Chico Church of Christ

Mark 5:18-20 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you. So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down;... you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me, even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. Psalm 139

We will have our church building open this Sunday morning for our 10:30 am worship! For those who are not yet ready for a return to the building we will still be utilizing Zoom on Sundays. Our Zoom meeting invite links are being sent through email, so if you would like to receive these emails, please let us know so we can add you to our contact list. For those who plan to join at the building, we will be following the state protocol for churches re-opening, which means masks ...will be required, we will do temperature checks at the door, and will be seating at a social distance. Communion will be offered in person at the building, with individually packaged bread and juice cups. Bible class will be conducted on Zoom only from 9:15-10:00 am. There will be a 30 minute break between class and worship service in order to give those who are meeting in person time to travel to the building after class.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. Ephesians 1:18-21

Mark 5:1-20 Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills... he would cry out and cut himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me! For Jesus had said to him, Come out of this man, you impure spirit! Then Jesus asked him, What is your name? My name is Legion, he replied, for we are many. And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus, Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them. He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed manand told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you. So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:12-14

Tomorrow we'll begin a new class series entitled, The Theological Significance of Water as It Appears in Scripture, which examines various biblical stories surrounding water and what those stories tell us about God's character & nature. For now, class will be conducted only on Zoom from 9:15-10:00 am. There will be a 30 minute break between class and worship service in order to give all of those who are comfortable with meeting in person time to travel to the building after ...class. Worship will begin at 10:30 as normal. Same protocols & measures that were observed previously will again be in place to ensure everyone's safety. We will also continue to provide the Zoom meeting format for worship as a means to stay connected and worship God together. For worship, we'll continue the series Cost and Commitment, focusing on Matthew 8:5-13 as we learn (or are reminded) that Jesus has the power to transform life, and our faith in Him allows us to experience this power. Worship Time: 10:30 a.m. - virtually or in person Worship Topic: Matthew 8:5-13, "Great Faith" Related Scriptures: Psalm 103:1-5 & Philippians 4:6-7 See more

Yesterday morning was full of Returning: the return to our building, AND the return of Chet, Dana, and Asa!

This morning Jon gave his farewell message to the church as he begins a transition out of his role as minister to the Chico Church of Christ. We are eternally grateful for Jon's work among us and the way he has embodied the love of Christ. Here is the slideshow we shared this morning, remembering all that has happened in the almost three years he has ministered among us.

Joyce Mozelle Crawford May 20, 1929 - July 26, 2020 You can now read Larry Bradley's memorial remarks for Joyce on our Chico Family News page: http://chicocofc.org/chico-family-news

Greetings friends and family, Blessings to you this morning in the name of Christ. This morning we finish up our three-week miniseries from Matthew 10, Jesus' Missionary Discourse and his challenging words of commission and warning as he summons the disciples as Laborers into God's harvest field.... What did Jesus mean when he told the disciples he had come not to bring peace, but a sword? These pointed and prophetic words of Jesus are often some of his most misunderstood. When Jesus sends his disciples out among the towns and villages of Israel, their message is that the kingdom of heaven is near, and while we might hear these words as good news, we often miss the kind of threat that these words posed in their original context! If a new kingdom is near, that means the existing kingdom is under threat. If a new king is coming it is not good news for the seated king, for the established regime, rule and reign. This is unsettling news! Pointed news! Sharp, like a sword. This is the kind of news, when acted upon, that can cause even family members to turn on one another. And so when Jesus says to the disciples that acknowledging him before people may turn father against son and mother against daughter, it's because acknowledging a new king and kingdom puts a target on a persons back - they become a threat and even those who love them the most might turn on them. Jesus, of course, didn't come to bring a literal sword, his revolt did not come through the use of violent force. However, it did cause tremendous social upheaval and unrest, and so when Jesus tells the disciples they must lose their lives, the threat is very real.. Our call today to lose our lives carries with it the same weight: when we take seriously the kingdom of heaven and it's call upon our lives, it stirs things up, because it means standing among the helpless and harassed, the marginalized and oppressed and trust that it is among them that God is building the kingdom! God bless each of you as you hear Jesus' call to lose your own life for the sake of others. Because it is by this posture of self sacrifice, of taking up our Cross, that the kingdom of God comes near. Grace and peace, Jon Discussion Questions: 1.) How is God calling you to lose your life in this moment? 2.) How does the kingdom of God fit into your understanding of the Gospel? 3.) How does this discussion regarding Jesus use of the term "sword" change your understanding of what he means by using that phrase? https://youtu.be/P0v_b1Iis2Q

God bless you this day, the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. As I reflect upon the scriptures this week, the word that has come to my mind, and is perhaps a loose connection shared between the passages, is the word identity. As I read these texts, I am asking myself, "what - or who! - do I identify with?" The text from Genesis 22, one of the most difficult and brutal in the entirety of the scriptures - Abraham's binding of Isaac and intent to sacr...ifice him - is profound in how it portrays Abraham identifying with God as both provider and faithful to promises made. Abraham so deeply identifies with God, has such faith in God and God's provision and faithfulness that he goes forward with the unthinkable. Psalm 13, a classic lament text, so deeply identifies with God's faithfulness, God's provision, protection, and God's love and care, that the psalmist dares to hope. Psalms of lament are so powerful because they are written out of a profound certainty that our present sufferings are not what God desires for us, and will never have the final say! Psalms of lament are a unique kind of hope in that the writers would not cry out, the writers would not lament if they didn't identify so deeply with God, and with hope in God's desires for us! The psalm makes the turn of transformation at the end, thereby confirming that the psalmist's identity in trial is not misplaced or misguided. Romans 6 calls us to identify so deeply with God and with righteousness in the world that we would call ourselves slaves! It's a remarkable and provocative turn of phrase here that Paul uses: we're slaves to (we identify with) something, either still slaves to Sin and it's dominion over us and the earth, or we identify as slaves to God - and in being a slave to God and God's righteousness we actually, ironically, find our freedom, our liberation! Finally, our text in Matthew, about welcome, calls us to deeply identify with others - to welcome them. The text ties together welcome and reward, in that when we welcome others, when we identify with them, we receive reward. What's striking in the text is how in this act of welcoming one another, we welcome Christ, and thus, welcome God among us. To identify with others to the extent that we open ourselves up to them in welcome is a holy, sacred participation in the life of God. Extending a cool cup of water to one who is thirsty is a profound act of identity - with God and with the other. Many blessings as you dwell this week in the scriptures. May you find your identity in the God who is faithful, who looks after us, who is with us and who welcomes us. May it be a cool cup of water in and through you. Grace and peace, Jon #WeeklyScriptures http://chicocofc.org/chico-family-news#text-3670126

Greetings family and friends, in the name of Christ. Many blessings to each of you this day and this week. And happy Father's Day to all who are celebrating being dads or those who have been dads to us in our lives! We've got some tough words to wrestle with this week. We've got some digging to do. This week we continue to look into Matthew 10, Jesus' Missional Discourse, as he prepares his disciples to be "sent."... Sheep among wolves. It's a statement Jesus makes as he's sending out his disciples that many of us likely struggle to connect with. There's a considerable gap that exists between the protection and privileges many of us enjoy as people of faith in 21st Century America, and the hostile and dangerous circumstances into which Jesus is preparing his disciples to be sent. Perhaps an adjustment many of us need regarding Jesus' words would be to reflect on them through the experience of a person like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, who - not very long ago, in our own time and place - was assassinated for hearing the cries of the people, and taking up the call of Jesus and making a stand against our own systems and structures of power, built upon the injustice and oppression of Black Americans. Dr. King certainly would've identified with feeling like a sheep among wolves. And, perhaps, this sort of change in lens for us might awaken us to the call of Jesus upon each of us as disciples in our time. What are we afraid of? What do we need to let go of? How do we need to more deeply trust the God who sees and knows us intimately enough to know the number of hairs on our heads? In our moment, it is crucial that we recognize that it's easy to follow Jesus when it costs us nothing. And we must ask ourselves, if we are not experiencing pushback and pressures, are we truly embodying a faithful kingdom presence? Because Jesus seems to assure his disciples that faithfully stepping into his way of life and being in the world will assuredly stir things up around us. Grace and peace be to each of you as you continue to wrestle. As you continue to pray with God's call upon your life this day, in these moments. - Jon Discussion Questions: 1.) How is God calling you into the hospitality of the stranger at this time? Who is God calling you to? And how is God calling you to be vulnerable to them and rely upon them? 2.) What are your fears? What has God called your attention to right now that you need to relinquish? What do you need to let go of? What do you need to take up? 3.) Have you ever taken much time to consider that the Bible is written entirely to marginalized and oppressed people? How might that change the way you come to the scriptures? In what ways does it challenge you as a citizen of the most powerful nation in the world? https://youtu.be/nRKO7UTtrX0

Let's Celebrate Fathers! Post a picture of your father in the comments and share your answer to the question: What is/was your favorite thing to do with your dad?

Greetings family, This week's scriptures have an interesting theme worth our contemplation: Threat, and God's faithfulness when we find ourselves threatened. In one of the more messy, gut wrenching stories from the patriarch we have the story of Sarah feeling the threat of Ishmael, worried that his presence among the family would infringe upon her son, Isaac's promises and blessings. Sarah demands that Hagar and Ishmael be sent away. In an act of tremendous mercy and compassi...on, not only does God show up regarding the threat to Isaac, but God also show up for Hagar and Ishmael, in an act of great redemption, providing them water and protection and a future, honoring them as Abraham's own and under Abraham's blessing. God is faithful when threat is very real. As is noted in Psalm 86, we call upon God in our time of trouble because God answers. Romans 6 deals with the threat of Sin and Death upon God's people, both of which God has overcome in the Resurrection of Jesus. And, additionally, Jesus warns in Matthew 10, continuing in his Missionary Discourse sending out the 12, that the very way of Jesus in the world is a threat - that the way of Christ runs up against the powers and systems in our world (even up against family dynamics!) Because the way of Jesus, the mission of Jesus, is a threat to the world, the disciples can expect to experience pressure and threat on their very lives from every angle. Yet, Jesus assures the disciples that they need not worry, no matter what, because in the same way God keeps and protects the sparrows, God will keep and protect each of them! When faced with threat, God is faithful. What a word to consider this week. Where do we see and feel threat in this time, in this moment? What is threatening to the way of Jesus being seen and enacted in the world? How does this shape our prayers? Where and how do we need to call upon the name of the Lord this day? This week? God bless you as you dwell with the scriptures in the coming days! God bless you as you wrestle and discern and pray. Grace and peace, Jon #WeeklyScriptures http://chicocofc.org/chico-family-news#text-3670126

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Matthew 9:35-38