May 31, 2020 Online Service

Welcome to this week's online service. If there was ever a week when we needed to reminded of God's good presence with us, this was it. In so many ways the brokenness of our world was on full display. The heavy toll of this pandemic, the killing of yet another black man at the hands of those charged with his safety, and the rioting taking across our nation are evidence that Satan still roams seeking to devour and destroy.

But into this world came the victorious Jesus announcing that a new Kingdom was arriving and inviting us to enter it and live according to its principles. Some will ignore his invitation but others will recognize it for the treasure that it is. We come to worship today to praise the one who conquered death, the one who will once and for all put Satan in his place, and the one promises to come again to usher us into a new Heaven and a new Earth where death and evil have been vanquished.  

If you are not a regular part of Central we welcome you to our online service and would love to get to know you. Please use the form at the bottom of this page to tell us a little bit about yourself. I wish I could greet you after the service with a warm handshake, but please know that it means a lot to me that you are joining us today.

Statement on Racism

We began the year with a series of messages on issues that would define the 2020's. One of the first messages in the series dealt with the issue of racism. The day after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis I was on Facebook reading the comments of so many of my black friends whose hearts were broken. Not only were black Americans bearing the brunt of COVID-19, they were also once again seeing evidence that their experience here in America is very different than mine. 

As I scrolled through Facebook two posts had a special impact on me, a prayer posted by our good friend Eli Williams, a pastor here in Springfield, and a poem written my a gifted young woman named Miyah Byrd who I knew when she was a student at Cedarville.  Both are included in the video on the right.

I recorded and posted this video because when white pastors fail to address issues like this with their congregation we communicate that racism isn't a spiritual issue that concerns our congregation.  Please take a few moments to watch it.

I also want to let you know that there are two different groups of churches in town that are working to address racism.  I have invited the pastors of both groups to join me at Central on Wednesday morning to talk about what role we might have in making sure that Springfield is place where all people can prosper, and where people of all races have equal access to justice.  We talk a lot about our role in making Springfield more like Heaven.  This is one way that we can try to bring that to pass.
Prayer Requests
  • Pray that God's spirit will direct the meeting on Wednesday and that he will reveal specific things we can do to carry out our call to be peacemakers.
  • Pray for the safety and flourishing of our black and Latino neighbors.
  • Pray for our community leaders.  They issued a very strong statement committing themselves to fight racism in Springfield.
  • Pray strong and sensitive leadership for our Police and Sheriff's departments.
  • Pray that God will protect our first responders and help them exercise good judgment when facing any situation that could escalate into racial violence.
  • Pray for all parents of black children who worry for the safety of their children.
  • Pray that leaders at all levels of government would take this issue seriously and use their influence to make the world a place where all can live peaceful, quiet, godly, and dignified lives. 
1 Timothy 2:1-4 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

COVID-19 Announcement

This Wednesday at 6:00pm I will be doing a live interview with Charlie Patterson, the Clark County Health Commissioner, regarding COVID-19 in Clark County. I met with Charlie and a group of area pastors earlier this week and thought that you might enjoy hearing from him directly. You can text me question during the interview or in advance at 937-305-9068 and I will include as many as possible in the interview. You can join the live interview Wednesday at 6:00pm on our Facebook page @ccspringfield.org

Scripture Reading

A Story About Forgiveness
Matthew 18:21-35 The Message  
At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, “Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?” Jesus replied, “Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.
“The kingdom of God is like a king who decided to square accounts with his servants. As he got under way, one servant was brought before him who had run up a debt of a hundred thousand dollars. He couldn’t pay up, so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children, and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market.
“The poor wretch threw himself at the king’s feet and begged, ‘Give me a chance and I’ll pay it all back.’ Touched by his plea, the king let him off, erasing the debt.
“The servant was no sooner out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and demanded, ‘Pay up. Now!’
“The poor wretch threw himself down and begged, ‘Give me a chance and I’ll pay it all back.’ But he wouldn’t do it. He had him arrested and put in jail until the debt was paid. When the other servants saw this going on, they were outraged and brought a detailed report to the king.
“The king summoned the man and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy. Shouldn’t you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?’ The king was furious and put the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt. And that’s exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn’t forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy.”

The Lord's Table

One of Central's traditions is to serve communion each time we gather. The church provided prepackaged communion servings for you to use. If you didn't stop by the church to get one you may want to get a small glass of juice or wine, and a small piece of bread or a cracker, so you can participate.

The Lord's Table is for anyone who has trusted Christ. If you haven't given your life to Christ, now would be a great time to do so. Click here to learn more about how you can do that.
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,  and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
I Corinthians 11:23-26
The Lord's Table is a time for gratitude and self-evaluation. It's a time for us to confess our sins and offer God our praise. 

Resources for Families

Once again our parents will have to be Kid's Jam this Sunday.  Jodi and Sarah are working each week to find resources to help you teach your children about God and his love. If they are old enough, be sure to pray with them about the things they are probably picking up about this crisis. Remind them that God is big enough to handle our biggest challenges, and the he's got this under his control. 

Here's a great children's video from Saddleback Kids of the passage for today's sermon.

Offering

Thank you for your generous support for our ministry.  Even though we are not meeting, most of our church expenses continue. If you would like to contribute to Central using our Church Center app just click here, text ccspringfield to 84321, or mail your contribution to the church. 

We've added two new categories  our giving app for your consideration.  The first is called Families in Sprngfld with COVID-19. Any money contributed to this fund will go directly to meet the needs of someone in Clark County who has been diagnosed with COVID-19, starting first with several families who attend Emmanuel Iglesia Hispana, a Spanish speaking church here in Springfield that we support. The second new fund is called HOPE Meals.  Contributions to this fund will help us to provide a monthly meal for 125-150 children and teens who live near the intersection of Selma and Linden Avenue.
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 
​2 Corinthians 9:10-11

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
​2 Corinthians 9:7-8

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

I am enjoying this series on the parables of Jesus. Last week we learned that in the Kingdom of Heaven sometimes we have a duty to restore a brother of sister who wanders into sin. This week we will learn that Kingdom people have a duty to forgive one another. The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant in Matthew 18 is one of the most convicting parables. 

The parable is given in response to a question from Peter about how often we must forgive our brothers and sisters when they sin against us. The common understanding among Jews was that they had a duty to forgive three times.  Peter probably thinks he's being pretty generous when he doubles that number and adds one, asking if he should forgive seven times.

Jesus responds with one of his favorite teaching techniques, absurdity. Jesus loved to state things using ridiculous extremes to drive home a point ("Lusting? Just poke out your eye," for example). A servant comes to Jesus with an absurd debt. Jesus uses an amount (10,000 talent's  or bags of gold) that drastically exceeds the total tax revenue that King Herod received from Jews living in Judea which was 800 talents. The number "10,000" was the largest numerical value in the Greek language, comparable to a trillion gazillion or something like that. 

The servant begs for mercy and offers to pay it back. There's just one problem. It would take him 70-100 million days to earn the amount that he owes, he would have to work for around 270,000 years to pay off his debt.  

The point is that when God forgives us he does something that we could never do for our selves. God is moved emotionally by our needs and he loves to forgives. God forgives joyously, not grudgingly.

But as the forgiven servant is leaving he runs into another guy who is probably also coming to settle a debt with the King. This guy owes $10. The freshly forgiven servant grabs him by the neck, chokes him, and has him throw into jail.  This point in the story is meant to be a kick in the gut. It is meant to stir up righteous indignation. And it is meant to convict us.

The King is so mad when he hears about this that he has the first servant sent to the torture chamber (remember, Jesus is using ridiculous extremes to make his point), and then he says, that is what your father in heaven will do to you if you withhold forgiveness from a brother.

Here's the point of the parable. Saved people forgive others. A consistent lack of a forgiving spirit is an indication that a person has not entered the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Benediction 

May the deep deep love of God bless you and keep you during the coming week. May his Spirit comfort you and lead you, and in your hearts may there be a peace that passes all understanding. 

Announcements

  • Come out for Park, Pray, & Praise every other Sunday. We are moving the time to 10:00am to avoid the heat of the afternoon.
  • Our support and appreciation to the health care workers has been a huge blessing and we thank you all for your donations to this ministry. Last week we supported:
          CRSI/Tammy Schwarz and Springfield Gastroenterology/Miranda Moore
                Previous support has been provided to:
          Springfield Regional ICU/Stephanie Ledford; 3 East/Amy Traver; Surgery/Morgan Foster
          Rocking Horse Center/Heather Hahn
          CVS Derr Road/Marci Rismiller 
          Whitacre's Pharmacy/Ryan Young
           James Medical Center Columbus/Mona Lloyd and Kaylee Timmons
          Mt Carmel Grove City Emergency Dept/Ben Prater
          Mercy Health Dayton/Springfield ER Center/Chase Black
               Coming up: Memorial Hospital Union County, local fire stations, and Oakwood Village

Resource of the Week

This week's Resource of the Week is an inspiring TED Talk on racism, forgiveness, redemption, and peacemaking. 

For our Guests.  We'd love to learn a little bit about you.

    Thanks for worshipping with us today.