On Sunday, Bill preached about the role of our sin in the process of us being conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of others.  He reminded us of some key truths:

• it is never too late for God’s grace to change us radically
• don’t focus on your sin, but don’t forget it either.

I was encouraged by Bill’s assertion–  that all of us have a story of God’s grace in our lives.  God has either rescued out of something or kept us from something.  Are you aware of what God has done?  Are you aware of the roads He has kept you from traveling?  Are you aware of the things from which He has set you free?

The aspect we admire in St. Paul is that he knew when to tell the story of God’s grace in his life and he knew how to tell it to the audience he was with.  Paul was a steward of his past.  Paul was a steward of the evil he had done and the evil from which he had been saved.  Paul knew that his sin was something that could be redeemed for the purpose God was doing in his life.  As we grow in Christ, we must learn to steward all of what we have been given… well.

New to Restoration Dinner:  about 50 folks will descend on Restoration tonight for dinner.  They will hear about our story and where we think God is taking us in the future.  I love the enthusiasm around this church–  the excitement to get involved and serve and live life together.  We do this dinner 3 times a year and it is always a blast.   Wondering where we fit 50 people at tables for dinner??  Come check it out…

Vestry Retreat:  our vestry heads off to Meadowkirk for 24 hours this weekend.  We are praying over initial ideas from our long range facility team, giving thanks for our growing staff team, and listening to the Lord for particular emphases in the year ahead.  We can’t wait to talk about it with you at our parish meeting on February 28.

A service of thanksgiving for the life of Patrick Kelly will be this Friday at 11am at The Falls Church.  The whole Restoration family is invited to remember our friend, to offer support to his wife and daughter, and to celebrate the hope of the resurrection.

Hope you are enjoying your small groups.  I am praying for you.

-David

Feeling tired? Disconnected? Longing for a change of scenery, a chance to get away, a little quiet, a lot of laughter? Then join us…

Restoration’s second annual Women’s Retreat will be February 24-26 at Meadowkirk, a lovely retreat center near Middleburg, VA. This weekend will be a chance to get away from the bustle of DC life, connect with other women in the church, rest, worship, pray, and play. Jordan Ware, who with her husband Patrick has started Winchester Anglican Church in Winchester, VA, will be leading us in worship and reflection on living lives steeped in prayer and founded on our identity as God’s beloved children. It’s going to be a wonderful weekend — so join us!

The details:

The retreat will begin at 7 pm on Friday evening; please eat dinner before you arrive. We’ll wrap up after lunch on Sunday.
Meadowkirk is about an hour’s drive from Arlington.
Babes in arms are welcome.

Accommodations:

A number of different accommodation types are available on a first-come, first-served basis:

• The Inn: These are hotel-like rooms, each with 1 queen bed and 1 twin bed — so they can sleep anywhere from 1-3 people.
• The Cottages: Each cottage has two bunk rooms with 9 beds each, two bathrooms with multiple shower and toilet stalls, and a shared common room with fireplace. Bed linens and towels are NOT included in the cottages.

What will we be doing?

We’ll have times of worship and teaching; there will be small group discussions; there will be opportunities for personal devotional times. There will also be lots of free time in which to rest, go for a hike, hang out, or participate in some of the optional activities we’re planning– like art projects, a trip into Middleburg, a visit to a winery… You can be as busy or as un-busy as you’d like.

Should I come?

YES! Whether you’re brand new to Restoration or have been around since the beginning… Whether you like women’s activities or are terrified by them… Whether you’ve never been on a retreat or have been on so many you’ve lost count… We want ALL of you to come. And don’t let the cost keep you from coming; we’ll have scholarship money available, and that’s what it’s for.

How do I register?

Easy! Download this form, fill it out, and send it with your check to Nicole Sedaca at the address given on the form. Hurry — registration closes on February 10!

Here are some that I mastered:

The Sitting Slouch with Elevated Foot – this effectively communicates that I’m a chill individual with an authoritative presence seeing the world as my footstool

The Wall Lean w/ a touch of Shoulder Shrug and Pocketed Hands – this communicates that the building will fall if I move, shrugged shoulders boost the size of my upper body, and hidden hands most inconspicuously keep me from accidentally picking my nose in front of a pretty girl

The Two-Handed Thinker – this is a sitting position as inspired by “the Thinker” with slight modification of elbows on knees and hands folded with chin resting on double thumbs giving off a sense of intense focus and potential ability to pounce if it, for some emergency, needed to happen.

Many of us spend much of our lives communicating our thoughts and attitudes through our posture. Sometimes, our posture actually dictates the way we desire ourselves to respond. If I get pulled over by a police officer because I ran a stop sign, my initial response is to give him “The Sitting Slouch with Elevated Foot.” But because I know this attitude is not appropriate, I do the “Sit up Straight w/ Hands on the Wheel” posture. My attitude changes, and my exchange with the officer ends up glorifying God much more than it would have.

Our posture before God is no different other than the fact that God knows our hearts. Sometimes for me, my posture is that much more important because God knows my heart, and my posture often guides my heart into the place it should be. Let’s look at one posture that pops up again and again in Scripture and some of the different contexts in which it occurs: the “Hand Raise.”

Nehemiah 8:6 – “And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.”

Psalm 28:2 – “Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary”

Lamentations 2:19 – “Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches! Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord! Lift your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint for hunger at the head of every street.”

Hebrews 12:11-12 – “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees…”

“Hands Raised” is a posture that can show our desire for the one who saves us much like my one year old daughter Selah raises her hands to me when she desires to escape the torment of her big brother Roman. It is also a posture of strength and comfort knowing that God is with us like when I arrive home and Selah’s first response is to raise her hands and say, “Daddy!”

When we gather to worship God (typically a small percentage of the week), I want to encourage us to take our posture seriously as it will often guide our hearts and minds (even basic yoga classes have figured this out). A friend told me this week that within the context of our relationship with Christ, we ought to be taking more risks. I agree, and I think our posture during our worship gatherings is a small, biblical risk that we can take which will draw our hearts closer to his.

I encourage you to spend some time asking God what he desires from your posture this week during both your personal and our corporate times of worship.

restorationmusic.wordpress.com

-David

St. Paul with Priscilla and Aquila

and what structures already exist to move people and what things we need to build.  I am so thankful for this team.  It is just so right that we are giving lots of energy to this particular topic at this particular time:  helping people become conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of others is the very center of why Restoration exists.  Everything else–  staff, buildings, programs–  exist to that end. Patrick and Ceci Kelly”]The end for Patrick is very near.  Many of us have made almost daily trips this week to NIH to see him.  His breathing is more shallow and at times more labored.  The veil grows thin between earth and heaven.  There will soon be an opportunity to celebrate his life and our unswerving hope in the resurrection.  I’ll let you know as those details emerge.

Jumping In To Outreach

Saturday there will be a gathering of folks who want to pray, lead, and facilitate our outreach opportunities at Restoration.  It is at the home of Liz and Simon Gray.  You can email Liz for more information.  I believe that God uses the risks we take in sharing our faith and serving the poor to conform us to the image of Christ.  In fact, those risks might be the most catalyzing thing we can do for our spiritual growth (especially if you are feeling stalled out, plateaued and blah about God).  This is an easy next step–  and you get fed!  I guarantee you’ll laugh.  Awesome group of people.

How was your week?  

See you on Sunday.

-David

I hope that you have had a great week opening gifts, seeing friends and family, watching football, eating too much, reading great books, finding a moment for a nap or 2…  As 2011 comes to a close, I want to remind you of a few things.

1. Tomorrow, we will have only one worship service at 11am.  We know that there are lots of things happening this weekend in many different places.  If you are in Arlington, we invite you to gather with us for carols, prayer, and the Eucharist.  The service will be casual.  Musical worship will be lead by Wendell Kimbrough.  Our brand new seminarian, Liz Gray, will be giving the message.  Christmas day was such a sweet service.  I am looking forward to tomorrow!
2. January 8–  everything returns to ‘normal’.  We will have all 3 services (9,11,5).  Kid’s small groups will fire back up downstairs.  Matt will return from much deserved vacation.  I will kick off a new sermon series.  And we will celebrate baptisms.  If you missed the announcements about baptism in December, but you are interested, please shoot a quick email to Erin as soon as you can.  We ask that everyone attend an orientation evening before baptism.  It will be fun!
3. Many of you will be thinking about ‘resolutions’ for the new year.  This is a great tradition.  Anyone involved in mentorship, growth, or leadership will tell you that reflection, evaluation, and goal setting is a great way to intentionally move toward a desired end.  May I encourage you to consider a resolution about Bible reading?  This is one of the (top 3?) most effective ways to grow in your intimacy, understanding, and love of our triune God.  Here is a blog post I wrote with great resources for daily Bible reading.

Happy New Year!  I can’t wait to see what God does in 2012.

-David

Christmas Eve we’ll be telling the story and singing the songs, with two Eucharist services of lessons and carols:

• 4:00 pm — This one’s geared toward kids and families. Come dressed as your favorite person from the nativity story!
• 8:00 pm — A little quieter, a little more candlelight, and jazz quartet… It’s going to be beautiful.

A nursery will be available at both services.

On Sunday morning, Christmas Day, join us for one service at 11:00 am! We’ll be casual (pj’s welcome!), the sermon will be short, and we’ll sing and celebrate Jesus’ birthday.

Hope to see you on Saturday and Sunday!

- Erin

1.  Keeping watch.  Each week in the Sanctuary, we’ve “hidden” a lamb.  It has been a “Where’s Waldo” kind of way to remind us to wait and watch for the coming Lamb.  I need those physical reminders to connect my brain to what my heart needs, too.  Looking.  Watching.  Waiting.  Seeing.

2.  Joining in.  At the 4 o’clock Christmas Eve service we invite children of all ages to be part of the Christmas story by dressing up as your favorite Nativity character.  This allows for a bit of fun as we all experience the Christmas story anew!  So, dig through your dress up bins and pull out your finest!  Or, just come as you are — dressed in God’s grace and mercy as a loved and forgiven child of God!

3.  Giving gifts.  Also at the Christmas Eve services we get to gather and give gifts to infants and children in our area – in much the same way that the wise men gave gifts to the Baby King.  So, join us by donating an new, unwrapped item from the following list to be given to Doorways for Women and Children:

children’s toothbrushes

children’s toothpaste

children’s t-shirts

children’s pajamas

Avent baby bottles with fast/medium flow nipples

baby oil

baby “no tears” body wash

baby clothes in a variety of sizes

hair brushes and hair ties

shower caps

shower shoes for kids and adults

As we celebrate the never-changing story of God’s gift – Emmanuel – join us in living the story anew this year.  Come, let us adore Him!

-Louise-

I was up at NIH visiting Patrick Kelly (he is so cheered by your prayers and visits!). As I got ready to leave the hospital, I walked up to the big desk just inside the entrance from the parking garage, to see if I could get my parking validated. The same gentleman was working there who had been there on my previous visits.

“Can I get my parking validated?” I asked him. “I just need to write the patient’s name on the back of the ticket, right?”

“Are you the patient’s family?” he asked.

“No, I’m his pastor.”  (I’ll admit that I was hoping the “pastor” card would get me free parking where “friend” might not have.)

His eyes lit up and he smiled. “You’re a pastor? That’s wonderful!” He then proceeded to tell me, in accented English that I sometimes found hard to understand, how he reads his Bible every day. And then he asked, “Please, can you tell me what verse it is that says ‘you are no longer in bondage but are free’? I’ve been thinking about that verse but I don’t know where it is.”

I’ll admit this is one of my least favorite parts of the “I’m a pastor” conversation. I always fail the Bible quiz. “It’s Paul, right?” I fumble. “Here, let me see…” I reached for my purse as he reached for his desk. He produced a Bible; I produced my iPhone. (I’m sorry to say that Google often knows the Bible better than I do.) We talked and laughed as we compared verses, he looking in his Bible (an Amharic version; he’s Ethiopian) and I looking on my phone. We got a nice overview of freedom-related verses in the New Testament, but when I ultimately failed to come up with what he was looking for, he very graciously told me not to worry about it.

As I sheepishly put my phone away, he said, “You know, I have worked here for 20 years. A lot of people come here to this desk. And they are dealing with a lot of very hard things. And so I pray every day, I say, ‘God, please give me just the right word to say to them. Just the right word.’”

My eyes filled with tears. Here is a man who sits at a desk day in and day out, doing what most would consider the menial task of stamping parking tickets. But for him it is a ministry. He knows that God has put him in this place to love and pray and care for all of the many hurting people who walk through the doors of the NIH hospital. Such a faithful act of service. I left feeling so grateful that so many people who pass through those doors are being silently ministered to so faithfully every single day.

I’m looking forward to visiting Patrick again, and I hope that when I do, this gentleman is working at the desk again. I’m going to be searching my Bible between now and then. I want to be able to find him his verse.

-Erin