Bind Up the Brokenhearted

Friends, I know the past season in our church life has been very difficult, very stressful.

Since the end of May, we have had three ambulance visits to Mt. Haley, for three different church members. You all remember, of course, that R.H. passed away while working on our church property earlier this summer. Then two Sundays ago, D.S. had a non-epileptic seizure during church, and this past Sunday, D.O. had a small stroke during church. (I’m using their initials rather than their full names because we try to be sensitive when sharing this kind of information online.)

It’s enough to make anyone a little leery of coming back to church next week.

I am reminded of the words of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, which Jesus himself quoted at the beginning of his ministry:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19 NIV)

Interestingly, Jesus quoted Isaiah a little differently than Isaiah appears in our English translations today. In particular, one phrase from Isaiah 61:1-2 is missing from Jesus’s words – not because Jesus didn’t believe this or was somehow twisting scripture, but because translations are sometimes complicated and tricky after hundreds and hundreds of years. The noteworthy phrase for us in Isaiah 61 is this:

“He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted.” (Isaiah 61:1 NIV)

We usually think of “brokenhearted” as describing someone who has lost a loved one or who has gone through a painful breakup or divorce. Most often, “brokenhearted” describes something relational, a state of being overcome by grief or despair. The closer the relationship, the deeper the brokenheartedness.

And you know what? If you are feeling a bit brokenhearted by the recent stressful situations at church, that’s a good thing – because it means that your relationships with other people at church are important to you. I would be concerned if you weren’t feeling kind of desperate at this point in time.

I know I am! After this past Sunday’s incident, I was reminded of Rosemary Gifford, who passed away just a year and a half ago. Rosemary always said that bad things always happen in sets of three. If two people close to her died, then she was unsettled until a third person died, and then she could relax a bit. Oddly, that pattern seemed to hold true for a long time.

So now we have had our set of three visits by paramedics to Mt. Haley. That’s it, right? We’re finished with this medical emergency business, right?

I sure hope so.

It’s time for God to bind up the brokenhearted around here. It’s time for us to draw closer to each other, reaffirm our faith in Jesus Christ together, and be strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit. In reality, God has already begun doing that work, and God will continue doing that work for as long as it takes.

There is no guarantee that we won’t have another medical emergency at church in the near future. We could have another this coming Sunday.

But the good news is that Jesus has entered into this world to preach good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

One thing is for certain: Jesus is still in our midst. His presence joins us each time we gather together. And in a special way, we will recognize his presence this coming Sunday when we share Communion together.

So come. Don’t be afraid. Rest in the presence of Jesus. Remember to pray for D.S. and D.O. and all the others. Read Ephesians out loud once again. And allow God to begin binding up your broken heart, to ease your grief and despair, by drawing you close to him and close to your brothers and sisters in Christ.

I’ll see you Sunday.

Pastor David

What to Expect This Sunday, December 27

Happy Christmas Eve! Soon we will gather to celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Savior. Here is a preview of our Sunday morning service, so you can prepare yourself for this encounter with the living Messiah.

  • Welcome/Announcements: We take care of the business of the church.
  • Prayer: We acknowledge God’s presence among us and invite him to be attentive to our worship.
  • “Angels We Have Heard on High”: We celebrate the birth of Jesus with this carol: Glory to God in the highest!
  • “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing”: We continue in praise of our newborn King.
  • Christ’s Birthday Observance Offering: We give a special offering to honor the birth of Jesus. This offering supports national and international ministries of the Church of God.
  • “This Little Light of Mine”: We join in singing this spiritual as we give our special offering.
  • Responsive Reading (Psalm 148): We praise the Lord by reading a psalm of praise together.
  • “Jesus Messiah”: In song we adore Jesus, the one who became our righteousness: love so amazing!
  • Scripture Reading (Isaiah 61:10-62:3): We hear an ancient text that inspires us to sing praise to God in our souls.
  • Scripture Reading (Luke 2:22-40): The sermon text calls us to center our thoughts on an encounter with the newborn Jesus.
  • Message (“Give Thanks to God”): Mary and Joseph brought young Jesus to the Temple, where he was greeted by Simeon and Anna. We reflect together on this marvelous story.
  • “Come, Share the Lord”: We sing this song to prepare ourselves to meet Jesus face to face.
  • The Lord’s Supper: This is the highlight of the service. In the bread and cup, we meet our crucified and risen Savior. This is a mystery – but it’s one that we share with each other with eyes wide open.
  • Offering: We give our regular tithes and offerings to the Lord, in response to the gift he has given us: life with him.
  • “You Have Been Given”: We sing this chorus to prepare ourselves for prayer.
  • Prayer: We lift up our praises and petitions before the Lord.
  • Special: We hear a story from one of our dear, elderly saints.
  • “Good Christians, Now Rejoice”: We sing this carol to remind ourselves of our call to rejoice in the Lord always.
  • Benediction: We receive a blessing as we depart, changed forever by this encounter with the living Jesus.

Christ in the Passover

On Monday, April 14, at 7:00pm, we will host a “Model Seder” meal presented by a representative from Jews for Jesus.  This event is free of charge and is open to any who wish to come.

The “seder” is the organized meal which Jews have practiced every year for millennia.  This meal commemorates the Exodus of the Israelites from captivity in Egypt during the time of Moses.  It was this Passover meal that Jesus shared with his disciples just before he was arrested and crucified.

The “Model Seder” meal, presented by Jews for Jesus, is designed to reveal the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ through the sharing of the Passover seder.  We will share in elements from the traditional Passover meal (note: not a full dinner) and see how the story of the Exodus is fulfilled in the story of Jesus.  We will also celebrate the Lord’s Supper as part of this experience, which promises to be a moving, enlightening, and transformative moment in your spiritual walk!

Please come – and bring a friend!

Special note: We will give a love offering to Jews for Jesus at this event to help sponsor our presenter and the mission of this organization.

Sign up by completing this simple online form.  Or you may sign up by calling LeAnn at 989-496-9148.

More information about Jews for Jesus:

Jews for Jesus is an agency that proclaims that Jesus is the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world. The late Moishe Rosen, a Jew who has believed in Jesus for over 35 years, founded the organization. However, Dr. Rosen was quick to point out that he did not “start” Jews for Jesus. “Jews for Jesus began about 2,000 years ago, around 32 C.E., give or take a year. Jesus’ first disciples were Jewish, and there have been some Jewish people who have believed in him ever since.”

The organization has permanent branches in eight North American cities (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Toronto, New York City, Washington D.C. and Fort Lauderdale) as well as over 127 volunteer chapters spanning some 41 states and five countries. The group’s international branches are headquartered in Johannesburg, London, Paris, Odessa, Moscow, Essen, Rio de Janeiro, Kharkov, Dnepopretrovsk, and Tel Aviv.

To the Jews for Jesus, believing in Jesus makes sense in light of the Jewish Bible and in light of their experiences as “believers.” For those who argue that Christianity contradicts the meaning of Judaism, the Jews for Jesus say there are answers, which their representative will be happy to discuss after the presentation. Call (989) 832-3570 or visit http://www.mthaley.org for more information. There will be no admission charge.

Knowing the Divine Mystery

This Sunday, Pastor David preached from 1 Corinthians 2, a chapter which emphasizes God’s secret wisdom and the role his Spirit plays in revealing that wisdom to the people of God.  What kinds of mysteries do we encounter in our faith, and how can they change our lives?  Listen in to this week’s sermon, and join the conversation!

Listen now!