Review: 2/22/09 "Gospel for the Poor"

Read Luke 4:16-21, Matthew 11:2-6, Isaiah 61:1-2

Early in the ministry of Jesus, he walked into his hometown Jewish synagogue and declared that he was sent for the poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed. He boldly proclaimed that he himself was the fulfillment of the passage he read from the Old Testament book of Isaiah.

Both the Old Testament and the New Testament include hundreds of passages that declare God's love and compassion for the oppressed and destitute. However, if Jesus came for the lowly in our society, what about the majority of us in America who do not exactly fit this description?

Read Romans 3:23

The Gospel of Jesus shows us that we are all a poor and oppressed people in other facets of our life if not physically. If we are honest, our lives and the lives of those around us consist of some kind of brokenness. More importantly, we are spiritually impoverished. We are separated from God by our rebellious sin nature and have nothing of value to offer God to earn God's favor.

Therefore, there is actually very little that separates "us" from those on the street whether they are addicts, alcoholics, or simply homeless. We have all made bad choices that have contributed to the screwedupness of our lives. Where then is our hope?

Read 2 Corinthians 8:9

The Gospel of Jesus is that Jesus himself became physically poor to identify with a people that he loves. He also lowered himself to becoming spiritually poor by dying on the cross, taking our sin and giving his righteousness to cover our sins. Jesus became poor to redeem the poor. The Gospel of Jesus is only understood and accepted by those who see themselves as in need of His grace. Those that think they have it together, will not know this grace.

As bearers of God's grace and as those who are continually in need of his grace, we can identify with the physically and spiritually poor much like Jesus identified himself with us. We can relate to the poor as fellow beggars who have found the Bread of Life. Our ministry then does not become one of pride and self righteousness but of humility and grace.

Review: 2/22/08 "Visit from the Pastor"

At the beginning of our first HFH coffee hour, Rob Strickland, the pastor of Highland Community Church, briefly shared of his vision for our group. Highland Community Church is a community of broken people who have come together in a common calling to reach and love an impoverished and neglected community of people in East Highland. Though the HFH coffee hour does not require attendees to attend our sponsor church, they will find ample opportunities to live out the Gospel by participating in ministry opportunities that bring the light of Christ to one of the darkest places in our city.

Many coffee hour participants have taken ownership of different ministry facets of Highland Community Church and we hope to increase this trend. Rob shared that there were specifically two ways that our group can corporately contribute to the vision of the church:

1. We are going to organize a neighorhood watch for the community of North Highland centered specifically around Highland Community Church itself. This effort should not be difficult as the Columbus Police Department provide the actual surveillance and protection for this area. However, we are needed to organize and submit the needed information to the appropriate officials in order to qualify for a neighorhood watch. Please let me know if you are particularly interested in this opportunity.

2. Our coffee hour is designed to not only provide discipleship for believers but also be a forum for presenting the Gospel to those who are from diverse religious backgrounds, apathetic toward religion, or simply atheistic. Rob and I both desire that the coffee hour be an open door for people to hear the message of Christ and its direct relevance to all of life. We highly encourage participants to bring friends, college aquaintances, work colleagues, and others to join us in this ongoing discussion.

3. There may have been a third item to add to this list but if there is, I have forgotten it. This may be edited in the near future.

The Reason for the Blog

I have begun the Hope for Highland Coffee Blog for three basic reasons:

1. Review Discussions and Allow for Comments

As somebody who has been a part of several groups similar to this throughout my life, I have come to realize that most people tend to forget what is discussed pretty quickly. It's difficult for most of us to keep things in our long term memory regardless of how meaningful a conversation may be. So, at some point after our Sunday morning meetings, I will recap our discussions on this blog. Hopefully, the single hour a week we meet on Sundays will have a long term impact on our perception of the Gospel and our ability to live it out in our daily life.

Also, I would appreciate any comments, questions, or even disagreements about the topics we are discussing. There is no reason the conversation has to stop at 10:30!

2. Announcements and Reminders

Occasionally, I will post announcements that will be relevant for everyone. I might give a preview for next week's discussion so everybody will know what to expect. Or, if by chance I contract some foreign disease after a vacation in the Canary Islands and need to let everybody know about a cancellation or replacement for the week, this is the place to hear about it. I will also post many of the same announcements on our facebook page as well.

Also, I will mention important reminders for our group. For instance, my sister will be organizing a birthday party in March for a little girl that attends our church. Ministry opportunities at Highland Community Church who is sponsoring the coffee hour will definitely be posted as well.

3. Getting the Word Out

I figure that I can create a facebook group and most people will join it and take it half seriously. However, if someone visits the blog, they will get a better taste of what the Hope for Highland Coffee Hour (HFH) is about. It's a much more intimate introduction the HFH community outside of physically coming on Sundays.