“Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.”

The stranger reminds them of various scriptures about the Christ, this one to redeem Israel, before joining them for an evening meal. With bread in hand, he blesses and breaks it, and then gives it to the two men. They are breathless, as this stranger’s actions make for a shocking moment of clarity: this is Jesus, and He is alive!

This account from Luke 24:13-35 serves as a helpful story for what to expect for our services this upcoming weekend. 

As the men pondered over the shock and sadness of the crucifixion of Jesus, so it is fitting for us to do so. We can shortcut too quickly to the end of the story, and in so doing, miss the significance of Good Friday as well as Easter. There is a beauty in the contrast of the journeyers’ shattered hope to their revived hope! 

To help us grow in our joy and appreciation of the resurrection, we’re hosting contrasting services on Friday and Sunday.

At our Good Friday service as we recall the events of the crucifixion, we’re going to sit in the uncomfortable feeling. Not just metaphorically, but literally sit in discomfort as we sit on the floor of our gym. The service will include intentional reflection on how Christ’s broken body gives hope to all of us sinners with broken-down bodies. Non-traditional for us (a very social church family), we’ll end the service in silence, keeping the gym a quiet place for further reflection. When done reflecting, if you want to chat with others, please do so outside of the building to preserve the quiet reflection space inside.

To make the most of this opportunity: 

• Come a few minutes early to get settled before the service starts at 6:30 p.m.
• Bring a blanket or rug for you/your crew to sit on (chairs available for those unable to sit on the ground)
• Young families bring items to engage your kids (to foster a quiet/reflective setting)
• Consider utilizing the nursery room (unstaffed) if your kids need a louder space

In contrast, come on Easter morning wearing your lively colors as we return to gathering in the auditorium. We’ll celebrate not only the shockingly good news that Jesus is risen indeed, but also the joyful hope of one day receiving glorified, resurrected bodies like His!

I can’t wait to take this journey toward seeing the risen Christ alongside you, Summitview family! Everyone is welcome to join. So who are you going to invite to discover hope with us?

– John Larsen

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And so it is with the Bible, beloved. Our desire to read the Bible can be likened to our appetite for food. The words of Jesus come to mind: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4) George Mueller, 19th century English evangelist and orphanage director, captured it so succinctly when he said “The less we read the Word of God, the less we desire to read it.”

Have you experienced this before? I sure have. Sometimes, I can’t wait to read the Bible again, because of what I read the previous day. But other times, I’m not motivated to be in God’s Word.

Oftentimes, this lack of motivation is because I haven’t been intentional about what I am going to be reading next in the Bible. 

As I referenced in the sermon this past Sunday, the Scriptures bear witness to Jesus (John 5:39). All of them! If we aren’t in the Scriptures, we won’t freshly see Jesus. So we must make an intentional effort to regularly read Scripture.

Moving into 2022, a practical way I’m feeding myself with Scripture is to follow the Digging Deep into the Bible reading plan through the ESV app.

The plan provides me with a good balance of four different genres of the Bible. The app gives me the option to listen to the sections back to back. Since finding a quiet space alone isn’t always easy for me, this is convenient in my current life stage. I am able to listen to the Scripture passage while I make breakfast, do chores, or while I’m driving.

My hope is not to convince you to do the same thing I’m doing. What you need in terms of Bible intake could very likely be different than mine. Rather, my encouragement to you is to be intentional, perhaps even creative, in regularly reading Scripture. In case you find it helpful, check out the varied bible reading plans through ESV as a starting place.

As we’re intentional, we’ll find ourselves seeing Jesus more! We’ll have an increased appetite for God’s Word, like hobbits, ever hungry for the next meal!

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Now as you celebrate your Christmas, perhaps you’ll spend time with others who are challenging to be around. Remember the story of Silent Night and the Christmas Truce of 1914. And take time personally or as a family to pray for peace with those close to you and our world at large. Pray also for a spirit of generosity that reflects God’s generous heart shown through Christmas, through the famous John 3:16 I believe this inspiring WWI story gives us a small glimpse of the peace of the kingdom that would come through the baby born in Bethlehem, the Prince of Peace, the son that was given.

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For those interested in going deeper in this, read Micah 5:2 and Luke 2:1-7, considering the smallness and ordinariness of Bethlehem for Jesus’ birth. As the song says, “Yet in thy dark streets shineth, the everlasting light. The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” We hope that you will join us for Christmas Eve Service, this Friday, December 24th at 4:30 p.m. either in person or via our livestream!

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As part of a personal or family devotion time, read Luke 2:8–14 and freshly unpack and consider the words spoken by the angels announcing the birth of the savior of all the nations!

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As part of a personal or family devotion time, I highly encourage you to watch a live video performance of the Hallelujah chorus, by searching for it online. Make sure you have good sound – so not your phone or laptop speakers. Stand, or raise your hands, or cry, or all of the above, as you behold a glimpse of the glory of God through this song! Most of all, as you watch the Hallelujah Chorus, I hope it stirs your heart in worship of King Jesus.

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For those who want to go deeper into today’s devotional, consider studying Psalm 98 alongside the lyrics to Joy to the World, pondering on the connection between the baby born in the manager and the King of King who will come to judge the world.

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Can you imagine what it would be like to celebrate Christmas if we did not sing any of its songs? No melodious rounds of “O Come let us adore him” or “Let every heart prepare Him room”?!  Singing is different from speaking. Even the exact same words. There is something about words paired up with a melody that more powerfully evokes the emotions and longings of our hearts.

Every December presents us with a challenge: In the midst of our busyness, despite the challenges we’re currently facing, will our hearts experience the timeless joy of Christmas? Will autopilot-living and sorrow snuff out the Christmas spirit in us? Or instead, will we linger around the coals of ancient Christmas truths, fanning them through song until a flame of Christmas joy is rekindled in our hearts?

This Christmas season at Summitview, we are going to use classic songs from Christmas to remind ourselves of the most joy-giving truths given to mankind. Not songs like Jingle Bell Rock or Santa Baby. Rather time-tested carols, classic Christmas songs written about the Savior of the world born in Bethlehem.

Each week we will be focused on a Christmas scripture passage that pairs up with one of these famous Christmas songs. And while we unpack the Scripture to see good news of great joy, we will also unpack some of the lyrics and historic stories behind the carols themselves. And mark your calendar for the Christmas Worship Sunday on December 19, when we’ll spend the entire service singing these Christmas songs together!

So join us this season in this hope of freshly stirring our hearts with the truths and joys of Christmas…ones that make you want to sing!

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Does this capture how 2021 has felt for you this far? 

A mere two weeks into 2021 has revealed just how increasingly divided our nation has become. On top of the continued impacts of COVID-19, violence at our nation’s capital this month grieves us and adds to our hopelessness.

As I have been processing these dynamics personally, this song has been a source of hope for my heart. As I’m sure you’ve experienced, there is something special about the way songs can help us to declare and believe the truth. The song is written by my friend Caleb, who is a pastor at our sister church in Utah. Listen to the song, and let the truths carried through melody bring your heart to a place of hope in this: The Lord Reigns. 

Despite the impacts of COVID-19, Jesus sits on his throne. Even over a divided and violent nation, Jesus sits on his throne. He is strong. He has a plan. 

When the Lord Jesus returns, we will sing the hallelujah of all hallelujahs seeing his reign make all things new. But until then, we find hope not in our circumstances, but in His reign over all of history, including 2021, and forevermore!

– John Larsen

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I recently returned from an epic and grueling week-long backpacking trip with two other pastors from M28 Alliance (our church network). On our wide mountain bike tires, we journeyed 216 miles from Durango, CO to Moab, UT over the course of seven days. Our quads shouted in pain at the 20,991 vertical feet we climbed, and our rear ends groaned from 36 hours of bike travel time in one week. The experience ranks in the top five athletic challenges I’ve faced.

We biked with minimal supplies (clothes, bike gear, food and water) until daily reaching a hut in the wilderness. Each hut had lots more food and water, as well as propane stoves, cookware, and bunk beds. Some of these huts were located in high-elevation alpine; others were in the blazing hot desert. We’re all in a long grueling hut-to-hut bike ride, as it were, right now. Life on this side of heaven is just that, long hard stretches with brief stops of rest.

Magnificent views kept us motivated. We saw sunrises over mountain passes, deep canyons in the full moon light and, best of all, rich golden aspen groves! Each of us couldn’t help but point out to each other the breathtaking beauty of the rich fall colors of the aspens. So beautiful were the views, they honestly seemed to lessen the pain on the long, slow climbs.

We were discussing the trip thus far at one of the huts and someone made the comment, “If I had the opportunity, I don’t think I’d even want to do this trip alone. It’s so much better with others.”

The beautiful view of God’s creation was enjoyed more richly in community. Hearing others express their amazement in the golden aspen leaves helped me to enjoy their beauty even more.

But we needed each other even more than that. Each one of us had physical needs others on the team met. We cooked for each other, shared gear, and helped fix each other’s bikes. One of my friend’s hands became so weary that he needed others to do simple tasks like taking off his socks.

Each one of us had a moment in the trip in which we cried as we faced issues of the heart. We needed one another for comfort in processing emotional struggles we had experienced. The availability of empathetic listening from one another was priceless.

In your life, are you trying to bike ride it alone? Most certainly, at least one of your grueling trials has to do with the downstream effects of COVID. In recent months, we’ve given fresh intentionality towards connecting our church family with each other in a small group. We believe that God intends the church to be a place of rich relational connection and support, not merely a well-done weekly service. We can’t make it through life without friends to help take off our socks when our fingers are too tired or offer comfort when we’re crying.

God will use community to help you better face the seemingly impossible challenges in your life.  Whatever it may be, it is finite in length and rest will come sometime! But not only that, being in community will help you see and appreciate more of God’s beauty around you in a way that lessens the pain you experience! 

As we face the grueling miles ahead, who are your biking buddies?

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