The Antidote to Worry

I Was A Worrier
Worry was a big part of my life in my younger years. This was in the days before 24/7 news and social media, which now bring us non-stop things to worry about. I was just a natural worrier. I worried about missing out on fun, worried about the weather, and I especially worried about myself.

Am I good enough? Do people like me? Am I healthy?  Oh man, did I worry a lot about my health. But I was a young, athletic teenager. There was no reason to worry about my health. But that didn’t stop me. I literally lost sleep over muscle pain ( which is normal when you play sports) and other things that are typical for a growing teen, often convincing myself that my time on earth was probably going to be pretty short. Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?

What I didn’t realize was that my worries were acting like a self-fulfilling prophecy. The mind body connection is strong and we know that worry and anxiety have all kinds of effects on the body. In other words, if unchecked, my worry about health issues would actually create health issues!

The Antidote
The worst thing a worrier can do is not share their worries (the second worst thing is to google them). Worry naturally leads to anxiety and fear, and those things grow in the darkness. Every once in a while, usually when I was sure I had only days to live, I would share my worries with someone. I remember one time finding my Mom in the kitchen and desperately sharing about a muscle spasm I’d been having every night that week. I was pretty confident that at age seventeen I had early onset Parkinson’s (I’m not joking). She asked me a couple of questions and kindly said, “Andrew, that sounds normal to me. You just need to drink more water.” Her words were more powerful than any medication and the poison of my own worry was almost immediately gone.

As I (mostly) outgrew my hypochondriac-type worries I realized how important relationships are as an antidote to my self-produced anxiety. Just sharing your worries and bringing them to the light allows you to see them differently and allows others to speak truth to your fears. But the real antidote to our worries is found in sharing them with the right person and that’s where our connection with God is vital.

The Power of Prayer
Don’t miss this! I know that even saying ‘the power of prayer’ sounds like some sort of Christian t-shirt or meme. I think that part of the problem is that prayer is often talked about as something we’ll do for others. “Oh, I’m sorry that you are going through that. I’ll pray for you.” And sometimes, we even ask for that for ourselves. “I’m going through a tough time, will you pray for me?” None of these are wrong, but if the people who need prayer aren’t praying themselves, they are missing out on the power of prayer!

The power of prayer is found when we walk into the kitchen with all that is on our heart, find God there, and share our worries with him. As we connect with him, we are reminded of his love for us and gain his perspective, peace, and even his wisdom. The power of prayer is found in how it connects us relationally with God, not in him snapping his fingers to instantly resolve whatever issue is causing our worry. If prayer were simply about changing external circumstances, we would never truly grow (mature) in our faith or get to know God’s heart and character.  I didn’t know it at the time but my Mom was an example of the kind of relationship that God desired to have with me. Prayer is the time where God offers the antidote to all my worry and anxieties.  

What’s the Big Worry?
I still worry. My worries are just more mature now and include things like world affairs, the economy, and my kids. As an adult my worries still grow in the darkness but they are also fed by the media (social and news) which bombards me with non-stop things to worry about. Unlike my self-diagnosis of Parkinsons, a lot of my worries are based on reality. There really are a lot of things to worry about!

I’m reminded of Jesus words where he specifically addressed worry saying, “…seek first his kingdom and his righteousness…”.  How do we do that? Through regular, intimate, time with God in prayer. Whether it’s about health, provision, or politics, when we bring all of our concerns to God, he shows us his Kingdom and our fears dissolve.  And then he shows us his righteousness and we know what to do. He doesn’t ignore the very real needs of our lives, but he removes the worry and then as Jesus said, all the other things we need will be provided to us as well (Matthew 6:33).

Last Thoughts…
It’s interesting that worry and prayer often share a similar physical posture. Can you tell who is worried and who is praying below? When we find ourselves burdened by our worries, we are only words away from turning that weight into an encounter with our Father God. If it’s important enough to worry about, it’s important enough to pray about.

Survey Results

Hello Sunset Community Church Family, 

We are excited to share that we received a total of 38 responses from our recent church survey! Thank you to everyone who participated over the past two months. Your feedback has provided invaluable insight into how we are growing as a church and how we continue to reflect Jesus. Here are some key highlights from the survey results:

Demographics

Here’s a quick snapshot of our demographic themes of who filled out the survey: 

• Gender Distribution: The majority of survey takers identified as female, making up about 60% of the responses. Males accounted for about 40% of the responses.

• Age Groups: Our survey takers spans a wide range of ages, with the largest groups being:

• Ages 40-44: This group made up significant portion of the responses

• Ages 60+: The second most responses came from this group

• Ages 50-54: The third most responses came from this group

• Length of Attendance:

• 2-5 years: This group made up significant portion of the responses

• 6-10 years: The second most responses came from this group

• 0-1 years: The third most responses came from this group

Q #1: In What Ways Do We (Sunset Community Church) most reflect Jesus?

One of the most encouraging takeaways from the survey is how strongly you feel that Sunset Community Church reflects Jesus in its humility, inclusivity and service to the needy. Common themes include:

• Humility in Service: Several shared on the church’s authentic approach to serving others. A few appreciated that the Sunset Community Church avoids self-promotion, instead focusing on simple, meaningful acts of service. 

• Welcoming and Inclusive Atmosphere: Many of you pointed out that our church does a wonderful job welcoming people from all walks of life, creating a safe and loving space for all. 

• Service to the Needy: Many of you mentioned the church’s commitment to serving the poor, marginlized, and those in need. 

Q #2: In what ways can we (Sunset Community Church) better reflect Jesus?

While the survey reflected many ways we are reflecting Jesus today, it also highlighted opportunities for consideration, prayer, and growth. Common themes include:

• Deeper Community and Connection: Many of you emphasized the need to connect and be known. There was a significant desire for more community groups and opportunities to connect through personal relationships outside of Sunday service. 

• Intentional Outreach: Several of you mentioned the importance of being more proactive in our outreach efforts to engage friends, family, neighbors, and our broader community who may not know Jesus. This includes the need to be actively participating in current service outreach opportunities to share Jesus and being involved in the public square. 

Q #3: For your personal journey, in what ways do you need support to better reflect and know Jesus?

In terms of your person journey, many of you shared areas where you are seeking growth:

• Community and Connection: As reflected above, many of you are seeking deeper friendships and spiritual community.

• Prayer and Trust: Several of you mentioned the challenge of trusting God and having a more prayferful life. 

• Hearing God’s Voice: A number of you shared a desire to better listen for God’s guidance. 

Next Steps

We are deeply grateful for your participation in this church-wide survey. Let’s continue this journey together praying for wisdom and engaging one of another to grow from this survey. Here are some areas of focus as we continue to follow Jesus together:

• Jesus Centered: Our goal is for the gospel of Jesus to be deeply known and experienced in our community. We prioritize everything we do to reflect our glorious Redeemer and God. Without Him, all our efforts are in vain and rely solely on human strength.

• Deeper Community and Connection: Based on the survey results, we hear you, and we want to prioritize and equip you to have deeper community and connections so that you can experience God and be known and know one another. But, we need your participation and engagement to do this well.

  Here are several ways you can get involved:

• Community groups are one of the ways we build connections and walk out our faith in Jesus. Groups meet in homes, coffee shops, church, and throughout Renton and beyond. They do life together on a recurring basis outside of Sunday and intentionally serve our community.
  —> Sign up to be a part of a group here.
  —> We want to start more groups! Read our Community Group explainer here and then make an appointment to explore starting a new group.
  
  

• Ministry Teams play a key part in assembling the mosaic of ministry at Sunset Community Church and are a key way we connect with each other and serve God together. Whether it’s Music, Hospitality, Community Outreach, Kids or Youth, these are just a handful of the many ways we desire to reflect the value of living a life in service to God. Interested in connecting this way? Let us know here.
  
  

• Sunday gatherings are our weekly family get together as the church. Make it a priority to join and connect! We understand that there are circumstances or seasons of life that keep you away but let’s lean into Hebrews 10:24-25.
  
  

• Smaller groups: We have various small groups of 2-7 people that come together in relationship to encourage each other as they follow Jesus. This is a place to grow in your faith and encourage each other. They meet in various places and times so if you are interested in starting or connecting with a smaller group email us.
  
  
  Want to chat about the survey results? Visit with us after Sunday Service. Members of the leadership team will be available for the next three Sundays after Sunday service in the Bistro and Worship Center to connect and hear from you. If you are unable to connect in-person but want to get involved, send us an email.

- Derrick Cruz
for the Leadership Team

Connection Month!

Sabbatical Reflections

Church Family,

 As most of you know I took some extra time off this Summer in what was originally going to be a 12-week sabbatical but ended up needing to shift to what we called a ‘hybrid-sabbatical’. Regardless of the shift it was a blessing to have some time to read, write, reflect, and spend some extra time with my family. This week marked the end of that time and I’m looking forward to fully reengaging in my role and by God’s grace continuing to serve Jesus and follow what the Spirit is leading us into as a church for many more years to come!

Because I couldn’t have taken this time without the support of you and our Leadership Team, I wanted to share a bit of a report. If you’d like to hear more in person, let’s go for a walk or grab a cup of coffee sometime.

Some things I read…
I don’t recommend books unless I really think they’re worth reading. Here are three I read this Summer that were outstanding.

 Jayber Crow (Novel)
by Wendell Barry
I tend to like mystery type novels that move fast. This was not that. In fact I have never read a novel as slowly as I have Jayber Crow. Maybe it’s my age but I’ve recently found myself drawn more to stories that burn slowly and are more focused on the characters than a specific plot line. In this novel Wendell Berry walks you through an entire lifetime in a few hundred pages in his unique writing style which is poetic, theological, and emotional. His style isn’t for everyone but for me this book came at just the right time.

 The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible (Theology)
by Michael Hesier
We know that God is wholly different than us. We know that there is an evil one that the Bible calls Satan. But do we really understand the spiritual world and how it connects to our world and how it should affect our understanding of the Bible? For many of us the answer is, “No”. Dr. Michael Hesier does a great job in this comprehensive work, helping us see the Biblical story through a supernatural worldview and it’s one of the best theology books I’ve read in recent years (check out Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes for another good one!).

The Anxious Generation: How the great rewiring of childhood is causing an epidemic of mental illness (Non Ficition)
by Jonathan Haidt
About 5 years ago we had a mental health professional come to our church for a presentation. At that time she shared how anxiety and depression are at levels not seen since the Great Depression and no one really knows why. Well, five years later the data is in and Dr. Haidt unpacks it an accessible way that should serve as a wakeup call for the current generation. As sociologist he also goes beyond the current data and talks about how fundamental changes in parenting and childhood development have contributed to our current epidemic. While this book does not come from a Christian perspective it’s a must read for any parent. I won’t spoil the ending but the author (who is an atheist) comes to some amazing conclusions on what can reverse the dangerous things we have allowed to affect the younger generation and as a Christian I wasn’t surprised by his conclusions at all.

Some things I did…

One of the trips I took was to my hometown on the North Coast of California to meetup with my siblings as we spread my dad’s ashes and dedicated a memorial bench. I tacked on a couple of extra days to write and that’s where I met God in a profound way. When was the last time you took 24 to 48 hours to be by yourself without any distractions? I couldn’t tell you when (if ever?) I had done that. In those two days I found time to process, pray, reflect and hear from God in a deep way. I’m a people person by nature but it made me realize how important regular times of silence and solitude are.

As a family we also got to take the kids to where Jessica and I first met, on the Big Island of Hawaii. We saw friends, worshipped with our old church family, and visited the headquarters of the mission’s agency (YWAM) that we served in for four years. A piece of our heart is on that island, and it was sweet to be there again.

Some things I think…

• Routine is comforting and often efficient and tidy. Stepping out of my routine this Summer was transformative. I was reminded of the importance of not always ‘going with the flow’ so much that I let life sweep me along without thinking.
  

• Consumeristic culture is ugly. We visited a few churches this Summer and it was alarming at how easily I fell into the mentality of being a consumer instead of a participant in the shared faith. The fact that mentality could so easily pop up in me still has me thinking.
  

• I want spend myself on things that matter. Years ago I realized if I can only make four disciples of Jesus (my kids) then that will have been a life worth living. With some extra time to spend with them this Summer I was reminded of how true that still is. Future retirement funds, professional recognition, personal comfort, these aren’t things that I want to dominate my thinking. My family is my most treasured possession on earth and to date is still my best return on investment. I’m thankful to Jess who has helped cultivate this with me and made our home a place of peace and joy, even in hard times.

Baptist Pastor and Civil Right Activist Ralph Abernathy has a quote that resonates with me. He once said, “I don't know what the future may hold, but I know who holds the future.” It reminds me of Proverbs 16:9 that says, We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps (NLT). I often feel like sailboat captain. The sail is up, the wind is blowing and God is going to take me where he wants me. I’m grateful that he has me here, with my family, pastoring this church, and living in this city.

Grace and Peace,

Andrew Fouché

Makin Yee - Serving in Thailand

My family originates from Burma, but due to persecution fled to a refugee camp in Thailand called Noh Poe, where I was born. When I was six years old, my father, my two older brothers, and I came to the United States. It was in 3rd grade, during a VBS sports camp, that I first learned about Jesus. Through this experience, I met two Christian families who introduced me to church. It was in Sunday school class in 6th grade that I accepted Christ into my life, and I was baptized in 2015.

I pursued a degree in Sports Management in college because I love sports and connecting with communities. But during my senior year, I felt a strong calling from God to become a missionary. Now, with firm faith, I'm getting ready for this new journey to Thailand. Seeing the Lord's unwavering faithfulness has solidified and made my decision to move to Thailand much easier.

In May, I got a chance to go on a survey mission trip to Thailand, where I had the incredible opportunity to engage with the youth community at the CLAY Center (Changing Lives Among Youth). Throughout the trip, I actively engaged in sharing the gospel, organizing activities, and fostering meaningful connections through games and interactions with the youth.  Attending the Cell Group allowed me to share my testimony about Jesus' faithfulness and provision among a group of young adults. Additionally, I got the chance to go to different villages, spreading the message of the gospel and experiencing the diverse landscapes and culture of Thailand.

I'll be joining the Live Global Sports Ministry at the CLAY Center, where sports serve as a pathway to connect with college students, nearby schools, and children in various living situations. Our goal is to spread Christ's message and bring hope through sports—a remarkable opportunity to serve, uplift communities, and share the transformative power of the Good News in a place that holds a special place in my heart.

While I'm with the CLAY Center in Thailand, my main focus will be sharing the Good News with young people using sports. This means I'll use sports to help connect with them and build friendships that go beyond just playing games. I'm also excited to help start a special place for girls where they can learn and grow spiritually. Another big part of what I'm doing is working closely with the nationals missionaries at the sports center. We aim to create an environment where the gospel is shared, and individuals are nurtured in their spiritual journey. 

How You Can Be A Part Of This Journey

1. Please pray for me, the people of Thailand and the ministry

2. Join my support team financially - One time gift or recurring 

3. Sign up for my newsletter to stay connected and see what God is doing in Thailand 

Thank you for your prayers and support as I step out in faith and begin this new journey. Your encouragement means a lot to me! 

Is the ‘rapture’ in the Bible?

In my church in the 1980’s all things end-times were a big deal. Maybe it was because the Cold War was still very much a thing and knowledge of all those missiles from the USSR pointing in our direction made the end of the world seem like a real possibility.

I still remember the imagery from a 1970’s movie with strong end-times themes called A Thief in the Night - people everywhere mysteriously disappeared, the one-world government was demanding everyone get the mark of the beast, and the world had suddenly descended into chaos. What had set off all of these events was known as the rapture. This is the belief that before Jesus, returns Christians will be secretly taken away to avoid the tribulation that will descend on the earth. The rapture would be a prominent idea in my Christian upbringing and was popularized even more through the Left Behind book series.

This last Sunday when we read Jesus letter to the church in Philadelphia there was one line in Revelation 3:10 that connected with my rapture roots; “…I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world…” There it is! Jesus has to be referencing the rapture, except as I explained on Sunday, he’s not. In fact this idea of a secret rapture of his church so they can avoid suffering is nowhere to be found in the book of Revelation.

And here’s the thing, the type of rapture that was depicted in A Thief in the Night or the Left Behind series isn’t actually anywhere in scripture and is pretty badly pieced together doctrine (teaching). Before you get upset and call Kirk Cameron on me, let me briefly share the roots of the sudden rapture doctrine and then walk through some scripture with you.  

The idea of a rapture of the church so Christians can avoid a worldwide tribulation was first taught by John Nelson Darby in the mid-1800’s and later made popular by the Scofield Reference Bible published in the early 1900’s. This is why you won’t find any ancient church writings on the rapture and why it’s almost nowhere to be found outside of Western Christianity. The teaching that there will be a secret rapture of believers whisked away into heaven until Jesus returns, is a fairly new idea.

But, like a lot of bad teaching, it didn’t exactly come from nothing. There are two passages, that are often connected together, that gave rise to the idea of a secret and sudden rapture of Christians from the earth.

The first is Matthew 24:40-41. It says, "Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.”

Jesus goes on to say to keep watch, that like a thief in the night you won’t know when he will return. This certainly sounds like a type of rapture, but the question is, Who is getting taken away?

The key to understanding this passage is in the verses that precede it (you always have to read the whole thing). Matthew 24:36-39 talks about how the evil world in Noah’s time had no idea that the judgement for their sin was coming (in the form of a flood) and in a flash they were all taken away. Jesus then says, “That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. “Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.” Context matters and you can see with this passage that the ‘taking away’ is tied to judgment of sinners, not a saving of believers. Being left behind in this case is good! (see Luke 17:34-37, 1 Thess. 5:2-3 for more)

The other more overt passage often tied to the idea of a secret and sudden rapture is found in Thessalonians 4:13-18.

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

The last part that I bolded is primarily where Darby and Scofield got their rapture doctrine from. Again, context is important. What is this all about?

First, some in this church have lost loved ones (Paul says, fallen asleep) and so he wants to anchor their grief in the resurrection power of Jesus and his second coming.

Second, take note of the imagery:

·      a loud command

·      voice of the archangel

·      trumpet call of God

This is definitely not a secret rapture but a worldwide proclamation that King Jesus has returned.

Lastly, when both the previously dead (now resurrected) believers and those who are alive meet him in the air, where do they go? They come to Earth with him. Jesus wouldn’t make that grand of an entrance and then pivot in the air and head back out. The imagery of believers meeting him in the air is that of a delegation going out to meet their king in celebration and joining him as he returns to his kingdom. This is not secret a rapture but the beginning of a very public restoration.

And that, my friends, is the hopeful message of the Gospel of Jesus. So much of New Testament scripture tells believers to expect suffering and to be ready to endure trials and persecution, we won’t be spared (or raptured) from them. But we do know that this suffering is not eternal for those who belong to Jesus. It will end when Jesus returns and sweeps away all that is evil and corrupt from the Earth and restores goodness and righteousness forever. This restoration will happen with all of creation, even us (1 Cor. 15:51-52).

And back to the writing of Revelation we see this…

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

-       Revelation 21:3-4

Support Linda White

Hi Friends,

I am excited to have the opportunity to go to Armenia this April on a short-term mission trip with a team from Movement Church. Armenia lies at a strategic crossroads of the world, near countries and people groups with very little access to the gospel.

During this trip, our team will be serving local Armenian churches who have asked for our help with outreach projects. We will serve in a variety of ways, such as distributing vital supplies to internallydisplaced refugees, ministering to children in the villages, sharing the gospel and prayer, and helping with construction projects. The Armenian churches have complied a list of their highest priority needs, and we are excited to work alongside them to make this trip as impactful as possible. Our team will split up and serve in either the capital city of Yerevan, Gyumri, or Nshavan. In each of these places is a small church we hope to bless, strengthen, and encourage.

As I prepare to go, I am assembling a team of supporters who will partner with me in this mission. If you would like to be a prayer partner please let me know! Right now, you can pray for me as I prepare myself spiritually and logistically for this trip.

Another way that you can partner with me is financially. The total cost of this trip is $2500, which includes airfare, lodging, and meals. If you would like to make a contribution to help cover these expenses, please give at this link: https://movementrva.managedmissions.com/MyTrip/lindawhite1

I appreciate your prayers and support as I take this step of faith to follow His calling! Thank you for your consideration!

-Linda White

Loving our neighbors

When we found out that the mother of one of our ALLIN students had been struggling to walk due medical conditions, the need was shared to see if someone could help build her a ramp to get in and out of her house.

Jephta Haendeler put his skills to work and built her a ramp so that she could more easily get in and out of her house and to much needed appointments. This is what compassionate love looks like.

Missions Month 2024

February is Missions Month at SCC and the theme this year is supporting the sent. We’ll be hearing from members of our church who are taking the courageous step to take the gospel internationally and they’ll be sharing how we can support them as they go.

Another emphasis this month will be prayer and fasting. Download our Missions Month calendar by clicking/tapping here and let’s pray together!

A Labor of Love

Mary Anne Vandiver is one of our long-time beloved church members and due to health challenges and mobility has been unable to worship with us in person for several years. In a visit to her house last year Herb and Cathy Hiegel discovered that the layout of her bathroom made it very difficult for her to navigate with a walker. Not only that, but that due to a leaky toilet her floor was rotting away.

This is when some of our church members sprung into action.

Carl Ueland volunteers for Rebuilding Together Seattle (RTS), an organization that focuses on helping low-income homeowners who are in need. Because of his connection he was able to secure a grant to cover the cost of repairing Mary Anne’s bathroom.

What followed next was a true labor of love as Carl, Ray, Aalijah and Herb first took on the task of completely gutting the bathroom.

After that came rebuilding it in a way that would allow Mary Anne to use it more easily. This included more space to navigate with her walker, a new toilet, and a walk in shower. Ray and Carl went to work on much of this and Chad Nickless lent his expertise in installing new tile. The results…a functional and beautiful bathroom!

The Bible speaks of how a pure expression of our devotion to God is taking care of those in need (James 1:27) and how each of us have gifts to be used to demonstrate the love of God. Thank you to all who demonstrated that in a tangible way to Mary Anne.

Combined Worship Gathering!

On Sunday, September 3, we’ll be joining with our friends at Church of the Beloved for one time of worship. Because we can’t all fit in either of our spaces we’re going offsite to the Ikea Performing Arts Center.

So mark it down, invite some friends, and we’ll see you then!

August in the Psalms

As a new month begins lets read the Bible together!

The Psalms are the song book of scripture, putting into words what the people of God feel in almost any circumstance that life throws at them. They model how to grieve, lament, express joy, praise God and more. So let's read them together...

During the month of August read three Psalms a day and by the end of the month we'll have read all 150 of them together. If you’re doing the math that will only be 30 days but I’m giving you one day to read Psalm 119. If you don’t know why, you’ll find out.

We’ll also be diving into some specific Psalms in our worship gatherings during the month of August and talking about how the Psalms can be a template for prayer as well as worship.

Prayer for Brian Williams

Update 10:54 AM, June 26, 2023

It is with heavy hearts that we share this news — Brian Williams is now with Jesus.

Please be praying for Emily, Brian’s wife, and their three children. Extended family is with them right now. We will share other ways to minister to them in the days to follow. For now, please just keep them in prayer.

The church building will remain open today to any who would want to come grieve and pray in person.

–

Our dear church member Brian Williams is missing after a fall from Jack Mountain late yesterday in the North Cascades and a search is currently underway. I’d ask that you join me in prayer for his life.

We are organizing a prayer vigil at 10:30 AM this morning via Zoom and in person here at the church building.

Zoom link

Further updates will be posted to this page as we have them.

What about the ending of Mark?

This last Sunday we finished our journey thru the Gospel of Mark and came to one of the more puzzling sections of scripture, Mark 16:9-20.  The NIV translation (and most others) says, “The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9–20. “ 

What does that mean?

It means that when scribes first started making copies of Mark’s account of Jesus life, verses 9-20 were not part of those first copies. It’s very clear that this section was added, as the style and vocabulary are different than the rest of the book. In other words, they were added by someone later, possibly a second century scribe. As a result, there were likely a few different alternate endings that began to circulate with Mark’s original work.

 There are any number of reasons why an ending may have been added. Here are a couple possibilities.

·      It could be that the original work had been damaged and so someone felt the liberty to add onto what would have been viewed by some as an awkward ending at verse 8.

·      It could be that a generation later a scribe was looking at the other Gospels and thought more detail should be added about what happened after the resurrection for future generations.

While the ending was clearly added, the historicity of what was added would have still been accepted by the church because verses 9-20 are verified by other scripture. This is why, even though it was added later, its continued to circulate with the original writings of Mark.

Here are some cross references between the ending of Mark and other places in scripture:  

9-11    —> Luke 24:11

12-13   —> Luke 24:13-32

14       —> Luke 24:36-43

15       —> Matthew 28:18-20

16       —> John 3:16-17

17-18   —> Possibly Acts 28:3-5 but clearly the idea of divine signs accompanying believers works is seen throughout the book of Acts and still today.

19      —> Acts 1:9

20      —> The rest of the New Testament

Should this addition make us question the trustworthiness of the Bible?

The New Testament alone has over 24,000 manuscripts and fragments, far more than any other ancient writing1. With all of those copies there are bound to be differences (also called variants) among them and there certainly are…in fact there are thousands of variants.

It’s estimated that about 70% of those variants are differences in spelling. There are of course other variants that seem a bit more substantial (article link) but even then about 99% of variants are trivial and no variants in the ancient texts affect a single issue having to do with the Christian doctrine (aka what we believe).

Of all the ancient writings there is no other work that compares to the Bible. It is remarkably trustworthy as an ancient manuscript and the sole source of our faith and practice. The Christian faith starts with an introduction of Jesus to shepherds, the announcement of his resurrection to women, and his most prominent followers were peasants.

The scriptures themselves are not edited to make any of this look better. One of the key leaders of the Jesus movement was Peter who was the one to pass on the information of Jesus life to Mark, who wrote it down. He could have edited the story to not include his own denials of Jesus and overly impulsive and downright foolish vows and actions, but he didn’t. It’s not just a remarkable story but a supernatural one, that at times, makes little sense. Yet it has continued to spread to every corner of the globe and has become the largest and most transformative belief system in the history of mankind.

New Year's Liturgy for 2023

Ben Wright put together this beautiful New Year’s Liturgy for our church family. We prayed it aloud together on Sunday, January 1, 2023. This liturgy can be used as a prayer for personal devotions or read aloud together as a family. Download a PDF version here.

2023 New Year’s Liturgy

By Ben Wright

Our Father, by your gracious provision for us, we have lifted our feet from 2022 and set them in 2023. 

You are Lord of the cosmos, the Alpha and the Omega. You were there at the beginning, before the mountains were born (Ps 90); You will be there at the end of this age. (Matt 28:20)

And you are here with us now. You have not left us as orphans; you have sent your Holy Spirit into our hearts to be present with us, to comfort, help, and guide us. (John 14:15,18)

You chose us before the foundation of the world to be blameless before you and part of your family. We who were once far off have been brought near by your blood. As a result, we are no longer strangers, but we are fellow citizens with all of the saints, and are members of your household. (Eph 1, 2:13)

As individuals, each of us is walking the path that you have set out for us, with our different cultural backgrounds and histories, strengths and weaknesses, afflictions, circumstances, and challenges.

THIS YEAR, help us in a fresh way to feel your nearness. Help us to know that we are a son, that we are a daughter. This is who we are because you have made it so.

More than merely individuals, you have swept us into a larger story. In all of our diversity, you have made us one family together, living stones being fitted together into one body and temple that you are filling with your Spirit, life, love, and power. (Eph 2:22, 4, 1 Peter 2) 

THIS YEAR, fill us, Sunset Community Church, all of us together, with your life! (John 17:20)

Jesus, you said that the world will know that you came from the Father because of our unity. (John 17:23) 

THIS YEAR, bind us together afresh at Sunset in a unity of purpose that can only be explained by your existence and resurrection.

Loosen our grips on the idols that distract us. Free us from the false loves and addictions that cling to us. Make us hungry for righteousness, and then fill us with your abundance! (Matt 5)

We oppose the will and power of the Evil One in our communities in every facet, remembering and declaring that Satan’s power was disarmed at the cross. All authority and power are in the hands of Jesus. He is above every name that is named in this age and the one to come, and He is the head of the church! (Eph 1:21-22, John 12:31)

THIS YEAR, we ask that your gospel of peace, reconciliation, and joy would spill from these doors into our neighborhood and communities in myriads of ways. 

Help us live into our calling to proclaim your excellencies and to be your hands and feet in Renton and in our communities.

We pray these things in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Did Rebekah Sin? How do we understand Job?

The questions below have been submitted as part of our current teaching series.

The book of Job: Is it all true? Is it a combination of true and parable? 

Along with Proverbs and Ecclesiastes the book of Job is considered to be part of the genre of Wisdom literature in the Bible. What is unique about Job however is that this particular ‘wisdom’ is communicated through the suffering of a specific man (Job), his dialog with friends, and God himself. It also includes a behind the scenes glimpse into the spiritual world as Satan and God interact with each other.

While wisdom literature often uses illustrations and poetic language to convey truth, the book of Job is a fairly straightforward depiction of a man who undergoes immense loss and how he processes that loss in light of his friendships and belief in God. Because of the literary style, including specific names of people, descriptions of culture, and dialog, there’s no reason to believe that this is an allegory or parable. Further, both Ezekiel (14:14;20) and James (5:11) refer to Job as a real person and an example of faith.

With these things in mind, I think we are to read it as a true account and a depiction of God’s sovereignty in the midst of suffering. Job’s closing statements to God seem to be a central statement to the book: “I had heard reports about you, but now my eyes have seen you” (42:5)

Was Rebekah sinning when she had Jacob deceive his Father for the firstborn blessing even though God had said that the older son would serve the younger?

If you’re familiar with the story, before twins Jacob and Esau are born God declares to their mother Rebekah that Jacob, although born second will inherit his Fathers position and power, also called a birthright (Genesis 25:23).

Later on as their father was getting toward the end of his life two things happen:

1.     In a moment of intense hunger Esau trades his birthright to his younger brother Jacob in exchange for a bowl of food (Genesis 25:29-34) but there is no indication their father Isaac knows this.

2.     As their father is near the end of his life, he calls Esau to come and bless him, which is a formal way of passing on the birthright. Rebekah schemes with her son Jacob to trick Isaac into blessing Jacob instead, and it works. (See Genesis 27)

So, in thinking of the question of sin it’s also important to take into account the fact that Esau willingly gave up his birthright in the first place. But does that mean it was right for Rebekah to deceive her husband, despite God’s words to her years earlier?

Much like the questions that arise around the story of Job, this makes us wonder how God’s sovereignty works. Does the fact that God says something will happen mean that he’s ok with all the circumstances that make it happen? Or does it just indicate that he knows what will happen and will work within his knowledge of human decisions to accomplish his purposes?

It’s important here to be reminded that God doesn’t sin or lie (Numbers 23:19, Hebrews 6:18) and he doesn’t cause others to either (James 1:13). We also see throughout scripture that God accomplishes his purposes through imperfect, sinful people. Our heros of the faith such as Noah, Moses, David, and others were all used by God yet were still deeply flawed.

So yes, it’s safe to say that Rebekah’s deceit was a sin but one that God forknew and still worked through to accomplish his purposes. Sinful actions in scripture are never justified and we are all accountable for our actions, but God’s plans and purposes will always come to pass.   Jacob, like so many in his family line, though sinful were still recipients of God’s grace and ultimately through them Jesus would come and extend grace to all sinful people, you and me included.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Andrew

 Still have questions? Drop them in the comments below.

Hand Raising in Worship

This blog post is in response to a question asked by a church member during our What About…? series: “Where does hand raising in worship come from?”

Many others may have had the same question. Maybe you’ve been a hand-raiser for most of your Christian life – it just comes naturally to you. Maybe you’ve never so much as lifted your arms above your waistline during the singing. Either way, it can be helpful to consider the roots of this ancient practice.

Worship Defined

Before we examine the act of hand-raising, let’s first try to work off of a biblical understanding of worship. This can be a bit tricky because worship is a very broad topic spanning the course of Scripture. Scholar and biblical theologian David Peterson wrote a whole book on the topic, and only at the end does he give this brief, yet broad definition: worship is “faith expressing itself through obedience and adoration” (Engaging with God, pg. ?). While there are many other definitions of the practice of worship, this is a helpful place to begin.

Worship is an all-of-life practice, meaning it always involves our whole selves – both our heart and body. Romans 12:1-2 says that we are to offer our bodies completely to the Lord as our minds are renewed by his Spirit. This means that one of the major goals as we worship Jesus in this life is to bring our bodies and hearts in alignment with his character and teachings, expressing our internal attitude of faith/trust (heart) with outward acts of obedience and adoration (body). This is what sanctification looks like – becoming more and more like Jesus inwardly and outwardly.

Worship is both an individual and corporate act. We worship God individually through a heart of gratitude for a cup of coffee, or as we serve in ways no one else sees, or as we love our familes and friends

Corporate worship is often mistaken for the act of singing, but is not merely the act of singing songs of praise together, but so much more. We worship together in our church community on Sunday mornings, not just by engaging our vocal cords and lung capacites in singing songs, but also when we come forward to partake of the bread and cup during Communion, when we greet each other warmly with a hug or a smile, when we lay our hands on someone to pray for them, when we forgive each other and serve one another, and even as we enjoy a meal together. These are all embodied acts of our worship to God, ways we express outwardly what he is doing in us.

So when we do sing songs and pray together corporately, where does hand-raising fit in? Where did this practice come from?

Hand Raising in the Bible

Looking in the Psalms, we see that hand raising has varied meanings. They could express an act of blessing other people or God (Psalm 63:4). They can be a sign of dependence upon God (Psalm 28:2), or a sign of petition or lament (Psalm 88:9). They can also accompany commands to praise God with joy (Psalm 134:2). 

Psalm 134 is a helpful example of the latter. Verse 2 says, “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary
and praise the Lord” (NIV). Psalm 135 and 136 are then an answer to Psalm 134 as some of the most beautiful psalms of praise. In both of these subsequent psalms, Israel reflects on how God the Creator has rescued them from Egypt, shown them mercy and grace, and never left them. As you read these psalms together, you can just imagine a chorus of praise rising from the priests and the people as they repeat the phrase “His love endures forever” in every verse of Psalm 136 accompanied by joyful shouts, lifting up of their hands in gratitude and hope.

Lifting hands during prayer was also a common practice as 1 Timothy 2:8 shows. Perhaps their arms were extended out, palms up, as a sign of readiness to receive their requests from God, similarly to what Psalm 88:9 says, “I spread out my hands to you.” 

Where Does Hand Raising Come From?

So many of our expressions are also learned from our families and cultures. We learn how to act by observing how others in our family and culture act in certain situations. We take on the tendencies and mannerisms of our parents or close friends. They become our examples that our bodies naturally want to imitate.

Some of us may have never seen our family members or people in our culture lift their hands in worship. Maybe we watched them emobdy their worship by being still and closing their eyes in contemplation. Others of us saw and heard people in our community lift their hands, shout, applaud, and dance in exuberance.

Similarly, if you grew up in cultures where many kinds of physical expressions accompanied the act of worship, consider practicing stillness or contemplation. Sometimes our active bodies can be an indication of a restless heart and mind. Stilling our bodies can calm our thoughts, and focusing deeply on a truth of Scripture can be more engaging than “going through the motions.” 

These physical expressions of praise generate simply from how God designed us as embodied creatures. We can’t help but express our hearts with our words and our actions (Luke 6:45). Embodied acts are a vital part of our communication to God and those around us.

When a toddler wants to be picked up, what does he do? He lifts his hands toward his father. How can you tell when a person is sad? They probably have a downcast face and likely shed tears. If someone is angry, how is it shown? Perhaps through a redness of face and clenched fists. When a child is excited, how can you tell? Watch her jump up and down grinning from ear to ear. These kinds of outward expressions of inward realities come naturally to us. As we grow up, we learn to use our words to accompany these natural physical expressions. 

Sometimes we can say more with our actions without our words. And sometimes our words need to be accompanied by our actions. However we learned how others react or respond in corporate worship, we can all grow toward learning from our church family today. 

Fears of Hand Raising

Maybe you fear you might be a distraction or fear being insincere. Both of those fears are understandable.

There are definitely things that can be outright distracting. But sometimes we can use this fear to mask a deeper fear – fear of what somewhat might think of us. Corporate worship is communal – it means we are all in this together. Worship is not about us, but it does involve all of us. Perhaps consider how participating by embodying your heart’s gratitude to God by lifting your hands may encourage your neighbor near you in the pew.

As for the feeling of being insincere, try it anyways. Sometimes we need to embody something before we feel it more deeply – a “fake it ’til you make it” approach. I rarely have the desire to work out, but when I do I always feel better. The same could be applied to engaging your body (lifting your hands) during a song. It might feel foreign at first, but it also could become an expression you learn to deeply appreciate.

Conclusion

Should we or shouldn’t we lift our hands when we sing together? There is no right or wrong answer. God does not condemn us for lifting or not lifting our hands in worship. But he does desire us to grow fully into engaging our whole selves – heart and body – toward honoring Jesus. When we are gathered together to offer our worship to God, our desire is to honor him in everything. 

“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,” – including lifting your hands, being still, or bowing down to the ground – “do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31).

Written by Aaron Zavala

Leftovers...

Leftover questions…

by Pastor Andrew

This past Sunday we talked about God’s sovereignty and our free will. A huge topic that has almost endless theological questions attached to it, some of which you may have found yourself wondering about. At the end of our worship gathering we had some time set aside to talk further and there were a few questions that came in via text that I wasn’t able to respond to.

·      Given this discussion are we really living in The Matrix?

·      Is anyone predestined to not be saved/a believer?

·      When is our "won't" power greater than His "will" power?

·      What does it benefit us to use our free will to do God's will?

 Here are some thoughts on these questions…

 1.     Given this discussion are we really living in The Matrix?

If you aren’t familiar with the movie, The Matrix came out back in 1999 and the writers actually did draw from a number of spiritual sources including Buddhism and Christianity. The film captured a lot of people’s imaginations, and it plucked on this nagging feeling that so many in our culture have, that there is more going on than we can fully discern. But in short, my response to the question is a firm ‘no’.

 Where The Matrix presented the world as a veil covering what is really happening and truth as impossible to discern, we believe quite the opposite. Psalm 19 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”  Jesus himself came to declare the truth to all people, not to veil it or make it hard to find. We don’t have to unplug from the realities of this world (a very Buddhist belief) in order to know what’s really going on but we do need to reunited by faith, thru Christ to the one who made us. The spiritual world is real, God is in control, there will always be a lot of mystery, and none of this is an illusion.

2.     Is anyone predestined to not be saved/a believer?

Speaking of God’s desire for humanity 1 Timothy 2:4 says that God, “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” Romans 10:13 says, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” From these verses and many more we see that salvation is available to everyone, but we also know that not everyone will believe in Jesus and be saved.

 As it relates to the concept of predestination, we only see it presented in scripture in the context of God’s saving plan to restore identity and relationship with him. Outside of that we might wonder about why people would reject God and why God might create people knowing they would reject him. Attempts to answer these questions have created theological traditions like Calvinism and Arminianism (named after church leaders in the past) who have sought to reconcile what they see in scripture as both God’s sovereign will and human’s free will. In truth, any theological system that tries to ascribe motive and knowledge to God, who is not bound by time and matter, is always going to fall short. As believers what we can do is hold onto what is clear in scripture:

-       God desires all people to know him.

-       God made a way through Jesus for humanity to be reconciled and made whole

-       Those that respond to Jesus are saved and secure, those that don’t aren’t

3.     When is our "won't" power greater than His "will" power?

My initial response is, never. He is God, he can do what he wills, whenever he wills it. But in light of this, it’s clear that in some instances an aspect of God’s will is that he has chosen to give us freedom. For example, as a God of love it’s his will is that we would have a choice whether to love him back. If he were to force us to love him, that would not be love, he would also be contradicting his own will and would therefore be a liar. Hebrews 6 reflects on the promise keeping nature of God and reinforces that it is impossible for God to contradict his own nature in this way. “God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, (Hebrews 6:18a)“

 Apart from what might be a clear contradiction of his character we know that because of his sovereignty anything that he wants do he will do. As the passage above continues it says, “we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.  We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure (Hebrews 6:18b-19).” Ultimately God has given us free will but his will is ‘freer’ and nothing will stop him from accomplishing what he has set out to do. This is good news! (Read Romans 8:31-39)

4.     What does it benefit us to use our free will to do God's will?

Everything! Think about the will of God as it’s reflected in the words of scripture. God is a redeemer and rewarder. He is King and Father. He is just and merciful. He is a provider and sustainer. To do the will of God means you partner with him in his character and plans and the very nature of Jesus becomes more and more your nature.

You might also ask, what would it benefit you to not line up your will with Gods? Apart from God our will is corrupt, broken, and sinful. 

I often think of an old Bob Dylan where he says,

You might be a rock ’n’ roll addict prancing on the stage
You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage
You may be a businessman or some high-degree thief
They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

Does Jesus still perform miracles?

This was the question we talked about in our worship gathering this past weekend. It was submitted by one of our elementary age students and it set the direction for our conversation and dive into scripture.

If you were with us this past Sunday, roughly half of those gathered shared that they have had some sort of experience they would consider miraculous. For those that haven’t I shared three possible reasons why that might be. (You can watch here or listen on podcast here.)

One interesting thing to note in scripture is that the majority of what we would consider miraculous events still involve some sort of natural element. For example Jesus didn’t create wine out of nothing but used water. He didn’t generate food from thin air but he multiplied what was already there. He chose to heal a blind man using mud. In this way miracles involve a demonstration of God’s power over and above, yet still through the natural world. But that isn’t always the case.

In the dessert God provided the food manna, (which literally means ‘What is it?’) to the nation of Israel out of nothing. While Jesus healing often involved touch there were also times when he healed with just a word. And sometimes the most miraculous occurrences involved the proclamation of God’s good news in a supernatural way (see Stephen and the Ethiopian, Paul and Jesus, or the many angelic visits recorded in the Bible). But these aren’t just things that happened in the Bible. Just today I read a fascinating story that shows God still works in this way today!

There is a famous rapper by the name of M.I.A. who recently shared that Jesus appeared to her in a vision and in one moment she went from disbelief to belief. She says, “if you are in need and you need saving, the person who turns out to save you is Jesus. That is what he’s known for.” Although she has a Hindu background M.IA. now knows that Jesus is real, that he loves her, and that he is still in the business of saving.

This is the type of miraculous message that we as Christians get to live by and share with others. Jesus is still working miracles.

- Pastor Andrew

What about tattoos?

This last weekend we started a unique topical series in a way that I’ve never done it before. Over the past month members of our church have submitted questions having to do with our faith and practice and it’s those questions that are providing the teaching direction for our Sunday gatherings.

On Sunday we started with a simple question that leads to bigger theological topics…what about tattoos?

The bigger theological topics of course were; What do we do with Leviticus? Does the Old Testament Law have authority over us today? What does it mean to be holy? What changed with Jesus?

You can listen to the message here but to answer the simple question about tattoos, the answer was: They might be OK, and they might not. There is truly a lot of grey area.

We can say from a Biblical perspective that if, like Leviticus 19:28 talks about, you are getting tattoos that contradict your identity as a child of God or that align with an ungodly lifestyle then you shouldn’t do it. But if after thoughtful and even prayerful consideration your tattoo reflects something of the beauty, identity, and creativity of your relationship with God, then maybe it’s fine. I say maybe on purpose, because I don’t know your heart or motivation but you do and God certainly does.

I finished out our time on Sunday with some reflection questions that I’ll repost here:

Why do you want to do it?

-       You like the way it looks

-       Because my parents said I couldn’t

-       It’s meaningful

What is it communicating?

-       Something beautiful, meaningful, profane?

What kind of attention is it creating? What is pointing people toward?

-       Maybe none at all?

-       Maybe toward something that makes people think about God or maybe not?

-       Maybe its drawing attention in an inappropriate way toward your body?

I understand that sometimes with a topic like this people hear what they want to hear or come away with still unresolved questions. Since our heart in this series is to create space to ask questions and wrestle with truth I want you to know that even though we might move on to a different topic each Sunday, you can always reach out and engage with further questions or feedback. So please feel free to send me an email or setup a time to grab coffee and let’s talk more.

Peace and grace,

Pastor Andrew