News https://www.newcitycincy.org Tue, 19 Mar 2024 05:22:14 -0400 http://churchplantmedia.com/ Getting Ready for Sunday (March 03, 2024) https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/getting-ready-for-sunday--march-03-2024- https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/getting-ready-for-sunday--march-03-2024-#comments Fri, 01 Mar 2024 17:00:00 -0500 https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/getting-ready-for-sunday--march-03-2024- "Solomon the preacher is giving me a hard time, as though he begrudged anyone lecturing on him. But he must yield."

The above quote is from Martin Luther, as he wrestled to try and understand Ecclesiastes. Well, that's pretty much how I felt this week trying to prepare to preach from Song of Solomon 3:1-11, which is our text for Sunday. Give it a read in order to prepare for worship. Just note: Song of Solomon is a series of love poems that speak frankly about romance, marriage and sex. I've chosen the tamest chapter in the book, knowing we'll have a wide range of ages in the sanctuary, and we'll keep it rated PG, but be aware all the same.

Our New City Kids classes will be studying Acts 5:17-42 (the arrest of the aposltes). Make sure and ask them what they learned.

The big news this week is that we our New City Kids program for elementary age students is expanded to the whole of ther service. Kids are always welcome in worship, but you can now check them in and drop them of for our expanded Kids Church downstairs right when you arrive. (The program for nursery and preschool will remain the same) 

The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship

I'll be preaching at the organization service for King's Cross Community Church in Springboro on Sunday night. This is a milestone for them as they cross over from church plant status to a church in full standing in our denomination.

I'll be speaking from Romans 12 on the theme of a beautiful church. It got me thinking this week about how Paul says that we are one body, with many members. And how God's aportions gifts -- everyone has a gift, and no one has them all. So we need each other to be the kind of community God is calling us to be.

When my daughter was little, she and I read a book called The Fool of the  World and the Flying Ship, a Russian folktale retold by Arthur Ransome. It’s the story of a rather unimpressive boy, who the story calls “The Fool of the World.” Everyone thinks he’s kind of dumb. His parents don’t think much of him, favoring his two older brothers. One day, the king says that if anyone can bring him a flying ship, he will let them marry his daughter. The two older brothers set out on a quest, with much fanfare and a warm sendoff from their parents. But they are never heard from again.

Some time passes, and The Fool of the World wants to give it a try. His parents tell him he cwould certainly fail. But he decides to go anyway. He leaves without the hero's sendoff given to his brother, and just carries a small sack with bread and water.

Soon he encounters a beggarly old man. Though he has a meager meal, he offers it to the man, and somehow when he opens the bag it becomes a great feast. He tells the beggar about his quest over dinner. They go to sleep, and when the boy awakes the next morning, the beggar is gone. But nearby is a flying ship! Without another thought the boy jumps in and flies toward the King’s palace.

On the way he meets all kinds of strange people. A man who holds his head to the ground: “Listening to the world,” he says. The boy thinks he’s crazy, but he says, “You never know who we might need along the way,” so he welcomes him aboard. Then there is a guy hopping on one leg. He explains that if he puts the other leg down, he’ll take giant steps and travel great distances. Again the boy thinks this guy is nuts, but you never who you might need along the way, so he takes him along.

He meets several other people like this. Each time he invites them aboard. “You never know who you might need along the way.”

Finally, he gets to the palace. The King is impressed with the flying ship, but he’s not sure he wants to marry his daughter off to “The Fool of the World.” So he says, “You can marry my daughter, but only if you complete a series of quests.” And wouldn’t you know it, each quest he could never have fulfilled all by himself. Each person he brought along had some strange gift that made the completion of the quest possible.

And that’s the moral of the story: “You never know who you might need along the way." Of course, in the end, he marries the princess and lives happily ever after.

That’s what church is. Sometimes the church is even called the Ship of Fools. “You never know who you might need along the way.” Only God does, and he’s the one who apportions his gifts perfectly.

Prayer

  • Pray for King's Cross Church and Pastor Casey Cramer and his family. New City has supported their work financially, and Dave Dupee has served on their tempoary leadership team. They now have trained their own elders, so we rejoice in the new stage of their work as a church.

  • Pray for our New City Kids Team and all our teachers and volunteers. We regularly have around 250 children checking in to our classes each Sunday. What a great privilege to take part in communicating and modeling faith in Christ to the next generation.

 

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"Solomon the preacher is giving me a hard time, as though he begrudged anyone lecturing on him. But he must yield."

The above quote is from Martin Luther, as he wrestled to try and understand Ecclesiastes. Well, that's pretty much how I felt this week trying to prepare to preach from Song of Solomon 3:1-11, which is our text for Sunday. Give it a read in order to prepare for worship. Just note: Song of Solomon is a series of love poems that speak frankly about romance, marriage and sex. I've chosen the tamest chapter in the book, knowing we'll have a wide range of ages in the sanctuary, and we'll keep it rated PG, but be aware all the same.

Our New City Kids classes will be studying Acts 5:17-42 (the arrest of the aposltes). Make sure and ask them what they learned.

The big news this week is that we our New City Kids program for elementary age students is expanded to the whole of ther service. Kids are always welcome in worship, but you can now check them in and drop them of for our expanded Kids Church downstairs right when you arrive. (The program for nursery and preschool will remain the same) 

The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship

I'll be preaching at the organization service for King's Cross Community Church in Springboro on Sunday night. This is a milestone for them as they cross over from church plant status to a church in full standing in our denomination.

I'll be speaking from Romans 12 on the theme of a beautiful church. It got me thinking this week about how Paul says that we are one body, with many members. And how God's aportions gifts -- everyone has a gift, and no one has them all. So we need each other to be the kind of community God is calling us to be.

When my daughter was little, she and I read a book called The Fool of the  World and the Flying Ship, a Russian folktale retold by Arthur Ransome. It’s the story of a rather unimpressive boy, who the story calls “The Fool of the World.” Everyone thinks he’s kind of dumb. His parents don’t think much of him, favoring his two older brothers. One day, the king says that if anyone can bring him a flying ship, he will let them marry his daughter. The two older brothers set out on a quest, with much fanfare and a warm sendoff from their parents. But they are never heard from again.

Some time passes, and The Fool of the World wants to give it a try. His parents tell him he cwould certainly fail. But he decides to go anyway. He leaves without the hero's sendoff given to his brother, and just carries a small sack with bread and water.

Soon he encounters a beggarly old man. Though he has a meager meal, he offers it to the man, and somehow when he opens the bag it becomes a great feast. He tells the beggar about his quest over dinner. They go to sleep, and when the boy awakes the next morning, the beggar is gone. But nearby is a flying ship! Without another thought the boy jumps in and flies toward the King’s palace.

On the way he meets all kinds of strange people. A man who holds his head to the ground: “Listening to the world,” he says. The boy thinks he’s crazy, but he says, “You never know who we might need along the way,” so he welcomes him aboard. Then there is a guy hopping on one leg. He explains that if he puts the other leg down, he’ll take giant steps and travel great distances. Again the boy thinks this guy is nuts, but you never who you might need along the way, so he takes him along.

He meets several other people like this. Each time he invites them aboard. “You never know who you might need along the way.”

Finally, he gets to the palace. The King is impressed with the flying ship, but he’s not sure he wants to marry his daughter off to “The Fool of the World.” So he says, “You can marry my daughter, but only if you complete a series of quests.” And wouldn’t you know it, each quest he could never have fulfilled all by himself. Each person he brought along had some strange gift that made the completion of the quest possible.

And that’s the moral of the story: “You never know who you might need along the way." Of course, in the end, he marries the princess and lives happily ever after.

That’s what church is. Sometimes the church is even called the Ship of Fools. “You never know who you might need along the way.” Only God does, and he’s the one who apportions his gifts perfectly.

Prayer

  • Pray for King's Cross Church and Pastor Casey Cramer and his family. New City has supported their work financially, and Dave Dupee has served on their tempoary leadership team. They now have trained their own elders, so we rejoice in the new stage of their work as a church.

  • Pray for our New City Kids Team and all our teachers and volunteers. We regularly have around 250 children checking in to our classes each Sunday. What a great privilege to take part in communicating and modeling faith in Christ to the next generation.

 

]]>
Getting Ready for Sunday Feb 25, 2024 https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/getting-ready-for-sunday-feb-25-2024 https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/getting-ready-for-sunday-feb-25-2024#comments Fri, 23 Feb 2024 16:00:00 -0500 https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/getting-ready-for-sunday-feb-25-2024 Solomon_SQUARE

If we've been at "peak Solomon" for the last few weeks, this Sunday we're clearly into the descent -- the fall of King Solomon. To prepare for Sunday, take a look at 1 Kings 11:1-13. Out of curiosity, Jenni decided to see what AI would do with this story in creating a coloring page for worship bags.

ChatGPT 1 Kings

Kudos to the machines for senstivity and discretion. Pastor Zach will be navigating the same line this weekend as he preaches from this text, dealing with the issues at hand, but in a way that recognizes the varying ages of folks in the congregation. That said, be warned as there are some mature themes to this story.

Songs we'll sing this week include: 40, Lesser Loves, and Restore Us Again.

It's About Relationships

Over lunch today, I asked Mark Cary (a Serge missionary in the Czech Republic) what American Christians can learn from the church in Europe. I was specifically thinking about ways in which we do mission in a secular post-Christendom culture. The church has found herself in this position in Europe long before we've tasted it in America.

Mark answered: "It's all about relationships." Mark told the story of meeting an Iranian man living in Brno who described himself as an atheist. Mark said, "An Iranian atheist, I have to hear your story." Mark's curiosity created an opportunity for conversation. "My curiosity about him certainly opened the door for him to be curious about me and my faith.

Hospitality, friendship, a listening ear... these are all ways that Christians will be involved in the lives of our neighbors we seek to live on mission together.

Mark and Sarah will be talking about their ministry in Brno, Czech Republic during worship tomorrow, and in a lunch after the 10:45am service. It's a privilege to partner with them in their ministry.

Prayer

  • Pray for Mark and Sarah Cary as they prepare to return to Brno, and that God would continue to bless their ministry among pastors and church leaders. Pray that God would provide the $600 in monthly support that they need to raise in order to be fully funded.

  • Give thanks for the Xavier students that Pastor Mike brought to the Jubilee conference this past weekend, and that the momentum gained from this time would bear fruit during the second semester.

  • Pray for the Women's Weekend -- that it would be a time of learning, refreshment and connection. 

 

]]>
Solomon_SQUARE

If we've been at "peak Solomon" for the last few weeks, this Sunday we're clearly into the descent -- the fall of King Solomon. To prepare for Sunday, take a look at 1 Kings 11:1-13. Out of curiosity, Jenni decided to see what AI would do with this story in creating a coloring page for worship bags.

ChatGPT 1 Kings

Kudos to the machines for senstivity and discretion. Pastor Zach will be navigating the same line this weekend as he preaches from this text, dealing with the issues at hand, but in a way that recognizes the varying ages of folks in the congregation. That said, be warned as there are some mature themes to this story.

Songs we'll sing this week include: 40, Lesser Loves, and Restore Us Again.

It's About Relationships

Over lunch today, I asked Mark Cary (a Serge missionary in the Czech Republic) what American Christians can learn from the church in Europe. I was specifically thinking about ways in which we do mission in a secular post-Christendom culture. The church has found herself in this position in Europe long before we've tasted it in America.

Mark answered: "It's all about relationships." Mark told the story of meeting an Iranian man living in Brno who described himself as an atheist. Mark said, "An Iranian atheist, I have to hear your story." Mark's curiosity created an opportunity for conversation. "My curiosity about him certainly opened the door for him to be curious about me and my faith.

Hospitality, friendship, a listening ear... these are all ways that Christians will be involved in the lives of our neighbors we seek to live on mission together.

Mark and Sarah will be talking about their ministry in Brno, Czech Republic during worship tomorrow, and in a lunch after the 10:45am service. It's a privilege to partner with them in their ministry.

Prayer

  • Pray for Mark and Sarah Cary as they prepare to return to Brno, and that God would continue to bless their ministry among pastors and church leaders. Pray that God would provide the $600 in monthly support that they need to raise in order to be fully funded.

  • Give thanks for the Xavier students that Pastor Mike brought to the Jubilee conference this past weekend, and that the momentum gained from this time would bear fruit during the second semester.

  • Pray for the Women's Weekend -- that it would be a time of learning, refreshment and connection. 

 

]]>
Making Room & Congregational Meeting Update https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/making-room-update https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/making-room-update#comments Fri, 17 Nov 2023 13:00:00 -0500 https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/making-room-update On Monday November 13, we had our annual Congregational Meeting. During these meetings we worship together, hear ministry updates and elect new leaders. I want to give you a short recap of some of what happened at this year's meeting.

We re-elected two new elders: Dan Larson and Jacob Samad (both have served before). Paul Boys, Josh Kaufmann and Ben Frade are rotating off the Session after having served three year terms.

We also elected three new deacons: Austin Fleisher, Paul Laskey and Max Roy. Andrew Loenen and Lee Pinkston are rotating off after their term of service.

If you'd like to learn more about our leadership, and how to nominate someone to serve, please click here. Nominations will be open for the next couple of weeks and then training of these nominees will begin early in 2024.

During the meeting, our deacons shared about their ministry of service at the church. If you need help with a difficult season, a financial need, or even moving your couch, please reach out to the deacons (Deacons@newcity@gmail.com / 513-549-3048). You can also find a financial request form at the bottom of the Pastoral Care page.

The largest portion of the meeting was devoted to a Making Room update and discussion around a motion from the Session regarding the financing of the project.

Making Room has been a work in progress for many years. In 2018, the elders authorized a Master Plan Team to form. We were coming up on ten years as a church, and the Master Plan Team’s job was to begin to assess what we might need for the next decade of ministry and beyond. This was a team composed of folks from various areas in the church body (children’s ministry, music, hospitality, women’s ministry, mercy, outreach and more). They did research, visited other spaces, and, together with an architect, began to develop the first iterations of a plan.

Even in 2018 we knew we would need more room for children’s ministry and student ministry, more room for meals and hospitality, more room for partner ministries and for the broader community to use. Our theme all along has been Romans 15.7, “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you…”

Last fall we began the project in earnest, hoping to raise $6.8m over two years (December 2022 to December 2024). This included $2.8m for two years of our operating budget and $4m for the building addition. We’re thrilled to say that through God’s grace and your generosity, we are on track to meet this goal!

The final estimate for the building construction, however, is $6.3m. There are a few reasons for this. First, the move from conceptual drawings to design drawings yielded a more accurate understanding of the scope and cost of the project. Second, the cost of materials has risen since we began the planning. And finally, the subcontractor bids came in higher than anticipated. This is a significant increase and one we take very seriously.

The Session believes this is still a work God is calling us to. Our costs have grown, but so has the congregation, significantly so over the past few years. Our needs have continued to grow as well. We believe we are in a strong place to finish this project, even with the higher costs.

To do this, we will need to pursue financing to cover the gap between our expected giving and the final cost. The Session answered questions about this at the meeting, and the congregation voted unanimously to authorize the Session to pursue financing to complete the project.

That said, the more we give now, the less financing we will need. During this midpoint of Making Room, we’re asking you to consider what your involvement will be for the final year (December 2023 to December 2024) and to make a pledge on November 26 during our worship services.

  • If you’re new, this is a chance for you to join in and make a pledge for the first time.
  • If you made a pledge last year, this is a chance to reaffirm your commitment to finish strong, or to consider an increase for the next year.

We’re grateful for all the work God has done and is continuing to do in and through New City. 

 

 

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On Monday November 13, we had our annual Congregational Meeting. During these meetings we worship together, hear ministry updates and elect new leaders. I want to give you a short recap of some of what happened at this year's meeting.

We re-elected two new elders: Dan Larson and Jacob Samad (both have served before). Paul Boys, Josh Kaufmann and Ben Frade are rotating off the Session after having served three year terms.

We also elected three new deacons: Austin Fleisher, Paul Laskey and Max Roy. Andrew Loenen and Lee Pinkston are rotating off after their term of service.

If you'd like to learn more about our leadership, and how to nominate someone to serve, please click here. Nominations will be open for the next couple of weeks and then training of these nominees will begin early in 2024.

During the meeting, our deacons shared about their ministry of service at the church. If you need help with a difficult season, a financial need, or even moving your couch, please reach out to the deacons (Deacons@newcity@gmail.com / 513-549-3048). You can also find a financial request form at the bottom of the Pastoral Care page.

The largest portion of the meeting was devoted to a Making Room update and discussion around a motion from the Session regarding the financing of the project.

Making Room has been a work in progress for many years. In 2018, the elders authorized a Master Plan Team to form. We were coming up on ten years as a church, and the Master Plan Team’s job was to begin to assess what we might need for the next decade of ministry and beyond. This was a team composed of folks from various areas in the church body (children’s ministry, music, hospitality, women’s ministry, mercy, outreach and more). They did research, visited other spaces, and, together with an architect, began to develop the first iterations of a plan.

Even in 2018 we knew we would need more room for children’s ministry and student ministry, more room for meals and hospitality, more room for partner ministries and for the broader community to use. Our theme all along has been Romans 15.7, “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you…”

Last fall we began the project in earnest, hoping to raise $6.8m over two years (December 2022 to December 2024). This included $2.8m for two years of our operating budget and $4m for the building addition. We’re thrilled to say that through God’s grace and your generosity, we are on track to meet this goal!

The final estimate for the building construction, however, is $6.3m. There are a few reasons for this. First, the move from conceptual drawings to design drawings yielded a more accurate understanding of the scope and cost of the project. Second, the cost of materials has risen since we began the planning. And finally, the subcontractor bids came in higher than anticipated. This is a significant increase and one we take very seriously.

The Session believes this is still a work God is calling us to. Our costs have grown, but so has the congregation, significantly so over the past few years. Our needs have continued to grow as well. We believe we are in a strong place to finish this project, even with the higher costs.

To do this, we will need to pursue financing to cover the gap between our expected giving and the final cost. The Session answered questions about this at the meeting, and the congregation voted unanimously to authorize the Session to pursue financing to complete the project.

That said, the more we give now, the less financing we will need. During this midpoint of Making Room, we’re asking you to consider what your involvement will be for the final year (December 2023 to December 2024) and to make a pledge on November 26 during our worship services.

  • If you’re new, this is a chance for you to join in and make a pledge for the first time.
  • If you made a pledge last year, this is a chance to reaffirm your commitment to finish strong, or to consider an increase for the next year.

We’re grateful for all the work God has done and is continuing to do in and through New City. 

 

 

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On to November (Fall Conference talks, prayer meetings, and a new sermon series) https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/on-to-november https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/on-to-november#comments Tue, 31 Oct 2023 14:00:00 -0400 https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/on-to-november Christianity and Human Sexuality

Robert Cunningham was our speaker for this year's Fall Conference. His subject was Christianity and Human Sexuality. The teaching was designed to equip us both to understand Christianity orthodoxy, as well as the challenges to this presented by the modern world. The Friday and Saturday talks were: 1.) Revelation of Eros, 2.) Redirection of Eros, and 3.) Resurrection of Eros. These talks, along with Sunday's sermon, were recorded and accesible online. I highly recommend you give them a listen.

Prayer meetings

Almighty God, who holds us accountable for the use of all our powers and privileges: Guide, we ask, the people of our nation in the election of their rulers and representatives; that by wise legislation and faithful administration the rights of all may be protected, and our nation be enabled to fulfill Your purposes; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (Book of Common Worship, 1946)

Look graciously, O Lord upon this land. Where it is in pride, subdue it; where it is in need, supply it. Where it is in error, rectify it; where it is in default, restore it. And where it holds to that which is just and compassionate, support it. (Church of Pakistan, 20th Century)

This week I'll be leading a couple of prayer meetings. These will be short 30-40 minute gatherings in the sanctuary -- Thursday at noon or Friday at 7am. The goal here is to pray for the wartorn areas of our world (especially Israel and the Ukraine), and to pray for our country with election day coming next week. 

We won't be sermonizing to each other, or giving any lectures on civics, but simply going to God in prayer. I'll have several prompts to get us started, but the goal is to intercede with the Lord for our city, country and the world. We hope you can make one of these meetings.

Ruth: Unceasing Kindness

The greatest missionary task of the church in a secular age is the recovery of the vocation of hospitality. (Greg Thompson)

We're just about at the midway point of our Making Room project. Throughout the month of November we'll be taking stock of where we're at and reminding ourselves of where we're going. We'll do this by studying the book of Ruth.

We'll have a special Making Room devotional for you to use during the last two weeks of November. but in the meantime, if you'd like to learn more about Ruth, check out these resources:

We can't wait to see you all Sunday. There will be new songs for us to learn together for the series and, as always, great New City Kids classes, hot coffee, and friendly faces. Bring a friend along with you.

]]>
Christianity and Human Sexuality

Robert Cunningham was our speaker for this year's Fall Conference. His subject was Christianity and Human Sexuality. The teaching was designed to equip us both to understand Christianity orthodoxy, as well as the challenges to this presented by the modern world. The Friday and Saturday talks were: 1.) Revelation of Eros, 2.) Redirection of Eros, and 3.) Resurrection of Eros. These talks, along with Sunday's sermon, were recorded and accesible online. I highly recommend you give them a listen.

Prayer meetings

Almighty God, who holds us accountable for the use of all our powers and privileges: Guide, we ask, the people of our nation in the election of their rulers and representatives; that by wise legislation and faithful administration the rights of all may be protected, and our nation be enabled to fulfill Your purposes; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (Book of Common Worship, 1946)

Look graciously, O Lord upon this land. Where it is in pride, subdue it; where it is in need, supply it. Where it is in error, rectify it; where it is in default, restore it. And where it holds to that which is just and compassionate, support it. (Church of Pakistan, 20th Century)

This week I'll be leading a couple of prayer meetings. These will be short 30-40 minute gatherings in the sanctuary -- Thursday at noon or Friday at 7am. The goal here is to pray for the wartorn areas of our world (especially Israel and the Ukraine), and to pray for our country with election day coming next week. 

We won't be sermonizing to each other, or giving any lectures on civics, but simply going to God in prayer. I'll have several prompts to get us started, but the goal is to intercede with the Lord for our city, country and the world. We hope you can make one of these meetings.

Ruth: Unceasing Kindness

The greatest missionary task of the church in a secular age is the recovery of the vocation of hospitality. (Greg Thompson)

We're just about at the midway point of our Making Room project. Throughout the month of November we'll be taking stock of where we're at and reminding ourselves of where we're going. We'll do this by studying the book of Ruth.

We'll have a special Making Room devotional for you to use during the last two weeks of November. but in the meantime, if you'd like to learn more about Ruth, check out these resources:

We can't wait to see you all Sunday. There will be new songs for us to learn together for the series and, as always, great New City Kids classes, hot coffee, and friendly faces. Bring a friend along with you.

]]>
Pastor Josh's Sabbatical Begins May 28 https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/josh-sabbatical https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/josh-sabbatical#comments Wed, 24 May 2023 17:00:00 -0400 https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/josh-sabbatical “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” (Mark 6.31)

At New City our policy is to grant pastors a three month sabbatical after seven years of ministry. We've been really fortunate to have a lot of longevity on our team -- Brian, Mike and Ryan have all been here long enough to have a sabbatical. And this summer, my fourtheenth at New City, I'm entering my second sabbatical as your pastor.

We're really grateful for this opportunity to get away and rest. In fact, I think this policy has been one of the reasons why we have been able to keep our pastoral team together as long as we have. I wanted to share with you a little bit of the details of my sabbatical and how you might pray for the Reitanos while we are away.

When will you be gone?

The sabbatical begins after church this Sunday, May 28. In fact, we're leaving town right after church.

I will return to work Tuesday September 5, just after Labor Day.

What will you be doing?

In June and July we will be traveling quite a bit. We have a family trip scheduled to start and end this time. In between, I have an individual experience planned each with Paige, Lucy and Crosley. We're looking forward to dedicated time together that's been hard to come by the last few years.

The month of August we will be mostly home, but laying low. I've got a stack of books I'd like to read, and some hikes I'm desiring to do. The goal will be to be well rested before jumping back into things in September.

You'll probably see us around town, and even a few Sundays at New City (my kids say they will miss it too much if we don't). I won't be checking emails or calls, but if you see us around, by all means say hello. This really is our community, even during these months of breaking away from formal ministry.

Who should I contact about church related matters?

For logistics and questions about what's going on, please contact Amy Samad. If you have a pastoral care need, this document explains how we do pastoral care at New City, as well as how to request a meeting with a pastor.

How can we pray for you?

I told someone the other day that I needed my last sabbatical in order to really learn to take a sabbath. So first, you can pray for more of that -- rest and refreshment. And for us continue to build healthy practices into our lives.

Second, during our previous sabbatical Crosley was still dealing with some medical issues and even a major surgery. This made for a more complicated and anxious summer than we had planned. Pray that this sabbatical would truly be a time of rest, without any major complications or surprises.

Lastly, pray for us to have fun. The last few years, while rewarding, have been heavy, with lots of burdens to bear. It would do our hearts good to have a summer filled with levity and laughter and joy. We'd love for you to pray for us to that end.

My desire is to keep doing this job as long as God calls. A rhythm of work and rest is crucial to resilience and longevity. I'm hopeful that our sabbatical will help our family keep pressing on in our mission to celebrate Christ and serve Cincinnati.

Thank you all so much for your love and support! We feel very appreciated and cared for by New City.

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“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” (Mark 6.31)

At New City our policy is to grant pastors a three month sabbatical after seven years of ministry. We've been really fortunate to have a lot of longevity on our team -- Brian, Mike and Ryan have all been here long enough to have a sabbatical. And this summer, my fourtheenth at New City, I'm entering my second sabbatical as your pastor.

We're really grateful for this opportunity to get away and rest. In fact, I think this policy has been one of the reasons why we have been able to keep our pastoral team together as long as we have. I wanted to share with you a little bit of the details of my sabbatical and how you might pray for the Reitanos while we are away.

When will you be gone?

The sabbatical begins after church this Sunday, May 28. In fact, we're leaving town right after church.

I will return to work Tuesday September 5, just after Labor Day.

What will you be doing?

In June and July we will be traveling quite a bit. We have a family trip scheduled to start and end this time. In between, I have an individual experience planned each with Paige, Lucy and Crosley. We're looking forward to dedicated time together that's been hard to come by the last few years.

The month of August we will be mostly home, but laying low. I've got a stack of books I'd like to read, and some hikes I'm desiring to do. The goal will be to be well rested before jumping back into things in September.

You'll probably see us around town, and even a few Sundays at New City (my kids say they will miss it too much if we don't). I won't be checking emails or calls, but if you see us around, by all means say hello. This really is our community, even during these months of breaking away from formal ministry.

Who should I contact about church related matters?

For logistics and questions about what's going on, please contact Amy Samad. If you have a pastoral care need, this document explains how we do pastoral care at New City, as well as how to request a meeting with a pastor.

How can we pray for you?

I told someone the other day that I needed my last sabbatical in order to really learn to take a sabbath. So first, you can pray for more of that -- rest and refreshment. And for us continue to build healthy practices into our lives.

Second, during our previous sabbatical Crosley was still dealing with some medical issues and even a major surgery. This made for a more complicated and anxious summer than we had planned. Pray that this sabbatical would truly be a time of rest, without any major complications or surprises.

Lastly, pray for us to have fun. The last few years, while rewarding, have been heavy, with lots of burdens to bear. It would do our hearts good to have a summer filled with levity and laughter and joy. We'd love for you to pray for us to that end.

My desire is to keep doing this job as long as God calls. A rhythm of work and rest is crucial to resilience and longevity. I'm hopeful that our sabbatical will help our family keep pressing on in our mission to celebrate Christ and serve Cincinnati.

Thank you all so much for your love and support! We feel very appreciated and cared for by New City.

]]>
Congregational Meeting Recap https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/congregational-meeting-recap---getting-ready-for-sunday- https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/congregational-meeting-recap---getting-ready-for-sunday-#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2023 17:00:00 -0500 https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/congregational-meeting-recap---getting-ready-for-sunday- On Monday January 16, 2023 we had our annual congregational meeting. This is normally something we do in the Fall, but we had our Vision Night in September to kick off the Making Room initiative, so we pushed our member's meeting back to the start of the year.

I served as Moderator of the meeting, and we did the things necessary per our denomination's Book of Church Order (established a quorum, voted to authorize the Session to approve the minutes of the meeting, etc). Pastor Brian, Shelby Simons and Graham Hentschel led us in a few songs to begin. Brian also let us know that you can listen to a live album recorded at a New City hymnsing in October 2021 (Apple Music and Spotify).

It was Martin Luther King Day, so I took the chance to share a little devotional, pulling from a sermon Dr. King preached on November 17, 1957 at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. The subject was "Love Your Enemies" and King shares a story as an over-arching metaphor. On a night drive between Chattanooga and Atlanta, Dr. King and his brother experienced a string of "discourteous" drivers. As their car passed others along narrow roads, the other drivers either forgot or refused to dim their lights. Exasperated, Dr. King's brother declared that the next car that didn't dim their lights was going to receive the same treatment. "I'm going to fail to dim [my lights] and pour them on in all of their power." Quickly assessing the possibilties, Dr. King replied that doing so would only make things worse. "Somebody got to have some sense on this highway,” he said. "Someone has to dim the lights." We talked a little about what it means to "dim the lights" rather than returning outrage for outrage, hate for hate, and instead how to love our enemies.

After the devotional, I gave a general update on the state of the church. In 2022, New City has continued to have encouraging growth.

Cong Meeting 1

Cong Meeting 2

Cong Meeting 3

Our giving to partner ministries and missionaries outside the church also grew this year.

Cong Meeting 4

I previewed where our Sunday morning teaching series were headed over the next year. 

    • Lent: Seven Deadly Sins (from the book of Proverbs)
    • Eastertide: Fruit of the Spirit
    • Summer: Luke 9 (on discipleship) & Psalms
    • Fall: 1 Thessalonians and Ruth

Next we heard a number of ministry reports. Pastor Zach and Jenni Goodnight shared a video about the New City Student Ministry and Zach shared about the growth in year 2, both in breadth and depth, amongst students and leaders. The New City Kids staff gave us an update. As you know, things have been tight in the classrooms as we've added so many children across both services. Kristen Bennett shared some of our volunteer needs, and our hopes of opening new classes soon. Stacey Feagans told us about the midweek storytime, engaging parents and children in the neighborhood. And Becca Larson shared the vision behind a new ministry to children with special needs. Abigail Murrish and Pastor Brian shared about the shared vision of women's and men's ministries at New City, as well as some programming details of what to expect in the winter and spring.

Pastor Brian shared some specifics about our Block Plan in conjunction with Making Room. The Block Plan has been done in partnership with SNC Norwood and Sharpsburgh Elementary to improve traffic flow, increase parking, and create a more beautiful playspace at Sharpsburg (thanks to Gayle Frazer for donating so much time toward this end!). One of the first phases will involve gifting our Pavilion to Sharpsburg for them to utilize throughout the school day. We'll still have access to it after school hours and on weekends. It will continue to be a public amenity for the neighborhood.

COng Meeting 6

Elders Dave Dupee and Mike Brown then gave some updates on Making Room. Our building currently is being used nearly every day of the week by ministries and groups both inside and outside the church. We're looking forward to being able to enhance this and serve our community as we make more space. We continue to be in need of more space for children and students, as well as fellowship gatherings. Our giving has been off to a strong start. Through the end of December 2022 (pre-giving and the first month of the campaign), $1,159,385 has already been received (over 17% of our $6.8million goal). This is an incredible start and we're excited to see how it continues between now and the end of the initiative (December 2024).

Mike explained our likely cash flow needs as the work begins on the project. He made a motion for the congregation to authorize the Session to pursue financing up to $1.5million for the purposes of the Making Room project. The motion was seconded and Mike answered questions, and the motion was adopted unanimously.

Finally, we conducted our officer elections. As a reminder, candidates for deacon and elder are nominated by the congregation, and then enter a period of training lasting almost a year. After mutal discernment and examination by the Session, candidates are then presented back to the congregation for election. This year the ballot consisted of three returning deacons (Eric Danielson, Tyler Jones, and Matt Jumper) and two new deacons (Vincent Wilson and Brandon Feagans). One new elder was on the ballot (Mark Kylander). All the candidates were elected and we closed out our time by singing O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

]]>
On Monday January 16, 2023 we had our annual congregational meeting. This is normally something we do in the Fall, but we had our Vision Night in September to kick off the Making Room initiative, so we pushed our member's meeting back to the start of the year.

I served as Moderator of the meeting, and we did the things necessary per our denomination's Book of Church Order (established a quorum, voted to authorize the Session to approve the minutes of the meeting, etc). Pastor Brian, Shelby Simons and Graham Hentschel led us in a few songs to begin. Brian also let us know that you can listen to a live album recorded at a New City hymnsing in October 2021 (Apple Music and Spotify).

It was Martin Luther King Day, so I took the chance to share a little devotional, pulling from a sermon Dr. King preached on November 17, 1957 at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. The subject was "Love Your Enemies" and King shares a story as an over-arching metaphor. On a night drive between Chattanooga and Atlanta, Dr. King and his brother experienced a string of "discourteous" drivers. As their car passed others along narrow roads, the other drivers either forgot or refused to dim their lights. Exasperated, Dr. King's brother declared that the next car that didn't dim their lights was going to receive the same treatment. "I'm going to fail to dim [my lights] and pour them on in all of their power." Quickly assessing the possibilties, Dr. King replied that doing so would only make things worse. "Somebody got to have some sense on this highway,” he said. "Someone has to dim the lights." We talked a little about what it means to "dim the lights" rather than returning outrage for outrage, hate for hate, and instead how to love our enemies.

After the devotional, I gave a general update on the state of the church. In 2022, New City has continued to have encouraging growth.

Cong Meeting 1

Cong Meeting 2

Cong Meeting 3

Our giving to partner ministries and missionaries outside the church also grew this year.

Cong Meeting 4

I previewed where our Sunday morning teaching series were headed over the next year. 

    • Lent: Seven Deadly Sins (from the book of Proverbs)
    • Eastertide: Fruit of the Spirit
    • Summer: Luke 9 (on discipleship) & Psalms
    • Fall: 1 Thessalonians and Ruth

Next we heard a number of ministry reports. Pastor Zach and Jenni Goodnight shared a video about the New City Student Ministry and Zach shared about the growth in year 2, both in breadth and depth, amongst students and leaders. The New City Kids staff gave us an update. As you know, things have been tight in the classrooms as we've added so many children across both services. Kristen Bennett shared some of our volunteer needs, and our hopes of opening new classes soon. Stacey Feagans told us about the midweek storytime, engaging parents and children in the neighborhood. And Becca Larson shared the vision behind a new ministry to children with special needs. Abigail Murrish and Pastor Brian shared about the shared vision of women's and men's ministries at New City, as well as some programming details of what to expect in the winter and spring.

Pastor Brian shared some specifics about our Block Plan in conjunction with Making Room. The Block Plan has been done in partnership with SNC Norwood and Sharpsburgh Elementary to improve traffic flow, increase parking, and create a more beautiful playspace at Sharpsburg (thanks to Gayle Frazer for donating so much time toward this end!). One of the first phases will involve gifting our Pavilion to Sharpsburg for them to utilize throughout the school day. We'll still have access to it after school hours and on weekends. It will continue to be a public amenity for the neighborhood.

COng Meeting 6

Elders Dave Dupee and Mike Brown then gave some updates on Making Room. Our building currently is being used nearly every day of the week by ministries and groups both inside and outside the church. We're looking forward to being able to enhance this and serve our community as we make more space. We continue to be in need of more space for children and students, as well as fellowship gatherings. Our giving has been off to a strong start. Through the end of December 2022 (pre-giving and the first month of the campaign), $1,159,385 has already been received (over 17% of our $6.8million goal). This is an incredible start and we're excited to see how it continues between now and the end of the initiative (December 2024).

Mike explained our likely cash flow needs as the work begins on the project. He made a motion for the congregation to authorize the Session to pursue financing up to $1.5million for the purposes of the Making Room project. The motion was seconded and Mike answered questions, and the motion was adopted unanimously.

Finally, we conducted our officer elections. As a reminder, candidates for deacon and elder are nominated by the congregation, and then enter a period of training lasting almost a year. After mutal discernment and examination by the Session, candidates are then presented back to the congregation for election. This year the ballot consisted of three returning deacons (Eric Danielson, Tyler Jones, and Matt Jumper) and two new deacons (Vincent Wilson and Brandon Feagans). One new elder was on the ballot (Mark Kylander). All the candidates were elected and we closed out our time by singing O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

]]>
Making Room: New Series, New Initiative https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/making-room-new-series-new-initiative https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/making-room-new-series-new-initiative#comments Fri, 21 Oct 2022 16:00:00 -0400 https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/making-room-new-series-new-initiative MakingRoom_LOOP.001

Making Room

This weekend we officially kick off the Making Room initiative. Hopefully you've heard some about it already. This week we will aim to fill in the gaps for you. We're excited to officially engage in something that goes all the way back to the work of the Master Plan team starting in 2018.

Along with the initiative, we're starting a new sermon series from 2 Corinthians 8-9. You won't want to miss the kickoff this weekend.

  • 10/23 – (1) A Generous Church (2 Corinthians 8.1-7)
  • 10/30 – (2) Gospel-Centered Giving (2 Corinthians 8.8-12)
  • 11/06 – (3) Meeting Needs (2 Corinthians 8.13-24)
  • 11/13 – (4) Freedom and Joy (2 Corinthians 9.1-11)
  • 11/20 – (5) Giving as Thanksgiving (2 Corinthians 9.11-15)

Keller on Deconstruction and Reconstruction

This week Tim Keller released a helpful article called Reconstructing Faith: Christianity in a New World.

For the past several years, many people who have been raised in the evangelical church have been rethinking their previously-unquestioned beliefs. In this highly publicized phenomenon, many have left the faith altogether, while others have migrated to other branches of the Christian church. Some have been the victims of sexual abuse or of corrupt abuses of power within the church. But the great majority have been turned off by the hypocrisy of Christians, by clergy scandals, by harsh and legalistic teaching, and by the inappropriate marriage of Christianity with a political party or traditional culture.

This trend has been called ‘faith deconstruction.’

Tearing down without a willingness to put something in its place (and subject it to the same scrutiny) isn't spiritually helpful, nor intellectually consistent. But Dr. Keller also points that there is a kind of 'deconstruction' that can be really helpful to Christians.

Thinking along these lines, we can say that Christians can indeed sometimes go through periods of “deconstruction” and yet emerge stronger. We can go through times in which discarding or altering some of our ideas results in an overall strengthening of our Christian commitment.

Over the years we've seen New City become home to many attempting to 'deconstruct' some unhealthy things from their background and faith upbringing, while retaining a commitment to biblical orthodoxy.

If this describes you, let me suggest a few 'helps' in this process.

1.) Engage with faithful Christians in other times and places. Take a trip to another part of the world, and as you do, intentionally try and interact with Christians. Go to church, meet some believers. A New City mission trip would be a great way to do this.

Another way to get at something similar, is to read Christian books by people from different eras. Encountering faithful Christians from other times and places can help you see what is essential to the Christian faith (and therefore what you must keep), and what may be superfluous (that which you need not cling to tightly).

It's not that Christians in other times and places don't have blind spots. Of course they do. But their blind spots are mostly likely different than the blind spots you are surrounded by. C.S. Lewis makes this point in his excellent introduction to Athanasius' On the Incarnation.

2.) Root yourself in important ideas that transcend one culture or moment in time. This was part of Ray Cannata's and my motivation in writing a book on The Apostles' Creed (shameless plug). It's a great thing that our denominational theological statemnts come from another time and place. Take a look at this beautifully illustrated edition of the Westminster Shorter Catechism (great for kids and adults rooting their faith).

We also did a 4 part series on the biblical storyline at New City: Creation, Fall, Redemption and Restoration that will help you root your faith.

3.) Honestly, though, you can't do better than availing yourself of the ordinary means of grace: Bible reading, prayer, and the sacraments. These are the gifts God has given us to sustain and grow our faith. Make a discipline of engaging with them. And talk about it with others. Don't go on this journey alone.

Getting Ready for Sunday 10/23/2022

NewCityPCANew series means new music. Songs we'll sing this week include: In Your Name, My Worth is Not in What I Own, and That Where I Am You May Be Also. You can always listen to the New City hymnal in this playlist.

New City Kids and Club 56 will have some fun activities related to the Making Room series (including a fun giveaway and challenge). We'll see a vision video during the service laying out the Making Room vision. And as always, we will sit under God's Word and come to his Table. See you Sunday!

 

]]>
MakingRoom_LOOP.001

Making Room

This weekend we officially kick off the Making Room initiative. Hopefully you've heard some about it already. This week we will aim to fill in the gaps for you. We're excited to officially engage in something that goes all the way back to the work of the Master Plan team starting in 2018.

Along with the initiative, we're starting a new sermon series from 2 Corinthians 8-9. You won't want to miss the kickoff this weekend.

  • 10/23 – (1) A Generous Church (2 Corinthians 8.1-7)
  • 10/30 – (2) Gospel-Centered Giving (2 Corinthians 8.8-12)
  • 11/06 – (3) Meeting Needs (2 Corinthians 8.13-24)
  • 11/13 – (4) Freedom and Joy (2 Corinthians 9.1-11)
  • 11/20 – (5) Giving as Thanksgiving (2 Corinthians 9.11-15)

Keller on Deconstruction and Reconstruction

This week Tim Keller released a helpful article called Reconstructing Faith: Christianity in a New World.

For the past several years, many people who have been raised in the evangelical church have been rethinking their previously-unquestioned beliefs. In this highly publicized phenomenon, many have left the faith altogether, while others have migrated to other branches of the Christian church. Some have been the victims of sexual abuse or of corrupt abuses of power within the church. But the great majority have been turned off by the hypocrisy of Christians, by clergy scandals, by harsh and legalistic teaching, and by the inappropriate marriage of Christianity with a political party or traditional culture.

This trend has been called ‘faith deconstruction.’

Tearing down without a willingness to put something in its place (and subject it to the same scrutiny) isn't spiritually helpful, nor intellectually consistent. But Dr. Keller also points that there is a kind of 'deconstruction' that can be really helpful to Christians.

Thinking along these lines, we can say that Christians can indeed sometimes go through periods of “deconstruction” and yet emerge stronger. We can go through times in which discarding or altering some of our ideas results in an overall strengthening of our Christian commitment.

Over the years we've seen New City become home to many attempting to 'deconstruct' some unhealthy things from their background and faith upbringing, while retaining a commitment to biblical orthodoxy.

If this describes you, let me suggest a few 'helps' in this process.

1.) Engage with faithful Christians in other times and places. Take a trip to another part of the world, and as you do, intentionally try and interact with Christians. Go to church, meet some believers. A New City mission trip would be a great way to do this.

Another way to get at something similar, is to read Christian books by people from different eras. Encountering faithful Christians from other times and places can help you see what is essential to the Christian faith (and therefore what you must keep), and what may be superfluous (that which you need not cling to tightly).

It's not that Christians in other times and places don't have blind spots. Of course they do. But their blind spots are mostly likely different than the blind spots you are surrounded by. C.S. Lewis makes this point in his excellent introduction to Athanasius' On the Incarnation.

2.) Root yourself in important ideas that transcend one culture or moment in time. This was part of Ray Cannata's and my motivation in writing a book on The Apostles' Creed (shameless plug). It's a great thing that our denominational theological statemnts come from another time and place. Take a look at this beautifully illustrated edition of the Westminster Shorter Catechism (great for kids and adults rooting their faith).

We also did a 4 part series on the biblical storyline at New City: Creation, Fall, Redemption and Restoration that will help you root your faith.

3.) Honestly, though, you can't do better than availing yourself of the ordinary means of grace: Bible reading, prayer, and the sacraments. These are the gifts God has given us to sustain and grow our faith. Make a discipline of engaging with them. And talk about it with others. Don't go on this journey alone.

Getting Ready for Sunday 10/23/2022

NewCityPCANew series means new music. Songs we'll sing this week include: In Your Name, My Worth is Not in What I Own, and That Where I Am You May Be Also. You can always listen to the New City hymnal in this playlist.

New City Kids and Club 56 will have some fun activities related to the Making Room series (including a fun giveaway and challenge). We'll see a vision video during the service laying out the Making Room vision. And as always, we will sit under God's Word and come to his Table. See you Sunday!

 

]]>
Digging Out of Dead Orthodoxy https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/deadorthodoxy https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/deadorthodoxy#comments Fri, 07 Oct 2022 16:00:00 -0400 https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/deadorthodoxy Last weekend we continued our study of the Sermon on the Plain by looking at Luke 6.37-42 (Specks and Logs). We talked about Jesus' warning to "Judge not" and his exhortation to "first take the log out of your own eye" before hunting for specks in others. We closed the service by reading from Romans 2 together, which also happens to be what the New City Men are studying on Friday mornings.

This happy convergence got me thinking about Paul's emphasis in the second half of Romans 2 on the dangers of an empty spiritual life. He gives us a few signs to help diagnose this kind of "dead orthodoxy" in ourselves.

1.) A theoretical-only stance toward the Word of God (Romans 2.21) -- "you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself?" This is when we love the concepts of the truth, but never come under the power of it. The moralist seldom feels "under conviction," but growing disciples encounter the Bible as "living and active" (Hebrews 4.12), constantly convicting, comforting, thrilling, distubring, melting... Does this happen to you? In Paul's words, do you "teach yourself" rather than just study truth or lob it at others?

2.) A subtle (or sometimes, not so subtle) moral superiority (Romans 2.19) -- "if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness..." Moralists are at least cold to, and often judgmental of, those who are struggling. They have no warm words of encouragement. Are you sympathetic and merciful to strugglers? Are you approachable to those who are having a hard time?

3.) Outright hypocrisy (Romans 2.22) -- "you who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adulterly, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?" Are you saying one thing and doing another?

4.) A lack of personal communion with God (Romans 2.29) -- "circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter." This is a tough one to measure, because it's a bit more subjective. And even for the most committed Christians there is ebb and flow to how we "feel" in our relationship with God. But Paul's teaching is that a real life with God touches the heart. Has Jesus touched your heart?

I often wonder if Paul wrote Romans 2 with the Sermon on the Plain in mind. He goes from warnings about judgmentalism to a call for us to examine our hearts. That's precisely what Jesus does in Luke 6.43-45. In this Sunday's sermon we'll be looking at what Jesus has to say about the heart.

Getting Ready for Sunday 10/09/2022

Speaking of Sunday, this week we'll sing some classic hymns (Immortal Invisible, My Hope is Built, The Church's One Foundation) as well as some newer songs like Empty Me Out. There's even a little Bob Dylan in there.

We'll celebrate three baptisms, and come together around the Lord's Table.

Also, if you're looking for the live stream, starting this week it will no longer be accessible via YouTube. You will still be able to access it via Church Center.

Making Room

Thanks to all who came out to Vision Night on September 25 where we presented the Making Room initiative. You'll hear much more about this beginning October 23, but this week I was encouraged to read The Gospel Coalition article by Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra about how a church in Scotland renovated a historic building in Aberdeen, making it a center for gospel ministry. This is very much the kind of thing we are hoping for with Making Room.

Ivan Mesa puts it well: "At the end of the day, a church building isn’t as important as the people in it. But that doesn’t mean the building itself is meaningless. The transformation of a decaying old building—rehabbed in structure and renewed in purpose—can powerfully communicate the same gospel, in its very form, that is preached within its walls."

See you all Sunday. Grace and peace,

Pastor Josh

]]>
Last weekend we continued our study of the Sermon on the Plain by looking at Luke 6.37-42 (Specks and Logs). We talked about Jesus' warning to "Judge not" and his exhortation to "first take the log out of your own eye" before hunting for specks in others. We closed the service by reading from Romans 2 together, which also happens to be what the New City Men are studying on Friday mornings.

This happy convergence got me thinking about Paul's emphasis in the second half of Romans 2 on the dangers of an empty spiritual life. He gives us a few signs to help diagnose this kind of "dead orthodoxy" in ourselves.

1.) A theoretical-only stance toward the Word of God (Romans 2.21) -- "you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself?" This is when we love the concepts of the truth, but never come under the power of it. The moralist seldom feels "under conviction," but growing disciples encounter the Bible as "living and active" (Hebrews 4.12), constantly convicting, comforting, thrilling, distubring, melting... Does this happen to you? In Paul's words, do you "teach yourself" rather than just study truth or lob it at others?

2.) A subtle (or sometimes, not so subtle) moral superiority (Romans 2.19) -- "if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness..." Moralists are at least cold to, and often judgmental of, those who are struggling. They have no warm words of encouragement. Are you sympathetic and merciful to strugglers? Are you approachable to those who are having a hard time?

3.) Outright hypocrisy (Romans 2.22) -- "you who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adulterly, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?" Are you saying one thing and doing another?

4.) A lack of personal communion with God (Romans 2.29) -- "circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter." This is a tough one to measure, because it's a bit more subjective. And even for the most committed Christians there is ebb and flow to how we "feel" in our relationship with God. But Paul's teaching is that a real life with God touches the heart. Has Jesus touched your heart?

I often wonder if Paul wrote Romans 2 with the Sermon on the Plain in mind. He goes from warnings about judgmentalism to a call for us to examine our hearts. That's precisely what Jesus does in Luke 6.43-45. In this Sunday's sermon we'll be looking at what Jesus has to say about the heart.

Getting Ready for Sunday 10/09/2022

Speaking of Sunday, this week we'll sing some classic hymns (Immortal Invisible, My Hope is Built, The Church's One Foundation) as well as some newer songs like Empty Me Out. There's even a little Bob Dylan in there.

We'll celebrate three baptisms, and come together around the Lord's Table.

Also, if you're looking for the live stream, starting this week it will no longer be accessible via YouTube. You will still be able to access it via Church Center.

Making Room

Thanks to all who came out to Vision Night on September 25 where we presented the Making Room initiative. You'll hear much more about this beginning October 23, but this week I was encouraged to read The Gospel Coalition article by Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra about how a church in Scotland renovated a historic building in Aberdeen, making it a center for gospel ministry. This is very much the kind of thing we are hoping for with Making Room.

Ivan Mesa puts it well: "At the end of the day, a church building isn’t as important as the people in it. But that doesn’t mean the building itself is meaningless. The transformation of a decaying old building—rehabbed in structure and renewed in purpose—can powerfully communicate the same gospel, in its very form, that is preached within its walls."

See you all Sunday. Grace and peace,

Pastor Josh

]]>
Real Presence and the Ark of the Covenant https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/the-ark https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/the-ark#comments Mon, 01 Aug 2022 11:00:00 -0400 https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/the-ark [12] And it was told King David, “The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing... [14] And David danced before the LORD with all his might. (2 Samuel 6)

This weekend Pastor Mike walked us through the story of David bringing the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. There's a lot going on in this episode: Uzzah's death, David's dance, Michal's mockery. But this week I was thinking mostly about what the ark of the covenant represented to the people of Israel.

If you've seen the Raiders of the Lost Ark, you remember the scene where the Nazis get their faces melted off. I was 5 years old when my parents took me to see that movie, and I knew even then I probably wasn't supposed to be seeing something that scary. But I guess it was better than Rambo, which they took me to see a year later. (I was the 5th child, and my parents were kind of mailing it in at that point). Anyway, that's what I thought of whenever I read about the ark of the covenant. It wasn't till years later that I began to think more about what the ark meant to Israel.

The ark of the covenant was a box that contained three items: the tablets of stone delivered to Moses on Mt Sinai; a jar of manna from the wilderness years of wandering; and Aaron's rod that budded as God challenged Pharaoh and his magicians. These objects were the continuing reminder that God worked among them: commanding them (the tablets of the Law); providing for them (the manna), and saving them (the rod). The ark was a concrete reminder of God's presence among them, and a revelation of what his character and disposition toward his people was like. Knowing this, it's easier to see why David felt such great joy at returning the ark to the center of the community that he laid aside his royal robes (and the normal dignity associated with a king) and danced with all his might. (Think Footloose, as long as we're talking about 80's movies. By the way, isn't it weird that in Footloose, dancing was banned in the town. A whole town run by Michals.)

Here's the point: the sacraments hold a similar place in the life of the Church. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are more than religious memorabilia -- they are visible, tangible reminders of God's presence commanding, providing and saving his people. When we are batpized (or witness a baptism), or when we make our way up to the Table to receive communion, we can know and trust that God is still with us and working among us. This is a tremendous comfort amidst all our challenges. It is also a tangible accountability -- God really is here and my life belongs to him. And it is a source of joy -- the God of the universe welcomes us into his presence, and desires to meet with us still. When those things strike you, it's okay to dance a little bit.

Strickers Grove

Our annual summer picnic is on August 11 at Strickers Grove. It's an incredibly fun night, and an easy thing to invite friends to. So start asking neighbors and coworkers and school friends to join you.

Moments of Deep Unrest

One of the reasons I like old hymns and old hymnwriters is so much, is they seem to understand the ups and downs of the soul. This is a prayer by George Matheson (1842-1906), who wrote one of our favorite songs to sing at New City, O Love That Will Not Let Me Go.

O my Father, I have moments of deep unrest -- moments when I know not what to ask by reason of the very excess of my wants. I have in these hours no words for Thee, no conscious prayers for Thee. My cry seems purely worldly; I want only the wings of a dove that I may flee away. Yet all the time Thou hast accepted my unrest as a prayer. Thou hast interpreted its cry for a dove's wings as a cry for Thee. Thou hast received the nameless longings of my heart as the intercessions of Thy Spirit. They are not yet the intercessions of my spirit; I know not what I ask. But Thou knowest what I ask, O my God. Thou knowest the name of that need which lies beneath my speechless groan. Thou knowest that, because I am made in Thine image, I can find rest only in what gives rest to Thee; therefore Thou hast counted my unrest unto me for righteousness, and hast called my groaning Thy Spirit's prayer. Amen.

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[12] And it was told King David, “The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing... [14] And David danced before the LORD with all his might. (2 Samuel 6)

This weekend Pastor Mike walked us through the story of David bringing the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. There's a lot going on in this episode: Uzzah's death, David's dance, Michal's mockery. But this week I was thinking mostly about what the ark of the covenant represented to the people of Israel.

If you've seen the Raiders of the Lost Ark, you remember the scene where the Nazis get their faces melted off. I was 5 years old when my parents took me to see that movie, and I knew even then I probably wasn't supposed to be seeing something that scary. But I guess it was better than Rambo, which they took me to see a year later. (I was the 5th child, and my parents were kind of mailing it in at that point). Anyway, that's what I thought of whenever I read about the ark of the covenant. It wasn't till years later that I began to think more about what the ark meant to Israel.

The ark of the covenant was a box that contained three items: the tablets of stone delivered to Moses on Mt Sinai; a jar of manna from the wilderness years of wandering; and Aaron's rod that budded as God challenged Pharaoh and his magicians. These objects were the continuing reminder that God worked among them: commanding them (the tablets of the Law); providing for them (the manna), and saving them (the rod). The ark was a concrete reminder of God's presence among them, and a revelation of what his character and disposition toward his people was like. Knowing this, it's easier to see why David felt such great joy at returning the ark to the center of the community that he laid aside his royal robes (and the normal dignity associated with a king) and danced with all his might. (Think Footloose, as long as we're talking about 80's movies. By the way, isn't it weird that in Footloose, dancing was banned in the town. A whole town run by Michals.)

Here's the point: the sacraments hold a similar place in the life of the Church. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are more than religious memorabilia -- they are visible, tangible reminders of God's presence commanding, providing and saving his people. When we are batpized (or witness a baptism), or when we make our way up to the Table to receive communion, we can know and trust that God is still with us and working among us. This is a tremendous comfort amidst all our challenges. It is also a tangible accountability -- God really is here and my life belongs to him. And it is a source of joy -- the God of the universe welcomes us into his presence, and desires to meet with us still. When those things strike you, it's okay to dance a little bit.

Strickers Grove

Our annual summer picnic is on August 11 at Strickers Grove. It's an incredibly fun night, and an easy thing to invite friends to. So start asking neighbors and coworkers and school friends to join you.

Moments of Deep Unrest

One of the reasons I like old hymns and old hymnwriters is so much, is they seem to understand the ups and downs of the soul. This is a prayer by George Matheson (1842-1906), who wrote one of our favorite songs to sing at New City, O Love That Will Not Let Me Go.

O my Father, I have moments of deep unrest -- moments when I know not what to ask by reason of the very excess of my wants. I have in these hours no words for Thee, no conscious prayers for Thee. My cry seems purely worldly; I want only the wings of a dove that I may flee away. Yet all the time Thou hast accepted my unrest as a prayer. Thou hast interpreted its cry for a dove's wings as a cry for Thee. Thou hast received the nameless longings of my heart as the intercessions of Thy Spirit. They are not yet the intercessions of my spirit; I know not what I ask. But Thou knowest what I ask, O my God. Thou knowest the name of that need which lies beneath my speechless groan. Thou knowest that, because I am made in Thine image, I can find rest only in what gives rest to Thee; therefore Thou hast counted my unrest unto me for righteousness, and hast called my groaning Thy Spirit's prayer. Amen.

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Through Many Dangers Toils and Snares https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/many-dangers-toils-and-snares https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/many-dangers-toils-and-snares#comments Tue, 11 Jan 2022 21:00:00 -0500 https://www.newcitycincy.org/resources/blog/post/many-dangers-toils-and-snares https://cowperandnewtonmuseum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Amazing-Grace-1024x576.jpg

Amazing Grace was written by John Newton as a New Year's song. It's original title, which I like quite a bit better, was "Faith's Review and Expectation." The idea was to finish the previous year by looking back at all God had led you through (faith's review); and to look ahead with hope for more grace to come (faith's expectation). It's a wonderful idea, and we have made it our practice at New City to sing Amazing Grace as our last song to close the year, and our first song in the new year -- bookending the year singing of God's grace.

I've been thinking a lot of about the line "through many dangers, toils and snares" while reading Jonathan Aitken's biography of Newton. Disappointment, difficulty and tragedy marked Newton's early years. And the truth was, life never really was all that easy for him. Personally, he suffered quite a bit, but even more, he helped to bear the burdens of  many who suffered around him. He really believed God's grace had brought him through; but what strikes me more, is that he always expected there would be more challenges in years to come. Newton was just counting on enough grace to meet him in the midst of it too.

I bring all this up because of the closing bit from this week's sermon on Luke 2:41-52. We talked about the humanity of Jesus (contra Apollinarianism), as well as the uniqueness of Jesus. But I also lingered a bit on Mary's words in verse 48, "Son, why have you treated us so?" I said that if I were a betting man, I'd wager that sometime this next year, you're going to say (or think) something like this -- Jesus, why are you treating me so?

Apparently this struck a chord, because many folks came up to talk afterwards, sharing that they are in the thick of "dangers, toils and snares," even now. And for others, they could see something like it on the horizon. My hope and prayer for us all this year is that we could do as Mary did, and "treasure up" what we know of Jesus (faith's review), in order to receive sustaining hope (faith's expectation). And in addition, that we would show up for each other (with encouragement, tears, meals and prayer) when we see each other in hard places.

 December 2021 Highlights

  • The Christmas Store served a record number of children and families (540 gifts purchased for 270 kids)
  • We had our annual Christmas Party and Hymnsing, and a good time was had by all
  • The Student Ministry finished out a successful first semester with all kinds of momentum and growth
  • New City Kids led us in signing during worship and worked on Jesse Trees and we had 33 babies born in 2021
  • December was our best giving month ever in the 12 year history of the church -- thank you for your generosity!

Epiphany

Our Epiphany sermon series is under way in the early chapters of Luke.

  • 01/02 -- (1) Can We Trust This Story? (Luke 1:1-4)
  • 01/09 -- (2) The Boy Jesus (Luke 2:41-52)
  • 01/16 -- (3) Prepare the Way (Luke 3:1-22)
  • 01/23 -- (4) The Wilderness (Luke 4:1-13)
  • 01/30 -- (5) Good News to the Poor (Luke 4:14-30)
  • 02/06 -- (6) Missio Dei (Luke 5:1-26)
  • 02/13 -- (7) Friend of Sinners (Luke 5:27-32)
  • 02/20 -- (8) Feasts and Fasts (Luke 5:33-39)
  • 02/27 -- (9) Work and Rest (Luke 6:1-11)

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https://cowperandnewtonmuseum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Amazing-Grace-1024x576.jpg

Amazing Grace was written by John Newton as a New Year's song. It's original title, which I like quite a bit better, was "Faith's Review and Expectation." The idea was to finish the previous year by looking back at all God had led you through (faith's review); and to look ahead with hope for more grace to come (faith's expectation). It's a wonderful idea, and we have made it our practice at New City to sing Amazing Grace as our last song to close the year, and our first song in the new year -- bookending the year singing of God's grace.

I've been thinking a lot of about the line "through many dangers, toils and snares" while reading Jonathan Aitken's biography of Newton. Disappointment, difficulty and tragedy marked Newton's early years. And the truth was, life never really was all that easy for him. Personally, he suffered quite a bit, but even more, he helped to bear the burdens of  many who suffered around him. He really believed God's grace had brought him through; but what strikes me more, is that he always expected there would be more challenges in years to come. Newton was just counting on enough grace to meet him in the midst of it too.

I bring all this up because of the closing bit from this week's sermon on Luke 2:41-52. We talked about the humanity of Jesus (contra Apollinarianism), as well as the uniqueness of Jesus. But I also lingered a bit on Mary's words in verse 48, "Son, why have you treated us so?" I said that if I were a betting man, I'd wager that sometime this next year, you're going to say (or think) something like this -- Jesus, why are you treating me so?

Apparently this struck a chord, because many folks came up to talk afterwards, sharing that they are in the thick of "dangers, toils and snares," even now. And for others, they could see something like it on the horizon. My hope and prayer for us all this year is that we could do as Mary did, and "treasure up" what we know of Jesus (faith's review), in order to receive sustaining hope (faith's expectation). And in addition, that we would show up for each other (with encouragement, tears, meals and prayer) when we see each other in hard places.

 December 2021 Highlights

  • The Christmas Store served a record number of children and families (540 gifts purchased for 270 kids)
  • We had our annual Christmas Party and Hymnsing, and a good time was had by all
  • The Student Ministry finished out a successful first semester with all kinds of momentum and growth
  • New City Kids led us in signing during worship and worked on Jesse Trees and we had 33 babies born in 2021
  • December was our best giving month ever in the 12 year history of the church -- thank you for your generosity!

Epiphany

Our Epiphany sermon series is under way in the early chapters of Luke.

  • 01/02 -- (1) Can We Trust This Story? (Luke 1:1-4)
  • 01/09 -- (2) The Boy Jesus (Luke 2:41-52)
  • 01/16 -- (3) Prepare the Way (Luke 3:1-22)
  • 01/23 -- (4) The Wilderness (Luke 4:1-13)
  • 01/30 -- (5) Good News to the Poor (Luke 4:14-30)
  • 02/06 -- (6) Missio Dei (Luke 5:1-26)
  • 02/13 -- (7) Friend of Sinners (Luke 5:27-32)
  • 02/20 -- (8) Feasts and Fasts (Luke 5:33-39)
  • 02/27 -- (9) Work and Rest (Luke 6:1-11)

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