Chapelwood Sanctuary Podcast: Recent Episodes
Dr. John Stephens
This is the Sanctuary worship podcast of Chapelwood. Join us each week as we seek out new ways to integrate God into our lives, to encourage and support our neighbors and community, and to grow into a deeper understanding of Jesus and what his presence in our lives can mean.
Simplify: Why Less Is More: Unplug & Connect/3rd Grade Bible Presentation (Contemporary 9:45)
A special presentation of Dan Forrest's Requiem for the Living. The Chancel Choir is joined by the Chapelwood Orchestra to present this untraditional musical composition. Unlike most requiems, this piece asks for mercy and rest for the living. Based on passages from the Bible and traditional requiem masses, this piece brings peace and comfort to us all.
All Chapelwood worship communities came together during Hurricane / Tropical Storm Harvey to share a single worship service for the weekend. During the threat of wind, storm, and flood, it is good to remember that we are all one family, in Christ.
What God commands and what God promises, will always be fulfilled. Grace was received not just by those who heard, but by their children and even those who are far away because the followers of Christ were faithful in their waiting.
The joy of heaven is for all who will embrace it. We can never feel too confident in ourselves and our place in God's house when our lives do not reflect God's will and desires in our lives. We want to say "yes" to God's invitation ultimately, but do we say "yes" every day when we are invited to feast in the kingdom of God? How we love one another, show mercy, do justice, walk humbly, and help those around us in need reflect our true desire to say "yes" to the banquet or send our regrets because we are too busy with our own self-interests.
Jesus says some hard words about discipleship and they are always to be taken seriously...but that doesn't mean we always take them literally. Jesus is not setting a new law or a new code on governing family life in the kingdom of God. Does a call to discipleship uproot us from our family? By no means. A deeper call to discipleship should call us back to family. One would dishonor God by using this text to evade responsibilities that are clear throughout the scriptures. Ultimately, God's call on our lives should be serious and real.
According to an old joke, it was once said that many people would be equally shocked to hear Christianity doubted or to see it practiced. The Christian faith is not just a collection of ideas to be believed; it is also a set of deeds to be performed. There are things we DO because we are Christians. While some of the things we do differ in times and places, there are three practices that are common to Christians of every age: almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. The difference between the Church’s practice and what is taught in Judaism is that Jesus redefined them: These acts are not performed for the benefit of other people…but only for God.
One of the powerful ways the Church can make a difference in the world is to help the world understand the “heart of the law” of God. In Matthew 5:21-48, Jesus gives us six examples of how the church helps us get to the heart of the law. In these practical, ethical issues, often called the “six oppositions” or the “six antitheses,” Jesus is not casting off the old and giving us something completely new and opposite. Rather, Jesus is going to the heart of the law to show the Church how to live out its deepest meaning. When the world sees the Church live out the heart of the law, people are drawn to Christ.
One of the powerful ways the Church can make a difference in the world is to help the world understand the “heart of the law” of God. In Matthew 5:21-48, Jesus gives us six examples of how the church helps us get to the heart of the law. In these practical, ethical issues, often called the “six oppositions” or the “six antitheses” (which are not helpful because they are not either this or that), Jesus is not casting off the old and giving us something completely new and opposite. Rather, Jesus is going to the heart of the law to show the Church how to live out its deepest meaning. When the world sees the Church live out the heart of the law, people are drawn to Christ.
In order for any vision from God to inspire the Church to move forward, we must see the future as an opportunity. The wide door is deeply connected to the vision – it represents the possibilities and opportunities we are invited to enter. What is on the other side of the door is a mystery. While we have a sense of the image of what’s on the other side, we step in through faith not knowing every detail of the future. Our duty is to live in the intersection between human obedience and divine initiative. The wide doors for effective work in the kingdom of God are opening around us every day…there must be a willingness to step through into the opportunities and allow God’s provision to lead us.
According to Luke, all we know about the baptism of Jesus is that it was with “all the people” who were filled with expectation — but maybe that is what the church has sometimes forgotten. Jesus presented himself for baptism as an act of solidarity with an expectant nation and world of sinners. Jesus simply got in line with everyone who had been broken by the “wear and tear” of this selfish world and had all but given up on themselves and their God. When the line of downtrodden and sin-sick people formed in hopes of new beginnings through a return to God, Jesus joined them. At his baptism, he identified with the damaged and broken people who needed God. This is our calling Beyond the Horizon…to introduce Christ to those expectant, broken people around us who hope for a new beginning.
All Sanctuary worship services are combined into one joyful Christmas celebration at 10:00 a.m. Join us to celebrate on this Christmas Day in a service that combines features of both traditional and contemporary worship. Celebrate the birth of our Savior as we come together in praise and worship.
The Essentials: The Way of the Kingdom: Wesley employed the scriptural text of this sermon, “The kingdom of God is at hand: repent . . . and believe the gospel” (Mark 1: 15), “one hundred and ninety times” in a nearly fifty-year span. He specifically linked this text to the fruit of his evangelistic labors since 1738 in noting with its use among the poor of England “the word of God ran as fire among the stubble.” The call to repentance, so prominent in this sermon, entails conviction of sin, self-knowledge, as well as a sense of guilt and helplessness.
The Essentials: Scriptural Christianity: Defining scriptural Christianity as “heart religion” and “the religion of love” that is ever associated with the Holy Spirit, Wesley was intent in 1744 upon applying the same pointed questioning to his Oxford congregation that Spangenberg had employed earlier with respect to him so effectively in Georgia. After a number of pointed and embarrassing accusations, Wesley concluded his sermon by calling the youth in that place “a generation of triflers, triflers with God, with one another, and with your own souls." William Blackstone, the famous judge and author, recorded of the event: “His [Wesley’s] notes were demanded by the Vice-Chancellor [William Hodges], but on mature deliberation it has been thought proper to punish him by a mortifying neglect." And Wesley himself noted in his Journal: “I preached for the last time before the University of Oxford. I am now clear of the blood of these men. I have fully delivered my own soul.”
The Essentials: The Spirit of a Christian: Considering the two grand hindrances that stand in the way of those who genuinely love God, namely, that they don't all think or walk alike, Wesley proposed that fellowship should remain, even thrive, since all may love alike. In other words, here as in his sermon “On Zeal,” Wesley focused on the holy love that is at the heart of it all the goal of all true religion. Put another way, right tempers or dispositions of the heart are crucial to real, proper, scriptural Christianity. With this reality in place, Wesley was willing to extend the hand of Christian fellowship though differences remained in terms of such things as opinions, polity, modes of worship, the sacraments, and extemporaneous prayer. Such generosity of spirit, however, does not represent indifference to all opinions, indifference to modes of worship, or indifference to all congregations. Rejecting the principle that states “the place of our birth fixes the church,” Wesley made generous allowances for the roles of conscience and the right of private judgment, “on which [the] whole Reformation stands.”
The Essentials: Draw Near with Faith: Viewing the Lord’s Supper as an outward sign of an inward grace, Wesley urged the Methodists to take up the practice of the ancient church and to commune frequently. Since Wesley considered this means of grace as a “converting ordinance,” whereby God would communicate prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying grace to recipients as needed, the only requirement to receive this sacrament was reflected in the language of the Book of Common Prayer itself, which Wesley reproduced in his Sunday Service: “Ye that do truly and earnestly repent of your sins. . . . Draw near with faith.”
The Athenians liked to spend their time doing nothing but telling or hearing something new. Sounds like Washington D.C. This is a highlight of Paul's missionary journeys. He stands before the Areopagus in Athens and is allowed to engage in theological discussion. Paul attracts a great deal of attention in the marketplace. He uses the contextual tools at his disposal by invoking the statues and their inscriptions. Paul is actually giving a reflection on Stoic philosophy, quoting ancient, Stoic phrases. Stoics were in the audience. It is interesting to see how Paul brings a message to a divided crowd. What can we learn from this? He was well versed in their positions and leveraged them for his message.
Acts 10 is the story of Peter's vision from God to go forth and proclaim the Gospel to the gentile Cornelius. Peter was told to do something that ran counter to an established set of beliefs and values which he firmly held to be true - and not just true in human valuation, but divinely ordained as absolutely and eternally true...yet, he trusted that the voice was the voice of God. And that voice moved him beyond those established beliefs and values! Is this a contradictory message from God? In verse 34, Peter confirms the message is from God - God shows no partiality. In every NATION (this is ethnicity, not nation-states), ANYONE who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. Philip breaks the walls between Jews and Samaritans. Peter breaks the walls between Jews and Gentiles.
The Way of Unity: Walking Through Valleys of Disagrement: Philip's Purple State Strategy: The spread of Christianity started, in part, because of the persecution of the church. Philip is taking the message of the Gospel to the Samaritans...just like Jesus did. (2 Kings 17:24-34 shows a negative image of Samaritans). Philip breaks the barriers of religion and race in his mission to Samaria. God's mission is to all. The Jerusalem Church was so troubled by this that they had to send an investigative committee to check it out - Peter and John (Acts 8:14). Philip's interaction with the Ethiopian eunuch in 26-40 shows a few things: First, we are told he is an Ethiopian - a black African - and the treasurer of "The Candace" the queen mother of Ethiopia. Second, he is probably a "God-worshiper" since he is returning from pilgrimage to Jerusalem and reading the prophet. Third, the Ethiopian has been castrated, which meant he was not acceptable in Jewish society (Deut 23). The Ethiopian wanted more...he may have wanted to convert to Judaism, but that would not have been allowed due to his physical condition. Philip already breaks the walls of religion and race in Samaria...now he breaks the third, very serious barrier of sexuality. Philip baptizes him and he becomes a FULL member of the household of faith.
The Way of Unity: Walking Through Valleys of Disagrement: A Caucus of Caring: The Christian community was becoming more complex. There are apostles, disciples, Hebrews, Hellenists. As the community grew, the diversity grew. The Hellenist widows were being shortchanged the allotment of food, probably because they were outsiders and the Hebrews were in charge of the distribution. Notice how no blame is assigned, rather a solution is proposed. In our culture, no solution is proposed...only blame is assigned. The solution is pretty amazing. They choose Greek-speaking Christians to handle the allotment of food. The voice of the marginalized is heard and in love their need is met. The "Seven" become the model. The disciples passed power to them. Notice at the end of the passage that the WAY the situation was handled led to growth of the community.
Beyond the Horizon - Chapelwood's Vision for the Future: The perception of many at Chapelwood is that we are in a continual season of discernment with little changes in the scope of our work. Nothing could be father from the truth. The season of listening culminated in clarity of our core values, our mission, and our "Why". It also gave us clarity in where God is leading us. There has been a lot of work behind the scenes and now it's time to unveil God's strategic roadmap for Chapelwood through 2024. This Beyond the Horizon roadmap is big and will push us in every area of ministry. Farther than the possible limit of sight; beyond what one is able to foresee, know, or anticipate, we are called to move forward. The world is in a dark place and Chapelwood is the unique church to embody God's grace in the midst of chaos. Join us August 14 as we celebrate God's roadmap for Chapelwood.
Chapelwood Road Trip - Return: Return to the Table: Regarding communion, Wesley wrote that, “This is the food of our souls: This gives strength to perform our duty, and leads us on to perfection” (“The Duty of Constant Communion,” I.3). When we come to the table, we are invited to experience the grace of God and receive spiritual nourishment and healing. At the table we encounter the true Bread of Heaven that brings life to the world. We return to the table so that we may enter the world as servants offering much needed nourishment.
Chapelwood Road Trip - Go: Go Home: Sometimes the Lord sends us away to live as missionaries. More often, God authorizes and equips us to be mission minded on our home turf. How do we live as ‘sent’ people every day?
Chapelwood Road Trip - Go: There are times when we go somewhere we don’t want to go…we make wrong turns, experience unfavorable circumstances, or end up with traveling companions who drive you crazy. God offers grace upon grace, allows us to turn around, saves us from trouble, and changes our hearts towards others. So Go…even when you don’t want to go!
Chapelwood Road Trip - Go: A Postcard from Paul: “A Postcard from Paul”: The outlook going into a road trip is always so bright and exciting, but circumstances happen on a road trip that change the course of the narrative. The story will unfold as to how one runaway, thieving servant on a road trip to Rome finds himself confronted with the message of the Gospel through an imprisoned Paul. This runaway is then commissioned by Paul to “go” with this postcard of hope back home to his former master in Colosse and face what fate awaits him there…
Chapelwood Road Trip - Go: The Tenacious Traveler: Sometimes we feel as if we’re struggling to get where we’re going. It’s as if something or someone is standing in our way (and it’s usually us). Life has a way of throwing us curve balls, but God has a plan for each of us. And at some point, we all have to decide that nothing is going to keep us from living out God’s plan. In Acts 8:26-40 we read the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. And it is the complete and ready obedience of Philip that brings the gospel to one unlikely person – A gentile eunuch, who the Jewish religious establishment would have excluded from the faith community. Yet God is often up to something we cannot see – his thoughts are not our thoughts; and our ways are not his ways. When Philip the Tenacious Traveler shares the Truth with an entitled outcast, he witnesses the Spirit’s tenacity come alive in the Eunuch as well, who asks with admirable credulity and conviction, “What is to prevent me from being baptized?” Nothing – once we follow the Spirit’s call and live into the conviction that nothing is going to stand in our way.
Chapelwood Road Trip - Sent: Sent to SUMMIT: Part of being sent is to know where you are coming from. The “sending" is happening not only to those who will go, but also to the body of people who are responding to God’s voice by sending a group.
Chapelwood Road Trip - Sent: The First Church Fight: Despite Jesus’ words to the contrary, the early church “holed up” in Jerusalem. There, they suffered the first “church fight” when the Greek Christians felt their widows were not receiving fair and equal treatment. This results in the appointment of seven deacons, one of whom is Stephen. After the death of Stephen, all but the apostles flee for their lives from Jerusalem. This becomes the means by which Acts 1:8 is forced upon the church as Philip and the others scatter the Word and the church begins to grow. So in a sense, the very first church fight led to the growth of the church. Nothing is beyond God’s power to use to manifest his purposes.
Chapelwood Road Trip - Sent: The Four Great Commissions: Based on Mortimer Arias' book, The Great Commission: Biblical Models for Evangelism, we will explore evangelism and disciple making by looking at the Great Commission in each of the four Gospels. When all the commissions are brought together, we see the fullness of what we are sent to do. Matthew lifts up “growth,” Mark lifts up “proclamation,” Luke lifts up “reconciliation,” and John lifts up Christ’s “divine presence.” All four give us our marching orders for kingdom work.
Chapelwood Road Trip - Sent: Sent to the Promised Future: One of the most interesting transitions in the Old Testament is in Genesis 12:1. Up until this point, the story has been the story of all humanity. But that story has ended in barrenness. The family of humanity has played out its future and has nowhere else to go. Barrenness is the way of human history unless God intervenes. Human power alone is insufficient for inventing a future. But our God is one who brings life-giving action into barrenness. The sending of Abraham and the sending of Christ will be paralleled as we revisit how God sends us into a promised future even when it seems barrenness is our current condition. What would this look like for us? What does it look like for Chapelwood? Genesis 12:1-2, Luke 4:16-21
The Transforming Power of Worship: Luke 6:39-49 These verses provide opportunity for considering how the practice of worship relates to character formation. In worship, Christians regularly confess their own sins, acknowledge their own faults and failures, and are reminded therefore that their own eyes are not free of debris. In worship, the people of God encounter the prophets with their demands for justice and righteousness, listen to Jesus, and learn from the example of his life. In worship, hymns, prayers, and sermons do their work of Christian formation Sunday after Sunday after Sunday. The tie in to Memorial Day is that people who have sacrificed so much did so because they were formed in unique ways…often in worship.
"Peace" Is a Verb: Real peace with God is a verb. It is more often a sweat-blood-and-tears process that requires of us an active cultivation of our relationship with God. It means having constant contact with God; thus, each person has to construct how she or he will build, maintain, and sustain her or his relationship with God.
Senior Service: Love Deeply: Each year the graduating high school seniors come together to plan, prepare, and present a worship service. This year, their theme was "Love Deeply."
Look . . . How They Love One Another: The Church must be the place where we love one another deeply and choose to live for each other. We should care as much about the lives of others as we do our own. In Jesus’ grand closing prayer of John 17, he prays for this. This way of love is to be the mission of future generations of Christians. It is what sets us apart from the rest of the world. We should model something different in our debates, conflicts, and worldview. We must teach the world what love really looks like.
Now You Are God's People: This sermon will help us rediscover our core identity in God. We are indeed royalty and we must remember who we are. But remembering alone is not enough. When we remember who we are, it leads to action. Peter says that we are like living stones that are built into a spiritual house. Our claim of royal identity doesn’t lead to an attitude of privilege. It leads to action rooted in humility and love.
Fishing in Unpredictable, Deep Waters: The invitation to Simon to put out to the deep waters for a catch is a sharp contrast to our natural inclinations for predictable routines. It speaks of God’s calling in our lives. This speak of new ground and new depths to be explored. This story also speaks to new challenges in mission and ministry for our church and the church of every generation. Simon realizes, as do we, that the most profound and significant experiences of God and life are not to be found in the safe way and the safe places.