding Jesus’s birth and surprises in our own lives.  Often times when God directs us down a path we couldn’t have imagined we are tempted to think our life is out of control.  However, the Journey Class includes this insight:

God is sovereign, creative, and utterly good.  He is able to form and reform our lives even out of the most unlikely and painful circumstances and events we experience.  God wants to lovingly work in and through us for good (Rom. 8:28-29)…  Artist Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) described it in this way: “Christ…is more of an artist than the artists; he works in the living spirit and the living flesh; he makes men instead of statues.” 

For some reason I felt compelled to find out more of Van Gogh’s story, a fellow Dutchman, so I looked him up on Wikipedia, a source of truth second only to the Bible.  (Just kidding!) He seemed to have a fairly stable childhood, and his father was a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church.  One traumatic aspect of his early years was being sent to a boarding school.  He begged his parents to return home, but they refused, and his relationship with his family was never the same after that.  However, he did fairly well as a young man working as an art dealer, which was a common trade among his extended relatives.  Before too long, however, he grew tired of that calling and began to drift.

During his twenties Van Gogh stumbled in and out of various jobs and living situations and had a hard time figuring out what he was supposed to do with his life.  There were even periods of extreme, almost monastic religious devotion and a failed attempt at joining full-time ministry.  It wasn’t until he was around 30 years old that he began to take art very seriously and studied the craft.  He mingled with great artists and experimented with different approaches to painting.  He also fell into heavy drinking, struggled with depression, and eventually committed suicide at age 37.

The final seven years of Van Gogh’s life were inspired artistically, yet very sad on a personal level in many ways.  He was never recognized in his lifetime as a great artist and only sold one of his paintings. Today, however, he is revered as a pioneer in post-impressionist art forms, and many of his paintings are worth a fortune. One of my favorite anecdotes of his life was when he painted a portrait of Dr. Gachet, who was taking care of him towards the end of his life in a mental institution.  He presented the painting to the doctor who accepted the gift but never liked it.  Apparently at one point he even used the canvas to prop up part of the roof of his chicken coop.  He later gave it away, and in 2010 it sold at auction for $50 million.

Despite living a life that was full of struggle and tragedy and being misunderstood as an artist, Van Gogh believed that God was working in his life and forming him into the image of Christ.  His family life was lacking, his calling was undefined, he was a genius at art yet not able to make a living at it, and his days ended in despondency and death…yet somehow God was patiently walking and talking with him in the midst of it all.

Like “Starry Night” our lives will probably be a swirl of dark nights and bright lights all mixed together. Whatever “surprises” you are facing today, both blessings and trials, know that God is with you and He is working, and believe He can use any and all things to direct your path toward His ultimate purposes.                 Cory Grimm

Thursday afternoon I paused in the sanctuary to pray for little Max Cleveringa during his heart surgery.  I prayed for the physicians and nurses as they performed their critical tasks and for peace and comfort for the family.  I tried to imagine the inner turmoil of his mother and father as they placed their precious son into the hands of the surgeon, being aware of the pain and brutality of what was to come, but knowing full well that this was the best plan and it had to be done.  As I pondered the inconceivable battle of that scenario, my eyes focused on another image of struggle.

The manger.

I have never looked at the manger that way before.  The manger has always been an object associated with a beautiful gift.  An image of “peace on earth” and “joy to the world”, of a “silent night – holy night”.  The manger has decorated every children’s Christmas program as an unlikely but predictable gift box for God’s best present ever.  But with my prayers focused on a parent’s hardship my heart was overwhelmed and I saw the manger in a new light.

Thoughts raced through my mind… “God, how could you?  How could you take your only Son, part of yourself, and place him in the arms of this broken world?  How could you release your Son into this darkness; into this cesspool of humanity.  How could you trust us with your most precious gift when we have proven ourselves untrustworthy since day one?  How could you hand over the Creator to his own creation?  God, it doesn’t make sense.  That’s like handing your baby over to a first-year medical student instead of the best doctor in the country!”

There is nothing logical about the Christmas story.  God’s plan seems irrational, incomprehensible, and unimaginable in our minimal understanding.  And yet He did it.  The most often quoted words of Jesus give us the answer to why.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)  Not because we deserved it, not because he thought we would take good care of his most precious gift, but because he loves us.  My mind cannot fathom the heart of God as he knew the anguish and brutality that would be part of the future of this babe in a manger, but he gave us his Son regardless, knowing that it was the only way.

My prayer for you this Christmas season is that you would be overwhelmed by God’s love, that you would open your heart and receive the greatest gift ever given—an unthinkable sacrifice made just for you.

Erin Jacobsma

Stuff. I am not a fan of stuff. Extra things on my desk, miscellaneous clutter in the corners of my home; it all just plain stresses me out! Simple has always been my preference, but truth be told I am no different than anyone else. I struggle with the need to acquire things or have just a little more of other possessions.

I was talking to some friends who had recently shown their children where they lived while attending college as a newly married couple. The apartment building they lived in was never much to look at, but years later it now sits among much newer buildings, and looks really rough. Their children looked at them oddly, questioning if they had really lived there or if they were pulling their leg. He somewhat ashamedly admitted their first apartment would probably fit in the living and dining room of their current home. His comment was, “It was enough and all we needed.”

1 Timothy 6 reminds us how we brought nothing into this world and we will leave the same way. So, why do we have a deep desire for so much? Are we constantly trying to fill an empty feeling inside that will never go away? This world is full of things; things that can so easily become idols and turn our eyes from our Creator. As we are trying to acquire and load up, what message are we really sending our children? Is it a message that the things of this world are enough and will eventually fill emptiness inside?

I was convicted the other day when the Christmas music started on KNWC. I realized while I had 95% of my Christmas shopping completed, I had not given much thought to the reason we celebrate the Christmas season. I began to feel a lump in my throat as the music played and the words pierced my heart.

Stuff…things…all paraphernalia we will eventually lose interest in or send to the second hand store. What if this year we take the same energy we use to purchase the perfect gift, and spend it on getting to know someone who doesn’t know our Savior? Maybe stop and share God’s purpose of the Christmas story with a co-worker or friend. I don’t know about you, but sharing the gift of salvation is something I’d like to lavishly give to others!

1 Timothy 6 goes on to say  ⁹Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. Whether you did your shopping on Black Friday, sat in your PJs on the couch on Cyber Monday, or are waiting for all the bargains on December 23^rd, do not fall into the trap of filling the emptiness with things that do not really fill you up at all. Instead focus on the joy of the season and the richness of the gift born in a stable that night so long ago. The gift of knowing Jesus is the only gift that will ever truly fill anyone up inside.

This Christmas, may the gift in the manger stall be enough and all you really need!

Becky Ossefoort