God Loves Justice Week 3

Hello Friends,

Let's keep on reading! Below are my reflections on Chapters 7-9.  Please watch the video and comment with your questions, answers or thoughts!

Questions to Ponder:

What are some actions and changes we need to make to move from understanding

the poor as people to simply “take care of”  and view them as people who need to

be seen, heard, respected, and treated as equal?

When you look at the description of Job’s life, what are some of the qualities that

you want said about how you live your own life? How can you start building those

habits?

What about our worship practices are pleasing to God because they reflect justice?

What about our worship practices might irritate God because they deflect from

justice? 

Share a part of the reading that taught you something about justice.

Next week we discuss chapters 10-12.

God Loves Justice Week 2

Thank you for coming back to week two of our discussion of God Loves Justice! I'm glad you are reading with me and that we are discovering more and more about what God loves. Watch the video below and please comment if you can!

Reflections and comments: 

Think about and share an example, story or someone you know that displays our new understanding of Justice, Righteousness and Mercy.

What stands out for you in Chapters 3-6?

Do you have any questions about what we have read?

Next week we read Chapters 7-9

God Loves Justice Week 1

Hello Friends,

Thank you for joining me on this journey of discovering biblical justice. You can see my reflections on the first couple of chapters of God Loves Justice in the video below.  

If you haven't done so already please add you email to the blog! You can add your email in the box to the right that says, email address.  I have been using our Constant Contact email lists to send reminders about the blog but I may not do so every week.  

Please comment so I'll  know you were here!  I hope you have enjoyed the reading so far!  

Questions to ponder

1. What are stories from your own life that have urged you, pulled you, shaped you or called you to help those in need?  (you don’t have to call it social justice if you don’t want to:)  

2. I want you to think about the invitation Nicholas gives us in Chapter 1. 

“My goal is to extend the same invitation to you in the pages ahead. Whatever your current political opinions are, keep them. All I want to do is to challenge you to go deep into what God says He loves and allow God’s love for these things to transform your heart so you too can love what He loves.”

1. What, if anything, makes you hesitant to study social justice?
2. What, if anything, excites you about this study?
3. Have you been surprised by anything you have learned so far?

3. Preaching, teaching and pastoral care are part of the everyday work of a congregation.  If God loves justice should the work of justice also be a part of the everyday work of a congregation?   What might that look like? What changes need to take place for justice to be an everyday part of our work? 

Feel free to simply ponder these questions or share your response to one or more of them in the comments section below.  You can also comment about something you discovered in the reading.  

Next week.

Next week we will discuss chapters 3-6.  That seems like a lot but it's just a little longer than this weeks.  Happy reading!!

Reading, "God Loves Justice" Intro Video

Hello Everyone. I hope you are excited about reading, "God Loves Justice" together. Below is an intro video on the study. Please watch!

Remember to add your email to my blog!!!

I will not know if you have read the blog or watched the video unless you comment.
Comment below with your favorite Bible Story. 

For next Monday read the introduction and chapters one and two.

Let's Read "God Loves Justice" Together for Lent!

Justice Formation Fellowship

As we  work to learn how to love one another I am inviting my church to be a part of the Justice Formation Fellowship.  This is a group of five churches that plan to fellowship together from time to time and engage in justice issues.  To begin the fellowship we want to read a book about Biblical Justice together. The book we have chosen is  Jessica Nicholas' "God Loves Justice, A User-Friendly Guide To Biblical Justice and Righteousness". The fellowship's plan is to have each congregation read and study the book and then gather together and share what we have discovered.  The fellowship is planned for Sunday, April 26, 2:00 p.m. at Lake Fairfax.

  I am inviting the people of FBC Herndon (and anyone on my blog who wants to join us) to read the book during Lent.  The season of Lent is a time to go deeper in our commitment to God as we prepare for the celebration of the Resurrection.  Some people give things up for Lent and some people take things up for Lent.  I invite you to take up reading God Loves Justice and join our online discussion (see pacing guide below). 

Online Discussion about God Loves Justice

I want to make our book study an online class.  Here's how it will work.  Every Monday I will post a blog about the chapters I have assigned us to read the previous week.  I'll share my thoughts, ask some questions and give you an opportunity to share what you discovered in your reading.  You can share in the comments section.  I'll post on Monday but if you don't finish the reading until Tuesday or Wednesday you can comment then.   I think this will be fun! I believe together we can learn a lot about Justice, Righteousness and how to love one another.  If you are in, comment on this blog post letting me know!

I have 5 copies of the book. let me know if you need one!   You can also buy it Here!

Pacing Guide for God Loves Justice

February 26 -  Ash Wednesday, reading begins (Okay you can start early if you want to)

March 2 - First blog post, discussion on The Intro and Chapters 1 and 2

March 9 - Blog post discussion on Chapters 3-6

March 16 - Blog post discussion on Chapters 7-9

March 23 - Blog Post discussion Chapters 10-12

March 30 - Blog Post discussion Chapters 13-15

April 6 - Blog Post discussion Chapter 16 and the Appendix

April 12 - Easter

April 26 - Justice Formation Fellowship

A January Update

Hello FBC Herndon Friends,

I want to share a couple of exciting things with you.

1.  Here is a video link to PBS' show, Virginia Currents, which features the CURE Bus Tour I went on last year.  CURE stands for Congregations United for Racial Empathy.
 If you look real hard you can see your pastor and K Scarry.

Virginia Currents Cure

2. There are two ways you can join the work I have been doing for Racial Justice!   The first is to join the CURE Supper Series where we invite people to sit around the table and have conversations about race.  If you are interested in the CURE Supper Series please email me at ssrob72@yahoo.com

The Second, is join us in the Justice Fellowship which is a new group forming this spring.  The Justice fellowship is a group of 5 churches who are going to discover, learn and get involved in Justice issues. Our first task is to read a book on justice and then share what we learned with each other.  More Information to come on the Justice Fellowship.


3. I'm leading a Silent Retreat right here at FBC Herndon on Monday, February 17.  We will gather at 9:30 a.m. to discuss and prepare for the silence. At 10:00 a.m. the silence will begin.  We will share lunch together in silence and then break the silence and debrief at 2:00 p.m.  The entire church will be available for you to explore and be silent.  Creating long periods of holy silence is a remarkable gift to you and to God. Come and see!

4. Wednesday is our Chili Cook Off. Join us at 6:30 p.m. for fun and fellowship! 

Making Room for the Spirit

 Sunday was such a great day for our church and a powerful witness to the gospel.  Sunday, we celebrated the gift of the Spirit given on the day of Pentecost. (Acts 2:1-21) Pentecost, also marks the beginning of the Church. We celebrated by having a combined worship service with the three congregations who worship in our building. First Baptist Church of Herndon, Iglesia Bautista Shalom and The Persian Church of Herndon.  Worship was very different, but it was also powerful. In opening ourselves to worship with each other we learned a little about love.  I learned something about the Spirit too because of three things I saw during worship.  Here is what I observed. 

1.       I heard a lot of people say, I’m a little nervous right now.

A lot of us were nervous Sunday because we were doing something important and very different. All of the worship leaders were nervous. I was nervous about the different pieces coming together. The music leaders were nervous because they were playing in front of new people, some of whom did not speak their language. The preachers were nervous because the preaching was different, it was to a blended congregation so some of the people spoke a different language and one preacher was preaching in a language he does not normally preach from. Our choir was even nervous because we were singing an anthem, which we don’t typically do and we were singing in a new place to make room for the other congregations’ worship teams.  People become nervous when they do something that is different or important. Sunday was both.  Our willingness to be nervous means we were stepping out in faith. 

2.       I saw people being flexible.

The only way we were going to pull this off was by being flexible.  The truth is I am not comfortable with being flexible when it comes to leading worship! I had to learn to let go last week. Some of our people had to sit in different pews. We changed the time of worship. The sound techs from each church had to adjust to a whole new way of setting up the sound systems.  The preachers had to sit to preach. There were parts of the service spoken in languages we did not understand.  The Deacons had to develop a new way to serve communion.  What I didn’t hear was complaining. We were flexible and the service was beautiful. 

3.       The Spirit showed up!

 I know Sunday was Pentecost and we were talking about the coming of the Spirit, but I really felt the Spirit this Sunday and it was powerful!  I have been preaching and leading worship around Pentecost for 14 plus years, but I have never felt the fullness of the spirit like I did Sunday.  The Spirit is not predictable and its hard to describe, but you know it when it comes. I have received more positive feedback from this service then any other service we have ever done.  I think our people felt the Spirit too.

When we do important things that make us nervous and when we allow ourselves to be flexible with things we hold so dear, such as worship, we create room for the Spirit.  Where there is room for the Spirit amazing things happen.  Part of loving God and one another is making room for the Spirit.