Hey Church Family,
I have a number of things on my mind as I sit in my office on this rainy Thursday night.
First, do you need a gift for that impossible-to-buy-for person? Don’t worry – I got you covered! I have the perfect item (just $15.00 bucks). I’ll tell you about it on Sunday.
Second, I have Kurt to thank for a “gift” of sorts he just gave me. See, he got me started on this campaign to “BeReal.” Here’s a “BeReal” picture I just snapped not thirty minutes ago when the notification came that I had just two minutes to capture and share the real me at that moment.
Don’t have a clue what I’m talking about? Let me explain. At the end of a meeting two weeks ago, Kurt mentioned this photo sharing app called “BeReal” (I had never heard of it). Here’s the basic idea. You share one picture a day with your friends. Your phone captures an image in each direction (just a few seconds apart) so your group gets a real-time glimpse of you and your surroundings. (As you can see, I was doing nothing more interesting than sitting in my Hyundai Accent in a parking lot. Not too exciting, but that’s the point.) What’s more, you have to be ready, because you don’t know when the BeReal notification will light up your phone. And when it does, everyone in your circle has to take and post the picture before the two-minute time elapses. So, you don’t have long to make yourself presentable. And that’s the whole idea – you’re unvarnished, unfiltered, real. Then there’s this blizzard of back and forth responses and “likes” and smiley faces and eyes with two red hearts and all that.
Well, this gave me an idea because our passage for Sunday involves reality. Ten times in a mere 16 verses a word for “truth” appears in our passage, John 8:31-47. Jesus, who called himself “The Truth,” was 100% real in every one of his words and actions (John 14:6). He didn’t hide anything or hold anything back that we needed to know to emerge from darkness and lies and live in the light of his grace and truth.
Yes, it bears repeating that those who are united to him are lifted out of self-deception, strategic deception of others and lies of all sorts as they learn to live in truth. In short, they learn to “BeTrue.” But this is a gradual process, because we’ve all lived in anti-truth for the entirety of our pre-Christ lives. I’ll give you a “New Life App” called “BeTrue” to download onto your new-creation, born-again software. Wow! I’m really pushing the metaphor to the outer limits!
Third, speaking of truth, do you know this high school senior in the picture below?
Meet Savanah Kapcoe. I’m excited to share a little slice of story on this theme of truth. She’s not perfect, of course (she’d be the first person to tell you that), but she’s aligned with the Truth and attempting to live it out in a way that inspires me. Savannah and I connected a couple of weeks ago after church and I asked her about her life at Ann Sobrato High School in Morgan Hill. I’ll share some snippets from our lively conversation.
Fourth, we wanted you to know that Valley’s weekly CHASER is coming to an end, at least for now. (CHASER is our weekly Bible reading plan with daily readings that connect to the upcoming Sunday sermon.) The reason is that our excellent editor-in-chief Stew Peebles is retiring from this ministry. (I can’t find a picture of Stew in my Google Photos, otherwise I’d include one if you don’t know who he is.) Consider how Stew has served our church family and made it easier for us to read Scripture every day in a way that unites us. The first CHASER was published on 11/5/2017 when we finished up our eight-month 4X4 DISCIPLE. Last week was the last CHASER. That means that Stew wrote the CHASER for 266 consecutive weeks. He didn’t miss a single week for over five years. That’s quite a run. It reminds me of Cal Ripken’s consecutive game streak for the Baltimore Orioles. (Stew is involved in baseball team chaplaincy and so he’ll appreciate the reference!) I love and respect Stew very much. He’s an excellent student and teacher of the Word who draws zero attention to himself (“Honor such men” – Phil. 2:29). Hats off to you, Stew!
I have a worship idea for you to practice right now that’s related to our Gospel of John series called “Believe.” The verb “believe” appears 96 times in the gospel. Believing is the way into a relationship with God, that is, being convinced about his Son Jesus and his sacrifice for our sins and committing to follow him through life by the Spirit he gave us. Here’s an eight-part statement of conviction about King Jesus that you can recite right now, engaging your eyes, mind, heart, mouth and voice. Say it slowly, pausing with each element. Say it prayerfully, affirming this ultimate reality. Say it gratefully, because you, Believer, are in him and he’s in you.
I believe that:
- Jesus Christ preexisted with the Father
- took on human flesh, fulfilling God’s promises to David
- died for sins in accordance with the Scripture
- was buried
- was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures
- appeared to many
- is seated at the right hand of God as Lord, and
- will come again as judge.
I’m looking forward to worshipping with you on Sunday. See you then!
For the Truth,
Darren
P.S. Burr…it’s cold outside! Please don’t forget that this Sunday is the last day to drop off toys and coats for our drive in conjunction with our partner CityTeam. Look for Peter and David on the patio with the colorful banner and barrels.