Every couple of months, I receive a new issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. It is the only physical magazine I read anymore, but somehow, I find a small pleasure in receiving this physical copy of a magazine all about the study of the physical remains of Biblical times.

In the latest issue, there was a fascinating article by and about Yona Sabar. Professor Sabar is an expert in ancient Semitic languages like Hebrew, Aramaic, and Syriac. But, perhaps more interestingly, he grew up in a small community in Kurdistan where they still spoke a modern version of Aramaic. This doesn’t mean he can read ancient Aramaic like we would read the newspaper. Languages change a lot over 2,000 years. Just think of the difference between modern English and Shakespeare or Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Due to migration, wars, and modernization, his native language is slowly dying away after 3,000 years. He has dedicated much of his adult life to preserving this descendant language of Aramaic (the language Jesus spoke). The story feels incredibly sad as his fellow native neo-Aramaic speakers each pass away.

Here in the US, Native American people groups have worked hard to keep, pass on, or revive their languages and traditions. They gather to celebrate ancient traditions and practices and to pass on their culture to the next generation.

Languages, traditions, belief, and worldview do not just flow from one generation to the next. They must be taught and caught. The older generation must be intentional in investing in the youth and thinking through carefully what should be passed on and what can be left behind as the world changes. Younger people have to be willing to listen to and learn from those who have gone before to sift through this accumulated wisdom to learn to apply it to today.

Our faith in Jesus is not inherited, but passed down. It is learned by many in childhood as parents read Bible stories, pray, sing Christian songs, and bring their children to church and Bible studies and small groups. For other adults, who did not grow up in Christian homes, they need someone to spiritually parent them by helping them learn how to read and study the Bible and pray and talk to God. These things don’t happen by accident, but only when we are intentional.

Where are you intentionally passing on your faith to a child, a newer believer, or someone who doesn’t yet believe?

Connect to God
After God rescues the Israelites from their captivity in Egypt, he brings them to Mt. Sinai where he gives them the law, which includes the 10 Commandments. These commandments are not guidelines for all humanity, but a call from God to live as a counter-cultural community. They produce a people who in our daily lives live as a sign, a signal, and a witness that God has not left the world to its own devices. Instead, God has come to rescue, save, and restore all that has been broken and marred by sin. This eighth week of our series, we consider the command to not steal in light of the parallel call to seek the common good of all.

If you would like a copy of the worship service, you can receive a complete copy by contacting Tom Verbrugge or you can find the weekly messages on our website.

Grow in Community
This year, we will once again gather on Thanksgiving morning, November 22, at 9:30 am to worship and thank God for all he has provided this year. As is our tradition, we will have an open mic time for people to share their personal thanks as well.

We also collect a special Thanksgiving Offering each year. This year, the Thanksgiving offering will go to support local families (identified by our Hand2Hand ministry), Good News Nepal, and Hurricane Michael relief efforts coordinated by the Reformed Church in America. This offering will be collected on November 18, Thanksgiving morning, and November 25.

Serve the World
Earlier this week, I received an update from Jeremiah Kuria, a missionary whom we support in Kenya. Part of that update follows below:
Ubuntu is doing well and still very engaging.  We continue to see good progress and I am thankful for what we are doing.  Working on ways to get our message in a harmonized way to remove any confusion or getting people overwhelmed. We launch the new website by the end of this month.

The church continues to be very vibrant and we thank God for His continued help with strength and wisdom to serve.

We are all set and ready for VBS to start. The teachers training is happening this Saturday. They will have an all day engagement to review all the training materials and activities for the week.  We are all excited.  From 26th November to December 2nd are the set days for the VBS.    Waiting to see what God has for us this year for our children.

We are also going to be building a home for one of our members of the church. I just came to realize she lives in a bad shack of a building neighboring the forest with her son who has health problems. No bed or anything to use. We wondered why she was always struggling with her health and after the visit we realized she is not protected from cold or any severe weather.

We are praying that we can do this for her before Christmas so that she can have a proper acceptable shelter during Christmas. If all goes well we can buy a few basic items for the house as well. Including a bed. We are estimating $2850 for everything.  The church members will bring whatever they can on 9th December. Be praying for the success of the project and for Wambui and her son. 

Please join me in praying for Jeremiah, his family, and their ministry.

Administrative Details
We continue to thank God for his provision of all of our needs and for the generous support of our congregation with their time, talent, and treasures.
Fiscal Year to date budget: $250,129.60
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $250,193.85

A few weeks ago, I shared I was receiving a free book. Free may have been an overstatement as I had to read the book in two weeks and then give a review on Amazon and post about it on social media. But, it was mostly free. If you are at all concerned with the tenor of conversations in our nation, I highly urge you to read Christians in the Age of Outrage by Ed Stetzer.

Late in the book (pages 189-191), Ed shares some research on Christians prayer habits. Following are some key statistics of what Christian prayer for:

• 42% pray for their sins
• 41% pray for people who mistreat them
• 37% pray for their enemies
• 21% pray to win the lottery
• 20% of people pray for people in other faiths or no faiths
• 13% prayed for their favorite sports team to win a game
• 5% prayed for someone to get fired

Read those over again. While the numbers weren’t shared, the vast majority of people primarily prayed for their family and friends. But notice how many people prayed to win the lottery and for their sports team to win. And then notice the one in between. 20% of people pray for people of others faith or no faiths. 20% of people pray for people who are far from God to come to know God. Just a few less than those who pray to win the lottery and only 50% more than the number of people who pray for a sporting competition.

I wonder what God could do with a people who prayed for others to come to faith? I wonder how my life would change if I prayed consistently for people I know to come to faith? How might our church change and our communities, if Christians were more concerned with winning hearts to God than winning the lottery?

Will join me in praying for people to come to faith? Let me challenge you to not juts pray generically, but make a list. Who do you know who doesn’t know God? Who has left the faith? Can we pray for them together?

If you have someone for whom you would like me to pray, shoot me an e-mail with their name and I will add them to my list.

Connect to God
After God rescues the Israelites from their captivity in Egypt, he brings them to Mt. Sinai where he gives them the law, which includes the 10 Commandments. These commandments are not guidelines for all humanity, but a call from God to live as a counter-cultural community. They produce a people who in our daily lives live as a sign, a signal, and a witness that God has not left the world to its own devices. Instead, God has come to rescue, save, and restore all that has been broken and marred by sin. This eighth week of our series, we consider the command to not steal in light of the parallel call to seek the common good of all.

If you would like a copy of the worship service, you can receive a complete copy by contacting Tom Verbrugge or you can find the weekly messages on our website.

Grow in Community
Thank you to everyone who came out on Monday to support our Middle School students at their Culver’s Fundraiser.

At our High School fundraiser earlier this fall we raised: $931.93

On Monday, for our Middle Schoolers, we raised: $1434.80.

We were only $120 in total sales away from the 15% kickback.

Zion continues to come through for our students and support them in their service. Thanks you to all who came out Monday!

Serve the World
On Tuesday next week, our nation will once again go to the polls to elect local, state, and national leaders. While not specifically related to any evangelistic or church ministry, voting is important as Christians. Not so we can claim political power, but in order to influence our country to choose the “good life” as defined by God and not the competing idols of our world. You can read a slightly longer argument on why we should vote here. The short answer is that we should vote because our government asks us to do so and God has placed our government in authority over us. So, as a believer, pray for our leaders every day and go vote on Tuesday.

Administrative Details
Our next Leaders Meeting will be tonight from 5-7 pm. We look forward to a great evening of fellowship, worship, and some training. Each of our ministry teams will have some specific training and discussion centered on their work together and then as a whole we will think together about Living with Limits as followers of Jesus. We will talk about setting boundaries, sharing the load, and the gift of limits as we served a limitless God. Its going to be a great night. Including children, we have 100 people planning on attending Sunday. Come and join us! You can still sign-up through the Connection Cards on Sunday or by sending an e-mailhere.

We continue to thank God for his provision of all of our needs and for the generous support of our congregation with their time, talent, and treasures.
Fiscal Year to date budget: $239,254.40
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $238,920.85