Weekly Update from the Senior Pastor
February 8 , 2007
Dear Family and Friends,
The film Titanic still remains the only movie in history to gross over a billion dollars (a thousand million dollars) before its video or DVD release! The film seems a straightforward story of love sought—and then lost in separation and death—while a seemingly invincible symbol of human achievement hits a huge iceberg and sinks beneath the waves. Many pundits pondered why this film evoked such a huge response—what cord, deep in the human heart, did it touch?
Some suggested that Titanic was a powerful metaphor for the prevailing philosophy of our age—a powerful symbol of an entire generation’s worldview played out, in three hours, on the wide screen. It offers a romanticized call to throw off any constraints of the past and seek love at all costs. But in the end, death wins, and all our dreams or achievements—even humanity itself—sinks into icy darkness.
Is that an accurate picture of human purpose and destiny?
Are we all on a doomed ship?
Should we simply try our best to find some brief moments of love and meaning before we sink into the dark abyss of death? Is Titanic’s romantic existential despair all there is?
This Sunday is our third message in a study of the final book of the Bible, the book of Revelation.
Revelation directly challenges modern despair. It shatters the darkness of modern philosophy by showing us that on the sea of human history there is a great ship with a Captain and a compass that really does reach its destination. And the destination is a party—a wedding feast that launches an eternity of love.
This Sunday we’ll do a rapid-fire overview of some key perspectives and four principles for understanding this last great book of Scripture. We’ll do a bit of hard work—so that the next seven weeks can be heart-work: savoring together God’s great love for His people in Christ.
Don’t miss this message. Invite a friend.
UPDATES:
BUILDING TIME-LINE: There is still some confusion about the proposed time-line for our new facility. Here is our best take (Lord willing). In the next month or two we will submit our completed civil engineer papers for the footprint (size and external shape) of our facility, as well as our major parking lot, internal road and storm water management locations. These plans begin the County permitting phase, which typically takes a year—give or take a month or two, depending on the County’s concerns. Our civil engineer, Lee Miller, has told us to plan for a year. During this period we will complete our internal building floor plan and our exterior materials and design details (some aspects are locked in since we are building a ‘design-build, steel-frame structure’). We will process this design through the Development Team and Trustees for budget, quality and beauty; and share them with the congregation for input and ideas. When Frederick County grants us our permits, we should be finished working with BGW (Building God’s Way) in terms of all design drawings and ready to begin the building phase. That phase takes twelve to eighteen months typically (Riva Trace Baptist in Annapolis took about 15 months). This means our building should begin to rise up out of the earth sometime in the spring/summer of 2008 and be completed by our 12 th anniversary in the autumn of 2009.
VISUALS: In the High School lobby we will have, by this summer, a table featuring a media-presentation (slides or DVD) and architect’s renditions of the new building. As things progress, our visuals and materials will progress also. To our ring-bearers (a circle of fellowship others can still join), let me say it again: your faithfulness will create this legacy for generations—and I am so proud and grateful you found your part in following God’s heart to our future. Your giving is building for generations till Jesus comes, when everyone’s eternal destiny is determined.
PASTORAL NOTE: the newly released Archeological Bible is truly an awesome tool for meaningful study of Scripture. It contains hundreds of short, easy-to-read, well-written articles about the cultural context and historical background to the Bible. I encourage everyone to secure a copy and then dig in and fulfill the call to “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18 ). The Revelation articles are really good!
Love ya,
Richard
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