Roseberry's Leaderboard

Dear Friends,

It has been a deep and meaningful Lent for me…and I hope for you. I have tried to keep to a few disciplines…some with success, some without. I have also tried to grow deep and go deeper in my walk with Christ. I have read a few books and concentrated on the Scriptures a bit more.

In some respects, I have learned just how weak I am and just how “human” I remain. Despite a growing love of Christ, I find that my humanity is ever-present. It trips me up. Can you relate to this? Do you have the same problem: that the good, holy and pious deeds you want to do, or the good things you want to accomplish, really don’t make you more holy and righteous at all?! Instead, at least for me, they show me how unholy and unrighteous I truly am. Read Romans 7 and see if you relate to what I am saying.

But in this Lent, too, I have also been eager to share the Encounters with Christ from the pulpit. Whether you have heard these messages in our chapel services or in the sanctuary, I hope that the Lord has taught you the deep things about God. And if you have dug deeper into these encounters through our Small Group ministry and Fr. Jason’s excellent video series, I trust you have been blessed.

This weekend we turn the corner to Holy Week. Each day and each service and each message will help us remember the week in history that changed everything. As we work our way through Holy Week let me remind you of the privilege we all have as Christians. We can actually invite others to join us and to be a part of the most powerful and spiritual week of the year. Oddly enough, I have found that people are very, very open to receiving an invitation to attend during this time of year. It is exceedingly simple to break the ice on a genuine invitation to attend in Holy Week services. Here is the question I traditionally use with just about anyone: “Do you have a place to attend any Holy Week or Easter services?” It works! But let me underscore one thing that remains the most important: Be sure that YOU come! Here are five questions I would want you to ask yourself to get ready for Holy Week:

1.  Would you wave to Jesus and cheer for Him if He came by the place you were standing? If the answer is yes, then you need to come to Palm Sunday services.

2.  Would you go to dinner with Jesus if He invited you? If the answer is yes, then you must come to worship on Maundy Thursday.

3.  Would you walk alongside Him to help Him carry the cross on His way to Calvary? If the answer is yes, then you must attend the Stations of the Cross event at noon on Good Friday.

4.  Would you attend His memorial service and express your love and support for His life of love and service? If the answer is yes, then you must come on Good Friday evening.

5.  Would you throw a party to celebrate a tremendously extravagant inheritance? If the answer is yes, then you must come to worship on Easter Saturday/Sunday.

In other words, you must come and walk the walk! Now, here are a few more things you need to know:

Gospel Coalition
I am in Chicago this week attending a national conference called The Gospel Coalition. It is a preaching/teaching conference with some of the current leaders of faith. I am tweeting throughout the conference. You can follow me @DHRoseberry. I’m also using the #A1K so that they pop up for those involved in the @Anglican1000 church planting movement. If you’re really industrious, you can even watch some of the talks live from the conference over the next few days.

Many of these teachers and leaders are writers whose blogs and opinions I follow. Check out some of their blogs located here. I usually check out Justin Taylor’s blog on a daily basis. Then I click over to Tim Challies. Here are a few others I go to quite frequently:

Get Religion

Vitamin Z

Caffeinated Thoughts

By the way, would you let us know which blogs you visit for similar content? We would all like to know what you are reading. Share the link in the comments section at the bottom of this page and tell us why you like those blogs.

About the Apostle Paul
I mentioned last weekend that there were a few things I wanted you to know about the Apostle Paul that you probably didn’t know. I said that he and Jesus of Nazareth were born at about the same time. Paul and Jesus had totally different upbringings and education and really never met until the Damascus Road experience (Acts 9). But I also wanted you to see a picture Paul. This drawing is from the 4th century and corresponds to a composite picture put together by forensic scientists. Compare these two: The picture on the left is explained here. The rendering on the right is a composite based on “extra-biblical documents”.

Drawings of the Apostle Paul

Going Out of Debt
Did you check it out? Did you see in last weekend’s bulletin that the balance on the loan fund has already been reduced by over $2 million?! What a blessing! Thanks to those who are already giving (many ahead of schedule!) The church’s ministry is being blessed on a

2nd Graders and Parents Held a Seder Last Sunday

daily basis. Please rejoice with me, as this is very good news, especially for our Children’s and Youth Ministries. Visit our website for more financial details.

Speaking of children, here is an example of the kind of ministry that is happening in Archgate Center: The 2^nd grade Communion Discovery Sunday School class participated in a Seder last weekend. Parents were invited to attend as students took part in a great hands-on experience. They tied the history of Passover to Christ and the sacrament of Communion that we do in the sanctuary together as a church family. The third grade classes volunteered during the Seder and helped pass along the traditions they learned at the Seder last year. Here is a photo of the event.

New People
I remain amazed at the ministry we (you!) are doing through Christ Church. Rev. Susan Freeman sent me a wonderful written account of how Christ Church is reaching new people with the love of Christ and the message of the Good News! Here is what she wrote, and I know it will inspire you, too.

“Come and See”

Do you remember this story from John 1? Jesus finds Philip and says, “Follow me.” Philip then finds Nathanael and says to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael replies, with a bit of skepticism, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip responds with an invitation: “Come and see.” Philip doesn’t just talk about Jesus to Nathanael; he invites Nathanael to check out Jesus for himself.

There are many in our culture who have a similar, somewhat skeptical and cynical attitude toward religion and the church. However, each week there are people coming into Christ Church because one of you has been responsive to the Spirit of Christ, recognized an opportunity, and then been bold enough to invite someone to “come and see.”

Several weeks ago I met a woman who was visiting Christ Church for the second time. I’ll call her Pam. She was a “fourth generation” guest.  The person who invited Pam to visit had been invited by someone else who had been invited by someone else who had been invited by someone else. Four generations of people who are being blessed in worship, in growing, and in serving the Lord through the ministries of Christ Church! What a vivid illustration of the far-reaching impact a single invitation can have!

Last weekend, I met a first-time guest who was visiting at the invitation of someone who joined the church just a few weeks ago. He told me that “faith” and “church” had come up in one of their conversations. She talked enthusiastically about Christ Church and what God has been doing in her life since her first visit back in February. On Sunday morning, he considered calling her to say that he wanted to come and visit but then decided not to call.  A few minutes later he received a call from her to “come and see.”  The Holy Spirit was already at work preparing his heart to be receptive and the Holy Spirit worked in her heart to be bold, to make the call, and to invite him to visit Christ Church.

There are many tools God uses to draw new people to Christ Church for that first visit: the website, a special event, our monument sign on Legacy Drive that people see as they drive by on their way to work or to school.  But what a blessing and gift God gives to us when we reach out and invite someone.  This is God’s invitation to us to be a part of His work in the life of another person. And personal invitation has the potential to have the greatest impact. When you invite someone here you are already a living witness, a testimony to the way God is working in your life through the ministry of Christ Church.

As we enter Holy Week, every one of us will have an opportunity to invite neighbors, co-workers, friends, perhaps even someone we encounter for the first time. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, be bold, invite someone to “come and see!” Your invitation could be the very thing God intends to use to bring hope, healing, and salvation into the life of another.

In Christ,
David+

Dear Friends,

Last night was the longest and darkest night of the year! From this point forward the days will get longer and longer…and there will be more and more light. This is the effect  of Jesus on the world. When He was was born, Matthew (quoting Isaiah 9:1-2) tells that “the people that sat in darkness have seen a great light; on those who sat in the valleys and the regions of the shadow of death…light has come!”

This is the time to let the light of Jesus shine.

And there are many good ways to share the light of Christ. One great way to share the light of Christ is for you to invite others to come with you (or meet you) for Christmas Eve services. The moments we share together at 4, 6, 8, and 10 p.m. are magnificent – full of meaning and joy and a clear presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Go ahead. Share the light in the darkness! Invite someone.
 

Forty-five Years of Ministry Celebrated Today

December 21 (today) is the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle (and Doubter). Today is also the 45th anniversary of Fr. Ted Nelson’s ordination to the priesthood.

Fr. Ted is well-known for his passion for the gospel and his faithfulness to Christ’s redemptive work through the church. In his ministry he has had only three assignments. He was briefly a Curate at Church of the Incarnation right after he was ordained. However, Bishop Mason felt a call to plant churches in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and gave Fr. Ted the assignment of planting a new church in the Garland area. Church of the Resurrection became known around the world as a church where the Holy Spirit was honored and witnessed. “Rez” was one of the most exciting and dynamic churches in the Episcopal Church during the decade of the 70s and into the 80s.

Fr. Ted & Fr. David Celebrate Eucharist

When I was laying the groundwork here for Christ Church 25 years ago, I paid a visit to Fr. Ted. We became good friends, and when Fr. Ted retired he came to work at Christ Church as a “Sunday Assistant”, counselor to our members, and general mentor to me. He and his wife, Lee Ann, have been dearly loved here at Christ Church, and over the years all of their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren have attended Christ Church. Fr. Ted began his ministry here over 20 years ago and has served with love and distinction all these years.

Today in the Chapel, at our regularly scheduled Tuesday service, Fr. Ted and I celebrated the Eucharist together in thanksgiving for his 45 years of faithful service to Christ and to His Church. Please join me in giving thanks today for Fr. Ted and Lee Ann who have served the Lord faithfully…without a doubt!

In Christ,
David+

Dear Friends,

I have been busy inviting people to Christ Church. I have a small stack of the little invitation cards that we gave out here a couple of weeks ago. I have left them in people’s mailboxes (is that against the law?); I have given them to clerks as I check out of stores; I gave one to a man I met in Seattle who asked me if I was a pastor! (Do I have that ‘look’??) I also leave them alongside a generous tip at restaurants.

One of four designs of Christ Church invitation cards

Have you? Now is the time and this is the season to invite your friends and the people you do business with. The little cards are yours free…and they are available by the hundreds in the Fellowship Hall each week. But this week especially, God will use your heart-felt desire to introduce people to Christ and to the Christian Church.

True story: One of our staff members was at a home improvement store a few months ago. He struck up a conversation with the woman at the register. He invited her to church. She came. I recognized her in the Narthex and introduced myself. She told me how she found Christ Church: through the personal invitation of a member of our church.

A few months later I was at that home improvement store where she works. I found her and asked her about her experience visiting Christ Church. She said, in so many words, “It’s the church I have been looking for ever since I moved here many years ago.” The joy and the grace of God are blessings to others when they hear them or see them or experience them in the Body of Christ at Christ Church. Don’t be shy! Reach out and invite.

Here are a few other things you should know this week:

Fasting Tomorrow
Friday, March 26 is the second of two days that Christ Church set aside during the Lenten season to fast together as a church family. I encourage you to explore this discipline. If you are new to fasting, read about it here.

How will you engage Holy Week?
This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday and it is the doorway into the most holy of weeks in the Christian year. As you know, we have been taking the long route, week by week, to look into the actions and teaching of Jesus on the last week of His earthly life. This weekend, The Week That Changed Your Life will enter into the mystery of the death and resurrection of our Lord. Please be here…it will make your Easter celebration much more meaningful!

In point of fact, the Season of Lent ends on Sunday, Palm Sunday. The Christian Year actually gives “the week that changed your life” its own name: “Holy Week”. And the question that should be hanging over your life is this: How will I engage this week?

I will explain this a bit more this weekend, but it is our tradition to offer the “full blown” Easter service on Saturday evening at 5:30. This is actually a huge help because it allows many more guests and visitors to come on Sunday morning and find a seat. In the last few years, Saturday evening Easter has been on par with the main services at 9 and 11 a.m. So, as you are planning your Easter weekend, remember to consider the Saturday option. Click here to see all the service times and details.

‘See you this weekend.
David+

Dear Friends,

Angel Tree Generosity
One of the great privileges of being the rector at Christ Church for over 24 years has been watching your generosity in action. I believe we must have the most giving, big-hearted church family anywhere. I really mean this…did you see all the stacks and stacks of Angel Tree gifts brought in last weekend? Each one represents a person who will be touched and cared for in the name of Jesus Christ. Here are some pictures of the gifts being delivered last night. Thanks for your participation!

Delivery at a Plano community home

About to surprise someone

Theme of the night: smiles

Open Invitations
Earlier in 2009, the staff sat down and gave careful thought to how we invite and welcome new visitors into our church week by week. The Mozart Requiem, the Thanksgiving Eve service, and the Big Band Concert were part of that plan—special events designed with extra hospitality so that we might be ready, as a family, to receive those people whom the Lord wants to send to us. And He has! As 2009 closes, we have one more ideal opportunity to introduce someone to our worship life: Christmas Eve. This weekend, you will receive an invitation card that you can slip under a neighbor’s doormat or hand to a friend at work. I encourage you to do that simple act, and then let the Holy Spirit do the rest.

Resolve to Worship, Grow and Serve in 2010
Also this weekend, you will receive a brochure with a comprehensive list of Christ Church’s offerings for the next 7 months—classes, events, studies, etc. I think (hope) you will appreciate our simplified and focused ministry plan. Please take it home and prayerfully consider the ways that we can help you complete your “Worship-Grow-Serve” triangle in 2010. Here is an advance electronic version for you to preview.

‘See you this weekend. Remember, the 9:15 & 11:00 services will be the traditional “Lessons and Carols.”

In Christ,
David+

Dear Friends,
A vestry member called me today to make an observation. He said he experienced a problem on Sunday that he had never encountered at Christ Church…at least not in recent years. He couldn’t find a place to park!

I have never had to worry about finding a place to park on Sunday morning (I live really close ☺), but generally, I think this is a good problem to have. It means that our members are taking seriously the call to commit to Worship Christ, Grow in Christ, and Serve as Christ in and from the church. It also means something that we would all suspect: People are looking for deep answers in the wake of the national trauma we have all experienced.

Christ Church is a place to find these kinds of answers…because these answers are found embedded in the Gospel of Christ. I ask for your prayers as I try week by week to preach a gospel of hope and grace. I hope you will continue to commit to attend worship and to invite others to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.

I want to thank you all for your patience and comments as I have made some changes in the worship life of Christ Church. Things like this take time and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I’ll be visiting with our Vestry about it on Monday night.

And, by the way, those at the 11:00 service last Sunday experienced something wonderful when I asked people to “get out of their neighborhood” and meet others. Let’s be sure we continue to reach the many new people that are attending.

Here are some things I want you to know:

1. MARRIAGE
I had planned on preaching a sermon this weekend entitled “A Biblical Vision of Marriage.” My eyes are bigger than my stomach. When I got into the study and preparation for it, I realized that it was too much to do on a Sunday. I have asked Fr. Jeff Rawn to work with me to find a single evening where I can present this material to the whole church in the Fellowship Hall. I hope to videotape it so that we can present it to couples in our pre-marital sessions and for other uses around the church. Dates for that will be made known soon.

2. LENT
Lent is coming up (Ash Wed is Feb 25) and Christ Church has a great deal to offer our members and friends to deepen their spiritual life. Go deep this year. Here is one event you can look forward to. Complete Lenten details will be on the website soon.

3. CUSSING
I spoke to the men at On Point this week about language, words and cussing. Many men struggle in this area…and sadly, many young students do, too. I showed the men an intriguing website and story of your young boy who decided to challenge his friends to stop cussing. He is doing it. Go to this website: www.nocussingclub.com. Read it over…and gently suggest it to your teenage children.

4. ORDINATION
Finally, there are three people in our church family who have taken the Lord’s call on their lives very seriously and in fact are preparing to be ordained by our bishop: Daniel Adkinson, Susan Freeman and Jason Bowman. Their respective photos are below. You are all invited to the ordination service on February 28 at 10:30 a.m. in our Sanctuary. If you see these three individuals, give a hug or handshake to encourage them in this wonderful new phase of their ministry.

In Christ,
David+

Dear Friends,

I hope you had an opportunity to see some of the inauguration ceremony on Tuesday. In light of all the violence and power wars in the history of the world, I could not help but reflect on our process of the transfer of political power. On Tuesday we saw the most powerful country on earth peacefully transfer authority and responsibility from one man to another, from one political party to another. I thank God for our amazing country.

I also know that the economic meltdown deeply touches all of us. It is a new day. I have been thinking and praying over that for months. You have heard me speak to this “new day” on many occasions since I returned from Sabbatical in October. I urge you, please, to reach out to your neighbors and coworkers and invite them to church. Trust me…there are many people feeling the stress of these times. They are desperately in need of the hope you have already found. Here is a simple way to make the invitation:“Friend, I know of one place where you can find hope. Why don’t you come to church with me this weekend?” It is simple…and extremely meaningful when you do this. In fact, I was stopped by someone in the Fellowship Hall a few weeks ago who said, “David, I was one of those people on the other side of the invitation. I was invited to Christ Church about a year and a half ago. It has made all the difference to me.”

Here are a few more things I’d want you to know:

1. I left the 11:00 Sanctuary service early last week and popped into Chapel Hill during their announcement time. The room was packed. I made my way to the front in order to personally invite the whole group to join in the Sanctuary services on a week-by-week basis. It is my hope that we can join in a shared vision to reach out to the community around us…together. Chapel Hill and the Sanctuary worship can bring strength and heart to one another. In the weeks to come, both the 9:15 and 11:00 services will see some changes in the format and feel of our worship, a new bulletin, and, I pray, a renewed sense of joy to all of us. Nothing could be more needed in these days.
2. This coming weekend at the Sanctuary services we will welcome Bishop and Judith Godfrey. From the Diocese of Peru, they are beloved, long-time partners in ministry with Christ Church. Many members of our church family feel a strong connection to that Diocese, in part because of our partnership with the Casas Hogares orphanages there, and now through our support of their new Leadership Development Center in Lima.
3. Finally, I ask for your prayers next week. Most of our clergy will be at the AMiA Winter Conference in Greensboro, NC. I have the honor of delivering one of the keynote addresses. I’ll also be leading two workshops. At some point, I hope to share some of our original video productions with the group there. See if you can spot any familiar faces in these commercials. I’ll write you from there next Thursday and be back in time for our worship over the weekend of Feb 1 when we bring the Chapel Hill and the Sanctuary services together at 11:00 a.m.

‘See you this weekend in church. Bring a friend!

Faithfully yours in Christ,

David+