Northbridge Community Church

Today we worshiped at Northbridge Community Church, 216 Mystic Pine Trail, Cranberry Twp., PA 16066, 724.371.1180, www.northbridge.org, Jame Price, Lead Pastor.

Scripture – 1 Samuel 16:6-13

When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.”

So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”

“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered, “but he is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”

So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one.”

So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah.

Bob’s thoughts:

I thought it odd to revisit a church that we had worshiped at a few times. The purpose was to help our grandchildren feel more comfortable in their respective child care areas. I don’t know what support we might have been, seeing them before and after the service (children are not present in the sanctuary), but we went. We both got a lot from the sermon and didn’t doubt God’s leading us there.

Some random observations:

• We have been welcomed, but even when identified as visitors we were not engaged in conversation. I thought that conversation with visitors might come easier at a church that valued small groups.
• I am not sure of the purpose of the parking attendants. For me they seem like one more distraction to worry about in a small parking area.
• I don’t know if attendance is kept, but it looked like there are fewer people each time we visit. Perhaps the early service is more sparsely attended.

The church is presented as an alternative for those not comfortable with traditional church, so I can see where a cross or other symbolism might not be welcoming. I hear all the references (“We raise our cross,” etc.) and wonder if the symbols should be there.

The offering is taken up very efficiently, passing a small bucket down each row and someone retrieving at the other end of the row.

The message was another from a series by Andy Stanley and raised the question what does God think about you? Not does God think what I think about me? God’s interest is not what we have done in the past but where our hearts are today.

He talked about peoples’ excuses for discerning God’s will for them. I have said that I lament God waiting 50 years to call me, and now realize maybe I wasn’t listening so well. The parts of my life that I thought were such a detriment to serving Christ are frequently the very things He uses for His glory.

When Northbridge moved in one of the major improvements for me was a sign on Freedom Crider Road identifying where to turn; I hope they bring it back.

Jan’s thoughts:

In an effort to help the grandchildren adjust to their new surroundings, we again visited Northbridge.

Truth be told, I was happy to do so; partly for the grandchildren, of course, but partly because I wanted to hear the conclusion of the message series, “Game Plan,” about finding God’s will for my life. The one previous message for which I had been present started me on a journey of self-discovery that has continued for the last three weeks and which shows no signs of ending soon. In short, I was hooked.

More people spoke with us than in the past, possibly because we arrived earlier than usual before things got very busy.

Andy Stanley preached the final installment in this message series, and I do appreciate his preaching style. He is relaxed, conversational, and well-grounded in Scripture.

One of the major points was that humans tend to think that God thinks about us the way we think about us, that He takes His cue about us from us. But based on the Scripture above, it is clear that “God does not see as man sees.” Andy pointed out that “what you did yesterday is of far less concern to God than where your heart is today. God is in the redemption and restoration business, and He uses the things we consider obstacles to bring about His plans in and through us.”

This afternoon I have begun listening to the messages I missed from this series, and I plan to listen to them all. The messages are accessible from the church’s website, and I highly recommend this series if you, like me, are trying to discern God’s plan for your life.

Our prayer for this church:
Dear Father, We pray for discernment for this congregation, that they may hear Your call. And when they obey Your will may they be amazed at how You use their objections for Your and their good. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Concord Presbyterian Church

Today we worshiped at Concord Presbyterian Church, 2832 Conway-Wallrose Road, Baden, PA 15005, 724.869.9135, www.concordchurch.org, Rev. Dr. John Wiebe, Pastor.

Scripture – 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Bob’s thoughts:

This special weekend with all of our family in town, including all 8 grandchildren, our plans need to be flexible and fluid.

We worshiped at Concord Presbyterian to hear their new minister. The church has a good age mix with lots of children. We were welcomed warmly, although we know many of the people.

A favorite aspect of this church is the cross, obscured by the screen for the first part of the service, and the joy when the screen is raised.

The sermon explained some of the meaning of the Lord’s Supper. We were reminded that Christ’s sacrifice involved more than the crucifixion: His whole life was sacrificial. A powerful point for me was that when we commune with Christ, we are also sharing with the saints. We partake of the elements in Christ’s Presence and our late son is there. It causes my eyes to sweat.

The pastor told a story of an unwelcome girl who attended a Presbyterian church and sat in the back by herself. At this point I knew the pastor’s background was not Presbyterian as they all sit in the back.

I appreciated the prayers during Communion, and though the elements were offered silently, it was with dignity.

We got to talk a bit with the pastor after the service and could see God’s leading him to this church. I pray that the congregation embraces his ideas to lead them outward.

Jan’s thoughts:

We have worshiped at this church numerous times in the past. This time we were accompanying family who were visiting for the weekend.

This is a lovely small church in a rural setting, full of people who really are very much like family. The more we see them, the more we have come to appreciate this congregation.

The pastor is brand new here, and seems to have enough experience under his belt to handle unexpected situations with grace and I appreciated the time he took afterward to speak with us.

The sermon on this World Communion Sunday was entitled “The Meaning of the Lord’s Supper,” in which he pointed out that Communion is one of the major differences between Christianity and other faiths. It was instituted by Christ Himself and is full of symbolism. The touching thing to me was the reminder that when we celebrate the Sacrament of Communion, we commune with Christ and with all the saints, past and present.

That last thought takes on special significance when I consider that it includes our son. What an amazing hope we are offered through our faith in Christ! Wherever would we be without it?

Our prayer for this church:
Holy Lord, we pray Your blessing on this commencement at Concord Church. We ask that You inspire them through their new leader to go out in Your Name. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Home

Today we worshiped at Home.

 

We both got up feeling sick this morning, me with a cough I couldn’t control, and maybe just a bit more overwhelmed by grandchildren than we are comfortable to admit. We spent some time beyond our normal devotional time listening to sermons online.

One pastor told the story of Moses’ birth as if it was in our time. He made reference to something in Moses’ life as being “from the Get Go,” which puts a different spin on the bull rush story.

Another sermon referred to our “winning is everything” mentality. He reminded that as followers of Christ we are called to be servants. I pray that I can be a worthy servant.

I read in a devotional this morning a poem by Kenneth N. Taylor called “The Cord.” It related how the things in our lives work when the cord is plugged in, the great power of the cord. The important part is that we have the greater power plugged in, that love, joy, etc. grow strong in us.

 

Our prayer for the Church:
Lord, we pray we all take up that greater power and grow strong in and for You. We give You thanks for the myriad of ways that You get Your message across to us. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Northbridge Community Church

Today we worshiped at Northbridge Community Church, 216 Mystic Pine Trail, Cranberry Twp., PA 16066, 724.371.1180, www.northbridge.org, Jame Price, Lead Pastor.

Scripture:

1 Timothy 4:14-15 –
Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.

2 Timothy 1:6 –

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

Bob’s thoughts:

We revisited in part to see how children were handled in the nursery, and I was impressed with the efficiency and the loving care that our grandchildren received. There is a computerized check-in system with name tags printed for the child and adults, including grandparents, authorized to pick up.

It is also possible to register children online the night before a visit. My daughter was given a passcard to scan when they revisit.

There were some goal posts around the projection screens, but still no cross.

During the announcements some photos of a nursery area were projected on the screens which made me think it might be fun to project some real-time shots of the children in the nursery areas. Some churches project the children’s message for all to see and this always seemed well-received.

As we both have experienced a change, we have been investigating our spiritual gifts. Today’s sermon about the thumbprints of God was Christ’s leading. A principle was raised that we should hold ourselves only accountable to God. Many times clergy have stressed using our gifts for God, but this was the first who brought up how that would affect others. God has blessed you with gifts you can use to bless others as He directs. You are part of God’s overall plan…don’t disappoint Him.

Jan’s thoughts:

Now that we have family staying with us temporarily, we pay more attention to the child care facilities and arrangements when we visit a church.

We have attended this church once before, but J & S, our daughter and son-in-law, wanted to visit and we wanted to lend our support, as well as to see it from the perspective of someone with little ones.

From that perspective, it was efficient, caring, colorful, and safe. Children are checked in; parents/guardians receive nametags with numbers linking them to the appropriate child/ren.

One of the grandchildren was anxious about going into the room even though her sister was in the same room. But she joined her sister and afterward said she had lots of fun. And Mom and Dad appreciated the opportunity to worship together for the first time in a good while.

We were privileged to witness an adult baptism, for which the congregation was encouraged to “cheer loudly for a changed life.” What a terrific approach, and very different from the staid Presbyterian style with which I grew up. He was baptized “in the name of the Father Who loves you, the Son Who died for you, and the Holy Spirit Who lives in you.” I liked that.

The current series is entitled “Game Plan” and this, Part 3 called “The Playbook,” was presented by Jeff Henderson.

Today’s visit was another reminder to me that God guides us to the church He wants us to visit.

I have always been interested in spiritual gifts, and for the last several weeks have taken several written and online. This message was centered on our unique gifts, God’s specific plan for each life, and discovering the gifts we have been given and how God expects us to use them.

Paul equates life with a race, so much the same language was used. He stated that a common obstacle is running someone else’s race, i.e., living our life based on someone else’s expectations or lack thereof. He reminded that Scripture tells us to “run with endurance” and that God will not hold us accountable for someone else’s race.

He referred to gifts as “God’s thumbprints,” and said they “are clues to His plan for you. We need to lean into them, not turn away from them.”

Besides knowing our gifts, we need to “leverage opportunities to use our gifts.” In other words, recognize them, acknowledge them, then do something with them, remembering that they were given to us so we could use them for others’ sake. It’s not about us. And at the finish line we will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

The other point that spoke loudly to me was if we pray for opportunities to use our gifts, God will show up and provide them. Personally this is encouraging, as that’s where I am.

I came home and took the online spiritual gift assessment on the website (www.northpointministries.org/gameplan). The results were much the same as the others I had taken recently, so I think I have a pretty good handle on my gifts; however I have no idea how God wants me to use them. So I will take his advice and pray, trusting God to show up and give me an indication of how He wants me to use His gifts.

Our prayer for this church:
Father, we pray this church continues to look for ways to praise and honor You. Awaken them to the talents with which You have blessed them that they might use these gifts to glorify You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.