West Park Baptist Church

Derek Griz

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Virgin

[18] Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. [19] And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. [20] But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [21] She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” [22] All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:[23] “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). Matthew 1:18-23

In the opening chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, we read that “before [Mary and Joseph] came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18). This took place to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah that said, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son…” (Isaiah 7:14). Jesus was born of a virgin. This is a significant point logically and theologically.

Logically

Logically, this point is a struggle for many folks. How could a virgin conceive? How could this be possible? It seems Joseph, understandably, was wrestling with these very same questions. In reply, an angel of the Lord gave him a simple answer: It was a miracle, a work of the Holy Spirit. Though our modern minds may wish for a more scientific accounting of these facts, we must content ourselves with the fact that the God who created the physical world can also enter it and alter it as he sees fit.

I recently came across a tweet that helped me put this whole discussion in perspective:

It seems that at some point, regardless of one’s beliefs or doubts, we are confronted with the miraculous. Christians simply take God and his prophets at their word.

Theologically

Theologically, the virgin birth of Jesus is extremely significant. It is not merely a sign; it is fundamental to Christ’s work and salvation project. The virgin birth brings together two important parts of his person, namely, his humanity and his divinity. In having a human mother, he too is fully human. This is important because it means that Jesus assumes all that we are and can act as a representative for the human race, being a human himself. (One early church father, Gregory of Nazianzus, famously put it this way: “That which he has not assumed, he has not healed.”)

In being conceived by the Holy Spirit, Jesus is also fully divine, the Son of God. This is important because it means that he is perfect, not inheriting the sin nature of Adam, and able to stand before God the Father. Both of these facts, his humanity and his deity, are wrapped up in the virgin birth, and both are essential to our salvation.

So, this Christmas may we revel in the brilliance of God’s plan, to rescue us through the God-man, Christ our Lord.

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Heart

I try to imagine the first Christmas…

come_emmanuel_wide_t_nt

The journey to Bethlehem with very-pregnant Mary. The rush to make arrangements for a place to stay. The birth itself with all its joy and pain. The first moments with baby Jesus, mother and child.

And then…

And then shepherds arrive. They share a strange report. Angels had appeared to them in the night sky. They appeared proclaiming the birth of the Messiah. The pronouncement was still ringing in their ears when they stumbled into the stable: For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

At this point, some level of clamor must have been developing in the city, for we read next, “And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.” Who was this all? Apparently, word had gotten out.

But Mary…

“But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).

By starting the sentence with a rather forceful “but,” we are meant to see the contrast. Mary is quiet. Everyone is talking. She is thinking. She is meditating. She is pondering this little baby and these big promises…in her heart.

As we reclaim the truth of Christmas this year, the move to the heart is an important one. We can’t miss it. We may reclaim the facts. We may reclaim the meaning, but if this knowledge does not reach our hearts, it will do us little good.

So, I propose we look to Mary as our example of Christmas focus. Just as she sat cuddling her sweet newborn and pondering all that was spoken of him, may we do the same in our hearts. May we slow down, in quietness and stillness, and meditate in our hearts on the good news of Christmas.

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Celebrating Woodlands 2015

Thank you for praying for our fall retreat. We had a wonderful time away.

Our retreats are typically a mixture of three ingredients: Fun, Fellowship, and Focus. You can trace the contours of our time along these three lines.

Fun
Fun 2

We enjoyed time playing in God’s beautiful creation. The weather was perfect autumn with blue sky afternoons and frosty evenings. We canoed on the lake. We ziplined. We played ultimate frisbee and basketball. We were thankful for the time to unwind.

Fellowship
Fellowship

A big part of retreat is having extra, unrushed time together as a student ministry and in small groups. This weekend we had time to meet in our cabin groups to connect, to discuss the bible lessons, and to pray for one another.

Focus
Focus

Our ultimate aim is to focus on God. Personal devotions in the morning, worship sets overlooking the lake, Bible lessons in the chapel, conversations with friends and leaders…these are all ways to refocus our hearts on what matters most. This year we considered three major parts of our faith: justification, sanctification, and glorification.

We are thankful for this break in our busy fall schedule. We are thankful for the serene weather, for safety as we traveled and played, for extra time together, and for God blessing His Word as we stepped back to reflect on his work in our lives.

Thank you again for partnering with us in prayer.

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Why Community?

As we begin the new ministry year, we want to emphasize the importance of being in community. Community is essential to the life of a spiritually healthy believer for at least four reasons.

Community reflects the nature of God

God is himself a person in community. As Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we see that God exists in relationship. Since we are created in His image, we are made to exist in relationship, too. We are not meant to be alone. In fact, from the beginning, God saw that it was not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18), so he created the family. In the New Testament, we see this idea of family now extending to the church (Ephesians 2:19). The church is meant to be a global, timeless family, and we are invited to contribute to and enjoy our new forever family.

Community reflects the work of Jesus

Our forever family came together at a great cost to Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:16 reminds us that Jesus lived, died, and rose again to “reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross.” The “both” mentioned there refers to Jews and Gentiles, two people groups who lived in opposition to one another. No one could bring them together. However, Jesus broke down the barriers between people groups by taking the penalty for their sin and removing the greater barrier between all people and God. True, healthy, growing community is the fruit of what Jesus has done for us, and our communities are at their best when we remind each other of Him.

Community helps others

When we participate in community, we participate in helping others. Being “in community” is synonymous with sharing each other’s burdens and blessing. The word for community or fellowship in the New Testament is “koinonia,” which at its root has the verb “to share.” This is exactly what the early church did. We read, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and the fellowship (koinonia), to the breaking of bread and the prayers . . . and all who believed were together and had all things in common (koina). And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need” (Acts 2:42, 44-45, ESV). In Acts, community took on very real and practical dimensions, and it should today as well.

Community helps us

Finally, we should remember that community helps us, too. We need the love and support of others (Galatians 6:2). We need the accountability and challenge of others (Galatians 6:1). Even the Apostle Peter needed this (Galatians 2:11). To practice the “one anothers” of the Bible, we need others. To experience the “one anothers” of the Bible, we need others. Jesus himself prepared his disciples through life together in community. So, it must be essential to our own development.

This year we want to encourage you to engage deeply in community. Be it an Adult Bible Fellowship, a Growth Group, a D-Group, or some other community group, don’t sit on the sidelines and miss out on the gift God has for you in his community, the church.

~Pastor Derek

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Lifestyle Generosity

How can families share in lifestyle generosity together?

Great question! Part of being generous is sharing our resources through the giving of our tithes and offerings. As a family, I think it is helpful to discuss giving with our children and let them know what we do and why we do it. These discussions may be particularly important today because much of our giving happens online and does not provide a visible model for our children.

The other part of being generous involves more than just our finances. It involves the giving of our lives and love to others. For many folks at West Park, their family may be one of the greatest resources they have. What do I mean? I mean the fellowship and fun, the love and hope they enjoy as a Christian family can be a wonderful gift to others. When we open up our homes to friends, when we share our driveway and toys with neighborhood kids, when we include others in our family gatherings, we are practicing lifestyle generosity together and blessing others with the love of Christ.

One great example of families partnering together in lifestyle generosity is the Camp Ta-Pa-Win-Go “Go Trip.” On this trip, West Park families served together with our missionaries, Dave and Kathy Johnson, to bless the camp and all the campers there that week. Take a minute to check out some of the highlights from the trip.

Whether it’s taking a week away to serve together or simply having a neighborhood BBQ, I hope we will all embrace our core value of lifestyle generosity and share our resources with those around us in need.