"Psalm 23 "
Dean AngellMarch 18/19, 2006
Hi folks, my name is Dean Angell and I’m a pastor here at Lakeview Church. I’ve been gone for nearly 3 weeks, off and on – traveling to meetings and events in Kelowna, Denver, Colorado and Cypress Hills. In Kelowna I had a great opportunity to sit under the teaching and mentorship of a guy named Gordon MacDonald and God used him greatly to speak into my life and into the leadership of this Church. In Denver I had an amazing opportunity to meet with several guys who lead in churches similar to ours in philosophy, but are further along the path - a little bigger and just a little more developed. This is always a rich time for me to learn from them and a very real time to invest in these long term relationships.
Then last weekend – I officiated at a family wedding in Cypress Hills and had the opportunity to help merge a couple families that needed some merging. And God used that time in a very special way.
But folks I gotta tell you it is always best to be home and in this spot with you. Whenever I am gone and see other settings and other churches I long to be back at Lakeview with you. I love you very much, you are our family and God is doing a precious work among us. I don’t know how many of you know this, but what God is doing here with us is very unique and very much a blessing (last week - great service - celebration of creativity) (Carman Schock and Don Pogoda and the programming team – awesome job).
Folks, there is a verse in the book of Ecclesiastes in the bible that says this . . . “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven . . .” A specific time for planting and harvesting, a specific time for laughing and grieving, a certain time to dance and mourn and a specific time to work and build and then a specific time to rest. I read these verses over this week and kinda laughed . . . because there is only one constant in those verses and that constant is change. Change is the only thing we can count on week after week, year after year - change is a given in our lives and in this world.
And this is clearly one of those seasons where the winds of change are blowing among us and Lakeview Church. And because of this changing season that we’re in I’ve noticed a couple things going on that I think need to be addressed. Let me rephrase that - I think God wants us to deal well with the change that He’s taking us through and I just want to talk about it a bit.
In the past few weeks I have noticed a fairly wide spread uneasiness and unrest among us as a church. Some people are feeling a bit disconnected because of the facility challenge with sharing this facility with Rock of Ages Church. This is going remarkably well-in fact, its been awesome every day so far. But it’s a change. Some people are feeling disconnected because their main connection to Lakeview was the 11:30 am Sunday service and they haven’t made the switch to Sat. night or can’t and so they feel kinda out of the loop in communication.
Examples – family with young kids drives a long way to come and just can’t get it together to come regularly Sunday by 10:00 am and Sat. night is always a work time – so they have only been here once since Christmas.
Some people have heard rumors about staff changes and it’s made them uneasy. Some are wondering about when we will move and how it will feel and what it will be like and to be honest some people are wondering if they’ll like it. Will us getting bigger feel better?
Change is an incredibly uprooting kinda thing especially in a church. And one of the hardest things to do well during change, in an organization this big is communicate clearly.
So I’m gonna do something I don’t do very often – in fact it’s never been done on a weekend service at Lakeview Church. I’m gonna open the floor to you for any questions you might have about our church and I’ll try to answer them and if I can’t – we’ll put them on the web page this week.
A few rules about public Question & Answer time:
Focus on our community not theology.
No crazy stuff – I don’t want to talk about politics.
No mean stuff – Be gentle with me and with this church.
No long stuff – Keep questions clear and to the point.
Don’t worry about awkward silence – I’m just trying to do what God asks me to. This is an exercise in dialogue, listening and transparency.
Staff Changes:
Ryan Jacobson – resigned – personal reasons. Getting married and wants to explore other options with that change.
Connections Pastor – Jacqueline Kroeker – here checking us out this weekend.
What will the service times be in the new church?
Saturday night and Sunday morning
Where have the people gone from Sunday 11:30 AM?
To Saturday night and come less often
Date to move out? End of June/July
Finish Auditorium – Phase II?
Needed 1.65M got 1.05M = need $600,000. All church society meeting to vote on whether carrying further debt is reasonable. March 29 after Encounter. Reasonable debt.
Let me answer something I get asked a lot. Dean are you gonna go? Stay?
- I will not leave
- I will see this through No Question
- Our best days are ahead of us
Not simple days but God is with us.
3 thoughts I gave our Elder Board and Elders this week.
- Have faith – our best days lie ahead
- Bear down and work hard – call & show up and encourage & volunteer
- Speak the good word – speak words of love and faith and encouragement
Remember why were doing this not for us ® for the next 1000 or 2000 people God wants to see come to Him.
Wait let’s move on.
And folks it’s not just change connected to Lakeview church that gets us uptight and feeling disconnected and a bit disillusioned it’s everything in our personal lives as well.
Several families in this church just this week are dealing with the sting of death and are grieving because of the loss of a loved one. We have lost 3 people in this community in these last days – 2 of them died far too young and one was one of the sweetest old ladies you would ever have the privilege of knowing.
But when family and friends deal with death change is very real and its abrupt and unplanned and it’s scary.
There are also many among us facing depression of different degrees and levels. And what you folks didn’t need if you’re struggling with depression is another week of cloudy, cold, windy, snowy weather. And if you’re struggling with depression you look towards winds of change that will bring in light and joy and energy, but that wind just doesn’t seem to blow very often.
Some of you are facing huge financial challenges, that is just gonna take years to dig out from. Some of you are facing marriage challenges that never seem to end. And some of you are facing addictions issues that have had you by the throat for years and years and years. And if you’ve ever dealt with an addiction in your life – you’ll know that – that grip never really goes away. It just lingers around you, looking for another opportunity to attack.
There are many of us dealing with physical issues as well- there are dozens of you with lumps waiting to be diagnosed or operations that are waiting to happen – tests that need to get done and limbs that need to heal. And you know what? Change when it comes to our physical bodies is not welcome if it’s negative change that is.
Others of us are facing career changes and the challenges that come with a new job and still others of you wish that you could have a career change, but it feels like it will never happen, or maybe you missed the opportunity and you’re trapped in a job you hate and there’s 20 more years ahead of you and you’re just putting in time and you wish change would come.
Change is a very strange thing and often it is extremely hard to figure out and to navigate through. Change is just really hard to deal with and it shakes us and drains our courage and it causes us to question our faith and more than any thing and this is the worst part of it change can cause us to lower our vision and to look down and away from the dreams God has for our lives. And it can give us that uneasy, disconnected, panicky maybe this isn’t gonna work out it’s too risky feeling. That feeling, can steal the picture God has placed in our minds and hearts, about the future and we can begin to believe that our best days aren’t really ahead and that whatever we’re facing is a hill we won’t be able to climb, and that maybe God has left us alone after all.
And folks, I gotta be honest with you if this is where you’re at today personally plus if you feel uneasy and unsettled about all the change going on at this church and if you’re carrying all that stuff around with you in your heart and mind and spirit I gotta be honest I don’t have all the answers for you – in fact I have very few answers.
But – over the past 2 weeks as I have been on a whole bunch of airplanes and have been able to be alone quite a bit. God spoke to me as clearly as I have ever heard him. See, this weeks message was supposed to be the end of our Google God series and the plan was to talk about God’s wrath and describe that. And you know what? Some day we will do that, but that’s not what God wants you to hear about today. And to be honest we had a pretty good plan on how to do this week, but God has a way of changing our plans.
If you want to hear God laugh - tell him your plans.
So here’s what I think God wants me to do. Read Psalm 23 - most of you will have heard this somewhere.
And I don’t think I’m even supposed to explain it very much and so this won’t be a fancy, exciting and tantalizing message. I’m simply gonna read this and then I’ll talk about it just a bit, but you listen for what God wants to say to you through these words. Power is reading His word. And then in just a few moments – were gonna close this service with communion – by you coming to the alter and receiving from God what you need from Him – today.
- Psalm 23:1-6
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
The Lord is my shepherd. Folks, being a shepherd is just a whole lot different than being a cowboy. A cowboy – pushed cattle with a horse and makes lots of noise to keep the herd together and is often chasing cattle pretty recklessly to keep them in line.
A shepherd is calm and he knows his sheep by name and he leads the sheep by simply calling with his voice. And the sheep respond because they know his voice and they know that the shepherd is trustworthy and they know that he is where they find food and water and rest.
The Lord is my Shepherd - calm and reassuring during seasons of change. I shall not want - He is all I need – my deepest and most inner desires are met only by Him and by Him alone. He helps me lie down in green meadows with quiet waters beside me. He alone removes stress and pressure and anxiety and fear.
He restores my soul.
He takes what is old and makes it new - He restores my soul.
He takes what is broken and mends it - He restores my soul.
He takes the problems and challenges I face and turns them into
victory and celebration and life change - He restores my soul.
And no matter what dark valley I face whether it’s:
- Illness or depression
- Financial crisis or work issues
- Family challenges or marriage problems
- Change or stress or frustration
I need not fear – for you are with me God. You help me face any
change I have – you help me deal with any enemy that comes against
me. You bless me inside and out and at every turn.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my
life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
You are the only one who can bring eternity into reality. Thank you God.
Folks, its’ with those words ringing in you ear that I want you to come to this alter with today. A simple reminder of a God who is unchanging and faithful and solid. We want to celebrate His faithfulness.
The Lord’s supper is a time to rest in God. A time when you can count on the unchanging One to change you and transform you and calm you. Communion is a time of reflection and confession and stillness inside. It is a time to connect and reconnect with God.
This alter is a place to receive.
Directions:
- Take time – don’t rush
- Come and kneel – hands down – I’m waiting
- hands up – serve me
- Come in faith:
- to meet with God
- to have your soul cleansed
- to feel Him calm your spirit
If you are not yet a follower of Christ simply say – come into my life – Lord Jesus – meet with me.
This is how we will end this hour together.
When you are done – stay a while, enjoy the quiet, pray.
