by Steve Norby
 
I joyfully anticipate two major times of the year. The first is Christmas. Each year, we get an opportunity to enter into the wonder of the birth of God’s Son. God showed up in flesh and made Himself known. When I think of Christmas, it’s full of joy and nostalgia.  
 
The second time of year I find myself anticipating is Easter. Easter is the rest of the story. God not only showed up in flesh—He came with a divine purpose. He came to atone for our sin by His sacrifice on the cross.
 
When I think of Easter, it’s a different kind of joy from Christmas. This is the happiest sad story ever told. It grieves me that the perfect, sinless Son of God was crucified for our wrongs. But the resurrection of Jesus, that follows His suffering and death, turns sadness into joy. It’s a sad story with a happy ending. 
 
I watched with amazement the births of our six children. Each time, the moments leading up to delivery were full of pain and anxiousness. But, once the child was born, everything changed so quickly. The pain was soon forgotten (easy for me to say!), replaced with joy. In a similar but even greater way, there was much suffering in the passion of Jesus, but ever since the Resurrection, there is great joy!
 
I think we humans tend to experience joy when we see a wrong righted or an unlikely success. As I consider the joy of the Resurrection, I think its source goes much deeper than reasons such as these. The Resurrection was such a tangible demonstration of the power of God. Jesus says, in John 10, that He has the power to lay down His life and the power to take it up again. When I see this power of God poured out, it causes me to rejoice.
 
The grave could not contain Jesus. The power of God prevailed, and Jesus was raised. The power of God to raise the dead brings joy to me. I cannot stand up against my enemy Death, but God can. The bullies on the block—sin and death—met their match. The Bible tells us the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in us. The older I get, the more meaningful this has become to me. Death has lost its sting. Death has lost its grip on me. God’s power at work in me brings me great joy. 
 
As we progressed through Holy Week, we walked from the celebration of Palm Sunday to the grief of Good Friday, when we paused to remember Jesus’ crucifixion. And then we turned back to celebrating—praising God for the Resurrection on Easter Sunday morning! This was the emotional roller coaster experienced by those present with Jesus. It’s good for us to remember this. Even in the dark moments of a Good Friday service, the joy of the Lord is rumbling in my soul—because I know and celebrate that the same power at work in raising Jesus from the dead is at work in me. And that’s a reason to keep celebrating year ’round!

Early in the COVID-19 crisis, as communities all over the nation reeled from sudden shutdowns and social distancing, I saw a meme I can’t forget. It said, “Welcome, extroverts, to the anxiety introverts experience all the time.”
 
Read that again. Seems we’ve all felt a bit out of place—#alonetogether, anyone?
 
Meme-worthy insights aside, the implications of avoiding contact are troubling, even for an introvert like me. No one wants to be seen struggling, pandemic or no pandemic. This instinct goes all the way back to the Garden, when the very first result of sin saw Adam and Eve ashamed—covering themselves up and hiding in the bushes (Genesis 3:7-8), acting out on the separation they now sensed between themselves and God.
 
Still sensitive to that isolating sense of apartness, when things go wrong in our lives, many of us tend to hide or cover up, till we can be “presentable” for others. But going it alone is a struggle in and of itself. Complicating matters today, for a year now, togetherness has been associated with health risks. It’s easy to feel cut off when everybody’s supposed to isolate. Welcome to the anxiety…
 
But isolation feels especially devastating in the Church—and for biblical reasons. In Romans 12:3-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, we see a picture of unity in body life: just as all the many parts make up one body, all the many members make up one Church. Every part has its own function, and every part belongs to a whole. We’re in this together. There’s no saying, “I don’t need you!”
 
If a finger is cut off, for instance, it’s still a finger belonging to a body. It’s just disconnected from the life of the body now. What happens when a finger is lost? Well... the body can get by without a finger. The body suffers a disability, but it’ll live. The finger doesn’t do so well on its own, though, does it?
 
Remember, the apostle Paul isn’t talking about body parts in these passages. He’s talking about people. If we have a healthy relationship with our body, we don’t pretend some parts don’t exist or they don’t belong—even “unpresentable parts” (1 Corinthians 12:23) are given special consideration.
 
You see, when the parts are properly functioning, there’s no separation. Each part does its part, and the whole functions the way it’s supposed to function.
 
This is the ideal state of homeostasis for the Church—“the body of Christ” (4:12) Paul talks about in his letter to the Ephesians and elsewhere in Scripture. Here, Paul describes the parts given, by God’s grace, as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, “to equip His people for works of service.” In other words, these parts are designed to build up the other parts, so that all work together for the good of all, “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (4:13).
 
What does this mean for you? Well, God has placed you in the body, just as He wanted you (1 Corinthians 12:18). So how do you relate with other parts… maybe those you consider “less honorable” (12:23), for instance? 
 
Maybe you’re the one feeling “unpresentable” yourself right now. Maybe you’re overwhelmed by the aftermath from this past year, and you don’t want anyone to know. What does it mean to give grace when it feels like you’ve got nothing to give?
 
What if it’s as simple as letting someone else be an eye to see, or an ear to hear? Every part is indispensable. Without you—without your part in the whole—the body is less than it’s made to be. “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26). Without your part, someone else misses out on being the part God made them to be.
 
So who are the parts you’re connected to? Can you think of three people you haven’t heard from for a while? We all have a list of contacts in our phones. Pick three of them. Call them. Maybe they’re feeling cut off by pandemic issues or other life situations. Maybe calling this week will remind them they’re not “apart from,” but “a part of.”
 
In this season of Lent, even as we reflect on the realities of sin and separation in our world, we also look forward to Easter and the fullness of Christ, witnessed in His resurrection from the dead! And we remember, by the power of His Holy Spirit in us, by the same power that raised Jesus from the grave, we are given freedom from sin and freedom to serve. Yes, YOU are given God’s grace, “to live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Ephesians 4:1).
 
So how has God positioned you to benefit other parts of the whole? As ones who’ve been GIVEN GRACE, we are called to GIVE GRACE in turn.
 
Who comes to mind when you think of the body of Christ? If God is putting someone on your heart, chances are you’re the one He has in mind to bring His grace to bear in their life. As Pastor Steve challenged us a few Sundays ago, “Will you respond in obedience, or will God have to raise up somebody else to do it?”
 
To speak with someone about finding your part in the body of Christ here at GracePoint, you can get in touch through the “Ways to Serve” form. Or you can take some time to better understand the ways God has uniquely gifted you to serve through the “Spiritual Gifts Test.” And if you’d still like to dig deeper in reflection this season leading toward Easter, you can download the “Lent Guide” for prayer and consideration about what God might be asking of you right now.
 
Just think… if everyone cares for everyone, everyone will be cared for. And someone has to go first.

    Ash Wednesday begins the Lenten season. The observance of Lent has changed over the centuries. The early church observed Lent for only a few days before Easter and, instead of a small smudge of ash on the forehead, ashes were sprinkled over the person’s head. Over time, the length of the season grew until it was several weeks long. In the seventh century, the church set the period of Lent at forty days (excluding Sundays) in order to remind people of the duration of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness that preceded the beginning of His earthly ministry.  
     In the early church, baptism was only performed on Easter Sunday—an entire year’s worth of converts to the faith would be baptized and brought into the church on that day. Lent was the time before Easter in which these converts would fast and pray, preparing themselves to be members of Christ’s church. 
     As the years went by, the church began to baptize people on days other than Easter Sunday. Lent was no longer a time of preparation for these events, but it remained as a special time of prayer and fasting. After the Protestant Reformation, the discipline of Lent focused on personal introspection and repentance. Preserving Lent as a time of self-sacrifice, the church leaders encouraged people to give up something they enjoyed during Lent. It still can be a very meaningful experience to give up, for the Lenten season, something that you enjoy, or something that may take a lot of time but really gives you little lasting value.  
     Lent is also an opportunity to commit to something important that you may have neglected. During the 40 days of Lent I plan on reading through the New Testament and reading two books a week that will fuel my faith. I challenge you: What should you give up for Lent (fasting some meals, TV, a hobby...) and what should you pursue? Maybe, like me, you could read through the NT, or perhaps set aside a prayer time each day. The Wesleyan Church has published a Lent Guide for 2021 with short daily readings to consider.  
      Lent is an opportunity for you to become more self-aware in order to experience deep formation and transformation. Some of the greatest moments we experience as followers of God are when we still ourselves before God in honest vulnerability and seek His face. Jesus said in Matthew 6:5-6, “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
      Lent is an opportunity to shut the door and pray to God. Lent is a time of reflection and preparation for Easter. Not just a long lamenting experience, instead, it is an acknowledgement of life as we know it. The traditional statement associated with Ash Wednesday is "Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust" - a reminder of the frailty and mortality we all experience in life. I always thought this seemed a bit harsh. "Hey man, you are dirt," isn't exactly uplifting. But that is precisely the point. Before we can appreciate the new life of Jesus Christ we must place it in stark contrast with what we know. And what do we know?  Well, just watch the news, listen to your neighbors, or check your bank account. We know scarcity. We know fear. We know dashed hopes and brokenness. We know ashes.
     The true reward waiting at the end of Lent is not that our piety will be rewarded, but that our ashes are precisely the material God will use to bring new life. It is a time to shut the door and seek God.  
     Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus: the early Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church that before the Easter celebration there should be a forty–day season of spiritual preparation during which the church was reminded of the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ and the need we all have to renew our faith.
     I invite you, to observe a holy Lent beginning this Ash Wednesday and leading to Resurrection Sunday: by self–examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self–denial; and by reading and meditating on God's Holy Word.
​
Love in Christ,
Pastor Steve

Ash Wednesday Bible Readings
Genesis 3:1-19
Isaiah 53
Psalm 51

How are you doing with those New Year’s resolutions? Some surveys say four out of five people will break their resolutions, and a third of them will do so in the first month! Many of us were ready for 2020 to be over, but have we put much prayer or consideration into what we hope to see in 2021? While the beginning of a new year can come with a new sense of motivation, purpose, or direction, what does it take to follow through the rest of the year?
 
In short, the answer is discipline, but we’re not exactly born with that. If we were, we wouldn’t be having this conversation! Maybe some people can wake up one day, say, “I’m going to get in shape this year” and actually do it, but for most of us, there’s a difference between the idea of making resolutions and the disciplined process of setting attainable goals. Have we been intentional about what this means for us in terms of spiritual development?
 
A couple of years ago, around this time, The Wesleyan Church posted “10 Personal Questions to Start 2019 Well.”  In 2021, as we pause to look back and look ahead, these reflection questions are worth revisiting. Especially when little on this earth seems certain, where do we find a firm foundation to build on? Author Dan Reiland states, "My advice is not to make a list too long. That can be overwhelming. If you do make a long list, then prioritize it and start with a short list of the most important things first.”
 
If nothing else has come of this long COVID season, I hope we can all agree God has used these circumstances to bring our attention to what really matters. So, as we consider the beginning of this new year, what will be essential... foundational... to the way we approach these next 12 months of our lives?
 
This month, in the Intentional Foundations seminar, we have identified some important building blocks to answer that question. (The final seminar is January 20. Find the session recordings and notes HERE) As the Lord God Almighty says in 2 Chronicles 7:14, ​“If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

​What does it mean for all God’s people to humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, turn from our wicked ways? Maybe it feels like that list could get really long, really fast, and become overwhelming before we’ve even begun.
 
I don’t know about you, but I like to have a goal. I have long-term goals, short-term goals, in-between goals… And, about every six months or so, I end up re-evaluating, re-prioritizing, and re-focusing on the goals that are most important. Otherwise, I can lose track and never make much progress on any goals. We can never do everything all at once, but we can always do something to move in the right direction. So I’m continuously re-learning to start wherever I’m at.
 
That ties in with our Big 3 philosophy about starting points for church connection...

• 1 Big: 1 regular big Sunday worship gathering
• 1 Small: 1 regular weekly small group or mentoring relationship
• 1 Serve: 1 regular service commitment in the church or community

 
This can feel frustrating at first, when we want to get involved, make a difference, and see big changes right away. We want to go all in! But discipline—and discipleship—builds on itself. Discipline in one area of life builds discipline into other areas of life. And we can’t rush discipleship. There’s no life hack to spiritual formation.
 
So, how do we decide which goals, or which areas of growth, are the most important at any given point? Sometimes, God leads me to set a major life goal that determines many decisions and takes years to accomplish (like walking the path to ordained ministry, a 2020 goal set way back in 2013). Other times, though, I hear myself throwing around a lot of vague, guilt-based, half-hearted goals, like “I really need to start working out again” or “I’ve really got to work on that savings account” or “We should really stop eating out so much.” When I catch myself, I have to stop and ask, “Am I honoring the Lord in this area of my life?”

Then it’s not about how I feel or what I want or what you think I should do. Then it's about being called to honor the Lord with my body (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), be faithful with the resources He’s given me (Luke 16:10-11), and encourage others to good deeds (Hebrews 10:24-25). And it usually doesn’t take very long in prayer before an area emerges that needs my attention.
 
God’s will has a way of simplifying a lot of decisions. "Is what I'm doing honoring to God?" Yes? Well, do that, then. No? Then change that. Here’s a way to start...
 
Part 1: Set a SMART Goal.

Once you’ve identified a change that’s important enough to follow through, let’s get “SMART” about it. A reason most people fail to achieve goals is we don’t set specific goals to begin with. The advice is given so frequently it sounds cliché, but the fact is, creating a written set of goals can be a first step toward actual, tangible progress. After all, if you’ve never written down your goals, and you do that today, then you’ve already made more progress today than you have before. Ta-da!
 
Effective goal-setting is outlined in the SMART model:
 

• Specific: Instead of vague intentions overwhelmed with multiple life changes (“I want to get in shape and eat healthy and stuff”), a SMART goal focuses on one specific outcome at a time (“I want to start running with XYZ training plan”).
• Measurable: A SMART goal can be measured or tracked for progress and setbacks (“I ran a 10-minute mile last week; I ran a 12-minute mile over the weekend; I will gain those 2 minutes back by this Wednesday”).
• Attainable: While there might be a bigger-picture vision (“I want to run a marathon), SMART goals focus on breaking down the vision into realistic, attainable steps (“I will start by running 2 miles without stopping or walking”).
• Right: Identifying right things to do, SMART goals come from pure motives (“I will honor God with my body”), lead to healthy outcomes (“I will not over-train or injure myself”), and benefit others (“I will model better habits for my family”).
• Time-bound: To sustain motivation, accountability, and discipline, SMART goals are time-bound with predetermined deadlines for completion (“I will run 10 miles without stopping by the end of this summer”) to stay on track.

 
To develop a SMART goal, don’t be afraid to dream—embrace God’s potential for your life! Now articulate...
 

• What is one specific goal that will lead toward the change I want in my life?
• How can I measure my progress toward this goal?
• What makes this an attainable or realistic goal to work toward?
• Why is this the right goal to pursue during this particular season of life?

 
Part 2: Create an Action Plan.

When we break down a “big” goal into a series of “small” goals, change starts to look sustainable. For instance, it might feel overwhelming to say, “I want to read the whole Bible in a year.” But this is actually a quite specific, measurable, attainable, right, and time-bound goal. With this SMART goal identified, an action plan provides a set of logical steps to follow. For example:

1. From January-March, read Genesis-Judges.
2. From April-June, read Ruth-Job.
3. From July-September, read Psalms-Haggai.
4. From October-December, read Zechariah-Revelation.

 
With a SMART goal broken down into an action plan (even one this simple), it doesn’t look so overwhelming after all! And the smaller we break down the action steps (for example, book by book or even chapter by chapter), the quicker we gain momentum.
 
To draft an action plan, first picture your end result: the completion of the goal you’ve identified, in the time you’ve set to complete it. Now, work backward from there:

• To complete this goal by the time I’ve set, what main things need to happen?
• How long will each of these main things take?
• In what order will they be completed?
• What needs to happen in the next year?
  • in the next 6 months?
  • in the next 3 months?
  • in the next month?
  • in the next 3 weeks?
  • in the next 2 weeks?
  • in the next week?
  • today?
  • right now?

 
Moving forward means taking the first step, then the next step after that, and the next step—and so on. So, what's the next step you can see from where you’re at right now? (Don’t worry, we’ll always be asking God to adjust the course as needed, as we go.)
 
Maybe the first step, right this moment, is to stop and pray about it. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring your attention to an area where you need God’s help to be intentional in discipleship this year. Then ask for His power to do it!
 
What specific, measurable, attainable, right, and time-bound goal has God given you in the year ahead?

“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone…” (Hebrews 12:14a)
 
What does it mean to “make” peace—to be a peace “maker,” rather than a peace “keeper”? To “make” means to create something where it wasn’t before. It means we’re actively engaging… bringing peace to situations that are not peaceful otherwise. Can you think of situations right now where peace is needed?
 
These days, with ongoing COVID-19 restrictions on face-to-face gatherings, more of our communication is taking place online than ever before. Particularly on these (highly visible) platforms, Christians have a lot of opportunities to engage with culture in ways that model the peace of Christ. That can feel pretty challenging sometimes, especially in a global pandemic—or an election year.
 
In a recent perspective called “Peacemaking in a Polarized Society” https://www.wesleyan.org/peacemaking-in-a-polarized-society on The Wesleyan Church blog, Pastor Andy Merritt observes

But we’ve seen a different way from the Prince of Peace—Jesus, Friend of Sinners, Who sat with crooks, prostitutes, political zealots, and religious authorities alike.
 

• Who was known even among His opponents as One who wasn’t “swayed by others” because He paid “no attention to who they are” (Matthew 22:16)
• Who urged the common folk to turn the tables by turning the other cheek, giving the coats off their backs, walking another mile, and sharing with anyone who asked (Matthew 5:39-42)
• Who observed rhythms of temple worship all His life (Luke 2:41; John 2:13) AND challenged self-serving, hypocritical traditions (Matthew 23)
• Who instructed His followers to pay a non-Christian government’s taxes AND give to God what is His (Mark 12:17)

 
These are acts of peace “making”—not “keeping the peace”—that change lives that change the world. These are the kinds of acts which require us to lay down our lives, our conveniences, our personal preferences—to check our egos at the door and be willing to be misunderstood for the cause of Christ. These are acts as simple as knowing when to engage and when to not.
 
And, in many ways, these are the kinds of acts that can happen at any time, in any place, with anyone who happens to be there, in person or out in cyberspace.
 
It doesn’t mean we should all delete our personal profiles or declare a social media fast. But maybe it means we’re quick to listen and slow to speak (James 1:19). Merritt continues

On any platform, peacemaking isn’t a glamorous undertaking. Peacemaking doesn’t win us the last word as much as it leaves us feeling, frankly, used or abused at times. Remember, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself stood under all sorts of unfair interrogations and outrageous accusations, wherein He “gave no answer” (Matthew 27:12) and “made no reply” (Matthew 27:14). That had to hurt!
 
“Blessed are the peacemakers,” He says, but notice peacemakers are listed in the same ranks as the poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, those who are persecuted, and all the rest who suffer hatred and humiliation for the gospel. These ones aren’t of a highly esteemed lot—they’re those whose ways of victory and freedom from sin make no sense in the eyes of a mocking, ungodly world.
 
But peacemaking isn’t the way of the world. It doesn’t go along with the crowd but dwells with the outcast. It rejoices with those who rejoice and weeps with those who weep—wherever they come from and whoever they voted for.
 
Peacemaking is a courage of good humor and grave consequence. It’s a voluntary displacement from the preoccupations of cancel culture. It’s sitting with people in holy moments of confusion and loss and betrayal with no thought of what others might think.
 
It’s holding an open posture for the insults to pass through, ungrudgingly, so we may welcome the stranger and love our annoying, sinful neighbor because “they” are a part of “us.”
 
It’s a tedious, tireless practice of taking the slings and arrows, covering over a multitude of sins, absorbing griefs and offenses, lowering oneself as Christ lowered Himself and trusting God to search our hearts, to see what’s done in private—including what we were tempted to say, but didn’t.
 
Peacemakers aren’t pacifists. Peacemakers aren’t always popular. They’re intercessors, negotiators, strategic thinkers, bridge builders, mercy givers, forgiveness seekers, truth tellers, wrongs righters, active pray-ers, reconcilers.
 
Peace isn’t made via long-distance verbal skirmishes, with careless words grenade-launched into unseen lives. Peace is made person to person, one by one, heart to heart, day by day. Peace is made where doors are opened, tables are shared, rest is found—whether we agree on everything, or especially if we don’t.
 
Peacemakers don’t blend in. They stand out. They’re noticeable. Of all those Jesus calls “blessed” (Matthew 5:3-10), it’s these ones—the peacemakers—who “will be called children of God” (v. 9). It’s these ones who will be recognized as sons and daughters of the Almighty Himself. This ascription alone tells us peacemaking is no minor add-on to our spiritual lifestyle, but a testament to the Holy Spirit power of the Lord, our Christ… the power it takes to actually live this way, on earth as it is in heaven.
 
To “make” peace doesn’t mean a “peaceful,” trouble-free life. After all, it was in foretelling His own crucifixion and the persecution of His followers that Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you” (John 14:27). His peace comes to us in the most paradoxical ways. His peacemakers are witnesses of the most culturally contradictory sort.

And so, may we be known as His by the lives we live—yes, even online as we are in person.