The Next Best Thing (Hebrews 1:1-4)

All Scriptural references are to the Christian Standard Bible (CSB).

Do you ever want the second-best thing? If finances or any pious excuse were genuinely not your limit, would you want the second best? Personally, I know that if I’m offered either a brand-new Honda Accord or a Porsche 911 (even with the maintenance) with no strings attached, I’ll take German engineering every day. On average, it’s not controversial to say that we want the best. It’s usually when we start thinking about the “yeah…but” that problems come in. Exceptions are made. Finance are mentioned. Our “facts and logic” lead us toward second-guessing.

New Testament believers, particularly Jewish believers, faced a problem: this Jesus they heard about had died on the cross. They even heard of eyewitness accounts of His resurrection. But after Christ’s resurrection and ascension, doubt might have set in. So Jewish listeners to the Christian message began hedging their bets: “I think Jesus was the promised Jewish savior, but maybe I’ll play it safe: maybe I should just go back to sacrificing bulls and goats? Maybe I do need a priest to negotiate my situation with God?” It was so much worse than just the second-best thing; New Testament Israelites start with the “yeah… but what if Christ’s death wasn’t enough?”

You know what the author to Hebrews says? He tells us of the importance of the Old Covenant: “Long ago God spoke to the ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways” (v. 1); however, the authors tells us that God climatically and finally spoke through His resurrected Son, Jesus, the inheritor and creator of the world (v. 2). Not only is Christ God Himself (v.3), Christ’s death and resurrection purifies and covers the sins of believers. It’s only natural that the author finishes his thought this way: “So he became superior to the angels, just as the name he inherited is more excellent than theirs” (v.4).

Jesus Christ is the heavyweight champion of saviors. He is not just better; he is the best offer we have. Is this how you view Jesus today? Or have you been tempted to hedge your bets on something else? It might not be blatant disbelief, but it might feel innocent like the Hebrew Christians: “I’ll believe that Jesus died for sins… but I’ll do this extra work just in case God wanted something else.”

God finished speaking through His Son, Jesus Christ; what He said through Him is enough: God desires our absolute trust in Christ’s death in our place, and He desires our very lives, the dirty and the ugly. He wants it all, not our second guesses or hedged bets. That’s the whole point of Hebrews, and thankfully, Christ is enough—you might even say the best and only way—to have this close relationship with God. This is the greatest offer we could ever receive, but I have a question for you: are you going to keep reaching for the second-best thing?

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”—C.S. Lewis

Hope in the Lord: Together with Family

               Another week brings more news of church scandals: financial improprieties, adultery, and child sexual abuse. While I’m saddened and disappointed, I don’t know why I’m surprised. If you have any large group of people, some will eventually behave poorly. Having spent many years among God’s people, I know that the church has its share of people who are nagging, judgmental, angry, hypocritical, and unpleasant; that’s one reason why I fit right in. And as I let more church people get more involved in my life, it’s only a matter of time until a few will be offensive, hurtful, and unkind when I need them the most. A Medieval manuscript compares the church to Noah’s Ark, “If it weren’t for the storm outside, you couldn’t stand the stench inside.”

               Scripture uses many different metaphors to describe the church: a house, a nation, a herd of sheep, and a human body. But the metaphor I like best for God’s people is a family. God Himself is my Father. Jesus is my brother. Fellow believers are my sisters and my brothers. Like my earthly family, God chose most of those who would join my spiritual family. When I focus too much on people I’d like to avoid, I miss out on knowing the other wonderful people God has placed in my family. And as we serve the Lord together, I get to know my brothers and sisters in a way that it such a blessing and encouragement to my faith and hope. Here are a few examples:

               The women who taught me the most about the Christian faith when I was an unbeliever was a co-worker who was nearly twice my age. She was nervous speaking with me about her faith but her courage and her love for Jesus overwhelmed me. As she taught me the Scriptures, I came to see that she had a heart for others and a divine source of grace. I saw her persevere under difficulties and injustice at work, in a tough marriage, and as a foster family for troubled teenagers.

               My first pastor had an incredible memory for people’s names and faces. There was a two-year gap between my parents’ first and their second visit to my church. But this pastor remembered their names, where they lived, and a bit about their work. With his talent, he could have been a wealthy business leader or a successful politician, but instead he used his gifts for the Kingdom of God, teaching, encouraging, and supporting others.

               Perhaps the most intelligent woman I know gave up the opportunity to be a physician, choosing instead a nursing career so she could more quickly become a missionary. She learned Spanish so she could serve in Belize. And now she has learned Japanese to serve in Sendai, where the earthquake and tsunami hit in 2011. With a servant’s heart, now she has put her career aside to be a wife and mother to her five blond and blue-eyed children, in a nation where having at most one child is the norm and teach English to women in her community.

               When I moved to Pennsylvania, two elderly women immediately welcomed me to their church and “adopted” me as their son. Over time I came to learn that they gave up careers as executive secretaries to be traveling evangelists across the U.S. from the 1960’s through the 1990’s. They met so many wonderful and famous people over the years, and yet they never bore others with their stories. They were always eager to know about the people around them—from a young child, to a lonely visitor, to the most important community leader. They would talk very little about themselves, and they never complained about their aches and pains. They often said that no one wanted to hear them give an “organ recital.”

               My former pastor and his wife gave up lucrative careers when they received the calling into full-time ministry. It’s one level of sacrifice to forego nice cars, big houses, fancy dinners, and luxury vacations to pursue a career in teaching, social work, or some similar vocation where the most important rewards are not monetary. But I have a whole new level of respect for this couple who give up a standard of living they worked for decades to achieve so she could lead a crisis pregnancy center and he could work in a homeless shelter.

               God’s church is filled with some of the best people I’ve ever met, and I shouldn’t be surprised. The transforming power of God’s grace in anyone’s life can turn the worst sinner into the greatest saint. Most of us will not make the news, but we trust that God is pleased with our faithfulness and that our lives are a witness to His power and love for us. And who knows how many more great people I’ll meet along the way.

Livestream Ready to Go for This Sunday!

As most of you know, we're hosting our first in-person worship service since March this Sunday at 10:00 AM. I hope you saw my emails about the precautions we're taking and how to attend if you feel comfortable (we're asking people to RSVP so that we can plan physically distanced seating).

However, if you're part of a vulnerable population, we still encourage you to stay home. In fact, if you simply don't feel comfortable attending a public service yet, we totally understand and hope you will stay home without guilt.

Therefore, we've been working hard on a way for you to watch the service from home if you're unable to attend in person. And I'm happy to announce that we finally have the ability to livestream the service at 10:00 AM!

If you plan to attend in person this Sunday, please click here and RSVP.

If you plan to watch from home this Sunday, you have two options. You can watch our livestream on Hope's Facebook page or YouTube channel at 10:00 AM. 

(PDF Worship Guide)

If we have technical problems on Sunday for some reason and the livestream cuts out, we'll post the service on YouTube by 4:00 PM that afternoon.

First "Yellow Phase" Service This Sunday

Click Here for a Visual Guide

Dear Hope Church, 

A wise pastor used three words to describe his church's plan to resume services this month: humility, unity, flexibility. I think those words are fitting for us as well. We've already seen the need for humility, unity, and flexibility as we've navigated this pandemic. And by God's grace, we'll continue to be humble, unified, and flexible in the weeks and months ahead.

Our county officially moved to the "Yellow Phase" of Gov. Wolfe's plan back on June 5th. We've waited two additional weeks to monitor the impact of this change in our region. Thankfully, PA's website indicates that things are continuing to improve.

Therefore, I'm excited to announce that we're also moving to the "Yellow Phase" of our reopening plan.  This means that we're beginning limited public services this Sunday, June 21st, at 10:00 AM (notice the time change).

However, if you're part of a vulnerable population, we still encourage you to stay home. In fact, if you simply don't feel comfortable attending a public service yet, we totally understand and hope you will stay home without guilt. For this reason, we will stream the service on our Facebook page and YouTube channel at 10:00 AM.

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General Precautions

• Limited to 25 people (this will help us maintain proper physical distancing in our space)

• Masks required for everyone over age six (we'll have extra masks available in case you forget yours)

• I will only remove my mask on the wooden "stage area" (but will be a safe distance from the first row)

• Darlington has a head scanner for temperature checks at the door

• Physical distancing (six feet apart, no hugs, handshakes, etc.) 

• Pre-service sanitation of surfaces, doors, handles, etc.

• Hand sanitizer stations available

• No bulletins or Bibles will be provided

• Words and liturgy will be projected

• Children are welcome in the service, though parents are asked to keep them close as we all practice physical distancing

• No nursery available

• Simplified congregational singing with facemasks

• Still no celebration of the Lord’s Supper 

• Limiting bathrooms to one person at a time

• No coffee table or food preparation 

• Click here to see other precautions from the Darlington Arts Center

Before Sunday: 1) Decide if You're Coming

During the "Yellow Phase," we recognize that it may not be wise for everyone to attend public services. So we want you to feel comfortable watching the service from home without guilt.

In fact, we need you to watch the service from home if:

• You are part of a vulnerable population

• You are sick at all

• You have a cough, high fever, or shortness of breath

• You have been exposed to anyone who has tested positive with COVID-19 in the past 14 days

We also encourage you to watch the service from home if:

• You feel unsafe or uncertain about returning to public gatherings 

• You are uncomfortable with the requirements for gathering that we will implement

Before Sunday: 2) Please RSVP 
 

If you feel comfortable attending, please RSVP and let us know you’re coming so we can plan physically-distanced seating for you. Contact me at pastorwill@explorehopechurch.org or (484) 589-0464.

While at Church: The Process
 

1. A gloved volunteer with a mask will open the door for you so that you don't have to touch the handle.

2. Once inside, another gloved volunteer with a mask will use a head scanner to take your temperature and offer you a mask if you don't have one.

3. Once you enter the worship space, another gloved volunteer with a mask will set up chairs for you and members of your household so that you can sit together while being physically distanced from other families.

4. After the service you will be asked to exit the facility in a prompt and orderly fashion to guard against bottlenecking at doors.

5. Fellowship is encouraged outside with proper physical distancing.

God is Faithful!

This is a difficult time for everyone. I know that some people want to open services immediately and others want to wait longer. I understand both sides. That's why I began this email with those three words: humility, unity, and flexibility. We need these three virtues because we all know how quickly things can change in a global pandemic. We want to protect lives and guard against the spread of this virus. At the same time, we believe that corporate worship is a means of grace, crucial for the long-term spiritual health of believers and their families. So please pray that we can strike a balance between these two biblical priorities.

Yet in all of this, we know that God is faithful (1 Cor 1:9). God is good (Ps 34:8). God loves his Church (Eph 5:25). God is our loving Shepherd (Ps 23). Therefore, we know that he is at work in and through us for his glory.

If you have any suggestions, questions, or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m sure that this plan will be adapted and refined as we go along.

In Christ,
Pastor Will 

 

Roadmap to Normal Life

Dear Hope Presbyterian Church,

In a COVID-19 world, everyone in our culture is asking the same tough question: What does it look like slowly and safely to resume normal life in the weeks and months ahead? 

To help Hope Church think through these issues, our provisional session approved a flexible plan. We want to protect lives and guard against the spread of this virus. At the same time, we believe that corporate worship is a means of grace, crucial for the long-term spiritual health of believers and their families.

Therefore, our goal is gradually to resume public gatherings with wise precautions (mirroring Gov. Wolf's process for reopening Pennsylvania). However, since things can change quickly in a global pandemic (as we all know), our session adopted this plan as a “general roadmap,” knowing that it will be changed, clarified, and refined as new information arises. We hope you won't find the plan overwhelming; rather, we hope it will help you visualize where we're going as a church, Lord willing, in the weeks and months ahead. Please pray for God to be glorified through all we do! 

Please don't hesitate to reach out to me with questions, suggestions, or concerns. 

Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor Will Stern 

(484) 589-0464

pastorwill@explorehopechurch.org

Sick of Zoom Yet? A Pastoral Call to Persevere

Dear Hope Church,

Are you sick of Zoom yet? I am and I think we all are to one degree or another. Human beings are created for real, embodied interaction. And since this is God's design, we naturally find digital interaction deeply unsatisfying. But if you think about it, that reaction is good! We should long for real, in-person worship, fellowship, prayer, and Bible study. In fact, I would be far more worried if we all said, "You know...this is better than meeting in the flesh."

However, I still encourage us not to neglect the digital "gathering of ourselves together." Hebrews 10:24-25, which I’ve mentioned before, says, 

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near" (Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV).

So notice what this passage is telling us: we should "stir one another up  to love and good works," while also " encouraging one another." And the means for doing all of this, according to verse 25, is "gathering of [ourselves] together," which we shouldn't neglect "as is the habit of some."

Now there are lots of ways to encourage and stir one another up to love and good works during this global pandemic. We can write letters to others in the church. We can send encouraging emails. We can give a friendly call to check in. We can drop off food. We can serve in practical ways. We can pray.  But all this is easier when we have a visible, corporate connection on Zoom during the week. 

So here are four reasons to persevere with Zoom gatherings until we can meet again:

1. Zoom gatherings offer a place where we can see, hear, and pray with other members of the Body. I know this is encouraging to me, and there’s not a good way to experience this without Zoom.

2. Zoom gatherings give us an opportunity to hear struggles and needs in the community directly. This stirs us up naturally to prayer and service. 

3. Zoom gatherings provide a place to hear the Word of God preached. Of course, you could go listen to John Piper sermons that are far better than mine (and I'm not being self-deprecating). But hearing a message from God's Word with other members of the same church at the same time is encouraging and stirs us up to love and good works. There's really no other substitute for it in the digital world.

4. Zoom gatherings provide a spiritual rhythm to our week. Yes, we could watch a message at 2 AM on Tuesday night. But there is something settling and encouraging about having a spiritual routine that mirrors the ordinary life of God’s people on the Lord’s Day.

But are Zoom gatherings perfect? No, of course not. Will they be a part of Hope's life forever? No, Lord willing they will end soon. But can God use them to strengthen, encourage, and stir us up to "love and good works" during this global pandemic? I sincerely believe they can! And to be honest, I have struggled to think of a better way of staying connected as a church until we meet again. It may exist, but I haven't found it yet. 

Therefore, I encourage you to persevere. Don’t become isolated from others in Hope Church. And I recognize that Zoom isn't for everyone. But if you can't join the Zoom gatherings (for whatever reason), I would encourage you to take extra steps to make up for the difference. I can share Hope's directory, so that you can call people from the church on a regular basis. Also, consider taking time to pray for specific needs in the church. And find a way to create a spiritual routine where you sit down at the same time on the Lord's Day in order to pray and listen to a sermon from God’s Word.

I’m thankful for each and every one of you! And just so you know, I’m creating a detailed plan with our session to map out what it will look like to safely resume public worship as soon as possible. Be looking for that and pray for wisdom as we think through all of these issues biblically, theologically, ecclesiologically, pastorally, and evangelistically.

In Christ, 
Pastor Will  
610-715-7492

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 30)

Day 30 of 30

Thank you for joining Hope Church on this journey through the Psalm over the past 30 days. I hope it has been encouraging and helpful in your spiritual walk during this unprecedented time. Most of you already receive Hope’s weekly email. But just in case you don’t, you can click here to subscribe.

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Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 144-146

Evening: Psalms 147-150

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Today’s Devotional Thought:

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”  (Psalms 150:6 ESV)

The Psalter ends with a resounding call for every living creature to praise the Lord. And isn’t that fitting? After all, the purpose of humanity is to glorify and enjoy God forever. And this calling has not changed during COVID-19. In fact, as Christians, we should lead the way in praising God for all his wondrous works.

But praise can be hard when we’re suffering, afraid, lonely, or depressed. But that’s when it’s even more important! For example, when Job heard about the death of his children and the loss of his property, this is how he responded:

“Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord’” (Job 1:20-21).

Isn’t that amazing? Even in the midst of profound suffering, Job’s response was to praise the Lord. So are you praising God today? Are you praising him when things are good? Are you praising him when things are bad? Are you praising him with others? Are you praising him alone? “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”

Ways to Pray:

1. Forgive me for not praising you enough during this global pandemic.

2. Give me strength to praise you today.

3. Let me faithfully proclaim Christ to my friends, family, and neighbors so that they bend the knee to your Son as they join the chorus of creation to praise your holy name!

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 29)

Day 29 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 139-140

Evening: Psalms 141-143

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Today’s Devotional Thought:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”  (Psalms 139:23-24 ESV)

We all want to be understood on some level. But sometimes we’re afraid of being truly known. What if we’re vulnerable and people still reject us? So we choose isolation and anonymity because it feels safer.

But ironically, COVID-19 has fueled this human tendency to retreat from community. And while we take wise steps to mitigate the spread of one disease, we may open ourselves up to an equally pernicious ailment—loneliness and social isolation.

But Psalm 139 teaches that we’re never truly alone. Even if we’re stuck at home by ourselves, God is with us. And this Psalm models what it looks like to be vulnerable before God. Rather than sewing fig leaves together to cover our shame (like Adam and Eve), we desire to be open books before him.

Of course, he necessarily knows everything; he knows what’s in our hearts before we ask him to search them. But Psalm 139 teaches that we should still ask. Because lest he leave us in our sin and shame, we boldly say, “See if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”

In other words, we pray, “God, dig deep into my heart. Expose my sin. Expose my pride. Expose my selfishness. But don’t leave me there. Please let me flee to Christ for mercy. Come into my heart through your Holy Spirit, like a master gardener, to weed out whatever you see that is grievous in your sight. Lead me in your path because I want the deepest recesses of my heart to glorify and enjoy you forever!”

Ways to Pray:

1. Search me, O God, and know my heart!

2. Try me and know my thoughts!

3. See if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!  

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 28)

Day 28 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 132-135

Evening: Psalms 136-138

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Today’s Devotional Thought from Pastor Stern:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” 

 (Psalms 136:1 ESV)

The Psalms have been called the hymnal of ancient Israel. But we seldom know how they were originally sung. Yet, in the case of Psalm 136, we get a clue. Ezra 3:11 says, “And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, ‘For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.’” 

So apparently, Psalm 136 (or something like it) was sung responsively:

• Cantor: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

• People: for his steadfast love endures forever.

• Cantor: Give thanks to the God of gods,

• People: for his steadfast love endures forever.

• Cantor: Give thanks to the Lord of lords,

• People: for his steadfast love endures forever;

• Cantor: to him who alone does great wonders,

• People: for his steadfast love endures forever;

• Cantor: to him who by understanding made the heavens,

• People: for his steadfast love endures forever;

• (You get the idea)

Imagine being there! It would have been spectacular to hear the cantor outlining the mighty works of God and the people responding in shouts of praise.

But Psalm 136 also teaches us an important lesson about prayer during COVID-19. We should seek to saturate our spiritual lives with this refrain. After each prayer, the posture of our hearts says, “His steadfast love endures forever.”  And after each passage of Scripture we read, the posture of our hearts says, "His steadfast love endures forever! May this be the refrain of our lives! 

Ways to Pray:

1. Pray for the sick during COVID-19...for his steadfast love endures forever.

2. Pray for healthcare workers during COVID-19...for his steadfast love endures forever.

3. Pray for the vulnerable during COVID-19...for his steadfast love endures forever.

4. Pray for the unemployed during COVID-19...for his steadfast love endures forever.

5. Pray for our leaders during COVID-19...for his steadfast love endures forever.

6. Pray for students and families during COVID-19...for his steadfast love endures forever.

7. Pray for churches during COVID-19...for his steadfast love endures forever.

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 27)

Day 27 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 120-125

Evening: Psalms 126-131

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Today’s Devotional Thought:

"I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where does my help come from?" (Ps 121:1, CSB)

For some reason, Psalm 121 keeps returning to my mind throughout my seminary years. I spoke to many of you about it when I first took Summer Hebrew. I came back to it when I was suffering from chronic insomnia and panic attacks last year. And now here we all are, looking for answers in these uncertain times.

Where have you been looking lately? How's your eyesight? Have you been checking your 401k more than usual lately? Are you worried you won't have (or currently don't have) a job? Are you wondering if you have Covid, or will get it? Are you just freaking out about society right now?

The psalmist opens with, "I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where does my help come from?" (Ps 121:1, CSB), and usually we would take this as looking toward the ascending road to Jerusalem. It's even located with other “Psalms of Ascent” leading to a declaration of crowning praise in Psalm 135.

However, there's a second aspect to Psalm 121 that I don't think was far from the psalmist's mind: What did mountains and high places represent to people back then? It was often a place of worship but not to the covenant-keeping God of Israel; it was where pagans went to worship, where they thought their "gods" were.

What "gods" have you been looking toward? I find myself worried, anxious, and confused throughout all of this. How does God answer these anxieties? "My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth"

He is not one of these lowercase fake gods; He is our one true, covenant-keeping Lord. He is the protector of Israel that does not slumber (v.4), and makes the claim that He will keep you from all "harm" (v.7). And that word isn’t any softer in Hebrew; it can mean evil, misery, or other horrible things in general. But that's quite the promise God is making there.

Let's turn ourselves from looking toward our false gods and idols in our life, and return to the promises God makes to us in the Gospel. When our hearts have been transformed by Christ's death and resurrection, we have the privilege of thinking about the world differently. We have our hopes set on our Lord and protector who delivers us from all evil. This is not escapism; this is the Gospel radically shifting where we set our priorities and hopes.

I pray for myself today, that I might repent of my own idolatrous heart and turn in faith to our forgiving Lord who protects and keeps all of our tomorrows, all of our comings and going now and forever.

Ways to Pray:

1. Adoration: Father, you are the only Lord that can keep us from all evil.

2. Confession: Our eyes so often chase after idols and gods to bring us comfort in life.

3. Thanksgiving: Thank you, Father, that through your Son we can fix our eyes on you for help and comfort. You alone protect our tomorrow!

Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern

Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt