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Have question for our pastors about the weekend’s Momentum Sermon?
Let us hear from you by Sunday at 6:00 pm.
Text to 22333 and type MHUMC followed by your question
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Answers and discussion will be posted Monday afternoon of each week.

These are the Daily Bible readings for use during the Momentum sermon series. Readings are for the week BEFORE each sermon. The series begins the weekend of January 19-20, 2013.  Readings begin Monday, January 14, 2013. Click on the title to download the PDF file. If you have questions, please contact Carol Wyndham.

Looking for an alternative to Sunday morning worship for your family?

Join us on Saturday evenings from 5:45 PM -7:00 PM for contemporary worship led by our dynamic worship team, an inspiring message from our pastoral preaching staff, and L.i.f.e. Kids classes for infants-5th grade. Saturday night is ideal for families looking for a “smaller church” experience OR for those families who would be willing to give up their seats on Sunday morning to provide a seat /space for someone else.

After a long day we met some friends for dinner.  Although the town was large, the restaurant was small.  The people we were meeting are “believers.” In the United States we might call them Christians, or church-goers, but in this Central Asian country, it means you get a table in the back corner so you your conversation will remain private.

Conversation was difficult.  Not because of a language barrier, but because the owner of the establishment fired up the karaoke machine and began belting out a variety of songs both native and American.  I will never listen to Stevie Wonder’s “I Just Called to say I Love You” in the same way again.

I learned a lot about sharing Christ where the culture is non-Christian and the government is suspicious of religion. I was told you don’t speak (especially English) when the police were around because that might raise suspicion.  I wondered what to do when we arrived at the apartment for a “club meeting” and the police were there asking questions.  The police left, the meeting was held and while we celebrated a new attendee asking a question about spiritual matters, we later prayed that no one in the group would be offended by our testimony and thus jeopardize the resident status of our workers in the field.

I learned a lot about “incarnational ministry.”  Just as Jesus had to enter our world to reach us, believers must enter the world and culture of Central Asia if we are to reach them.  I stand in awe of a young man who has given up all the freedoms and privileges the United States has to offer to commit his life to reaching non-believers. Yet he would say he has left nothing of value and gained a new home, new friends, and a life filled with purpose.

I learned there are some very “dark” places in the world.  When God is shut out of society it shapes all areas of life, from integrity to responsibility to values.  True, there is a crack in the iron curtain, but it is only a crack, which some former Soviet governments are trying to close quickly to keep the light of Christ from shining.

In the middle of our dinner conversation my attention was drawn to the karaoke singer. Not because he finally started singing on tune, but because of the lyrics coming out of his mouth.  “By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept and remembered Zion . . . .”  Here in the heart of a country that is predominantly Muslim and officially hostile towards religion I heard the words to a familiar song . . . or rather Psalm!

Psalm 137 is a song the Israelites sang while in exile–a time when God seemed far away. The opening lines to the Psalm were taken by Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton and written into a pop song in 1970. While Dowe and McNaughton are not Christians, their song, like the Psalm, refers to living in a repressive society longing for freedom.  A fitting song for the Israelites, a fitting message for the country in which I was a visitor.

Perhaps the most important thing I learned is that despite being half way around the world, despite the differences in culture, government, and language; people everywhere are longing for freedom from oppression. I am thankful for the freedom our country provides, yet despite this freedom many live in bondage.  Issues of addiction, self-esteem, finances, and brokenness keep many of us from experiencing the freedom only Jesus can provide.

I pray for my new friends in Central Asia. I pray for the Americans who have dedicated their lives to reaching non-believers.  I pray for the pastors and congregations who gather with a bold fear that puts my faith to shame. I pray for more cracks in the curtain where God’s light might shine. I pray for people everywhere, even in the United States, that struggle to enjoy the freedom God so lovingly wants us to experience.  I pray for that day in the future when people from all over the world with gather by the river of life and sing a line from the next Psalm in the book; “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever—do not abandon the works of your hands.” Psalm 138:8