Dear St. Andrews Family,

Perhaps you are one of those people who dismisses warnings easily. The aspirin bottle says to only take two without consulting a doctor, but puh-leeze, like you really consult a doctor. The cigarette pack says smoking leads to cancer, but you ignore it. You know Coke leads to obesity and diabetes, but you need your fix. I get it, I ignore a lot of warnings too.

In Hebrews 11:7 we are reminded that Noah was warned about a flood, and he listened. He had faith even though it didn’t make much sense. There are a lot of warnings given to us in the New Testament; I wonder if we hear and heed them. This won’t exactly be a hellfire and brimstone sermon because that’s just not me, but this is a call to hear the warning of God. To have faith. I hope you will worship and ask God to speak and for you to listen.

Pastor Jace

Dear St. Andrews Family,

Maybe I shouldn’t admit this to good Christians, but a few years ago I rocked out with thousands of other people to “Pour some Sugar on Me” and “Hysteria.” Most of the people were drunk or high, but I was loving Def Leppard completely unintoxicated (because I am a goody two shoes). It was awesome. But there was a problem. My seats were so far away that I could barely see them. I wanted to get up close and really see them. I wanted to be right there with them but alas, my nosebleed tickets were $90.00 and I wasn’t about to spend anything more to get up close.

If you really love something, don’t you want to get up close? To draw near?

This week we will talk about the faith of Enoch who seemed to be so close to God that one day God just took him home with him. That’s some amazing nearness. I wonder what it would look like for us to draw near to God. Let’s read Hebrews 11:5-6 and think about that this week.

Pastor Jace

Dear St. Andrews Family,

It's “Give of your Best” Sunday and I have a sermon that I have shared with every church I have pastored. It’s a sermon to remind you that God is ready and He is moving, and He wants to do something with you. The text comes from I Samuel 14 about Jonathan and his armor bearer. The title is simple:

“Perhaps the Lord will work in our behalf”

We don’t know what He is going to do, but I imagine it is pretty amazing. But we know our call—we have to move, we have to risk, we have transform. Are you ready? Let’s dream about what God might do.

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Pastor Jace

Dear St. Andrews Family,

For the sake of my own ego, I like to think that I am kind of extraordinary. I mean, the Broadhurst name will go down in history. Extraordinary, yep, that’s me.

Okay, maybe not.

You know what? Abel wasn’t all that extraordinary, and he got included in the hall of faith in Hebrews 11:4. How did that happen? The answer: He did what was right. Simple, ordinary, not-all-that-amazing just doing what God said. That’s not sell all you have go to the Kenyan slums kind of faith. That’s not give-up-your-job-and-focus-on-caring-for-orphans kind of faith. It’s just a simple faith…doing what is right. And his legacy is still known thousands of years later. Maybe extraordinary acts aren’t always what God is looking for. Let’s talk about that this.

Pastor Jace

Dear St. Andrews Family,

Perhaps you are one of those Christians who is very certain of their view of creation. Maybe you are convinced that it happened in 6 literal 24 days and it was created out of nothing. Fine, I get it. And that is cool with me. Hebrew 11:3 seems to say something about this, so yeah, I am going to have to say something about this too. But, the truth is, it doesn’t really say much of anything about it. So, while I will talk a little bit about it, I really want to emphasize the point of the author: while it doesn’t always seem like God is fulfilling his promises, BAM, then He does. This is a passage about encouragement, not about creation. See if you can see it when you read it. We will dive in together here. I hope it’s encouraging. Praying for all of our hearts to be moved this coming week as we hear from God.

Pastor Jace

Dear St. Andrews Family,

I took a year off from ministry. I needed a break. Of course, I was exhausted. Of course, I was grieving. But there was more going on. Christianity was starting to really frustrate me. Not the limping Christianity. Not the authentic Christianity. But the Christianity that we tout on facebook and in pop books and in political discussions. I needed to remind myself that there is a Christianity that is beautiful and faithful and genuine.

We all need something. Hebrews 6 and 10 tell us clearly what we need. We need to persevere. For me, that meant refocusing on Jesus and his glorious church (even when his people are ugly sometimes). For me that meant trying to see what Jesus sees in us and hearing his vision for us again. Right now, I see something very clearly. Hope in a promise. A promise given to me and to St Andrews. I want to show you a very simple Christianity which I hope will inspire a new trust in God for our future. I'm glad I get to share to share my heart with you.

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Pastor Jace

Dear St. Andrews Family,

I wonder what Jesus would think if he went to the movies. I really wonder what he would think about the movies and TV shows that revolve around his story. Would he laugh at how they portray him? I wonder what he would think about the picture you have of him. Based on movies, childhood pictures, pastor’s perspectives, and the culture that pervades our thinking, I wonder if we have the right Jesus. One thing I am sure of is that the ripple effects of this man have been more than any other in history. What if what he and thousands of others claimed is actually true? How might that truth shape everything? If you have a non-Christian friend, I think they need to check out this sermon. If you are a Christian, this should challenge you as well. I hope this resonates with you.

Pastor Jace

Dear St. Andrews Family,

It's almost funny what some peoplebelieve: dinosaurs in Scotland, Big Foots in Canada, and aliens in Area 51. Some of us believe other things that perhaps might have a more direct impact on our lives: God wants us to die in a jihad, God offers us eternity on our own planet with virgins galore, God doesn’t care about us at all. But what do we think about Jesus? That is my topic the next couple of weeks. This week, what do we think about Jesus in regard to the Triumphal Entry. Even calling it the Triumphal Entry implies something that the text almost demands we not believe. It’s another one of those weird passages where triumph is found through weakness and the best strategy for war is gentleness. Take a look at John 12 and prepare your hearts for worshipping as you follow along.

Pastor Jace