Sunday night, I watched the Super Bowl. Not much happened in the game, so my mind began to wander a bit. There is a nice rhythm to the game. First the players gather in a huddle and the quarterback tells them the play, then they go the line of scrimmage and  run the play. Then, they go back to the huddle to be told a new play, and then back to the line of scrimmage, and over and over it goes. When the teams score this rhythm is way more interesting to watch than it was on Sunday.

It occurred to me that this is the same rhythm of Jesus’ ministry. First he teaches his disciples, then he sends them out, they come back to talk about what happened, and then they go do ministry again. Jesus never got very excited about the crowds gathering to hear him teach. In fact, he often flees the crowds or drives them away by his teaching. But he was very excited to see people respond to his teaching by living new lives.

Jesus developed an “Equip and Send” ministry, but if you look at most churches we develop a “Come and See” ministry. It is all about getting people to come to our activity, whether it is a worship service or youth event or some other program. We measure success by the number of people who showed up. (There is some value in this because, if these events are worth doing, we should want people to be a part of these activities.)

But, if I am honest, a lot of church activity is really like a football team meeting in a huddle. We talk about how God has called us to live. We talk about the importance of loving others. We talk about sharing our faith. But none of that actually happens in the huddle. The important work of the church happens after the huddle when you go home and you live out your faith in your neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces. Now, don’t here me say what I am not saying, we need to gather in a huddle. We need to know the play. We need the encouragement of the team. We need a little inspiration. We need to be reminded of the goal. We need the huddle.

But, the temptation for many of us can be to stay in the huddle. We can structure our lives so we spend as much time as possible in the huddle by filling our lives and our church schedules with one program and activity after another. We can even make church about enjoying the huddle and not winning the game. We do that anytime we put our comfort and convenience ahead of the mission of making more and better disciples. Sometimes our traditions and our relationships matter more to us than running the play and making the first down and scoring the touchdown.

Imagine how frustrated a coach would be if the players never left the huddle. If they told stories of great plays from the past, but never ran any of their own. If they were so focused on getting along and being nice that they never held anyone accountable for actually running the play. The coach would be furious and might start looking for a new team because that one clearly didn’t get the point of the huddle. They made the game about the huddle instead of using the huddle to play the game better.

At Zion we long to be a church that Equips and Sends its people as missionaries into their communities. The ministry of our church does not primarily happen through programs and activities in our building, but through you in your relationships: you loving your neighbors, you actively sharing your faith with those who don’t yet believe, you discipling a friend who just came to Christ, you embracing God’s call on your life to live and love like Jesus. We want to help you be more effective, more competent, and more courageous in following God as he leads you in ministry today, tomorrow, and every day until you final stand before the throne of God and he says to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Connect to God
While Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell many of the same stories of Jesus, John tells many different stories and in the process give a unique theological view of who Jesus is and how he now calls us to live. We begin our study of John this year by studying the 7 signs of John. The fourth sign occurs once again near the time of passover, but this time Jesus is in the wilderness on the far side of the Sea of Galilee. The crowds gather again looking for signs and wonders in order to believe. But there is no food for the crowds. Jesus takes 5 loaves and a few fish and turns them into a feast revealing himself as the new Moses who can lead us to the true promised land of resurrection and eternal life with God.

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
Agnes Beukema has been diagnosed with acute leukemia. She and her family are meeting with Hospice to determine care options. Continue to pray for those in our congregation who deal with ongoing health issues.

Next week Sunday, February 17, is “Say It Day” for those attending Sunday School. If you have a child from pre-school through 5th grade, don’t forget to help them review the verse to they are reading next week.

Our new members class, beginning today, will meet in the Library following worship. This class is for anyone interested in joining Zion or who simply wants to learn more about our church and its life and ministry.

If you signed up for a 729 group, you should have been or will soon be contacted by your group coordinator. If you are not contacted by next Thursday, shoot Pastor Gregand e-mail and he will get right on it.

Serve the World
Do you know a great way to serve others? Go shopping! Seriously. Lifeline Community Church is currently planning a mission trip to Guatemala with members from the church from June 19-26. The trip will cost an average of $2,000 per person which for many of their members is a huge cost. To help defray these costs, Benefit Twice will be holding a special sale from March 20-23. This will only be at the Wyoming store in Rogers Plaza, so mark your calendars and do a little shopping for a great cause and some good deals!

Administrative Details
Our next Leaders Meeting, on March 3 from 4-7 pm, will be an opportunity for everyone in our congregation to have a voice in planning the remodel of our building. Everyone from 4th grade and up is invited to participate in this Congregational Workshop of dreaming and imagining what might be led by Elevate Studios. Child care will be provided for children 3rd grade and under. We will also provide a meal. Mark your calendar and plan on joining us on March 3 at 4 pm. Please sign up today on the back of the Connection Card.

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: $391,507.20
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $380,630.23