Month: January 2022 (Page 1 of 2)

Bellefield family, 

Our journey through this year’s Lenten season is nearing its destination. This season of repentance is meant to focus our hearts and minds upon Jesus by turning away from those things that distance us from him. It began with an intentional contemplation of our own mortality on Ash Wednesday. In this, we acknowledge our need for a Savior who can deliver us from the consequence of death and the confines of the grave. 

We know that Easter Sunday is a time to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and the good news that death has been defeated. In order to fully celebrate that as we should, however, we must first make our journey through Holy Week. 

This begins with Palm Sunday. On that day we remember Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem and the crowds who sang the praises of the King. It continues with Maundy Thursday, the night that Jesus shared a final meal with his disciples before he was betrayed and arrested. It goes on to Good Friday, the day on which Jesus was crucified–“pierced for our transgressions”, as the prophet Isaiah said–and died for the sins of his people. It moves on to Holy Saturday, perhaps the most solemn day of the Church year, marking the day that Jesus remained dead and buried. And it leads, of course, to Easter Sunday and the brilliant dawn of the resurrection morning. 

I invite you to join us as you are able for our various times of worship and prayer throughout this week. All of the information for our services can be found in this newsletter or our online platforms. I’d also encourage you to invite others to join you (in person or online) for these times. Most of all, I hope that this will be a season in which we can all draw near to Jesus, resting and rejoicing in our Risen Lord and looking with anticipation to that time when he comes again. 

I pray this finds you healthy and well. 

Grace and peace,
Josh

Bellefield family, 

One year ago this week, we halted onsite gatherings and began our Sunday ‘Worship at Home’ services. Since then, we have had to rethink many of the ways we gather and worship. We have had opportunities to start new things and to creatively continue life together.

As we approach the Easter season, and as we see gradual yet encouraging signs regarding infection and vaccine rates, I want to highlight our updated plans in a few areas.

(Note: all onsite events require masks and physical distancing)

Worship: Onsite at 11 am and 5 pm, and online anytime via YouTube or join our 11 am Facebook watch party. *For Easter Sunday we will offer onsite services at 8:30 am and 11:00 am*
Children and Youth: We plan to resume Sunday nursery and Children in Worship on Easter. Youth discipleship groups online and limited in-person events are ongoing. For more information, see the ‘Bellefield Parents’ Facebook page (email tanya@bellefield.org to join) or the Bellefield Youth Group website.
University: Weekly gatherings are now onsite and online. For more information, see the Cornerstone page.

For current plans and events regarding any of our other ministries (Young Adult, Men’s and Women’s, Small Groups, Spiritual Growth Classes, etc), please check the calendar and announcements included in these weekly newsletters.

Our intent is to continue being faithful and responsible in how we do the things we do. We invite you to join us onsite or online according to what is best for you and your loved ones, and we encourage you to invite others to do so also. 

As always, I pray this finds you healthy and well. 

Grace and peace,
Josh

Bellefield family, 

“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” — 1 Corinthians 12:27

Faith in Jesus Christ means being united to him and becoming part of his body, that is, all those around the world and throughout the ages whom God has called to himself and given new life by his Spirit. Scripture calls this body the Church. Jesus Christ “is the head of body, the church” (Colossians 1:18), and we are “individually members of it”. 

What does it mean to be a ‘member’ of the Church? 
First–and most importantly–it means to be united to Jesus Christ. If you are someone who confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord and places your trust in him alone for your redemption then you are a part of his body, which is the Church. 
It also means being united to other believers in a particular place. Paul addressed the letter we call 1 Corinthians, “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours” (1 Corinthians 1:2).

This shows that the Church universal (believers from every time and place) finds its expression in local congregations (e.g. Corinth), where believers gather for worship, prayer, fellowship, and service.

Being part of Christ’s Church, then, means belonging to Jesus Christ and also being intentionally associated and aligned with other believers. Becoming a member of a local congregation is a way in which both of these things are exhibited. 

This Sunday we will begin a three-part New Members’ Class (see below for details). Whether you are new to the Christian faith–or to Bellefield–or not, this will provide time to learn more about who we are and what we believe. At the end of the course, you will have the option to join as a member at Bellefield. If you’ve never taken this step, or would like to find out more of what it means and why it matters, then I invite you to participate in this class. For more information or to register, please contact the office. 

I pray this finds you healthy and well. 

Grace and peace,
Josh

Bellefield family, 

Sometime in the fall of 2019, after praying about it, I decided to begin 2020 by preaching through the New Testament letter of 2 Corinthians. I had always appreciated that letter, though I had no idea just how relevant it and timely its message would prove to be.

The Lord’s words to Paul provided the theme: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness”, which led Paul to say, “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

We spent almost three months studying that letter and those themes, finishing two weeks into the start of the quarantine and our season of online-only worship.
In hindsight, it seems quite providential that our time prior to a global pandemic focused on the importance of relying on God’s grace to provide the strength we need in the midst of our own weakness. Perhaps, in God’s mercy, that was a small way to help ready our hearts for the months to come. 

I bring this up for two reasons. First, to remind us all that the word of God is “living and active” (Hebrews 4:12), and God says that when his word goes out “it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). When we study Scripture, we are not simply looking to glean information from ancient texts. We are listening attentively to the God who speaks, trusting that what he says is true and good, and that God’s “word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).
Second, to invite us to look back, because we will often see unexpected signs of God’s goodness and grace. They may be stunning or they may be simple, though they will be there if we look with the eyes of faith for the loving hand of our heavenly Father. Even the difficult times can be seen differently if they caused us to draw nearer to God. As Paul wrote, “For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9). 

Scripture is always timely; always relevant. God is always active; always good. Not even a year of pandemic can diminish these truths. 

I pray this finds you healthy and well. 

Grace and peace,
Josh

Bellefield family, 

There are three traditional feast days that the global Church has historically celebrated. You could probably guess two of them (Christmas and Easter), but do you know the third? It’s Epiphany, traditionally observed on January 6th each year. The date marks the end of the twelve-day celebration of Christmas (hence the famous song), and the name comes from the Greek word for “manifestation”. 
Some Christian traditions use the day to commemorate the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus (Matthew 2:1-12), when it was first made manifest that Jesus had come to bring light to the nations. Other Christian traditions use the day to commemorate the baptism of Jesus (Mark 1:9-11), when the identity of Jesus as the Son of God was made manifest. With either emphasis, we are reminded to turn our hearts and minds to Jesus Christ, looking to the one who is fully God and fully man, come to redeem for himself a people from every tribe and nation. 

It’s an appropriate reminder at the start of a new year, because it is so easy for us to turn our attention and adoration elsewhere. We may look back and reflect upon what was or we may look ahead and set goals and resolutions about the things we want to accomplish. These aren’t bad in and of themselves, though it can be very easy to become consumed by things that are fleeting at best and idolatrous at worst. 

The Psalms call us to a different posture and priority when they say, “Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways” (Psalm 119:37). Epiphany, then, sets before us the thing that is of ultimate worth: the Son of God, who brings light and life to the nations. 

Throughout the recent Advent season, we focused on the fact that our God is not one who remains distant and hidden. Our God has come to us, made his dwelling among us, and reveals his glory to the nations in the person of Jesus, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). As we enter this new year together, let’s fix our hearts and minds upon this.

Grace and peace,
Josh