Being Made New

The Apostle Paul said that those who commit their lives to Christ are made new. The old person dies and a new life begins. (2 Corinthians 5:17) This is more than simply making some improvements in our lives. It is becoming new in Jesus Christ.

That’s the way I’m looking at my New Years Resolutions. Where is it that I need to be made new in Christ? I need more than simply to improve. I need to be changed by the power of Christ.

As I think about that, I remember what Paul said in Romans 7; “I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.” He would go on to write, “Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:18-19, 24-25; NRSV)

It is Christ who makes us new. Through His Word, God gives us some instructions on living this new life, this changed life. That’s what we are going to be looking at in the message series that begins this Sunday, January 10, 2010 – “Keep the Change – Resolutions that Stick.” The issue really is being changed and staying changed. We cannot do that on our own. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to keep the change.

This is what John Wesley referred to as Sanctifying Grace. It is the grace of God that justifies us, makes us clean, gives us a new life. He called that Justifying Grace. Sanctifying Grace transforms us and gives us the power to live differently, to live the change. If you want to understand and experience the fullness of God’s grace, I recommend the Emmaus Walk. If you want to know more about this 72 hour spiritual weekend, drop me an email. Or, talk to someone who has attended the Walk to Emmaus.

We have many new, exciting, faith-growing classes beginning tonight. I encourage you to find a class to grow deeper in your faith. I know it is cold outside, but the heaters are working here. If you are reading this after Wednesday, then come next Wednesday. It will not be too late to join a class.

Over the next few Sundays there will be training in several areas vital to the growth of the church. It begins this Sunday, January 10th with Fellowship Friends and Prayer Usher Training. Fellowship Friends come alongside new members to help them get connected to the Body of Christ here at Gardendale-Mt. Vernon. That training begins at 12:15 and includes lunch. To help us be good stewards of the food, please sign up with the office. Prayer Ushers serve alongside the pastors during the altar times in our worship services. That training will be at 4:00 PM.

The following Sunday, January 17, there will be Hospitality Training at 4:00 PM. We are all responsible to make this a welcoming community. But with the many entrances to this facility, it is easy for people to enter and not be truly welcome. It can even happen in the main entrance places if we are not being intentional. This training will essentially be Hospitality 101. Come see where you might use your gifts to make guests feel truly welcomed.

On Sunday, January 24, there will be two more training events. Our Evangelism System training will be at 12:15. This one includes lunch, so please sign up. There are a variety of opportunities in our Evangelism System where volunteers are needed who have a heart to bring people into the church. The Evangelism System includes Sunday Computer Teams, First Time Visitor Follow-up, Telephone Teams, Cultivation Teams and Welcome Wagon Teams.

Also on January 24, Care Team Captain training will be held at 4:00 PM. These teams are vital to providing care to our growing congregation. Each Team consists of about 5 families. The Captain sees that the Care Team truly cares for one another.

Participation in any of these training does not obligate you to serve in that area. Come and learn what your church is doing and see if one of these might be a place you can use the Gifts God has given you.

You may have seen that some warming shelters have been established in the area to provide a place for people to get out of the cold. Boutwell Audorium will be open as a place to sleep during this period of record cold. They opened Tuesday night and will be open through Sunday night. Hours are 6:00 PM to 7:00 AM. There will not be any meals provided, but some warm drinks and snack. http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/01/downtown_birmingham_warming_sh.html

There is an opportunity to volunteer at the warming shelter. Volunteers are needed to help guests feel welcome, serve coffee, help families to their cots, general clean up and help with the information booth. If you would like to volunteer, here’s a contact email Candi@handsonbirmingham.org.

As always, your responses to these Reflections are welcome. You can email me at rguess@gmvumc.org.

Reflections from Bro. Rudy –

December 30, 2009

New Year Goals

Twitter is one of the new communication tools on the internet. Some use it to share what they are doing, some to communicate with their friends, and some to share thoughts. I saw one the other day that caused me to stop and think. It read simply, “2010. Would u rather 'get' or 'become'?” It was posted by Mike Henderson, a pastor in Virginia.

How would you answer the question, “Would you rather ‘get’ or ‘become’?” The New Year is a time when many think about their lives. We think of improvements we would like to see in our lives. We think of changes we’d like to make in our lives. We think of goals for our lives.

In an effort to make improvements in our lives, many will make some New Years Resolutions. I imagine most of our New Years Resolutions relate more to “become” than “get.” Some of them may actually relate to both.

The sad reality is, many of our resolutions will be broken by the end of January. Some of them will never make it past the first week. Why is that? Is it that we really are not serious about making the changes we know we need to make? Could it be that we need some help to sustain the changes we need to make?

I’m excited about a new message series that I will be preaching beginning January 10th. The title is “Keep the Change – Resolutions that Stick.” The Bible is a book about sustaining changes in our lives. God really does want us to live the Good Life. To live life to it fullest, we have to make changes in our lives. That’s what sanctifying grace is all about, keeping the changes in our lives.

In this series, we’re going to look at some biblical teaching related to keeping the changes we seek to make in our lives. God knows that we have problems sustaining the Good Life. God knows we face temptations to compromise. So God has given us instructions, even guidelines that will help us remain faithful.

In preparation for this new series and the New Year, prayerfully consider some New Years Resolutions that God would have you make. You might think in terms of these areas of your life: Body/Health, Relationships, Finances, Spiritual and Vices. Your Resolutions might relate to changes you need to make or areas in which you need to grow.

On Sunday, January 10th, we will kick off this series with a message entitled, “Thinking for a Change.” During the morning services, you will have an opportunity to commit your resolutions to God and begin the journey in making them stick.

This coming Sunday, January 3rd, we will celebrate the Epiphany, the arrival of the wise men. Judy Shepherd will be preaching a message entitled, “Wisemen Still Seek Him.” Then on Sunday night, we will join as Methodists have since the times of John Wesley, to participate in a Covenant Renewal Service.

During the Sunday morning services on January 3rd, we’ll also commission our Church Leadership for 2010. If you will be a member of the Administrative Board, the Council on Ministries or one of the Boards, Committees or Ministry Teams, make plans to be present for your commissioning. If you have not gotten your Covenant Sheet, it should be in the mail. Sign it and bring it with you to worship. There will be an opportunity to affirm your commitment during the service.

New Wednesday Grow classes begin January 6th. If you have not made a commitment to some class or Small Group, I encourage you to find a place to grow with other believers. The last Connection had a list of the classes being offered. Or, you can contact Jeri Hunt about signing up for a Wednesday Grow class. (jhunt@gmvumc.org)

Christmas – It’s About Christ and It’s About You

December 23, 2009


I had a brief conversation this morning (December 23, 2009) with one of the parents in our Children Enrichment Center. He mentioned that it didn’t feel like Christmas and he wasn’t talking about the weather. He went on to say that the real reason for the season seems to have been lost.

When I got to my office, I had an email that communicated a similar truth. Bob and Linda Brewis had taken their 2 and half year old granddaughter Kamdyn on a ride to see Christmas lights. They went to one neighborhood where all the houses had white lights along the edge of the street. Several houses had snowmen, Santa & reindeers and other such blowups. As they rode slowly through the streets pointing out things for Kamdyn to see. In Bob’s words, “the angelic voice of the precious child strapped in her car seat says, ‘Where is Baby Jesus?’ Not a single house in that neighborhood had anything in their yards that represented the real meaning of Christmas.”

On the street where I live, the majority of homes have some Christmas lights on the outside of the house. But only two of us have nativity scenes in our yards. Kamdyn’s question is a good one, “Where is Baby Jesus?” After all, is He not the reason for the season?

There is a house on old Mt. Olive road that has a simple post card that has a picture of the nativity with the words, “The Reason for the Season.” Jesus is who this season is all about. He is the gift God gave to the world. He is the gift God is waiting for many to receive.

As I think about that, I realize that Christmas is also about us. That’s right, Christmas is also about us. You see, we are the reason Jesus came into the world. You and I matter so much to God that Jesus came into the world to rescue us from our sins. As the scripture says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:13; NRSV)

Think about that for a moment: The Awesome God who spoke this world into being; the Great God planned for us to live the Good Life; the Holy God who is too holy to look upon sin; this God loves you and me too much to leave us in our sins. God came in Jesus to deliver us from the bondage to sin and death and restore a relationship with us. That’s the reason Christmas happened. “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.” That means, you and I are the reason for Christmas. Christmas took place because God loves you and me.

Rick Warren, in a recent devotional said that the Good News of Christmas is that “You Matter to God. God knows everything about you – the good, the bad, and the ugly – and He still loves you. He cares about you. He loves you more than you could ever know. God is for you, not against you.” That is the reason for Christmas. It is about God’s gift of love for you and me.

Rick Warren closed that devotional saying; “Christmas is God saying, ‘I want to relate to you. I want you to know Me as much as I know you.’ That’s joyful news. It’s good news!” (Email Devotional, “Renewing Your Faith at Christmas” December 17, 2009)

Christmas Eve we have the opportunity to make Christ a priority by worshiping Him. We will have three unique Christmas Eve Communion Services:

5:00 PM – Carols, Scripture and Communion Service – Sanctuary
7:00 PM – Contemporary Communion and Candlelight Service – Gym
11:00 PM – Carols, Scripture, Communion and Candlelight Service – Sanctuary

As always, your responses to these Reflections are welcome. You can email me at rguess@gmvumc.org.

December 16, 2009

Santa and Children

Yesterday, I had a visit from Santa. The Santa Claus who came to visit the children of our Child Enrichment Center came by the office and gave us a candy cane. It was lunch time when Santa finished his visits in each classroom. I had gone down to join Gina for lunch when he came by her office. He said, “This is the best program I visit.” For several moments he bragged on our Child Enrichment Center. He said that of all the Day Cares and Preschools he visits our Child Enrichment Center is the best.

What a complement to the staff of our Child Enrichment Center. They seek to be at their best for the children, knowing that each child is a precious gift from God.

I was shown a picture that was taken of Santa in one of the classrooms. Santa was kneeling alongside a couple of the children, looking at the Manger. I don’t know this Santa’s name. He is the one the Child Enrichment Center uses each year. But he is very quick to tell the children that Jesus is the reason for the season.

In all of the activities of Christmas it is easy to loose sight of the real reason we celebrate Christmas. The original St. Nicolas did not give gifts to draw attention to himself. He gave to those in need as an act of worship and commitment to Christ. He loved because Christ had captured his heart.

I’ve witnessed that kind of giving in our Church Family. In spite of the struggling economy you gave over 300 “Shoeboxes” that are being delivered to children. Then you adopted all the angels from the Casa Angel Tree. You gave $2,183.50 to the White Christmas Offering, which supports our United Methodist Children’s Homes. And because of your giving we are helping several church families who are having struggles financially.

You’ve also demonstrated your worship of Christ through your financial commitment to the ministries of the church. According to the scriptures, that should be our first act of giving. 239 adults/families and 23 children have committed $1,116,429.64 toward our 2010 Ministry Budget. They have committed 62 % of the 2010 Ministry Budget. Of those who have made commitments, 40 have made a first time commitment to this church. If you have not made your Financial Commitment to the 2010 Ministry Budget, Commitment Cards are available in the Welcome Areas or you can contact our Financial Secretary, Cece McNeil.

We also worship Christ by giving of our time. Peter wrote, “Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.” (1 Peter 4:10; NRSV) Writing on that passage, Oz Hillman said, “There is a Kingdom principle I find few really understand. The principle is this: When you focus on serving others, your need is often met through God’s supernatural law of serving.”

In this week’s TGIF devotional (December 16, 2009) Oz’s went on to say; “Whenever God calls me to serve another person with my time and resources, I notice how God measures resources back to me from unrelated sources. Sometimes it comes through an unexpected donation to our ministry or a speaking engagement or a new opportunity. It is uncanny how this happens consistently when I serve others.”

We have an opportunity to serve this Sunday night. Join us for Caroling to our Homebound persons. Meet at the church at 5:00 PM. Bill has two caroling routes lined up. We want to fill a Bus or two on each route. Then we will return to the Fellowship Hall for some refreshments and fellowship.

Family Night at the Movies is this Thursday, December 17. It begins at 6:30 PM in our Family Ministry Building (Gym). There is no cost, so invite your friends and neighbors.

Next week we celebrate Christmas. We will again have three different Christmas Eve Services:
5:00 PM – Carols, Scripture and Communion in the Sanctuary.
7:00 PM – Contemporary Worship, Communion and Candlelight in the Gym
11:00 PM – Carols, Scripture, Communion and Candlelight in the Sanctuary.

As always, your responses to these Reflections are welcome. You can email me at rguess@gmvumc.org.

Fulfilling Vows - Part 2

Over and over in Psalm 103, the Psalmist remembers the “steadfast love” of God toward us. In verse four he writes, “But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.” (Psalm 103:17-18; NRSV)

How do we truly give thanks to such a God? One way is to keep our vows to Him. Our songs and prayers of praise and thanksgiving are empty rituals if we do not “remember to do his commandments.” God longs for and certainly deserves our faithfulness to the vows we made to Him.

Every person who is a member of a Church made a vow of loyalty with our gifts to God. Commitment Sunday provides us with an opportunity to reaffirm our vows to God, through commitment of our time, talents, gifts and service. 187 Adults/Families and 23 children have used the Commitment Card to reaffirm their vows to God. They have committed $907,305.64 toward our 2010 Ministry Budget. That brings us to 50% of the Ministry Budget being committed. The majority of these have also made commitments of their time and talents to one or more ministries of the church.

If you have not turned in your Commitment Card, I encourage you to do so. They help the Finance Committee in their recommendations concerning the 2010 Budget. Commitment Cards are available in the office and the Welcome Areas around the Church.

This Saturday, November 21, is our Community Service Day. A couple of us from my Small Group are anticipating doing some painting that morning. A few others from my Small Group are visiting some homebound persons, taking them some goodies and cards made by one of our Child Enrichment Classes. If you are not in a Small Group you can still share in this morning of outreach. Auburn is off and most of the projects can be finished in time for you to see most of the Alabama game. Be at the Church at 7:30 AM for prayer and final instructions.

This Sunday evening, November 22, we will host our Community Thanksgiving Services. I say services because there will be a Children’s Service in the gym at the same time as the service in the Sanctuary. Both services will begin at 6:00 PM. There will be special music lead by the worship ministries of our church and the Church Revived, with a combined choir from various churches. Pastor Curt Sanford, the president of the North Jefferson Ministry Association and Associate Pastor at The Church Revived, will bring the message. Let’s be good hosts and do our part in filling the sanctuary and gym.

Fulfilling Vows - Part 1

Os Hillman writes a couple of email devotions that I find meaningful. One is Primetime and the other Marketplace Leaders. In this morning’s (11-18-09) Marketplace Leaders he addresses the issues of vows.

In Ecclesiastes we read this about vows; “When you make a vow to God, do not delay fulfilling it; for he has no pleasure in fools. Fulfill what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not fulfill it.” (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5; NRSV)

Those of us who are married or have been married, made a vow. Those in positions of leaderships made a vow in accepting their position. And every person who belongs to a church made a vow to God and the Church. How are you doing on your vows?

Hillman wrote:
Have you ever had a business relationship with someone who made a commitment but later said, "Well, things changed, so I cannot honor our original agreement.”? Sometimes this may be the case, but often it is simply an opportunity to avoid fulfilling an agreement. God is big on fulfilling vows. God's nature is righteousness and truth. You will always see God honor His Word. He expects the same of His people.
Hillman went on to point out…
God says there are consequences when we do not fulfill our vows. Subsequent Scripture verses reveal the following:
It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, "My vow was a mistake." Why should God be angry with what you say and destroy the work of your hands? Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.” (Ecclesiastes 5:5-7)
God tells us that He will destroy the work of our hands for failure to fulfill vows. That's pretty strong language. It gives us an indication of how important fulfilling vows is to God. He will not prosper our work if there are unfulfilled vows in our lives.

Hillman ends the devotional this way; “Ask God today if there are any unfulfilled vows in your life. If so, begin today to make them right so that you may be successful in whatever God calls you to do.

Next week we celebrate Thanksgiving Day. I shared with the children this morning in Chapel that Thanksgiving goes further back than the Pilgrims and Indians. The Psalms are filled with reminders to give thanks to God. And one of the main reasons we are to give thanks to God is God’s faithfulness.

A Church For Children

Yesterday, at the North Jefferson Ministry Association luncheon, our Harvest Hoedown was one of the topics of discussion. I was reminded again of the outreach opportunity it is. We had over 1400 persons register. When you add in those who were serving and those who did not go by the registration table, there had to be over 1500 at this year’s Harvest Hoedown. This is a joint ministry between Gardendale-Mt. Vernon and The Church Revived. Of those registered, 130 were from The Church Revived and 250 from Gardendale-Mt. Vernon. That means about 2/3 of those who came were not a part of either of our churches. The majority did say they were members of a church, but 265 have no church home. That is the major reason we invest the time and resources in the Harvest Hoedown. As Kelly Wiegert said at our Administrative Board meeting on Monday, this is our largest Outreach Event. Our Evangelism Team will work with our Children’s Team to follow up on those who do not have a church.

I shared Sunday morning about a family who said they wanted to be a part of church that had such a heart for children. The person to whom that comment was made is not part of our church. When the father said, “I wonder what time worship is?” he was directed to our sign. I don’t know if they were in attendance Sunday. We did have first time guests, as we do most Sundays.

I keep thinking about that statement, I want to be part of a church that has a heart from children. Jesus certainly wants His Church to have a heart for children. He is the one who said, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14; RSV) I thank God that Gardendale-Mt. Vernon is seen as a church that welcomes children.

At the Harvest Hoedown, a young lady introduced herself and her daughter to me and said, we are the ones who have an appointment with you. They are not in a church, but her daughter attends our Children Enrichment Center. Her daughter has been learning scripture in her class and in chapel. She had been asking her mother questions about faith. So this mother is bringing her daughter to talk with me. This is another opportunity to touch a child and through a child, touch a parent. These opportunities happen when we make kids a priority.

Here are some upcoming opportunities to touch children:
· Gardendale Soccer Servant Evangelism, November 7th, 4:00 PM. We will be serving pizza and drinks as the Soccer league has their Closing Ceremonies. Volunteers are needed to cook and serve. Contact Paul Wiegert, pwiegert@gmvumc.org.
· Operation Christmas Child - Our Missions Team has boxes with instructions on how to fill them. This ministry serves kids in 130 countries. Our goal is to fill 300 boxes. In order to get them to kids by Christmas, they are due back November 22nd.
· Breakfast with Santa, Saturday, December 12th. This is a great opportunity for persons who do not have young children to bless children and their parents. We want parents of preschool and elementary age children to be able to participate with their kids. Contact Kelly Wiegert kwiegert@gmvumc.org to volunteer.

Our Community Service Day, November 21st, provides the opportunity to touch God’s older children. The Mission Team has 15 projects lined up. They range from yard work, gutter cleaning to painting a shed and painting some bathrooms. There will also be some teams taking Thanksgiving goodies to some homebound persons. If you are not in a Living the Good Life small group, contact Paul Wiegert to volunteer pwiegert@gmvumc.org. You can also provide some financial resources to help purchase paint and other supplies needed that day. Simply identify your gifts for “Community Service Day.”

Talking about ministry with children, Frank Malone made a motion at Monday’s Administrative Board meeting that the Children’s Building Committee be reactivated. The motion passed. One of the first things I anticipate the Children’s Building Committee to do will be to get some new projections on the proposed building. Some other churches have found this to be a good time to build. We presently have $1,235,661.88 in our children’s building fund. Be in prayer as they begin their work.