Bethany Community Church

Teacher: Pastor Richard Dahlstrom July 26, 2009.

Resource for Theological Cliffs Summer Series discussion, July 22, 2009.

Sermon by Pastor Richard Dahlstrom,

July 3, 2005.

Teacher: Pastor Richard Dahlstrom July 19, 2009.

Ted Trigg, Worship Director

Children provide the greatest insight into our relationship with Christ. There is a good reason Christ calls us to be as little children.

The other day when I got home, my kids came running and screaming to me. They grabbed me and hugged me. My daughter kissed me. It was wonderful. My wife came into the room, and, with a smile of mischief on her face, raised her arms in the air and screamed, then kissed me, laughing. (This isn’t something she does every day!) This was the best way to come home.

How often in life do we receive such a reception? Maybe at our wedding, maybe on the day we are born, or when we graduate, but it’s not something that is a common everyday occurrence. (Indeed if it was, it might grow stale?)

Perhaps the more pointed question here is this: How often do we give Christ this reception?

As the director of worship, I think about the idea of running to the arms of Jesus, screaming with joy. We have a tendency at Bethany to be sober in our worship. The reasons for this are many, of course. We are educated, we are reserved, we are Norwegian (or fill in any other nationality that may apply); other churches spend too much time on celebration and not enough time on confession and renewal, so that is what we should focus on…whatever the reason, we hold back.

What if the problem is that we have a trust issue? A vision issue? We tend to see ourselves in the darkest of ways: broken, torn apart, unworthy. It’s true—we are these things and more, but be careful of false humility. In Christ, we are not what we think we are. The truth is that in Christ, our sins are removed from us as far as the east is from the west. To understand that, realize that this isn’t New York City to Seattle. Neither east nor west are fixed points; it is an infinite distance between the two. So when we come to Christ, it should be as children who are pure and free from what we think is entangling us. (It’s like we have an imaginary monster holding us back.) This is how it is with my kids. When they are running to me, I don’t remember that yesterday morning they couldn’t share or Nora wouldn’t eat her fruit; instead, it’s with the sense of how beautiful they are and how much I love them.

Consider the words of Derek Webb from the song “Wedding Dress”:
I am a whore, I do confess
I put you on just like a wedding dress
And run down the aisle
I’m a prodigal with no way home
I put you on like a ring of gold
And run down the aisle to you

Pardoning the language if need be, this is typical of how we see ourselves, and it is true. We are prodigals and we are whores that give ourselves over to every whim and fancy. Yet within this context, Christ gives us everything. He still marries us. He gives us His signet ring and trusts us with His kingdom. He puts robes on us that are symbols of His love. He washes our feet. He gives us His very life. In Zephaniah, it says that He rejoices over us with singing.

So why do we hold back? Cynicism, fear, looking bad—I know all the reasons. I don’t have a biblical basis for this really, but I wonder if Christ isn’t waiting for us to come running and screaming to Him. If we can’t do that, then we need to at least ask for a vision of who He is and why we are hesitant. Yes, He will address your issues. Yes, He will correct you when needed. Yet the invitation is to come and feast, come and taste and see the Lord is good. It’s not a snack, it’s a banquet. We don’t have to be on a diet for this one. We can eat and be filled and pass the love of Christ on to those that are hungry and thirsty. If we had a sense that there is plenty to go around, I think it would change how we worship. If we had a sense that Christ’s arms are wide open and His heart is full of laughter, I think it would change not only how we pray and sing but how we treat one another. After all, Christ is in us. That is another entry I suppose.

Run to Jesus.

Teacher: Pastor Phil Maulding July 12, 2009.

Discussion Questions:
Nancy Eckardt

1. When have you put your wages into “a purse with holes in it”? How did it feel? (Haggai 1:6)

2. Whats the “paneling” in your life?

3. How has God spoken to you about your priorities and the need to “spill hope”?

4. How might God be building you into a temple of His glory?

5. How can this group pray for you now and in the coming week?

Teacher: Pastor Richard Dahlstrom July 5, 2009.

Discussion Questions:
Nancy Eckardt

1. This last Sunday, we looked at the book of Ezekiel, and his experience in the valley of bones. “Can these bones live?” “Is there hope in our hopelessness?”

2. When has your hope dried up? When have you been to a point where there seems to be no Option A or B?

3. Can you give an example where conventional wisdom has not stood the test of a circumstance? What is the source of that conventional wisdom? Where did that leave you in your sense of hope?

4. What in your life represents dry bones? What has brought you to this place? What has caused this situation or circumstance to be dry bones?

5. How has this area that is dry bones affected your hope? Your faith? What do you see as the purpose of this dry bones experience? Do you see a purpose?

6. What call of action might God be calling you to in this situation of dry bones?

7. What might God be calling you to that sounds foolish? How can you pursue this in a way that would provide confirmation one way or another?

8. What might be the next steps for you in bringing life into the dry bones?

Teachers: Richard Dahlstrom, Brian Hallberg, Megan Dobrasz, Suzanne Townsend
June 28, 2009.

Habakkuk consists of a dialogue between the prophet, Habakkuk, and his creator, God. The conversation includes three elements: Habakkuk’s accusation, God’s response, and Habakkuk’s embrace.

Discussion Questions:
1. How free do you feel to cry out to God, “How long, O Lord!”? What influences your sense of freedom to challenge God?

2. What do you observe, internally or externally, that challenges your confidence in God?

3. Can you think of a time when you questioned God? What happened?

4. Can you think of a time when going to God with complaint has given you an openness to him that has allowed you to see a situation more from his perspective?

5. Read Habakkuk 3:17-19. How easy do you find it to sing this song where you are right now? What unfruitfulness do you see that makes it difficult to praise God and trust him?