Dear New City Church Family,
I think this Sunday will mark the 19th week since we last gathered in person as a congregation. Hard to believe it’s been both that long, and only that long. Almost every week I struggle writing this Friday Briefing because of what Henri Nouwen calls, “the temptation to be relevant.”
I’ve been listening to a study on the Book of Revelation. Chapter 5, verse 4 reads, And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” The commentary I read on this chapter said, "You cannot give people hope by pointing people to themselves and their worth. It does not matter how successful or significant or how unsuccessful or insignificant a human life is. It cannot bear the weight of its own worth."
Right now it feels like we're living in a world of competing "moral" pressures where there are no perfect options. Mask or no mask. School or no school. Police or defund police. Live worship or digital worship. The Black Lives Matter Organization or black lives matter. These things are being pitted against each other, and they’re creating a tension where we’re not capable of bypassing this reality, and we are not capable of “bearing” it.
Albert Camus described humans as being in a constant state of “plague-like emergency.” According to him, we are "always managing our losses while striving for dignity in the process." On our best days, we are "only doing some slightly better version of not getting it right." Enter St. Paul, "There is no one who is righteous" (Romans 3:10).
It just feels like only disgust with those who are or think differently than we do. “You are one of those? You hold those opinions? You act in that way?” The reality is that much of our nation is being forced into competing forms of cultural beliefs. These subcultures produce backlash and greater opposition from those deemed as “outsiders” and then perpetuate a cycle of retribution. As a pastor, I find this to be a problem because of our inability to honestly face the complexity and difficulty of what it means to be human. It is robbing us of our greatest hope.
I know what I’ve said so far could sound depressing. It feels heavy to think about the depth of human depravity and to realize that our lives in this world are “too much for us to bear.” But I want to suggest that this heaviness offers us some good news. It is, in fact, nothing less than the Gospel.
First, I agree with Calvin that the only possibility for human understanding is a “low anthropology” where we realize our neighbor is also broken and sinful… just like we are broken and sinful. According to Erwin Lutzer, “People try to create empathy through a mutual recognition of shared worth." He writes in his book, Cries of the Cross, that this thinking is a dead end. “In the end, we are just too good at seeing what’s wrong with others for what’s good about them to overcome the barriers between us. It’s only when we see the plank in our own eye that we’ll forgive the speck in our neighbors (Matthew 7:5). It’s only when we come to terms with our own failure to bear reality that we can have compassion for all the ways our neighbors fail us." Lutzer says, “Coming back to our frailty and limitedness grounds us again in the fundamental principle of the Christian life and that, simply put, is grace.”
Just to make sure I’m not misunderstood, I’m passionately on the side of justice. I think justice is what is needed in this moment, and I don’t think justice and grace should be juxtaposed. To quote Dietrich Bonhoeffer, "Justice is necessary so that grace does not become 'cheap grace.'" It is still the case that in the Christian life, grace is the reality that should frame and ground all of us. And, when the world becomes too much for us to bear, "Grace prevents us from retreating to our insular subcultures; provides us the space to hold all of us together; and so, presents us with the possibility that justice might truly be for all."
My deep desire for New City Church is that we will be a faith community that holds the complexities and difficulties of this life in tension. Which is to say, that we hold all our brokenness and frailty together offering that kind of empathy and grace to one another, even as we work for God’s justice in this world.
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! (2 Peter 3:18).
~ Bill
P.S. The Elders have given a much-earned sabbatical to Pastor Lisa Aug. 15 - Oct. 31. Her caring presence and leadership is a key reason New City exists today. After 20 years serving here in ministry at the corner of Penn and Palm, our Elders want to give Pastor Lisa a ministry break so she can rest, read, renew, and refresh her relationship with God in her most sacred pathway, nature. Join us for Worship on Sunday to learn more.
CALLING ALL MEN: Tonight and Tomorrow Morning
If you’ve ever been or never been to a Promise Keepers event, you’ll want to attend this year’s PK Virtual Experience. It’s free. For more info, go to:
https://promisekeepers.brushfire.com/virtual-2020/466931.
July 31st at 6 PM - Central time (or any time after), click here!
The program will air 3 hours Friday night and resume Saturday morning at 9 AM Central time. The program will run for 4 hours on Aug. 1st.
You can participate with us Live, or you can watch the broadcast after it airs using the same links.
CITY CHURCH OF COMPTON SUNDAY
On Sunday, August 16th, we will be having a special day with our ministry partners at City Church of Compton. There are three exciting parts to the day. First, Pastor Pat Dirkse will be bringing the message from God’s Word. Pat’s unique perspective from a decade of ministry in Compton always challenges us. Second, we will be having a drive-by food and clothing collection. It had been our practice to do this monthly on the first Sunday of the month, but since we have been unable to meet, we have not assisted the Compton ministry this way. We are encouraging as many of you as can to bring non-perishable groceries and clothes in good condition to donate.Finally, since we can’t have an onsite picnic like we have in past summers, we will provide you with a delicious BBQ lunch prepared by City Catering. You will not only be getting some great food, but we will be supporting a key business that is part of the City Church outreach to their community. Details for ordering will be included in next week's Friday Briefing.
Let’s make this a great day for New City Church and our friends at City Church, Compton!
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE CHURCH
Chiapas, Mexico - Huehuetennango, Guatemala - Belize
About once a month, NCC receives a written report from our missionary - Vitalino Mendez of Power Missions. His work began in Mexico, but he has also planted churches in Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. He has in that time also raised up other missionaries to expand the mission field in these countries.
He reports that the missionary family to Belize continues to work in a difficult environment of spiritual darkness and dangerous opposition from gangs in the area. And, yet, some are coming to hear the gospel through meetings and Bible studies. The four churches in Chiapas, Mexico continue to meet since there is no corona virus among the villages. In Guatemala, worship services and Bible studies continue via Facebook.
He thanks us for our financial support and our prayers.
SUBMIT PRAYER REQUESTS
The Elders and Prayer Team take seriously their commitment to pray
for the requests of our church family. You are encouraged
to submit them here.
UPCOMING
Sunday Worship Service Simulcast - 9:30 AM www.newcitychurchsb.org
Tuesday Bible Study with Lisa Lait via Zoom - Tuesday, August 4th, at 5 PM. Contact: Lisa Lait
Missed any of our Sunday Services or Wednesday Night Bible Study Sessions? You can watch them on our website under the "Media" section or on our Youtube page. Check it out below:
New City Church on YouTube
