Christmas Day Devotional Guide

Good morning and merry Christmas! As you celebrate this morning, we wanted to share a few tools for individual or family worship. Everyone observes this day differently—fit as much or as little of this into your day as you’d like!

Read or Watch

Luke 2:1–20

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
(ESV)

KIDS: Jesus Storybook Bible Christmas Story

Pray

“Celebrating Together on Christmas Morning” from “Words for Winter” by the Austin Stone

LEADER/PARENT:
Wonder upon wonder, Christmas morning is here:
tree trimmed, decorated, and gifts in tow.
We gather together, anticipating delights and traditions,
preparing our hearts to both give and receive.
Let the symbols and celebration of Christmas morning-exchanging gifts,
opening stockings, and reading about Santa-
turn our heads and hearts to the better story of Jesus birth and eminent reign.

PEOPLE/OTHERS:
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
for His steadfast love endures forever.

LEADER:
We give to each other with generosity,
like the bishop Saint Nicolas did to the poor and needy.
For we were once poor and needy,
but now are rich in faith and heirs to God’s kingdom.
Because God sent Jesus, born of woman, born under the law,
so our status as poor and needy orphans might change to righteous, adopted children.

PEOPLE:
We love each other in generosity because You first loved us.
For the Lord takes thought of us.
You are our Help and our Deliverer, O Lord.
Your generosity toward us
is abundant and immeasurable.

LEADER:
We recount the nativity and remember with all the saints
how from the foundation of the world,
You, O Lord, have been weaving a glorious story, reconciling a people to Yourself:
how Mary and Joseph trusted You,
how the angels declared the good news to the shepherds,
and how the wise men brought gifts to Jesus, because He is King and worthy of worship.

PEOPLE:
For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given.
His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation,
and His kingdom will know no end.

LEADER:
He is calling a people to Himself,
from every tribe, tongue, and nation,
and while we celebrate His kingship around a Christmas tree this morning,
we will celebrate with final rejoicing around His throne when He returns again.

PEOPLE:
So, until we see Him face to face, we will give thanks to the God of Heaven,
for His steadfast love endures forever.

ALL:
Amen.

Sing

Pick a Christmas song or two from this playlist to sing through as a family, or just listen through in the background.

in Advent 2022 Weekly Devotional Series

Advent Devotional Guide: Week Four

The Second Coming and Mission

In our fourth and final week of Advent, we are focusing on how the Second Coming of Christ shapes and motivates our mission in the world. The story of the Bible culminates in the return of Jesus to renew and restore the world. This future restoration is not disconnected from our current reality. Rather, it’s the culmination of the mission that Jesus has given to His people.

As we anticipate His future return, followers of Jesus are called to participate in this mission by representing Christ in the way we live and by spreading the good news about Jesus to our neighbors, communities, and around the world.

The glorious truth is that the Bible gives us a Gospel that addresses every dimension of the problem that sin has created. God’s mission is the final destruction of all that is evil from His whole creation. Our mission therefore has to be as comprehensive in scope as the Gospel the whole Bible gives us. […] God chose not to abandon or destroy His creation, but to redeem it. And He chose to do so within history through persons and events that run from the call of Abraham to the return of Christ.
(Christopher Wright, “The Mission of God’s People,” p. 41)

Prayer Invitations & Discussion Questions

  • Individually, with your co-workers, or with your household, pray the the Lord’s Prayer 1–3 times a day (morning, noon, and night):

    “Our Father in heaven,
    hallowed be your name.
    Your kingdom come,
    your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
    Give us this day our daily bread,
    and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
    And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.
    (From Matthew 6:9–13)

    • Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven: Pray that God would give us passion and courage to participate in His Kingdom mission:

    • Who are your friends or family members that don’t know Jesus? Pray that God would give you opportunities and courage to share the good news of Jesus with particular neighbors, friends, co-workers, classmates, or family members.
    • Are there areas in your life where you don’t feel like you are representing Christ well? Pray that Jesus would help you to grow as a representative of His character in that area.
    • Jesus has called us to be His witnesses “to the ends of the earth.” Pray for missionaries and Christians around the world who are bringing the good news of Jesus to unreached or under-reached regions and communities.
  • Join us for our final Advent Weekly Prayer this Wednesday, December 21, at 12pm in the Gallery at the church building. Consider also fasting from breakfast and/or lunch. New to fasting? Here are some thoughts.

Songs for the week

O Come O Come Emmanuel (The Christian Year, Park Church Music, Chichi Agorom from “The Christian Year, Vol. 1“)

Joy To The World (The Christian Year, Park Church Music, Anna Brawner from “The Christian Year, Vol. 2“)

Additional Resource

Witness (Martus) Word Study (The Bible Project)

in Advent 2022 Weekly Devotional Series

Covenant Member Update: December 2022

Covenant Members of Park Church,

A common cultural rhythm around this time of year is to look back and look forward. It’s worth doing this as a church as well. Our more extensive annual planning process as a staff team will kick-off in mid-February (see below). But it’s also worth considering the past year and paying attention to some indicators of what’s ahead.

The early part of 2022 was particularly strained for us as a church. Each of you (and our leadership team) had distinct relational ties, experiences, and personal impact in connection to Park Church Downtown. Yet it was a season that we all walked through as a church family. The year prior we had entered into an exciting opportunity to participate in God’s mission in downtown Denver, partnering with another church in our network. We quickly discovered how much we had to learn. As I’m writing, the lyrics of the song in the background are: “Pruning is painful; surrendering hurts” (“Make Room” by The Sing Team). This rang true for us. The song goes on, however, to say: “May this creed prepare the way for rebirth.”

This reminds me of a section in Pete Scazzero’s “The Emotionally Healthy Leader” when he discusses endings and new beginnings. He writes:

“Embracing endings in order to receive new beginnings is one of the fundamental tasks of the spiritual life… Not every problem can or should be solved or overcome; some things just need to be allowed to die. This isn’t necessarily a failure. Often it is an indication that one chapter has ended and a new one is waiting to be written. This happens in our personal lives as well as in leadership” (p270).

Letting Park Church Downtown–and the dream of what could have been–die truly stung. And the effect still lingers. Particularly for those of you who sacrificed the most, reprioritizing and redirecting significant aspects of your lives in order to engage the mission downtown, the hurt was most pronounced. Healing from this loss will certainly take more time.

And yet, God was not ignorant of what was happening, and He hasn’t been absent in the unfolding of it. This is equally true in the midst of the societal squeezing we all have felt over the past few years. The pandemic jarred us all. Ideological warfare often caught the church in its crosshairs. And we all were thrown into a complex juggling routine that none of us anticipated.

Yet here we are. It is not difficult to boldly proclaim with David: “The LORD is the strength of His people; He is the saving refuge of His anointed” (Psalm 28:8). Similarly in Psalm 33: “The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations” (v11). Our God kindly turned last year’s winter into a summer of genuine rest and movement toward healing.

The past handful of months has provided incremental movement toward refreshment and realignment. Perhaps it’s a bit like hopping off a merry-go-round that an insidious 11-year-old has been spinning for several minutes. Your head spins with disorientation and you think you might lose your lunch. But then you find the tree line, feel the sunlight on your face, and a friend grabs your hand. After your body calms you feel freed up to search for the charcuterie board on a picnic blanket you were promised.

I don’t imagine many of us would say the charcuterie board is set and ready. But I do believe the ingredients are being gathered. Alright, enough metaphor. The short of it is, we’re beginning to feel a real sense of clarity, a growing unity, and an experience of church as family that is resoundingly welcomed. Interacting with the over 50 people who went through our Foundations process this last semester conveyed that to many of us on our staff and elder teams. And the particular conversations with you all, hearing stories of uncommon generosity, relational healing, and an experience of God’s vivid work have powerfully heartened us.

There’s good work in front us. It’s work that each of us is called to as members of the body of Christ. Our leadership team exists to “equip the saints [read: ‘Christians’] for the work of ministry [read: ‘everyday works of service’]” (Ephesians 4:12). Below are several updates–including finances–and areas of clarified direction that will continue to help orient us as a church family moving forward.

OUR UPCOMING YEAR TOGETHER

SHEPHERDING REGIONS

You all (covenant members of Park Church) live in neighborhoods and suburbs all across the Denver Metro Area. Because of this, we need a particular strategy to ensure each member is personally cared for and discipled. We have conceptualized the metro area as existing in seven different “shepherding regions.” Each region includes members of Park Church who either (a) are part of a Gospel Community that meets in that region; or, if a person is not in a Gospel Community, (b) have a home address in that region.

Our elders will then lead a “shepherding team” that includes Gospel Community coaches and (as we build these out) other roles as well. It is through this structure that Gospel Communities will be visited, pastoral needs are cared for, and overall relational connection to our covenant members is maintained. (Kyle wonderfully outlined this all in more detail at our last Family Meeting.) Right now we have the basic structure and some of the pieces. But it will take some time to grow our elder team, develop our deacon process, and work the vision into the particulars of how we function week-to-week.

One of the steps we have recently taken is to bring onto our staff team Bailey Hurley! She is now serving as our Community Coordinator, a role we communicated in our last newsletter. She, her husband Tim, and their family have been worshiping and serving with us for many years. We are so grateful for Bailey’s willingness to serve our church in an even more expanded way than she was as a GC Coach. To learn more about Bailey, you can follow this link. Please welcome and congratulate her! (Her email address is bailey@parkchurch.org if you’d like to shoot her an email.)

Be on the lookout for how we proceed and build out our Shepherding Regions. This structure will form the relational and pastoral foundation of a growing amount of what we do as a church.

LIVING THE MISSION OF GOD SERIES

Our early 2023 series is on “Living the Mission of God.” This will run five weeks, each Sunday unpacking a specific facet of God’s mission through us as His church. (Gary gave us excellent vision for this at our last Family Meeting.) Each Sunday is designed to propel us into an area or two of practice. We must recognize that none of us is called to simultaneously grow and serve in equal proportions in every area of the Christian life. God intentionally gave us limits! But there are likely one or two areas that He is ushering you into throughout the series. We invite you to pray through and consider the areas of focus below and what that might mean for you in the coming months.

The Global Mission of God (January 8)

Invitations:

  • Gather to pray for the nations and global missions
  • Write notes (or draw pictures, kids!) for our missionary partners just after each service

Hospitality & Neighboring (January 15)

Invitations:

  • Leverage the Neighbor Grid to get to know your neighbors
  • Generate ideas and opportunities through Gospel Communities

Restorative Justice (January 22)

Invitations:

  • Serve with Denver Rescue Mission
  • Serve with Alternatives Pregnancy Center

Faith & Work (January 29)

Invitations:

  • Attend the Women’s Formation Event (Tuesday, January 31)
  • Attend the Men’s Formation Event (Monday, February 27)

Sharing the Good News (February 5)

Invitations:

  • Attend, support, and/or invite to the Alpha Course (email Becca if interested to learn more: rebeccagriffis20@gmail.com)
  • Utilize the resource card we provide

FINANCES & END–OF–YEAR GIVING

We are encouraged to see a continued positive variance month–to–month. Thank you for your generosity as we work back to stabilized fiscal health. (In our October newsletter you’ll find a more detailed picture of finances.)

Right now we are asking you all to help us meet our December goal. Each year, we rely on December as being our largest giving month by more than double. To stay on budget, our target is $385,000. We are currently just 19% of the way there. Compared with last year, we are pacing about 16% behind.

Would you prayerfully consider a financial gift to Park Church above–and–beyond what you normally give?

Give Now

We are truly grateful for how we’ve seen the Lord sustain and work through our church this past year. By God’s grace and alongside each of you we’ve:

  • Added new and continued building existing ministry Teams through which many of you are serving and leading
  • Restabilized our Park Kids ministry with 130+ children living in community and hearing about Jesus each Sunday
  • Watched the Lord grow our Park Students ministry to an average of 40 middle and high schoolers
  • Built discipling relationships with students at School of Mines and Colorado Christian University (and others) through our Park College ministry
  • Led over 90 people through our Foundations courses (Spring and Fall)
  • Developed our Gospel Community ministry with 13 Coaches, nearly 100 leaders, and 35 groups
  • Initiated the basement remodeling project that is nearing completion
  • Recorded and released “Lay Down Your Burdens” and “Christ in the Psalms, Vol. 1”
  • Created and sustained lay-led ministries including Park Wilderness, Prophetic Ministry, and MomLife
  • Partnered with local organizations, church plants, and individuals through finances and investing time and skills
  • Supported (and hosted some of) our overseas missionaries through our missions Advocacy Teams
  • Gathered and grown as disciples together through our Sunday services and numerous cohorts, seminars, counseling, retreats, and everyday conversations
  • And the countless stories you all could tell!

Your continued generosity toward the mission of God through Park Church allows us to focus on the fruitful work in front of us, working together to build upon and strengthen what we’ve witnessed Jesus do in and through His people and what we anticipate He will do in the coming year. Thank you.

Fiscal Year 2023:
Budgets & Projected Income (Year-to-Date)

Actual Budget Variance
Support & Revenue 677,381 641,000 36,381
Expenditures 637,611 634,714 (2,898)
Surplus/(Deficit) 39,770 6,286 33,483

Some Final quick hits…

  • Basement: Perhaps you’ve seen the plastic is down and our basement is looking like a renewed version of its old self! Finish dates and construction don’t often play nicely together, but it does seem an early(ish) 2023 completion date is likely. We are grateful to be in that space again. Particular thanks to John Petterson and our Building Team–Sarah Jane Bryant, Tom Grannas, and David Hubbard.
  • Annual Planning: Our ministry (and fiscal) year runs August 1–July 31. This means our annual planning process initiates in mid-February. Please pray for us as we seek to discern and design in accordance with where God is leading Park Church. We’ll have more to share at our May Family Meeting.
  • Events & Teams: As always, look for ways to get involved on our events page and how to utilize your gifts and capacity through joining one of our ministry teams.

OUR NEXT FAMILY MEETING

Please join us at our next Family Meeting! We’ll be at the Park Church building on Sunday, February 12 from 12:45–2:45pm. Lunch and childcare are provided—be sure to register ahead of time! We look forward to being with you all. You can RSVP below.

RSVP

You all make it a delight to live as God’s family together. We are grateful for you and are eager for what’s ahead.

With love,
Neil Long
Executive Pastor

in Member Updates

The Second Coming & Mission

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The Second Coming of Christ is a fundamental Christian conviction, promised by Scripture and professed by followers of Christ throughout history. Though now often neglected or misunderstood, the promise of Jesus’ return remains vital.

Culturally, we can be horrible at waiting. Quick “fixes” are everywhere and easily-accessible comforts can dilute our felt need for all things to be made new. But there is brokenness that will go unfixed and pain that will go unhealed until Christ comes again.

The Second Coming was never meant to be a sidebar or peripheral doctrine, but a central one that we uphold, rehearse and celebrate. Scripture reflects this truth:

“Baptism is mentioned 19 times in seven Epistles, and in 14 out of 21 it is not alluded to. The Lord’s Supper is only referred to three or four times in the entire New Testament… The Lord’s Coming is referred to in one verse out of every 13 in the New Testament, and in the Epistles alone in one verse out of 10. This proportion is surely of importance, for if frequency of mention is any criterion there is scarcely any other truth of equal interest and value.”
(W. H. Griffith-Thomas in “The Principles of Theology”)

This Advent, we’re excited to focus together on Jesus’ return and why it matters to our lives as Christians.

in Advent 2022: Christ Will Come Again • Gary McQuinn

Covenant Member Update: December 2022

Covenant Members of Park Church,

A common cultural rhythm around this time of year is to look back and look forward. It’s worth doing this as a church as well. Our more extensive annual planning process as a staff team will kick-off in mid-February (see below). But it’s also worth considering the past year and paying attention to some indicators of what’s ahead.

The early part of 2022 was particularly strained for us as a church. Each of you (and our leadership team) had distinct relational ties, experiences, and personal impact in connection to Park Church Downtown. Yet it was a season that we all walked through as a church family. The year prior we had entered into an exciting opportunity to participate in God’s mission in downtown Denver, partnering with another church in our network. We quickly discovered how much we had to learn. As I’m writing, the lyrics of the song in the background are: “Pruning is painful; surrendering hurts” (“Make Room” by The Sing Team). This rang true for us. The song goes on, however, to say: “May this creed prepare the way for rebirth.”

This reminds me of a section in Pete Scazzero’s “The Emotionally Healthy Leader” when he discusses endings and new beginnings. He writes:

“Embracing endings in order to receive new beginnings is one of the fundamental tasks of the spiritual life… Not every problem can or should be solved or overcome; some things just need to be allowed to die. This isn’t necessarily a failure. Often it is an indication that one chapter has ended and a new one is waiting to be written. This happens in our personal lives as well as in leadership” (p270).

Letting Park Church Downtown–and the dream of what could have been–die truly stung. And the effect still lingers. Particularly for those of you who sacrificed the most, reprioritizing and redirecting significant aspects of your lives in order to engage the mission downtown, the hurt was most pronounced. Healing from this loss will certainly take more time.

And yet, God was not ignorant of what was happening, and He hasn’t been absent in the unfolding of it. This is equally true in the midst of the societal squeezing we all have felt over the past few years. The pandemic jarred us all. Ideological warfare often caught the church in its crosshairs. And we all were thrown into a complex juggling routine that none of us anticipated.

Yet here we are. It is not difficult to boldly proclaim with David: “The LORD is the strength of His people; He is the saving refuge of His anointed” (Psalm 28:8). Similarly in Psalm 33: “The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations” (v11). Our God kindly turned last year’s winter into a summer of genuine rest and movement toward healing.

The past handful of months has provided incremental movement toward refreshment and realignment. Perhaps it’s a bit like hopping off a merry-go-round that an insidious 11-year-old has been spinning for several minutes. Your head spins with disorientation and you think you might lose your lunch. But then you find the tree line, feel the sunlight on your face, and a friend grabs your hand. After your body calms you feel freed up to search for the charcuterie board on a picnic blanket you were promised.

I don’t imagine many of us would say the charcuterie board is set and ready. But I do believe the ingredients are being gathered. Alright, enough metaphor. The short of it is, we’re beginning to feel a real sense of clarity, a growing unity, and an experience of church as family that is resoundingly welcomed. Interacting with the over 50 people who went through our Foundations process this last semester conveyed that to many of us on our staff and elder teams. And the particular conversations with you all, hearing stories of uncommon generosity, relational healing, and an experience of God’s vivid work have powerfully heartened us.

There’s good work in front us. It’s work that each of us is called to as members of the body of Christ. Our leadership team exists to “equip the saints [read: ‘Christians’] for the work of ministry [read: ‘everyday works of service’]” (Ephesians 4:12). Below are several updates–including finances–and areas of clarified direction that will continue to help orient us as a church family moving forward.

OUR UPCOMING YEAR TOGETHER

SHEPHERDING REGIONS

You all (covenant members of Park Church) live in neighborhoods and suburbs all across the Denver Metro Area. Because of this, we need a particular strategy to ensure each member is personally cared for and discipled. We have conceptualized the metro area as existing in seven different “shepherding regions.” Each region includes members of Park Church who either (a) are part of a Gospel Community that meets in that region; or, if a person is not in a Gospel Community, (b) have a home address in that region.

Our elders will then lead a “shepherding team” that includes Gospel Community coaches and (as we build these out) other roles as well. It is through this structure that Gospel Communities will be visited, pastoral needs are cared for, and overall relational connection to our covenant members is maintained. (Kyle wonderfully outlined this all in more detail at our last Family Meeting.) Right now we have the basic structure and some of the pieces. But it will take some time to grow our elder team, develop our deacon process, and work the vision into the particulars of how we function week-to-week.

One of the steps we have recently taken is to bring onto our staff team Bailey Hurley! She is now serving as our Community Coordinator, a role we communicated in our last newsletter. She, her husband Tim, and their family have been worshiping and serving with us for many years. We are so grateful for Bailey’s willingness to serve our church in an even more expanded way than she was as a GC Coach. To learn more about Bailey, you can follow this link. Please welcome and congratulate her! (Her email address is bailey@parkchurch.org if you’d like to shoot her an email.)

Be on the lookout for how we proceed and build out our Shepherding Regions. This structure will form the relational and pastoral foundation of a growing amount of what we do as a church.

LIVING THE MISSION OF GOD SERIES

Our early 2023 series is on “Living the Mission of God.” This will run five weeks, each Sunday unpacking a specific facet of God’s mission through us as His church. (Gary gave us excellent vision for this at our last Family Meeting.) Each Sunday is designed to propel us into an area or two of practice. We must recognize that none of us is called to simultaneously grow and serve in equal proportions in every area of the Christian life. God intentionally gave us limits! But there are likely one or two areas that He is ushering you into throughout the series. We invite you to pray through and consider the areas of focus below and what that might mean for you in the coming months.

The Global Mission of God (January 8)

Invitations:

  • Gather to pray for the nations and global missions
  • Write notes (or draw pictures, kids!) for our missionary partners just after each service

Hospitality & Neighboring (January 15)

Invitations:

  • Leverage the Neighbor Grid to get to know your neighbors
  • Generate ideas and opportunities through GCs

Restorative Justice (January 22)

Invitations:

  • Serve with Denver Rescue Mission
  • Serve with Alternatives Pregnancy Center

Faith & Work (January 29)

Invitations:

  • Attend the Women’s Formation Event (Tuesday, January 31)
  • Attend the Men’s Formation Event (Monday, February 27)

Sharing the Good News (February 5)

Invitations:

  • Attend, support, and/or invite to the Alpha Course (email Becca if interested to learn more: rebeccagriffis20@gmail.com)
  • Utilize the resource card we provide

FINANCES & END–OF–YEAR GIVING

We are encouraged to see a continued positive variance month–to–month. Thank you for your generosity as we work back to stabilized fiscal health. (In our October newsletter you’ll find a more detailed picture of finances.)

Right now we are asking you all to help us meet our December goal. Each year, we rely on December as being our largest giving month by more than double. To stay on budget, our target is $385,000. We are currently just 16% of the way there. Compared with last year, we are pacing about 9% behind.

Would you prayerfully consider a financial gift to Park Church above–and–beyond what you normally give?

We are truly grateful for how we’ve seen the Lord sustain and work through our church this past year. By God’s grace and alongside each of you we’ve:

  • Added new and continued building existing ministry Teams through which many of you are serving and leading
  • Restabilized our Park Kids ministry with 130+ children living in community and hearing about Jesus each Sunday
  • Watched the Lord grow our Park Students ministry to an average of 40 middle and high schoolers
  • Built discipling relationships with students at School of Mines and Colorado Christian University (and others) through our Park College ministry
  • Led over 90 people through our Foundations courses (Spring and Fall)
  • Developed our Gospel Community ministry with 13 Coaches, nearly 100 leaders, and 35 groups
  • Initiated the basement remodeling project that is nearing completion
  • Recorded and released “Lay Down Your Burdens” and “Christ in the Psalms, Vol. 1”
  • Created and sustained lay-led ministries including Park Wilderness, Prophetic Ministry, and MomLife
  • Partnered with local organizations, church plants, and individuals through finances and investing time and skills
  • Supported (and hosted some of) our overseas missionaries through our missions Advocacy Teams
  • Gathered and grown as disciples together through our Sunday services and numerous cohorts, seminars, counseling, retreats, and everyday conversations
  • And the countless stories you all could tell!

Your continued generosity toward the mission of God through Park Church allows us to focus on the fruitful work in front of us, working together to build upon and strengthen what we’ve witnessed Jesus do in and through His people and what we anticipate He will do in the coming year. Thank you.

Fiscal Year 2023: Budgets and Projected Income

Some quick hits…

  • Basement: Perhaps you’ve seen the plastic is down and our basement is looking like a renewed version of its old self! Finish dates and construction don’t often play nicely together, but it does seem an early(ish) 2023 completion date is likely. We are grateful to be in that space again. Particular thanks to John Petterson and our Building Team–Sarah Jane Bryant, Tom Grannas, and David Hubbard.
  • Annual Planning: Our ministry (and fiscal) year runs August 1–July 31. This means our annual planning process initiates in mid-February. Please pray for us as we seek to discern and design in accordance with where God is leading Park Church. We’ll have more to share at our May Family Meeting.
  • Events & Teams: As always, look for ways to get involved on our events page and how to utilize your gifts and capacity through joining one of our ministry teams.

OUR NEXT FAMILY MEETING

Please join us at our next Family Meeting! We’ll be at the Park Church building on Sunday, February 12 from 12:45–2:45pm. Lunch and childcare are provided—be sure to register ahead of time! We look forward to being with you all. You can RSVP below.

RSVP

You all make it a delight to live as God’s family together. We are grateful for you and are eager for what’s ahead.

With love,
Neil Long
Executive Pastor

in Uncategorized

Advent Devotional Guide: Week Three

The Second Coming & Holiness

In our third week of Advent, we are focusing on how the second coming of Christ frames and motivates our pursuit of holiness. In His first advent, Christ graciously freed us from penalty of sin. When He comes again, we can be confident that He will complete the work that He began in us. Between these two advents, we are called to progressively become the kind of people that He has designed us to be, delivered us to be, and destined us to be.

“The emotionally mature person is not the one with a starved, deprived existence, but rather one that reaches out and embraces and furthers all that is good – everything that is good. And that’s a long list. You can start just with simple beauty. It’s very hard to be grumpy when you’re looking at a beautiful rose–try it. It’s turning to what is good that fills out the life of the emotionally and spiritually mature person. As you step into spiritual maturity, you step into the wonderful world of God so rich with good things that we won’t have enough time to concentrate on them.

This is, in the classic language of the church, holiness, sanctification. I have to acknowledge that the way many people present holiness and sanctification is a very pinched view of life. It’s very starved, because they have not been encouraged to turn themselves loose into the fullness of God’s presence and all that is good for them to invest their lives in.””
(Dallas Willard, Heart and Soul Conference, 2012)

Questions for Discussion

Discuss with others, with your Gospel Community, or by reflecting in your journal.

  1. Re-read Titus 2:1-14. Which of these characteristics of holiness stand out to you the most? Are any of them uncomfortable, new, or challenging? How do these standards of holiness compare to the world’s standards of what a good person does?
  2. What is our role in helping others grow towards holiness? What is one practical way you can model to your neighbors God’s holiness?
  3. What hope does Jesus give in His second coming in regards to holiness?

Prayer Invitations

  • Individually, with your co-workers, or with your household, pray the the Lord’s Prayer 1–3 times a day (morning, noon, and night):

    “Our Father in heaven,
    hallowed be your name.
    Your kingdom come,
    your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
    Give us this day our daily bread,
    and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
    And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.
    (From Matthew 6:9–13)

    • Additional questions as you meditate on the Lord’s Prayer this week:

    1. Let Your Kingdom come and Your will be done: Where do I need to see the values of God’s Kingdom and His will for my life transform my current heart, attitudes, and behaviors? Pray that God would transform you to be who He designed you to be, who He delivered you to be, and who He has destined you to be.
    2. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: Where are you tempted (whether by the evil one, your own flesh, or the influence of the world) to turn from God’s design for your life? Where are you pursuing a vision for life that leads you away from the holiness of God? Pray that God would help you turn from these temptations and deliver you from evil so that you could more fully pursue His presence and purposes in your life.
  • Weekly prayer continues on Wednesdays through December 21: 12pm in the Gallery at the church building. Whether or not you join us, consider fasting from breakfast and/or lunch. New to fasting? Here are some thoughts.

A song for the week

“God in Us” (Park Church Music, John Petterson)

Additional Resources

“Live No Lies”, John Mark Comer

See Book

The Bible Project on Holiness

Watch Video
in Advent 2022 Weekly Devotional Series • Blog

The Second Coming & Holiness

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The Second Coming of Christ is a fundamental Christian conviction, promised by Scripture and professed by followers of Christ throughout history. Though now often neglected or misunderstood, the promise of Jesus’ return remains vital.

Culturally, we can be horrible at waiting. Quick “fixes” are everywhere and easily-accessible comforts can dilute our felt need for all things to be made new. But there is brokenness that will go unfixed and pain that will go unhealed until Christ comes again.

The Second Coming was never meant to be a sidebar or peripheral doctrine, but a central one that we uphold, rehearse and celebrate. Scripture reflects this truth:

“Baptism is mentioned 19 times in seven Epistles, and in 14 out of 21 it is not alluded to. The Lord’s Supper is only referred to three or four times in the entire New Testament… The Lord’s Coming is referred to in one verse out of every 13 in the New Testament, and in the Epistles alone in one verse out of 10. This proportion is surely of importance, for if frequency of mention is any criterion there is scarcely any other truth of equal interest and value.”
(W. H. Griffith-Thomas in “The Principles of Theology”)

This Advent, we’re excited to focus together on Jesus’ return and why it matters to our lives as Christians.

in Advent 2022: Christ Will Come Again • Gary McQuinn • Sermons

Advent: Christ Will Come Again—Artwork

Artwork is another way for us to imagine the realities of Christ’s kingdom. When art works as devotion—training us to see with the eyes of faith in new ways—it can grow our imagination, even in the theological sense. Our Advent Series this year is focused on the Second Coming of Christ. As shared on our Advent page, though now often neglected or misunderstood, the promise of Jesus’ return remains vital.

My name is JD, and I work as Director of Communication and Art at Park Church. As I considered supporting this series visually, the biggest felt need I identified was a cultural lack of imagination around the Second Coming. This isn’t to say that the ideas that come into our minds when we hear “The Second Coming” are boring, but probably just too infrequent! The “lack of imagination” I’m describing is simply a lack of imagining.

In response, I created three pieces for the series by “compositing” several photos from a handful of international photographers and artists, each credited below. I’m excited to explain these to you! I pray your imagination is put to work both as you view these and as you consider to daydream with me about the return of Jesus Christ.

Banners:

Left Banner:

Imagining the moment of His return, a dark horizon is shown with dawn approaching. A few city lights are visible, and something like lightning crosses over everything. This references Jesus’ words about how well we’re going to know it when He returns! (Matthew 24:27) While some parts of the landscape pictured show city lights, much of the earth’s surface is dark. One way to “read” this contrast is as an illustration of Jesus’ parable in Matthew 25: wise and foolish members of a bridal party with some keeping watch at all hours to meet the bridegroom.

The aerial landscape photo is from Daniel Olah, taken over Istanbul, Turkey. The “lightning” image is a photograph of ice on a lake near Miass, Russia, taken by Daniil Silantev.

Right Banner:

Imagining just a sliver of the grandiose New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:9–27), tall white buildings with unrealistically tall chapel-like windows are shown, covered in either a) some kind of glory cloud (Hebrews 12:18–24), or b) some kind of bridal veil (Revelation 21:2).

The photo of the buildings (actual earth buildings!) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is by Bady Abbas. The veil/cloud image comes from an aerial photo of an Arctic iceberg, taken by the incredible Annie Spratt.

Central Image:

Perhaps conveying more tension than glory, a condensation-laden mirror is shown sitting on a sturdy sprig of baby’s breath. Over the top is a fiery glare to suggest some of the weight of 2 Peter 3. A few things are intended to be communicated here: First, we are encouraged in 1 Corinthians 13:9–12 that “now we see as in a mirror dimly, but then face to face…”. Second, Romans 8:19 teaches us that the “the whole creation waits…” Here a strong-enough member of creation—the sprig of flowers, is shown holding the weight of this unclear image. Third, and maybe too overtly, the flowers shown are literally “baby’s breath.” This is the only nod to the first coming of Christ, an astounding cosmic moment when God took a first breath.

Lastly, though much smaller than a tree, the plant shown resembles the shape and branches of a much larger tree. Three meanings can be extracted here if you’re willing! First, Jesus tells us that the kingdom is like a mustard seed planted (Matthew 13:31–32). This Jesus embodied, coming first as a humble Servant to be literally planted in the ground, growing a great kingdom of Servants in the Church age, and later coming back bodily as the only authority—King of the Kingdom final. In the shape of this sprig of baby’s breath, shown under the weight of the age, a full tree is promised in a way. Secondly, one of our greatest hopes is a restoration of access to the the tree of life (Genesis 3:22, Revelation 22:2) and the mystery of immortality. Thirdly, and with much less theological effort, a better vision for a Christmas tree is proposed. Please forgive that.

The baby’s breath is an adapted photo, also by Annie Spratt. The glare is from a photo by Ruan Richard Rodrigues. The condensation is from a photo by Aaron Jean.

in Artwork • Blog

Advent Devotional Guide: Week Two

The Second Coming and Hope

Two realities are set before us—present suffering and future glory. Biblical Christianity never asks us to minimize the reality of brokenness and heartache in this life. Indeed, the whole creation groans harmoniously with us in a chorus of aching for restoration. We are free to be honest. But then we are called to consider what awaits us with the return of Christ. In His coming our experience as children of God is fully realized. All things will be made new by the light of His presence—from to greatest societal sin to the most personal pain. As we hold this future state in our minds, pining in the Spirit for its fullness, the glory of our returning Savior helps us have hopeful context for our current weariness. Come quickly Lord Jesus!

In the meantime, Jesus, may we see You and what You’re about in our daily moments.

“A Christian views the suffering of this life in a larger, world-transcending context that, while not alleviating its present intensity, transcends it with the confines expectation that suffering is not the final word.”
(Douglas Moo)

“Weighted in the scales of true and lasting values, the sufferings endured in this life are light indeed compared with the splendor for the life to come—a life undisturbed by anything hostile or hurtful.”
(Charles Hodge)

Questions for Discussion

Discuss with others, with your Gospel Community, or by reflecting in your journal.

  1. Where are areas you feel your soul groaning, inwardly awaiting for Christ to make things right? (Hardship, injustice, broken relationships, personal struggles, etc). What are honest ways to lean into these groans that both embrace real pain and the equally real redeeming promise of Jesus?
  2. In this Sunday’s sermon, Neil mentioned a number of things the new creation will usher in: “only peace, only kindness, only fruit, only rest, only excitement.” We experience some of these things here on earth, but not in their full, redeemed glory. Isn’t that exciting? There is more to peace, more to goodness, more to joy than we can possibly imagine here and now. What are redeemed things you long to experience in full? Is this hard to imagine?

Weekly Prayer Invitations

  • Individually, with your co-workers, or with your household, pray the the Lord’s Prayer 1–3 times a day (morning, noon, and night):

    “Our Father in heaven,
    hallowed be your name.
    Your kingdom come,
    your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
    Give us this day our daily bread,
    and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
    And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.
    (From Matthew 6:9–13)

  • Join us for weekly prayer on Wednesdays, December 30–December 21, at 12pm in the Gallery at the church building. Consider also fasting from breakfast and/or lunch. New to fasting? Here are some thoughts.

A song for the week

The Gates (Young Oceans, from “Advent“)

Additional Resources

Prayer by Ray Ortlund:

O Father, a new heavens, a new earth, a new humanity—how wide is the scope of Your Gospel! It does not offer me a private religious preference. It leads me into the secrets of the universe. I affirm Your plan for all things. I submit myself to Your will for my particular life, including the hardships You have ordained for me. Lead me into the brilliant glory just ahead, where my tears will be wiped away forever, where the sorrows of this life will be only a fading memory, swallowed up in a heavenly ocean of pure delight. O God, I long to be lifted up out of time, out of this present age, out of my sins, to be with You forever. Keep my heart ablaze for You, dear Lord, until You take me home. In the holy name of Christ. Amen.

Prayer by Anselm (1033–1109):

I pray, O God, that I may know You, that I may love You, so that I may rejoice in You. And if I cannot do this to the full in this life, at least let me go forward from day to day until that joy comes to fullness. Let the knowledge of You go forward in me here, and there let it be made full. Let love for You increase, and there let it be full, so that here my joy may be great in hope and there it may be full in reality. O Lord, through Your Son, You command us—rather, You counsel us—to ask, and You promise that we shall receive, that our joy may be full. O Lord, I ask what You counsel through our wonderful Counselor. Let me receive what You promise through Your truth, that my joy may be full. Meanwhile, let my mind meditate upon it, let my tongue speak of it. Let my heart love it, let my tongue discourse upon it. Let my soul hunger for it, let my flesh thirst for it, let my whole being desire it, until I enter into the joy of my Lord, who is the triune and one God, blessed forever. Amen.

Advent: Christ Will Come Again—Artwork

Artwork is another way for us to imagine the realities of Christ’s kingdom. When art works as devotion—training us to see with the eyes of faith in new ways—it can grow our imagination, even in the theological sense. To learn more about our artwork for this Advent series, use the button below.

Advent Artwork Explanation
in Advent 2022 Weekly Devotional Series • Blog

The Second Coming & Hope

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The Second Coming of Christ is a fundamental Christian conviction, promised by Scripture and professed by followers of Christ throughout history. Though now often neglected or misunderstood, the promise of Jesus’ return remains vital.

Culturally, we can be horrible at waiting. Quick “fixes” are everywhere and easily-accessible comforts can dilute our felt need for all things to be made new. But there is brokenness that will go unfixed and pain that will go unhealed until Christ comes again.

The Second Coming was never meant to be a sidebar or peripheral doctrine, but a central one that we uphold, rehearse and celebrate. Scripture reflects this truth:

“Baptism is mentioned 19 times in seven Epistles, and in 14 out of 21 it is not alluded to. The Lord’s Supper is only referred to three or four times in the entire New Testament… The Lord’s Coming is referred to in one verse out of every 13 in the New Testament, and in the Epistles alone in one verse out of 10. This proportion is surely of importance, for if frequency of mention is any criterion there is scarcely any other truth of equal interest and value.”
(W. H. Griffith-Thomas in “The Principles of Theology”)

This Advent, we’re excited to focus together on Jesus’ return and why it matters to our lives as Christians.

in Advent 2022: Christ Will Come Again • Neil Long • Sermons