June 22, 2020

Dear Church Family,

As you know, Sunday, June 21, 2020, it was announced in a YouTube video (youtube.com/eastcobbpres) that we will be hosting worship in the gym beginning July 12, 2020 at 10am. We are excited about worshiping together on a limited scale in the gym. While this isn’t a full “regathering,” it will be a joy to see each other again and join our voices in praise to the Lord. We need the grace God has provided in gospel community.

Coming together in the gym will provide the most space for us as we follow the guidelines and best practices for groups our size. We will practice physical distancing, wear masks, and offer hand sanitizer. Full instructions will be published, including a video demonstrating what to expect when you come. For those unable to wear masks, a section will be prepared, but we ask that this group not sing, unless masked. In order to be able to welcome those who are most at risk, we ask everyone who worships with us on campus to follow these instructions and best practices.

Online worship will continue to be made available at www.eastcobbpres.org/live.

Worshiping together will create many opportunities to serve the Lord’s church. Staging the gym and welcoming worshipers to our campus in a healthy and orderly way will require a number of volunteers. You can visit eastcobbpres.org/together and fill out the form at the bottom to let us know you’re able to help, and stay tuned for online sign ups for specific volunteer needs. These will be published on our website, Facebook page, and in the weekly newsletter. Right now, a small group of people in the worship and technology sectors of our ministry are carrying the real weight of serving. It’s important that we come alongside them as we come back together.

Seating will be limited, and we will need all those who plan to join us on campus to register in advance to reserve a seat. These links will be made available on our website and in the weekly newsletter. Families will be seated together, and parents will need to keep their children with them at all times. Both entrance to the gym and dismissal at the conclusion of worship will be done in an orderly way to maintain our best practices while you are on campus.

We look forward to beginning the process of coming back on campus and look forward to seeing you.

God bless,

Pastor Tim Locke

This Sunday we will consider the testimony of John, the one baptizing (not the first Baptist). The text is an interaction between him and the religious leaders who questioned his ministry. John defends his washing with water (baptism), a Jewish rite of ceremonial cleansing, as preparation for the presentation of the Lamb of God. John says, “but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” (v31) 

The rite of water is a shadow of a reality. John speaks of that reality saying that Jesus is the “Lamb of God” who will take away our sin. It’s a shadow of Jesus’ cleansing work. But more than the removal of our sins, baptism with water points to the washing of the Holy Spirit. John says, “this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” (v33) Jesus is the Lamb who atones for our sins, and the source of the Spirit’s work within us.

John saw him. John wants you to see him. John’s testimony is that he is the Son of God. So join us Sunday, and consider John’s testimony of Jesus. 

Sunday we continue our series in the gospel of John by considering the prologue, John 1:1-18. While this passage is packed full of theological truths that deserve to be unpacked, when preaching a narrative we need to examine sections in their entirety to capture the message of the author. This week we consider John’s conclusion of Jesus’ ministry, saying, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” (John 1:18) This summarizes Jesus’ ministry for John’s purpose in writing, which I’ve summarized as “Come and see what the Father has provided for you in Jesus. Receive Jesus.”

John’s big idea in this section is that Jesus is not just divine, but deity, God in the flesh, revealing God to humanity. In addition, he grants to all who believe the right to be called the children of God. Since John’s audience is predominantly Jewish, the book has many Old Testament allusions, like Moses. This week, the invitation is to come and see the second person of the Trinity who is the incarnate revelation of God.

Our world has selectively accepted the teaching of Jesus, concluding that he was a good man with some good ideas, like “love others.” John insists he is the Son of God, bringing the light of revelation and granting life to all who believe. Before we come and see what God has revealed, we need to understand the person doing the revealing. Jesus is God!

Church Family,

We are witnessing real tumult in our country right now. It’s heartbreaking to see the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer. It’s equally heartbreaking to see citizens riot and loot our city. There are real issues that need to be addressed in our culture and society that are being eclipsed by anarchy.

The easiest way to see the need is to engage people we know, trust, and love. Remember though that many in our black and African-American communities are hurting and experiencing great pain. We need to be patient, empathetic, and understanding in our conversations. Some might not be emotionally able to engage. This week I was able to speak with Emanuel and Justina Dix, who serve the predominantly black community of Summerhill. I was grateful for the important perspective they shared with me about the issues failing their community. There are historical and current barriers in our system of banking, education, housing, criminal justice, and employment systems that limit the black community. As one of our members, Stephen Helwig, said to me, “While we can look historically and see that this is as good a time as there has ever been to be black in America, it should also be clear how much work is still left to do.” Most of us are not experts in race relations or systems that oppress, but we should be willing to listen and learn. I so appreciate what Justina said: “We know the problem is sin, and we know the solution is Jesus.”

We need to be wise and biblical in how we respond to the inequities within these systems, but we cannot ignore them or use the riots to deflect from them. Believers have always been called by God to pursue righteousness in the world and, when Scripture declares something oppressive, to pursue justice. Because politicians are hijacking real issues of oppression to further their agendas, this becomes a divisive issue that often cements the tribalism we are experiencing. This applies to multiple issues within our culture, like the value of the unborn, but the current issue is the experience of the black and African-American community.

As a church, we should stand with our neighbors as they decry unrighteousness. In the Old Testament, the foreigner would often be taken advantage of as they traveled through foreign lands. They would not be given shelter or were overcharged for it. They would not be given opportunities to build homes, create business, or have the protection of the courts because they were foreigners. God speaks out against his own people for this oppression and calls them to pursue righteousness, or he will come and mete out justice. When Israel refused to respond, persisting in their oppression, God intervened, handing out their parcels of land to foreign invaders. We have a responsibility to our neighbors.

Like the Good Samaritan, we are called by God to engage each other righteously—regardless of race or creed. As fellow image-bearers and as members of the community, we are our brother’s keeper. Hear the call of Micah 6:8: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Notice that while Micah is addressing God’s people, he says, “O man.” Doing justice, loving kindness, walking humbly are issues for every human. The story of the Good Samaritan, Luke 10:25-37, answers the question “Who is my neighbor?” It also answers the question, “What is written in the law?” It brings us back to the summation of the law, to love God and love our neighbor (Matthew 22:37).

I’m convinced that as believers, we should stand for George Floyd and his family. This was not righteousness, so we should mourn and pursue justice. I believe that we should listen and learn from the black and African-American members of our community, walking humbly before them and the Lord. I believe that when oppressive systems are exposed, we should oppose them and demand that our elected leaders change them, or vote them out. I believe that we should be careful not to adopt ideologies that are being used to advance corrupt agendas. Some of the current situation is simple right and wrong; some of it is complicated and requires discernment to remain biblical. I will put together some resources to help you do some investigation, but one book I would immediately recommend is Heal Us, Emmanuel by Doug Serven.

Now is a time for renewal and reconciliation. Now is a time for mourning and lament. We should all be praying, “Heal us, Emmanuel.” Christ is the great reconciler! We have hope in his ability, and we look to him for wisdom and grace.

God bless you,

Pastor Tim Locke

[Ed, Stephen Helwig]

Sunday we begin a new series through the gospel of John entitled “Come and See.” John writes a beautiful gospel intended to lead his audience to believe in Jesus. He states his purpose saying, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30-31) John wants his audience to “come and see” Jesus. 

In a world torn apart by sin, John offers us the love of God in Jesus. You know the verse, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Our world is not much different than John’s, and we need to “come and see” Jesus. Jesus is the bread of life, the Good Shepherd, the Word of God, the Light of the world, and our great High Priest. Join me Sunday and accept the invitation to come and see Jesus.

Sunday we will conclude our series on anxiety by focusing on what’s at the root of our value system as believers. As King David says, we were born in sin, which means that by nature we develop a value system that reflects our sinful nature. Our values are what we attach meaning to and build our identities around. When these values are threatened, we feel immediate autonomic anxiety. 

In the book of Romans, Paul addresses a Jewish audience who had built their lives around the law of Moses and their patriarch Abraham. This created division within the church, because the Gentile believers were doing things that threatened the values and identity of the Jewish believers. This comes out clearly in Romans 14. Paul insists that the gospel is for all sinners, Jew and Gentile. Jew and Gentile make God the object of their hope by faith.

Our text is Romans 15:13, where Paul says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Notice what God gives when he becomes the object of our hope: joy and peace. These gifts are for us regardless of our circumstances. Notice too that the Holy Spirit helps us abound in hope. What do we immediately look for in times of uncertainty? Hope! The reason we move down the path of worry is that we’re looking for hope by protecting our valuables. What if our hope was in God? 

Join us Sunday as we consider this passage.

So how are you dealing with your anxiety? Have you tried going from fruit to root to understand your valuable? Have you over estimated your valuable? Has it become a treasure that has captured your attention and affections? How can you engage God with your uncertainty?

Sunday we’re going to consider the Apostle Paul’s direction for anxiety given to the Philippians. It’s a familiar text given to a church filled with anxiety. They were being threatened by doctrinal error, but there was significant division within the church that had unsettled the entire congregation. Paul’s direction is given to an anxious church. The church needed to come together in the grace of God through Jesus. 

Join us Sunday as we consider this familiar passage (Philippians 4:4-8).

Sunday we examined how anxiety (feelings of uncertainty) functions in our lives. Proper concern in the face of threats can lead to responsible responses, or it can turn hopeless - leading to indifference, or fear can lead us to a path of worry and greater anxiety disorder. God expects our anxiety in this “abnormal” world and speaks words of comfort and care. Unfortunately, anxiety can lead us away from the Lord instead of toward him. It’s helpful to do some basic work in evaluating our anxiety. God speaks to our “valuables” and how we have estimated the value of our treasure and how we have evaluated the threat to it. In addition, God speaks to how we have responded with varying levels of indifference or fear.

This week we’ll consider how our distorted values and worldview complicate our uncertainty. In addition, we’ll begin to listen to God speak into our anxiety so that the threat is eclipsed by his loving presence. As you prepare for worship, consider what Peter was experiencing in Galatians 2:11-14. Answer some of the questions that we discussed last week: What did Peter value? How much value did he place on that? How was it being threatened? How did he evaluate the threat he faced? How did he respond to that threat? How do you think God would counsel Peter? Join us Sunday online as we continue our study.

Sunday we began a series to engage our anxiety. Anxiety (or feelings of uncertainty) is a normal human experience in a very abnormal world. As a faithful shepherd, Jesus tells his audience, “Fear not, little flock.” (Luke 12:32) While the statement is a command (don’t fear), it’s a gentle word to anxious people not a rebuke. When your children are fighting, you say “stop fighting,” and you mean “now.” When they wake up from a bad dream, you comfort them by saying “don’t be afraid, daddy is here.” Jesus’ command is a word of comfort, not a rebuke.

While feeling anxious is very normal, we all develop patterns of response that complicate our experience. Those responses, often learned early in life, can keep us from handling anxiety with awareness of the presence of God. For example, most of us process anxiety by worrying. We hit auto-play on our thoughts about the problem, and the moment we wake up, we start processing. Usually that processing is our attempt to find “hope” in some solution. But what happens if that solution doesn’t materialize? Hope is extinguished and worry intensifies. If the solution does materialize, it can actually cement our pattern of worry. Examining our responses can help us learn our patterns so that we can begin creating new patterns. New patterns have to be rooted in something bigger than us, which is another benefit of this investigation of understanding our desires, values, and beliefs.

Sunday we’ll consider what our responses say and how God speaks to them. See you then!

Sunday we’re going to start a short series on anxiety. Nothing is more human than the experience of anxiety. Anxiety expresses our vulnerability and our limitation. Our race didn’t always experience anxiety. Adam and Eve were secure in their elevated status within the created order and the unique protection of God’s divine presence. Their sin and God’s judgment created a vulnerability they had not known before. The creation around them would challenge their very existence and God would feel distant. Suddenly anxiety became a common human experience instead of God’s shalom (peace). Human vulnerability combined with human limitation creates a unique experience: anxiety.

Anxiety isn’t sin, but it certainly isn’t part of the “goodness” God declared over his creation. It’s a normal experience in an abnormal world. As such, it is something we can evaluate, “Why do I feel vulnerable?” In addition, our responses to anxiety can be evaluated. Our responses (actions, words, thoughts) can lead us to the root of our values and beliefs. This is where our efforts can be fruitful. 

As we listen to God speak into our anxiety, consider the grace God has for his anxious children. Jesus says, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32) God doesn’t chide us for our anxiety and fear, but offers us hope in his goodness.

So join us Sunday as we engage our anxiety.