First Baptist Church Muncie » Worship

Responding to the King

wadeallen — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:29:11 +0000

I am sitting in South Georgia on New Year’s Day reviewing next week’s sermon. New Year’s Day is almost over; many will return to normal routines in the next few days. In most minds Christmas is over. Yet, we are only midway through the season of Christmas. Did you know that the Christmas season (on the Christian calendar) does not end until January 6. Perhaps you have heard of the twelve days of Christmas. January 6 is Epiphany, the celebration of the Magi’s visit to young Jesus. I will not spoil the sermon for Sunday by giving you details of this visit. The story centers on a group of king’s representatives seeking the newly arrived King in Bethlehem. They first go to Herod, the region’s political king. They figure he must know of the birth. When Herod hears of the possibility of another king, he freaks out. He slays all toddlers in the city. His response to the birth of Jesus reveals selfish ambition; his act causes much heartache for the mother’s of Bethlehem.

The story is of one of kings and their response to Jesus. The Kings or representatives of Kings (the wise men) travel great lengths, giving of themselves. The King of Judea (Herod) goes to great lengths to protect himself (his right to rule). Do we find ourselves more like the wise men or Herod? Do we bring gifts, giving of ourself for Jesus. As we care for those who are oppressed, downtrodden, those in need, we care for Jesus. Matthew relays Jesus’ words,

(Matthew 25:45 NIV) I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.

Or do we cling to control like Herod, destroying innocent bystanders in the process? Can you imagine God in our midst? There he was in a house with Mary and Joseph. May we find ourselves as the Magi, submitting ourselves to Him, bringing gifts to the true King.

As we explore Epiphany on Sunday (or as you celebrate it this week on January 6), may our hearts and minds be enlightened by this story. May we be challenged to worship as the Magi. May we bring appropriate gifts to the King. May our own agendas be put to death for His agenda.

We wish you all a happy new year today and pray that 2012 would be year of spiritual blessing for you. We pray that your hearts will be drawn to the Savior who gave Himself for you.

(1 Corinthians 16:23–24 NIV) The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Christmas Worship

wadeallen — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:42:24 +0000

With Christmas less than one week away, we are preparing for two special worship services this weekend. We will meet on Christmas Eve at 7:00 p.m. to celebrate the coming of Jesus in a candlelight atmosphere. We will consider Isaiah 9. We celebrate the fact that God broke into darkness; He came as light into the world to redeem us. This shattering of darkness took the form of a child, a son. As we gather on Christmas Eve, we celebrate this child as the one who fulfills the words of Isaiah, the promises of God from ages past.

On Christmas morning, we will consider the Christmas story as recorded in Luke 2. Jesus’ birth was not a snow filled, hot chocolate laced occasion. It was messy, dirty, smelly; we will remind ourselves of the story that we have heard a million times. As we celebrate Christmas, we will remember that Christmas was a pretty scary occasion for those in Luke 2. Yet the angel’s words, “do not be afraid” assure us that God was and is up to something incredible.

I know that holidays can be busy. Many are traveling, others are spending concentrated time with family. Yet, I encourage you to carve out time to worship. Join us as we remember the true meaning of Christmas this weekend.

For those of you traveling out of town, we wish you a merry and Jesus-centered Christmas. For everyone else, I will see you this weekend.

Combined Services

wadeallen — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 16:41:53 +0000

This year, we have the unique circumstances of both Christmas and New Year’s Day occurring on Sunday. There has been considerable conversation about churches deciding to cancel services on Christmas Day. Some have canceled Christmas morning services in lieu of Christmas Eve services the night before (see Ben Witherington’s blog).

I will not detail the discussions about meeting on Christmas Eve versus Christmas Day. However, I do want to let you know about five combined services that will be taking place at First Baptist Church Muncie in the next two months, due to holidays as well as other traditional celebrations.

There has been consideration given to holding combined services at 10:30 a.m., but much discussion among members of Church Council has resulted in a decision to have the combined services at 11:15. To have anything other than 9:15 or 11:15 means that 3 events would have to be changed (Early service, Sunday school, Late service). In the past, this has proved to be very confusing for those who are loosely connected with our church and for those in the community. This past Easter, we met at 10:45 AM; at 11:15 AM some 40 people walked in during the middle of the service. There were also many questions as to when/whether Sunday school would be held. Having the combined service at 11:15 AM only requires one change.Those who attend early service will need to adjust their schedules for the day, but the later service provides consistency for our community and prospective visitors. Meeting at 9:15 AM would also provide consistency, but it is difficult for families with young children to attend. This decision is not preferring one group of people over another. It is simply a matter of timing and consistency to accommodate the most people.

We are one church; observing these holidays and special times together in one body is a wonderful way to celebrate. After the holidays, the early and late services will resume their normal times. We typically do not do have this number of combined services in such a short period of time. This year is different because both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are on a Sunday.

We hope that you will mark these dates on your calendar and plan to attend the special services as follows:

Sunday, November 20 – Harvest Dinner Worship 11:15 AM (a special Thanksgiving lunch will be provided following the service and will be joined by Riverside Baptist Church)
Sunday, December 18 – Cantata 11:15 AM
Saturday, December 24 – Christmas Eve Service 7:00 PM
Sunday, December 25 – Christmas Day Worship 11:15 AM *
Sunday, January 1 – New Year’s Day Worship 11:15 AM *

*There will be no children’s Sunday school on December 25 and January 1. Other Sunday school classes may choose to meet. Talk to your Sunday school leaders as to whether your class is going to meet on these days

Appropriate Focus

wadeallen — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 19:52:28 +0000

This week we come to 1 Corinthians 11. While this chapter is more than we can handle in one sermon, Paul gives us much to ponder as we celebrate Communion together. The church at Corinth was in a mess. Their infighting had made its way into their worship gatherings; it was ugly. The way that they celebrated communion was a bit different than the way we celebrate. They had an entire meal together; this meal was called the agape feast. Everyone would bring food; they would share together as they remembered the Last Supper. However, their celebration was just another place to ridicule and exclude one another. The rich were bringing in elaborate foods and refused to share; some were even getting drunk. Small groups were sitting as exclusive cliques. Paul were flustered by their behavior.

Their gatherings were about themselves. No longer were they focusing on the work of Christ; rather, they were centered on their own groups, doing whatever pleased them. Paul offers clear instructions for how they should gather. Paul instructs them to scrutinize their hearts. Rather than simply criticizing the other groups, they should examine themselves.

(1 Cor 11:28–29 NIV) 28) A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29) For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.

What does it mean to examine ourselves? Does it mean that we have to be perfect in order to celebrate communion? Not at all. The word examine in Greek has to do with the genuineness of something. So when we examine our hearts, we are being real with God. We bring all of ourselves, our real self, to God. We are not looking around, making sure everyone else has it right, rather we are deeply considering our own hearts. We don’t have to be perfect, but we do need to be true. As we come to the table, we offer ourselves to God, just as we are. When we realize who we are before Christ, we discover that we are all in the same place; we are in desperate need of salvation. We take the bread realizing it is nourishment for our souls. We drink, remembering his blood shed for us, confessing that we are saved by his blood. Please understand. I am not advocating an individualistic approach in our worship gatherings. I am, however, advocating a primary focus on the crucified Christ. He is the center of our worship gathering. As we collectively come to the table, we examine ourselves; we bring our very selves to Him. It is in this way that we are unified. We stand together around the Communion table. We share this wonderful work of salvation provided by Jesus.

Desperate Hope

wadeallen — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 14:19:27 +0000

As her younger brother battled for life in the ICU, musician Candi Pearson-Shelton and her family sat waiting and praying, clinging to hope. Rick Pearson died anyway, at age 23. But in those tense ICU days and the painful months following Rick’s death, the family found a shared purpose and a new hope: to see God glorified no matter what. This remarkable book chronicles their journey offering a song of praise to One who not only revealed His glory, but also granted a shifted perspective that changed nothing…but somehow made all the difference. Includes the story behind the author’s song, “Glory Revealed.”

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