I’ve been asked this week for a copy of the prayer I prayed on Sunday. Here is an adapted (and thicker) version of what we prayed together this Sunday. May this prayer serve you as you pray this week. — Trent
••••
Dear Father,
A man died on the street in Minneapolis under the knee of a police officer and we saw it with our eyes. Our nation is in turmoil and our cities are on fire. Oh Lord, there are many emotions we should feel right now: sadness, anger, and grief. There are many things we should pray for this morning—for your justice, your peace, and your healing. There are also many people we should pray for.
Several come to mind.
We pray with heavy hearts for the family of George Floyd, a man made in God’s image, that you would give hope to his beloved family because of the gospel. It appears that George may have been a Christian. If his faith was in the cross the Lord Jesus, then his face is bright with his resurrected glory. Today he breathes just fine.
We pray for the officers involved in Mr. Floyd’s deathand for their families. As they face the haunting prospect of a human judgment, we ask that you arrest them with the prospect of your perfect divine judgment so that they might find the full forgiveness of sins in the one who bore our judgment in himself on the cross. We do not know the motives of these men. Motives are easy for us to assign; they are far harder for us to actually discern. But you know every thought and deed. We tremble but we also take comfort in knowing that no motive will go unpunished by you.
We pray for our governing authorities, that your Word concerning human government would be honored by our nation’s president and governors, our mayors and our police chiefs. May each of them do their jobs, as hard as that may be. May they do their jobs well, as impossible as that may seem. May wise decisions win out and the best policing practices prevail.
We pray for law enforcement officers in our major cities, in particular. Protect them from harm, from disillusionment, from closing in on themselves, and from giving up on us. We thank you for the safety that we are so predictably afforded through the honorable work of these public servants. Yet they are sinners, and every instance of police-misconduct betrays our trust and undermines our peace. For this reason, we pray for the removal of problem cops from the profession, for the courage and for the policies to make that easier to do. In the face of these riots and risks to their own lives, Lord, use them to protect peaceful protestors and the vulnerable populations that need them most. Grant restraint where that is right. Protect their lives this coming night.
We pray for those whosecommunities are on fire. We think especially of the poor, whose pharmacies and grocery stores have been looted, who may have no means of transit. We pray for pregnant women, for single mothers, for the elderly, and for children. We think also of business-owners whose lives and livelihoods are on fire today. Make yourself known to all of these people through the tangible and timely love of churches down the street and neighbors down the hall.
We pray for those citizens entrusted with the responsibility of carrying out our process of justice, for attorneys and judges and for juries. We ask that your Word would be honored in the process of human justice that unfolds in the weeks and months ahead. Keep us mindful that while injustice happens in moments, the best of our human justice takes time. Because of our limitations as humans, and our sinful tendency to multiply injustices, help us see patience and due process as a means to the justice we rightly demand. May the truth concerning Mr. Floyd’s death be plain, and may justice be served.
We pray for minority communities who for any number of reasons—including tragic encounters with the police, past and present—know a troubled relationship with law enforcement. Lord we ask that vulnerable populations would have good reason to trust that their law enforcement serves their best interests. Restore trust wherever it has been broken in our community and abroad.
We pray for peaceful protestors, that they would be understood and heard, and that their goals would be noble and clear. We thank you, Lord, for our constitutional freedom of peaceful protest. While we may disagree on the cause of one protest or another, we pray that the importance of this freedom would not be among our disagreements.
We pray against those with nefarious purposes—those who kill, steal, and destroy. We have been confused and frustrated at the number and complexity of bad actors this past week. Some are organized and cruel, others are selfish and opportunistic. While so much is so unclear, we know who stands behind every menacing design.
We pray for our countryand for peace between neighbors. The killing of Mr. Floyd has opened old wounds and enflamed old hatreds. May the truth that we are all made in your image prevail over every sinister idea that undermines our shared dignity as humans. May the truth the we are sinners humble us all to acknowledge our shared propensity to boasting, selfish ambition, envy, partiality, unlistening ears, and lying lips. When sin tears neighbors apart, remind us of the only one who can truly bring any of us together: Jesus.
We pray for the local church in the city of Minneapolis, and for the saints at Bethlehem Baptist Church in particular. Strengthen Jason Meyer who will preach this morning, and Andy Naselli, a friend of this church, along with the rest of their elders. Unite Bethlehem’s members in faith, hope, and in love as they organize themselves to care for their neighbors in tangible ways even this afternoon.
We pray for our church here in Greenville. We need your gentleness, your self-control, and your reconciliation. We need your joy, your forgiveness, and your faithfulness. We need your long-suffering, your patience, and your goodness. We need faith, hope, and love. Grow us in all of these things by your Spirit.
We long to see your justice, to know your peace, and to experience your healing. Even more, we long to see Jesus’ face. May it shine on us today, and may he shine forth from us until the day he comes.
We’re committed to investing in the gospel’s advance by investing in men who aspire to serve as vocational preachers and pastors. Remember Paul’s words to Timothy: “what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2Tim. 2:2). That’s our biblical strategy for finding and appointing elders here at Heritage, and for propagating the gospel beyond our walls.
With this in mind, meet Phil Shiver, who served with us as an intern this past spring. Phil was involved in a good bit of reading and writing, he joined our elders meetings, and he and I met weekly over twelve weeks.
Our purpose in this internship is to see churches led by pastors who faithfully connect the Bible’s theology of the church to the church’s worship, life, and mission. In other words, to see churches flourish in the gospel and gospel work. Pray that Phil would be that kind of shepherd for a church in the years ahead.
Before we get to know you a bit, tell us what excited you the most about serving as an intern this spring? At the end I’ll ask you some questions for reflection on how it went.
I’m super excited to get to know more about church, in general, and how church is done. I look forward to building out answers to questions such as: Why do we have church? What’s the mission of the church? How do we accomplish that mission? But even more, I’m excited to get to know our church, and the why’s, what’s, and how’s of the things we do, here, at Heritage. I’m extremely grateful to be learning and serving here at a church that is so near and dear to my heart. As you invest in me and I in you I trust that the Lord will be honored and His people will be blessed.
Now, let’s go to the beginning, your new beginning. How did the Lord save you?
I came to understand my sinful state and need for Jesus Christ when I was seven years old at an AWANA service at my church. I had spoken frequently with my parents about salvation in the the months preceding, and on one night in the year 2000, I grabbed my teacher and asked him to lead me to Christ. He went through the gospel again and I prayed for Christ to save me from my sins. I was reborn. Since then, there have been times of great growth as well as times of trial, but my faith has grown and filled out and I have fallen more in love with Jesus along the way.
You’re not from Greenville originally. What places have you lived and how did you get to Greenville?
I am a southern transplant, originally from Buffalo, NY — the city of good neighbors, home of the chicken wing, beef on weck, the Buffalo Bills, copious amounts of snow, and Travel + Leisure Magazine’s “Favorite City” of 2016. Seriously, Buffalo is amazing, I loved growing up there. But I don’t intend to go back. Too cold. I came to Greenville in 2012 after transferring to Bob Jones University for my sophomore year of college. Besides those places, I have lived for a few months in Rome, Italy, and Salt Lake City, Utah as a result of internships.
You’ve been at Heritage for four years now. What has God done in you during that time?
One thing that has grown immensely during my time at HBC is a love for the local church. In high school and college, I benefited greatly from parachurch ministries, but struggled to maintain consistency in my spiritual life. Since becoming a member at HBC, I have experienced the riches of being a part of a body, contributing to and gleaning from the nourishment of the other members as we walk in the Spirit day-by-day together.
You desire to serve vocationally as a pastor. How did God grow that desire in you?
I often describe my desire to serve vocationally as a pastor as a stone in my shoe. It’s something that I sense the Lord placed in my heart (or my shoe in the case of the analogy) that I couldn’t just forget and move on. God kept reminding me about it. I could sense the Lord growing the desire in me ever since serving as a summer counselor at Northland Camp after my sophomore year of college. But, I kept ignoring it, electing to pursue a degree in history and job opportunities in politics, two other interests of mine. Eventually, after working in political media for a few years, I grew a bit restless and decided I wanted to pursue a seminary degree. At that time, I simply wanted to grow in my knowledge of God. But in due course, the Lord made it clearer to me that he may have other plans.
You recently finished a degree. Tell us a bit about the degree and your favorite class.
Yes, I completed my Master of Arts in Theology degree from Biola University last May. It was a bit longer than your traditional MA at 49 credits, but still much shorter than most Masters of Divinity degrees, which are usually north of 80 credits. The work was hard, especially since I completed much of it while having a full-time job. But, I truly enjoyed the subject matter. My favorite class was probably Contemporary Theology with Dr. Rob Price. The name is a bit misleading, because the course was not about the contemporary era of theology, akin to “Theology from the 1900s—the present,” but rather it was a seminar class on contemporary issues facing the church, such as identity, race, gender, etc. The class went like so: every couple of weeks, we would take an issue, do a bunch of reading on it from several different perspectives, and then write research papers. The professor did an excellent job of forcing us to think critically about the issues and of compelling us to use scripture and historical church doctrine to present a theological argument.
Besides the Bible, what’s the book that has had the most influence on your life and why?
This has to be the toughest question, there are so many. So, I’m going to pick a weird one just for fun: Notes From A Tilt-A-Whirl: Wide-Eyed Wonder in God’s Spoken World, by N.D. Wilson. This book is a dizzying rollercoaster-like sensory experience unlike any other book I’ve read. Wilson is a gifted writer. He brings theology, philosophy, poetry, and reality all together, forcing you to stop seeing life through tired, dull eyes. He simply doesn’t let you box God in or sum God up—instead you end up praising God for all that He is and all that he has given us in His “spoken world.” It’s not necessarily a book I’d read for theological instruction, but rather one I’d read in order to stir up excitement about God and life.
Now, the most influential sermon on your life and why?
Any sermon by Trent Hunter (kidding). I would have to say, “Don’t Waste Your Life” by Will Galkin out of the well-known text in Ecclesiastes 12 thats starts with: “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, ‘I have no pleasure in them.’” He preached it during staff training at Northland Camp in 2013. That summer was one of the most formative seasons of my life and that sermon was one of the most formative moments of the summer. The sermon was a system reset for me. Will Galkin had a way of relating the text in a piercingly fresh way, and the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart about how utterly short and meaningless life is without knowing and serving God. Will’s reverberating shriek, “Don’t waste your life!” has stuck with me until today—sometimes I hear it in my sleep and wake up in cold sweats. Kidding, but the sermon really is an anchor and a challenge for me.
How do you like to spend your down time? Any hobbies?
I’m pretty typical. I like doing whatever my friends are doing. I prefer being outside. I absolutely love hiking, camping, hammocking, exploring new places, playing pretty much any sport (though basketball, football, and golf are my favorites), or any yard activity. I also have a Mavic Air drone. I’m no Pete Hansen, but I dabble.
If indoors, I love card games (like Rummy) or board games (especially Risk) or trivia games (if you’ve never played BezzerWizzer, you should). I also enjoy attempting to play my guitar every now and then. Oh, and I’m a big fan of coffee, too, and coffee shops. I often run into Trent at some of the places around town.
Any odd talents that we should know about up front?
None that I’ve discovered yet. If pressed for one, I’d say I can do a strange and very loud “call,” not really sure how to describe it. That normally only comes out in a camp setting, though, or when I’m hyped up around the teen (L3inc) group at church.
Okay, your favorite animal and why?
This has changed over the years. I used to say the cheetah. Why? Because it’s super fast, and that’s pretty much all there was to it. Now, I’m leaning towards the wolf. I like how it’s mysterious and wild, yet noble, and a team player.
You read twelve books over this internship. Good job. Which will prove the most useful to you as a pastor and why?
They were all so helpful, so it’s hard to pick. But I think Rinne’s little book, Church Elders, was my favorite. It was packed with an abundance of useful information and spiritual instruction. As someone who might one day be a pastor, I found this book to be the perfect introductory work into the biblical role of eldership. It not only provided a thorough job description of eldership, but also biblically explained how eldership is done. I will always remember Rinne’s admonition to “smell like the sheep” as Jesus did, leading as a servant and caring for the flock.
What are two or three lessons you learned about eldering during your internship?
First, this internship has impressed upon me the immense importance of having a tight ecclesiology, or theology of the church. Starting with membership, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, then moving to preaching, teaching, and missions, then budgeting, care for the elderly, and more. All of these topics are not disparate parts in the life of the church, but are tightly-bound elements of following Christ within a community of believers. Churches can worship well when they are clear on all that scripture says pertaining to ecclesiology. I have become convinced of this through the internship — through both the assigned books and conversations with Trent.
Secondly, in a more intimate sense, I have learned about the care that Heritage’s elders, staff workers, and members provide the church, and have been blessed in witnessing their godly work. Through sitting in on elders meetings and discussing sermon prep with Trent, to watching worship practices and observing the tech team set up for services — both onsite and online — to participating in prayer meetings with the church-at-large, I have witnessed the work that goes into doing church. But more so, I have witnessed the joy with which the whole Heritage body carries out that work, and have been blessed by it.
Some of you are going to have to start wearing real clothes on Sunday morning again. Some of you kids are going to have to wear a shirt again. Adults, you will now need a lid on your coffee.
I’m excited to share that our elders have decided that we will begin gathering again as a church starting this Lord’s Day, May 17. We know that not everyone will be able to join us. Those who do will have a bit of a different experience than normal. But we’re excited, nonetheless.
We’ve brought you into our thinking at critical points before, and that’s what I want to do for you here. If you want to cut-to-the-chase as it concerns plans for this Sunday, visit Heritage Resume. Here in this post you’ll find our thinking and some more detail on those plans.
Our Intentions During the Pandemic
This pandemic presented us with decisions that we haven’t had to make before. When did we ever think we’d be asking ourselves, “when should we begin gathering again as a church?” The decision to discontinue our public gathering was not easy, but it was straightforward. The decision to begin gathering again is also not easy, but it is also less straightforward. There are good reasons to wait, and there are good reasons to get back at it.
Among a host of considerations, here is an outline of our intentions as we approached the question of when to regather.
We intend to prioritize gathering as a church. We accept that there will be extraordinary circumstances in which gathering is not possible, and that a pandemic is one of those circumstances. Nevertheless, we intend to pray and work against protracted time apart, as this is detrimental to our spiritual health (Heb. 10:25). We do not believe that a livestream allows us to fulfill most of our basic responsibilities to one another as those who have covenanted together in membership. We also do not see our various auxiliary ministries as on par with the Lord’s Day gathering of the church. We are eager to meet and okay with some awkwardness, some inconvenience, and not being able to do everything we might do under normal circumstances.
We intend to honor our governing authorities within Scriptural bounds. We give thanks to God for our governing authorities and pray for their faithful service (1Tim. 2:1–3). We are grateful for our governor in particular, and do not believe he has overreached in his authority, singling out the church or choosing unnecessarily intrusive means. We believe our governor’s requests to this point have been reasonable and good for the protection of life and we have and intend to happily comply. It also needs to be said that our elders are not epidemiologists. There are certain health considerations that are beyond our expertise. So, our compliance isn’t just a matter of duty, but of glad-hearted cooperation. Of course, we have a category for civil disobedience, and we could always find ourselves in that undesirable situation (Acts 4:18–20). We are grateful that our governor welcomes us to gather with the request that we do so while maintaining social distance guidelines—just like various other establishments in our community.
We intend to do as much as we can as together as we can.As we’ve looked to the time we can resume meeting, we’ve planned for this to happen in phases. There are a variety of ways that churches may legitimately handle this moment: with no adapted version of a service, with a pre-recorded service, or with a livestream. While the livestream comes with downsides, we have preferred this option to this point as it helps hold us together in the habit of coming around the Word at the same time. As we have considered meeting again, our intention has been the same: to do as much together as we can.
We intend to love our neighbors and maintain a vital witness to Jesus in our community. With such a wide range of opinions and perspectives in this pandemic, it will be impossible to satisfy every onlooker. Love for neighbor, we believe, meant discounting our public gatherings back in March. We resonated with the governor’s concern to “flatten the curve” in order not to overwhelm our healthcare system. Now, in love for our neighbor, we mean to meet again with certain accommodations, and to do so in a way that promotes the name of Jesus (Gal. 6:10).
We intend to get as much wisdom as we can, especially from likeminded churches. We are in some level of conversation with multiple churches across the nation and within our region, and this has proven helpful. We will consider carefully what other churches are doing in our own community, while recognizing that every church has a unique set of considerations: the size of the church, facilities, resources, theology, and age demographics being important factors.
We intend to make room for different situations and opinions among our members. Among our members are different health considerations, but also responsibilities. Some are in a high-risk category, and some live with someone who is. Others will have a range of difficulty with the idea of gathering for any number of reasons. We are not going to bind anyone’s conscience with a particular angle on health statistics, though we may each have our own perspectives. Whereas in normal circumstances we would exhort members to gather, in this case, we want to make room for people to stay home if they believe that’s best for now. We will encourage our members to assume the best of one another, and to allow space for varying opinions and practices (Ro. 15:2–7).
Resuming Ministry in Three Phases
Given those intentions, we have identified three phases for resuming ministry:
Phase 1. Resume the Lord’s Day gathering with various accommodations and without auxiliary ministries. Our corporate worship gathering is not only our priority as a church, but public worship gatherings are also recognized by our governor as essential for our community. During this phase (and phase 2), we will continue utilizing Zoom for a Thursday evening prayer time, Shepherding Groups, and our other efforts, including student and children’s ministry resources and meetings.
Phase 2. Shepherding Groups begin meeting in person again for those comfortable participating. Some groups may decide to continue meeting on Zoom for a time. The date for this phase is yet to be determined.
Phase 3. Electives, children and student ministry, men’s and women’s ministry, etc. begin again. The date is yet to be determined and may involve some adjustments to the overall shape of our ministry.
Plans for Sunday Morning
Getting together on Sunday is usually pretty simple. We want it to stay as simple as possible, but of course it will need to change a bit for a season. Here’s our plan going into Sunday.
We will meet at our normal time of 9:30 a.m. and stagger seating to accommodate the 6’ social distancing rule between individuals or families. You’ll find some rows marked “available” and others marked “unavailable.” Seating hosts can help you find a seat, and they may kindly ask you to move if that’s needed. We will offer overflow seating in the Fellowship Hall and utilize video. We will ask one or two Elder Communities each week to serve the broader church family by routing to the Fellowship Hall. We’ll indicate these assignments in a Friday email, but please consider these suggestive. Some of you will need to be in one place or the other for your own reasons, and that’s fine. For now, we will continue to offer a livestream of the service.
We will not offer electives, children’s ministry, or nurseryfor the time being. This means we will welcome the presence of little ones with us. Wiggling and whispering are welcome, but let’s maintain a no screaming or squawking rule, for lack of a better term. If your little one starts to go nuts, that’s how God made them. Please step out, and know that we love and esteem you as a parent. For some families, the Fellowship Hall will be a better space, and we will have a T.V. screen available in the South Lobby as well.
We willdisinfect the church between Sundays. This includes door handles, light switches, handrails, etc.
We will modify our service in several ways. We will not pass the plate, but we remain partners, so plan to give online or through one of the giving boxes on site. We will suspend the ordinances of baptism and communion for a period of time. That is, until we are able to share in these in a way that honors the symbols without overly strained preparation (as in the case of baptism) or distribution (as in the case of the Lord’s Supper). We hope this bugs you for the best biblical reasons. The ordinances are essential for our faith personally, but also our faith corporately. Neither we nor the world knows who the church is simply by who shows up to the property on Sunday, but by the signs of the covenant. We intend to get back to these, but give us some time.
Here are some other things we’re doing: Orders of worship, sermon notes pages, and kids’ handouts will be provided on stands upon entry to the auditorium, but not handed out. All songs and readings will be projected as usual. Hymnals and Bibles will be removed for the time being. Free paper Bibles will be available in the lobby. We will not host a coffee table, but you are welcome to bring a drink with a lid. The water fountains will not be available except in the event of an emergency. We will provide hand sanitizer in multiple locations.
What we’re asking you to do
Stay home if that’s best. If you are in a high-risk category, we encourage you to remain home. If you are sick, you should also stay home. No one should feel guilty about missing church due to medical considerations. If you are a volunteer in a ministry, you are invited to opt-out for a season.
Tell us your plan for Sundays by noon on Friday. This is for all of our members, and for anyone who plans to join us on site. Update us when your plan changes. This will help us prepare adequately for Sunday morning and help us care for one another. It could be easy for us to assume you aren’t with us of medical necessity when in fact you are suffering and discouraged or straying. Once we get our bearings, we may discontinue this.
Observe social distancing practices. Our governor has asked this of us, and we think it’s reasonable and easy enough to honor. We’re making arrangements for this in some planned ways, but please do your best to honor this in your unplanned interactions. For, example, brief greetings are okay, but let’s avoid hugs and huddles around the property. By all means, wear a face covering if you prefer. We imagine that it will be a mixed bag on Sundays as it is in the grocery stores in town. There are good reasons to wear a mask, for your sake and the sake of others. And there are fine reasons not to.
Be easy on one another and easy to lead. Who would have thought “masks” would be a point of contention between Americans in 2020? Let’s make sure that it’s not for us. Let’s bear with one another, believe the best, and be easy to lead as we head into a new season. Use the same spiritual and relational muscles you use all the time as the church in loving one another. We love you.
You’ve been looking at me a lot for the last eight weeks. I’m looking forward to seeing many of you this Lord’s Day.
Let’s just go crazy and sing another new song this week.
City Alight is a group of song writers out of Australia who keep writing beautiful songs for us. They write for their local church first, but serve us with songs rich in Bible and simple, singable melodies for the church to sing.
These are the folks who wrote, “Only a Holy God,” “Christ is Mine Forevermore,” and “Yet Not I.” This newer song, “Jesus, Strong and Kind,” is an invitation to find our strength in Jesus, and to come to him through the cross. It’s simple, personal, beautiful, and biblical. Let’s sing it.
Lyrics
1. Jesus said that if I thirst,
I should come to him.
No one else can satisfy,
I should come to him.
2. Jesus said if I am weak,
I should come to him.
No one else can be my strength,
I should come to him.
Chorus
For the Lord is good and faithful.
He will keep us day and night.
We can always run to Jesus.
Jesus, strong and kind.
3. Jesus said that if I fear,
I should come to him.
No one else can be my shield,
I should come to him.
4. Jesus said if I am lost,
He will come to me.
And he showed me on that cross,
He will come to me.
The first question of the Heidelberg Catechism is the first question we should ask ourselves, and our children: What is your only comfort in life and in death? Here’s the answer:
That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.
Several modern song and hymn writers recently penned a new song for the church, “Christ Our Hope in Life and Death.” The story behind the song will help us all appreciate the Christ and church-loving care that goes into any of the better songs we sing.
Lyrics
1. What is our hope in life and death? Christ alone, Christ alone. What is our only confidence? That our souls to him belong. Who holds our days within his hand? What comes, apart from his command? And what will keep us to the end? The love of Christ, in which we stand.
Chorus O sing hallelujah! Our hope springs eternal; O sing hallelujah! Now and ever we confess Christ our hope in life and death.
2. What truth can calm the troubled soul? God is good, God is good. Where is his grace and goodness known? In our great Redeemer’s blood. Who holds our faith when fears arise? Who stands above the stormy trial? Who sends the waves that bring us nigh Unto the shore, the rock of Christ?
3. Unto the grave, what shall we sing? “Christ, he lives; Christ, he lives!” And what reward will heaven bring? Everlasting life with him. There we will rise to meet the Lord, Then sin and death will be destroyed, And we will feast in endless joy, When Christ is ours forevermore.
