January 8, 2021
Gathering,
I am hopeful.
You read that right.
I am hopeful.
That sounds a little strange. After all, we still have a pandemic raging. We witnessed violence and chaos in our nation’s capital. Many of us still feel isolated and disconnected. The holidays have come and gone, and some of us are still waiting patiently for life to turn around. So where does the hope come from?
In part, hope comes from seeing not only that which is wrong, but also seeing that which is right. I am hopeful that there is a vaccine beginning to be distributed (my wife, Jessica, who is a frontline healthcare worker gets her second dose in just a couple weeks). I am hopeful that our country’s institutions (and many of our leaders) are strong enough to resist the incitement we witnessed. I am hopeful that all around me, I experience people looking out for one another. Ultimately, I am hopeful because I know a God that has brought people (including me) through the “valley of the shadow of death” to green pastures on the other side. This is the God who is with us in Jesus. That isn’t meant as a deflection. I don’t want to ignore the hardship of our present time. It is rather a statement of faith. That on the cusp of a new year, my intention is to hold on to hope, and look for the ways God is calling me to be light in our present darkness. That gives me a purpose beyond simply noting what is wrong or wringing my hands over that I cannot control.
2021 can and will be different, but not because we are guaranteed changed circumstances. We know we cannot control those. The new year will be different because Jesus can help us change our heart and our minds. Jesus changes our frame of mind. Beginning this weekend, I am starting a new series called…Frame of Mind.
Each week, we will explore one question Jesus asks his disciples that can change their perspective on life. Jesus helps us form a new frame of mind, and this can change everything. This Sunday, I will also be celebrating the results of our Christmas Eve offering (100% of which will fund clean water in Mozambique), and we are launching a few new online worship tools that we are excited for you to see.
I hope you will start the new year by making worship a more central priority in your life. I know many of us drifted in the past year. We got distracted or maybe got out of the habit. But, this is a new year and a great time to get back to practicing faith more intentionally. Along with this, it is a great time to offer an invitation for someone else to join you. Share this video with a friend that you think might need a new frame of mind for the year ahead.
Before we go, here are a few updates that I want to share with you:
There is reason to hope. Hang on and remember that you are not alone. I look forward to worshiping with you all this Sunday right here live at 8, 9, 10, and 11am or anytime OnDemand. Have a great weekend.
Matt
P.S. Some of you may have heard I started a new thing in 2021. In partnership with The Big 550 KTRS, I am now doing a weekly radio show and podcast called The F Word: Conversations on Faith. I am exploring topics related to faith and spirituality that I can’t always tackle in the pulpit. Along the way I am interviewing some really interesting experts in all sorts of various fields. I hope that you will tune in Sunday afternoons at 3 on 550 KTRS or subscribe to the podcast and listen anytime. The easiest way is to just search my name wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes will drop each Sunday afternoon!
I am hopeful.
You read that right.
I am hopeful.
That sounds a little strange. After all, we still have a pandemic raging. We witnessed violence and chaos in our nation’s capital. Many of us still feel isolated and disconnected. The holidays have come and gone, and some of us are still waiting patiently for life to turn around. So where does the hope come from?
In part, hope comes from seeing not only that which is wrong, but also seeing that which is right. I am hopeful that there is a vaccine beginning to be distributed (my wife, Jessica, who is a frontline healthcare worker gets her second dose in just a couple weeks). I am hopeful that our country’s institutions (and many of our leaders) are strong enough to resist the incitement we witnessed. I am hopeful that all around me, I experience people looking out for one another. Ultimately, I am hopeful because I know a God that has brought people (including me) through the “valley of the shadow of death” to green pastures on the other side. This is the God who is with us in Jesus. That isn’t meant as a deflection. I don’t want to ignore the hardship of our present time. It is rather a statement of faith. That on the cusp of a new year, my intention is to hold on to hope, and look for the ways God is calling me to be light in our present darkness. That gives me a purpose beyond simply noting what is wrong or wringing my hands over that I cannot control.
2021 can and will be different, but not because we are guaranteed changed circumstances. We know we cannot control those. The new year will be different because Jesus can help us change our heart and our minds. Jesus changes our frame of mind. Beginning this weekend, I am starting a new series called…Frame of Mind.
Each week, we will explore one question Jesus asks his disciples that can change their perspective on life. Jesus helps us form a new frame of mind, and this can change everything. This Sunday, I will also be celebrating the results of our Christmas Eve offering (100% of which will fund clean water in Mozambique), and we are launching a few new online worship tools that we are excited for you to see.
I hope you will start the new year by making worship a more central priority in your life. I know many of us drifted in the past year. We got distracted or maybe got out of the habit. But, this is a new year and a great time to get back to practicing faith more intentionally. Along with this, it is a great time to offer an invitation for someone else to join you. Share this video with a friend that you think might need a new frame of mind for the year ahead.
Before we go, here are a few updates that I want to share with you:
- We are continuing online worship through January. We are preparing for the possibility of starting one in-person worship service per site in February. I will update you as this month progresses and as we determine the best time to restart in-person worship.
- The Gathering now officially has an Online Site via a Facebook group. We already have 425 members that have joined. This group helps connect us during the week and we post daily practices and ways to grow in faith. If you have not yet joined, just come check it out and hit join.
- The Literacy Project is looking for virtual mentors for the second semester! Serving is a great way to get in a new frame of mind this year. Learn more & sign up here.
There is reason to hope. Hang on and remember that you are not alone. I look forward to worshiping with you all this Sunday right here live at 8, 9, 10, and 11am or anytime OnDemand. Have a great weekend.
Matt
P.S. Some of you may have heard I started a new thing in 2021. In partnership with The Big 550 KTRS, I am now doing a weekly radio show and podcast called The F Word: Conversations on Faith. I am exploring topics related to faith and spirituality that I can’t always tackle in the pulpit. Along the way I am interviewing some really interesting experts in all sorts of various fields. I hope that you will tune in Sunday afternoons at 3 on 550 KTRS or subscribe to the podcast and listen anytime. The easiest way is to just search my name wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes will drop each Sunday afternoon!
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Archive
2022
January
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March
M-Note 3.1.22Lenten Devotional // Day 1Lenten Devotional // Day 2Luke: The Gospel For Rebels Week 5Lenten Devotional // Day 3Lenten Devotional // Day 4Lenten Devotional // First SundayLenten Devotional // Day 5Lenten Devotional // Day 6Lenten Devotional // Day 7Lenten Devotional // Day 8Lenten Devotional // Day 9Following Jesus: Some Assembly Required – Week 1Lenten Devotional // Day 10Some Assembly RequiredLenten Devotional // Second SundayLenten Devotional // Day 11Lenten Devotional // Day 12Lenten Devotional // Day 13Lenten Devotional // Day 14Following Jesus: Some Assembly Required – Week 2Lenten Devotional // Day 15Lenten Devotional // Day 16M-Note 3.20.22Lenten Devotional // Third SundayLenten Devotional // Day 17Lenten Devotional // Day 185 Benefits to Embracing Your Uncertainty of GodLenten Devotional // Day 19Lenten Devotional // Day 20M-Note 3.24.2022Lenten Devotional // Day 21Following Jesus: Some Assembly Required – Week 3Lenten Devotional // Day 22Lenten Devotional // Fourth SundayLenten Devotional // Day 23Lenten Devotional // Day 24Lenten Devotional // Day 25Lenten Devotional // Day 26
April
Following Jesus: Some Assembly Required – Week 4M-Note 4.1.2022Lenten Devotional // Day 273 Implications of God's Humanity on YoursLenten Devotional // Day 28Lenten Devotional // Fifth SundayLenten Devotional // Day 29Lenten Devotional // Day 30Lenten Devotional // Day 31Lenten Devotional // Day 32Following Jesus: Some Assembly Required – Week 53 Misunderstandings of Easter that Impact YouLenten Devotional // Day 33Lenten Devotional // Day 34Lenten Devotional // Palm SundayLenten Devotional // Day 35Lenten Devotional // Day 36Lenten Devotional // Day 37M-Note 4.14.2022Lenten Devotional // Day 38 Maundy ThusdayLenten Devotional // Day 39 Good FridayLenten Devotional // Day 40 Holy SaturdayLenten Devotional // EasterMysterious You: How your union with God makes you divineM-Note 4.20.2022No Filter: See The Real You – Week 14 Ways Embracing Your Sin Serves the WorldM-Note 4.28.2022No Filter: See The Real You – Week 2
May
3 Reasons You Should Embrace Your WeirdnessM-Note 5.5.22No Filter: See The Real You – Week 3Identify Your Purpose and Empower Your FutureM-Note 5.12.22No Filter: See The Real You – Week 4Confidently Approach Life as a Second ChanceLearning to Enjoy LIFE by Eliminating DistractionsUncomplicating the “God” Question to Simplify Spirituality
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