Good Thursday Morning High Places!
I think about one third of everyone I talked to this week has a covid in their home (or they have it themselves). This includes both church and community conversations. We’re in the middle of what I hope will be our last big wave of illness as natural immunities begin to build and take hold in the population. In the meantime, if you are immune compromised or have a pre-existing condition that puts you at greater risk from this virus, please stay home this Sunday and watch us virtually.
If this isn’t you and provided you aren’t currently sick, well –
WE WANT TO SEE YOUR FACES, FEEL YOUR HUGS, AND SHARE A SMILE!
This Sunday we begin our new winter series, “Unless a Seed Falls.” It’s one that I have been wrestling with since before Christmas and kept in prayer about whether to share. As we head into what I trust and believe will be a supernatural year at High Places, it became increasingly clear to me over these past weeks where such things begin.
I can’t know for sure, but I imagine being a seed is a comfortable thing provided you aren’t being gobbled up by crows (more on that in a few weeks). A seed that hasn’t fallen to the ground doesn’t really have to do much, has no real requirements or obligations, and can pretty much just ‘hang around’ (pun intended) for as long as it likes.
A couple of weeks before Christmas, I went over to Orange Hat in Hardin Valley with a pastor friend Brent and we do what always end up doing, which is talking about Christianity in our world, our country, and in the communities we serve. We started talking about the Christmas season and how it is so often misunderstood in our culture, and we discussed our responsibility as faith leaders to communicate the Gospel effectively, and clearly, so it could be better understood.
We ended up hovering around John 12:24 for most of our conversation:
“Truly, truly I say to you, unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains only a seed. But if that seed dies, it bears much fruit.”
We talked about the one thing that maybe burdened us both, not only in 2021, but for most of our journeys as pastors. It was a thing we both struggled to articulate and find language for, but that somehow in this verse, we recognized that burden. Jesus mostly captured it in a verse about seeds. We started applying the verse across a variety of situations we’d experienced and applied it even more broadly to the sphere of our community work, national scene, and global realities.
For me, it was a rich conversation. Like a chain of dominos linking the best possible outcomes our lives backward to this one single event of a seed falling to the ground. The concepts started crystalizing for me and consumed my next several weeks.
Although they all felt good and true, I wasn’t sure about doing a message series on it. Mostly because people don’t want to fall to the ground and die. I know I don’t want that, and yet I also know in my deepest places I need that. And the world needs it.
I hope you’ll join us this Sunday as we begin looking at this core teaching of Jesus revealed most fully in His life, death, and resurrection.
In other news –
We will be moving ahead with our January 29 concert series, JANUARY JAMS, benefiting the Anderson County Family Justice Center which serves victims of domestic violence and elder abuse. Blue Willow is a rock band from Nashville with Oak Ridge roots, serving up some nice beats and killer lead guitar. Silver Trailer are long time friends of High Places, describing themselves as “psychedelic hillbilly rock.” Together they’re going to fire up the big theater with some great sounds.
Volunteers are appreciated for this event and needed in five primary areas:
1. Food / Kitchen assistance with Regina Wilson leading.
2. 21 & up beverage tent with Chad O’Neal leading.
3. Ticket table shifts needed, with Kady Marcotte leading.
4. Clean-up crew, with David Allred leading.
5. AND… to make things fun…. I am looking for a few folks to make homemade jams to spread on breads for a fun jam contest in which voters can vote for their favorite jam with a dollar donation to the Family Justice Center. If you make jam, or you know someone who makes good jellies and jams, would help me secure a few jars of jam for this?
Really looking forward to this event, and excited for the connections we will make and the good we can do just by coming together and having a good time.
Stay healthy out there, take your Zinc, Vitamin C, and Vitamin D!
Much love to you all
David
PS: If you're bored today, I am being interviewed at 11:00 AM on preaching as part of First United Methodist's podcast. You can watch it on their Facebook page, or on Youtube at https://youtu.be/qX6gcGawSMs