​"The time is ripe for looking back over the day, the week, the year, and trying to figure out where we have come from and where we are going to, for sifting through the things we have done and the things we have left undone for a clue to who we are and who, for better or worse, we are becoming."
~Frederick Buechner, A Room Called Remember: Uncollected Pieces 

Scripture Focus:
Colossians 2:6-19 (Common English Bible)
So live in Christ Jesus the Lord in the same way as you received him.  Be rooted and built up in him, be established in faith, and overflow with thanksgiving just as you were taught. 
See to it that nobody enslaves you with philosophy and foolish deception, which conform to human traditions and the way the world thinks and acts rather than Christ. All the fullness of deity lives in Christ’s body.  And you have been filled by him, who is the head of every ruler and authority.  You were also circumcised by him. This wasn’t performed by human hands—the whole body was removed through this circumcision by Christ.  You were buried with him through baptism and raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. When you were dead because of the things you had done wrong and because your body wasn’t circumcised, God made you alive with Christ and forgave all the things you had done wrong.  He destroyed the record of the debt we owed, with its requirements that worked against us.He canceled it by nailing it to the cross.  When he disarmed the rulers and authorities, he exposed them to public disgrace by leading them in a triumphal parade.
 
So don’t let anyone judge you about eating or drinking or about a festival, a new moon observance, or sabbaths.  These religious practices are only a shadow of what was coming—the body that cast the shadow is Christ.  Don’t let anyone who wants to practice harsh self-denial and worship angels rob you of the prize. They go into detail about what they have seen in visions and have become unjustifiably arrogant by their selfish way of thinking.  They don’t stay connected to the head. The head nourishes and supports the whole body through the joints and ligaments, so the body grows with a growth that is from God.

Reflection:
The letter to the church in Colossae makes it apparent the church is struggling and they need some help to get back on track. Societal influences are making it difficult to keep their focus on what matters. 

This is not so unlike the church today. We struggle with societal influences as we enjoy what the world has to offer us. We attempt to walk the road of faith knowing there are curves to maneuver, mountains to climb, and stop signs planted when we least want to adhere to their direction. I sometimes wish there were a Faith App that would make this process easier. 

This letter to the Colossains is packed full of rich commentary and the small selection we are focusing on for Sunday is bursting with topics from which we could choose. The one thing that I have continued to see in this text as I've poured over it this week is about remembering. 

As we look to our future, we cannot move forward without understanding our past. We continue to tell the biblical narratives because they matter to us. They give us a history. They give us a foundation. They give our lives meaning. We find hope, faith, grace, love, and so much more in the biblical text. 

How do we know who we are without remembering from where we come? I wonder if this is what Paul and Timothy are getting at when they address the church in Colossae? And I wonder if their message to this church holds a message to us today?

Join us as we discuss these questions and more on Sunday morning. Your voice and your presence is important to us at Overland Park Christian Church. 

“When hospitality is viewed as entertainment, the house is never ready.” – Christine Pohl, Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as Christian Tradition

Scripture: Genesis 18:1-10a (Common English Bible)
The Lord appeared to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre while he sat at the entrance of his tent in the day’s heat. He looked up and suddenly saw three men standing near him. As soon as he saw them, he ran from his tent entrance to greet them and bowed deeply. He said, “Sirs, if you would be so kind, don’t just pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought so you may wash your feet and refresh yourselves under the tree. Let me offer you a little bread so you will feel stronger, and after that you may leave your servant and go on your way—since you have visited your servant.”
They responded, “Fine. Do just as you have said.”
So Abraham hurried to Sarah at his tent and said, “Hurry! Knead three seahs of the finest flour and make some baked goods!” Abraham ran to the cattle, took a healthy young calf, and gave it to a young servant, who prepared it quickly. Then Abraham took butter, milk, and the calf that had been prepared, put the food in front of them, and stood under the tree near them as they ate.
They said to him, “Where’s your wife Sarah?”
And he said, “Right here in the tent.”
Then one of the men said, “I will definitely return to you about this time next year. Then your wife Sarah will have a son!”

​Reflection: The last several weeks in worship, we've been focusing on the Core Values of OPCC and the characteristics of Vision as we seek to see through God's eyes.  The last several weeks in our world have also been very hard as we consider the violence and terrorism that has been so stunning on our human family.  The feelings of hopelessness abound as it seems impossible to turn on the news without yet another tragic story of violence.  

In these situations, and in this time, we know we can turn to scripture; scripture is full of situations that remind us to hope, even the ones that don't expressly talk about hope.  This Sunday we will focus on this passage from Genesis that reminds us of the Hope in Hospitality because hospitality is much more than simply getting your house ready for a party.
​
We hope you will join us - the table is simply not complete when we are missing some of our family in faith!

​Proverbs 29:18
​(The Message)

​If people can’t see what God is doing,they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals,    they are most blessed.

Acts 16:9-15 Common English Bible (CEB)
A vision of a man from Macedonia came to Paul during the night. He stood urging Paul, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” Immediately after he saw the vision, we prepared to leave for the province of Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.
We sailed from Troas straight for Samothrace and came to Neapolis the following day. From there we went to Philippi, a city of Macedonia’s first district and a Roman colony. We stayed in that city several days. On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the riverbank, where we thought there might be a place for prayer. We sat down and began to talk with the women who had gathered. One of those women was Lydia, a Gentile God-worshipper from the city of Thyatira, a dealer in purple cloth. As she listened, the Lord enabled her to embrace Paul’s message. Once she and her household were baptized, she urged, “Now that you have decided that I am a believer in the Lord, come and stay in my house.” And she persuaded us.

Reflection:
This past week has been a difficult one for our nation. Following three days of high profile shootings we are left feeling scared and angry. We don't know what to say and we are unsure of what to do.

​What we can't do is ignore what is happening around us. We can't ignore the emotions involved. We can't ignore the innocent deaths among the black community or among the police who serve our society. 

Here at OPCC, we've been in discussion these past few weeks about our core values and how these values might help us seek God's vision for our church and for the world. This week we focus on Serving With Heart. What does this mean in the current climate of our nation? 

In our scripture selection from the book of Acts, we find Paul on his travels. He's just met Timothy who joins him in sharing the gospel message. They attempt to enter Asia but we are told the Spirit wouldn't allow them to speak there. Paul then has a vision of a man from Macedonia who urges him to come to their aid. 

Paul and his companions immediately set out on the road with the conviction they are to proclaim the good news in Macedonia. After some time they arrive in the Macedonian city of Phillipi, a Roman colony. 

What I find most interesting in this text occurs on the Sabbath when Paul's group decide to go find a place of prayer. They didn't go to the synagogue or any other place within the city. Instead they leave through the city gates and head to the river. 

At the river, they encounter a Gentile woman named Lydia. Lydia not only listened to Paul's message but she and her entire household are baptized on the spot. She then persuades this group of missionaries to stay at her home during their mission in Macedonia. 

This text reminds us that long before our current world of unrest, Paul and Lydia stretched the acceptable boundaries of their ancient world. They opened themselves up to God's leading and served with their hearts. 

Join us on Sunday morning, July 10, as we dig deeper into these scriptures and talk about ways they might have a message for us today. 

“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.” 
― A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:1, 4-14, 25-27 (The Voice)
Now let me turn to some issues about spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters. There’s much you need to learn.
Now there are many kinds of grace gifts, but they are all from the same Spirit. There are many different ways to serve, but they’re all directed by the same Lord. There are many amazing working gifts in the church, but it is the same God who energizes them all in all who have the gifts.
Each believer has received a gift that manifests the Spirit’s power and presence. That gift is given for the good of the whole community. The Spirit gives one person a word of wisdom, but to the next person the same Spirit gives a word of knowledge. Another will receive the gift of faith by the same Spirit, and still another gifts of healing—all from the one Spirit. One person is enabled by the Spirit to perform miracles, another to prophesy, while another is enabled to distinguish those prophetic spirits. The next one speaks in various kinds of unknown languages, while another is able to interpret those languages. One Spirit works all these things in each of them individually as He sees fit.
Just as a body is one whole made up of many different parts, and all the different parts comprise the one body, so it is with the Anointed One. We were all ceremonially washed through baptism together into one body by one Spirit. No matter our heritage—Jew or Greek, insider or outsider--no matter our status—oppressed or free—we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Here’s what I mean: the body is not made of one large part but of many different parts. That way there should be no division in the body; instead, all the parts mutually depend on and care for one another. If one part is suffering, then all the members suffer alongside it. If one member is honored, then all the members celebrate alongside it. You are the body of the Anointed, the Liberating King; each and every one of you is a vital member.

Reflection: 
​Focusing only on what unites us can be a difficult task.  It seems far easier to recognize how we are different.  Even the simplest  ways of identification, I can easily recognize that my husband has dark hair and I have light hair.  I have blue eyes and my nephew has brown eyes.  

We are pretty lucky.  My husband and I both have families that are pretty close, and do a lot together.  We live nearby; even our extended families are only a few hours away.  When we get together for a reunion or a holiday celebration I may know that there are different skin colors and different eye colors, but I also know that we are from the one family.  Often, our gatherings are more fun when we aren't worried about how we are different ages and might consider different activities as to how we would like to spend our time.  Our meals are easier when we focus on what everyone can agree upon rather than discussing why I don't eat meat, only fish, and why my husband would like to only eat meat, forever.

These seem like trivial examples, and to a certain extent they are.  However, when we focus on the family time and what is best for the family to have an enjoyable evening or weekend together, rather than on what each individual person needs to do in order to enjoy their time, then it seems as if it all naturally falls into place and we have the best time.

The church in Corinth struggled, like most churches even today, about their gifts.  What about me?  I bring this gift to the church.  And what about her, she brings this other gift, which one is better?  Nowadays when people ask me about the church that I serve I often get questions about what makes us different from the church they attend, or something similar.  Perhaps we still have much to learn, like the church in Corinth, about focusing on what unites us, focusing on the Body of Christ.

We hope you will join us tomorrow - it's supposed to rain a lot in Kansas City, so this is a great reason to come worship together, hear some AMAZING music from the Kansas City Men's Ensemble who will be singing, and simply be together.  ALL are welcome to join us, no matter how different you think you might be, we choose to focus on what unites us in the Body of Christ, and you (yes YOU!) are welcome here!