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When I was a kid, one of my favorite restaurants was The Old Country Buffet. Anytime my grandma made the trip from Florida to Wisconsin, I knew we'd be hitting the "OCB!" Was the food quality?…Meh, but you could eat as much as you wanted. And for me, that meant unlimited fried chicken and several bowls of gummy bears! I once heard a pastor named JD Greer refer to the city of Colossae as the Golden Corral of worship. Any god, any practice, as much or as little as you'd like. This culture made following Jesus pretty challenging. When I look at the culture we're in, it's not so different. I can't wait to spend Sunday morning with you, as we continue looking at who Jesus is, in a buffet of beliefs.

When you read through Colossians 2:8-15, two things stand out. The first is how difficult it is to work through this passage. It’s very technical with terminology that is hard to fully understand. But the second observation is that these verses ooze grace. If you were to squeeze this passage, grace would come out. If you bumped into this passage, grace would spill out. In fact, if you look at this whole letter to the Colossians, it begins with grace, it ends with grace, and everything in between is just grace. Paul never recovered from the wonder of grace. Grace changes hearts, changes minds, and transforms our wills. Without grace, religion is just an exercise in discipline. Without grace, marriages wither and die. Without grace, children grow resentful and frustrated. Without grace, souls shrivel and harden. Without grace, God seems distant and cold. The best definition of grace I’ve come across is this one, in the form of an acronym: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense In other words, He was punished so that we could be pardoned. He was put to death so that we could live. He was called a criminal so that I could be called a saint. He was rejected by the Father so that we could be accepted by the Father. That’s grace, and it is so important. You can know the right thing, you can even do the right thing, but the world is so tired of Christians who say they know the right things but in whom there is no grace. Join us this weekend as discuss the critical importance of grace in the Christian life and how you can continue to grow in it.

In Colossians 1 Paul tells us that his goal is to present everyone mature in Christ. Beginning in chapter two, he will lay out what that looks like. He will encourage us to live “rooted” to Christ. Living this way is so important that it is one of our core values as a church: Live a Rooted Life Prayer, Scripture, and worship are the heartbeat of our relationship with God. Through scripture and prayer, we seek God’s presence, listen for His voice, and align our hearts with His will. Through worship, we respond to who God is with gratitude, reverence, and joy. This weekend, we’ll explore the question, “What is going to happen in your life if you live this way? What kind of person are you going to become if you make prayer, Scripture, and worship a priority in your life? What kind of person does God want you to become? I will suggest three things will happen right out of this passage. God will give you a crazy love for others, He will grow a big faith in you that crowds out fear, and He will create in you a grateful heart. Join us this weekend as we delve into what your life could look like as a result of living the rooted life.

What should be the main thing at a church? What should be the focus? Paul makes it crystal clear. “He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.” (Colossians 1:27–29, NIV) That means we do not proclaim clever human insights. We do not proclaim self- improvement, stress-management, life-balance, or career advancement. We do not proclaim a system of beliefs. We do not proclaim a political agenda. We do not proclaim a set of traditions. We proclaim Him. We proclaim Christ because He is the light of the world, because He is the creator and sustainer of all that exists, and because each of us has been created for his good pleasure. We proclaim Christ because He is the kingdom-bringer, and the sin-bearer. We proclaim Him because He is the death-defeater, the life-giver, and the hope- bringer. TO say that we proclaim Christ is to say that Christ has changed our Facebook status from enemies of God to friends of God. To proclaim Him means we are betting the farm on Him and staking our lives to Him. Notice too that Paul says the Christ is proclaimed to “everyone.” We want everyone to grow up into Jesus, to become fully mature in Him. This is why we gather on Sunday morning and why we gather in groups throughout the week. It was why we encourage things like serving and generosity, and why we insist on living the rooted life.

We may live in a medium-sized town in central Indiana, but God says we also live in an invisible kingdom that supersedes and controls our lives here in Indiana. It is an amazing truth that an invisible God took on a visible human body so that we could become a part of His invisible kingdom. Every kingdom has a king that rules from somewhere. Scripture says that King Jesus rules from Heaven and, through the Holy Spirit, also rules in our hearts. The Apostle Paul spent several words describing our King to us in Colossians. I’ll look forward to “unpacking” some of those tomorrow at SCC. If you can’t be there in person, I hope you will watch online, on Facebook, or on our YouTube Channel. Both services are viewable at 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM. Also, we will have our second “Sign-Up” Sunday tomorrow as we prepare to start our fall session of small groups. There are many new group opportunities. Come in person to sign up or check out “groups” on the “InsideSCC.org” website.

She was taught to put treasured items in that box -- some china, some linen, some lace, heirlooms that were passed down to her that she hoped to give to her children one day, a kind of inheritance. She put that stuff in that box in the hope that one day she might get married and have a family of her own. In her day and time, this was a pretty common practice. A hope chest was a place where you stored items that represented your deepest desires and your greatest hopes. Hope chests aren’t too common anymore. Partly, I think, because our society has grasped the idea that it’s not always a great idea for a woman to put all of her hopes and dreams on the prospect of finding a man. It dawned on people that men may not always be the fulfillment of every longing in a woman’s heart. This is a good thing. But even though you may not have a hope chest in your home, we all have a place where we store our deepest desires and our greatest hopes. All human beings are hopers. We can’t help it. Hope is what gets us through. But the key question is, “What are you putting your hope in?

Our Summer Series from the book of Proverbs, ”Get Smart,” ended last Sunday. I doubt any of us “arrived” or even raised our IQs, but I do think we received practical ways to apply Biblical principles in our lives and with our families. I hope you were able to be a part of those services, but if you weren’t, they are archived on our website for you to go back and listen to. Tomorrow is a historic day of celebration and some sadness as we send off Pastor Brandon to a new ministry calling as a church planter in Arizona. His twelve-year tenure with SCC has impacted many people, and the Rood family will be greatly missed. I have the opportunity on Sunday to introduce our new series from Colossians. The church in the city of Colossae began in much the same way as what Brandon Rood will be doing in the near future. We’ll see how the Apostle Paul ministered for a season in the city of Ephesus, and how one of the young converts there became the young minister who went to the city of Colossae to preach the Gospel to the Colossians. Epaphras was that young man’s name, and his ministry led to the birth of a new church, which he served as their first pastor. Any time God starts blessing, we can count on the devil to start blasting! The new church experienced the same things our churches go through today. People begin their relationship with Jesus Christ responding to God’s grace through faith in what Jesus did for us, but then move off that one secure foundation. Paul exhorted the Colossians and will exhort us not to try to add to what Jesus did for us through our own legalistic actions. Nor should we try to make Jesus fit into our lifestyles and personal syncretistic desires. Jesus Christ is Lord, the only foundation and standard of righteousness we submit to. Like the wisdom from the book of Proverbs, we will walk with Jesus as the Holy Spirit makes applications and releases His life through our lives. But how do you begin to do that? Join us this weekend as we talk about growing big faith!

Imagine. What if you had just that kind of amazing, out-of–the-box faith, that no matter what happened you just trusted God? Imagine that. Imagine no fear. You’re just like, God knew this was going to happen; I’m just trusting God and we’ll see what God does. No anxiety. Why should I be nervous? Why should I be afraid? I can’t control my next breath. I just have absolute perfect faith in God. No fear about your kids, no fear about your marriage, no fear about your finances, no fear about your future. And I mean it’s not that everything goes your way, but you just have this unbelievable faith that God was with you, around you, working through you, seeing you through. That is exactly what God wants for each of us. That is where God wants to take us. Join us this weekend as we look at one of the most beloved one of the most famous verses in all of Proverbs. It’s a verse that I’d encourage every single one of us to memorize it if we haven’t already. This verse should be on our hearts and in our minds on a moment-to-moment basis. This verse should be the aim of each-and-every day. Here it is: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all of your ways, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV The call here is to trust God with everything. All of our heart and in all of our ways. But how do you begin to do that? Join us this weekend as we talk about growing big faith!

While Proverbs would say that wise people restrain their anger and cover over the offenses of others, the New Testament actually commands those things! In Matthew 18, Jesus tells us a story about the Kingdom of God and forgiveness. The reason Jesus tells this story is simple: Life is filled with opportunity to take offense. Actually, that’s only part of the reason. Jesus also tells this story in response to a question from Peter about the limits of forgiveness. Here is how he asked it: “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:21–22, NIV) Many of you know the number 7 is the number for completion or fullness in the Scriptures. It represents perfection. The implication is that Peter thinks he is being super gracious. He thinks he is being magnanimous. But Jesus does a play on words with Peter’s answer. No, Jesus says, not just 7 times, but 7 X 70 times! If you do the math, that is 490 times. So do you think that on event number 491 of a relationship, we no longer have to forgive? Of course not. The idea is, you forgive someone as much and as often as necessary. There is no limit, no finite number to describe how often we should forgive others. And then to illustrate this, Jesus begins to tells a powerful and life-changing story. Join us this weekend as we begin in the book of Proverbs and then unpack it together.

I wonder, have you ever gotten in trouble for something you said? How many minutes ago was that? Have ever hurt someone by something that you said or been hurt by something someone else said? Have ever been surprised by something hateful that you said? “Like, where did that come from?” Don’t you wish our mouths came with a remote? Maybe a “pause” button or a “rewind” button? Consider this: The first job God gave man was to speak a name for each of the animals of creation. “Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them: and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.” (Genesis 2:19-20) Adam’s job was to speak, and whatever he spoke stuck. The words that you speak stick. They hang around. Good words hang around in life-giving ways and produce healthy relationships of appreciation and love. Carelessly spoken words wound and fester, slowly poisoning and painfully ending our relationships. Join us this weekend as we discover what the Book of Proverbs has to say about the tongue and how to use it more wisely. Not only that, we’ll discuss the cure for the tongue, and it’s not what you think.

Sometimes when a couple files for divorce, they do on the grounds of something called “irreconcilable differences.” The idea is that no one is at necessarily at fault in the marriage, but there are fundamental compatibility issues that will prevent the marriage from being successful. However, Christian marriage is an unconditional commitment to an imperfect person. The math of Christian marriage is this: 1 sinner + 1 sinner = conflict2 When two broken and selfish people enter into a marriage, they will fight and let one another down. This is a sin issue, not a compatibility issue, and sin requires forgiveness. Make no mistake. Behind every divorce is a series of refusals on the part of at least one spouse to forgive. For the Christian, we have no alternative but to “forgive as the Lord has forgiven us.” Join us this weekend as we talk about why things like forgiveness, having fun together, and respecting one another with our words are vital to the success of any Christian marriage.

“Parenting is only hard…if you’re doing it right.” I remember hearing that for the first time. I felt seen, and a bit relieved. Sometimes there are phrases that haunt your thoughts in a good way. That’s one of them for me. I’ve often felt inadequate and undereducated when it comes to parenting. How am I—imperfect, sinful, easily distracted—able to raise children who are faithfully following Jesus? This week we’re continuing our GET SMART series by looking at what Proverbs teaches us about parenting. In fact, Proverbs is a goldmine for this topic. 9 chapters specifically address the topic of parenting, and all 31 chapters have nuggets of wisdom that apply to family life. Bring your Bible and something to take notes. Pray tonight with your family. Ask God to prepare your hearts and minds to honor God in worship and in the study of His Word.

My neighborhood is located very close to a water tower where a weather siren is mounted. I know I should be grateful and take heed every time that siren goes off, but I don’t. When it first goes off, it does what it is supposed to do. It is intrusive, alarming, distracting, attention getting, and functions as a warning! After just a short while (if the tornado doesn’t materialize immediately), it becomes a painful, disturbing, uncomfortable nuisance. Warnings can function and affect us that way. Wisdom can come to us and grow in us as we learn to heed warnings. Having gone through several hurricanes has probably “hardened my heart” a little! How foolish would I be to NOT at least check my phone or turn on the weather station channel to see what the siren is all about? Likewise, how foolish would I be if I didn’t take Solomon’s warnings about the things that will destroy my life? Unfortunately, his warning’s fulfillment may not come to pass immediately either, but it is coming! Tomorrow I will be teaching from Proverbs again and I believe a couple of sirens will be going off in our hearts.

Happy Father’s Day tomorrow as we begin a summer series based on the Proverbs of King Solomon. He definitely had some situations that we can glean from! There were two teenage brothers, out for summer break, and they decided they would start a business, selling eggs they got from their grandmother. They bought the eggs for a dollar a dozen, and started selling the eggs for a dollar a dozen. They caught on that they were not making any money! Their solution was, “WE GOT TO GET A BIGGER TRUCK.” Some things you just learn by your experiences. But even better is when you learn from other people’s experiences. Proverbs is written with the purpose for us to learn how to practically live the abundant life on earth that Jesus promised us in John 10:10, “The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy; but, I came that you might have life, and have it abundantly!”. I look forward to the opportunity to teach from Proverbs the next few weeks. Pastor Brandon will share the teaching opportunities the first of July and Pastor Brad will be returning to teach the last part of July. I hope you will worship in person if you are in town. Let’s continue to grow together.

How do you define family? How you answer that question will affect the way you live. How you answer will show you your priorities and motivations. How you answer will show you what you believe the Bible says. How you answer will drive your expectations of what Family Ministry looks like in a local church. Waving the white flag? Please don’t. We all have different views and backgrounds because so many of us have been affected by how others have defined family. Then you walk into different churches, though there is much similar, there is still a lot different for Family Ministry. This Sunday we’re going to look at why Family Ministry is so important. The funny thing is I had it all planned to go a certain way, and then God said, I have a different plan for this Sunday. I was going to try to share with you and “sell” you on Family Ministry at SCC, but God wants me to show you what Family Ministry looks like in the home. We have a lot good happening, and lots of good planned for the future within the Family Ministry at SCC, so please stay tuned as we grow our Kids and Student Ministries, and add more parent/guardian moments to enhance the home over time. With that being said, here is what you can look forward to this Sunday: • Family was God’s first ministry model • Parents are the primary disciple-makers • Families form faith that lasts • Families can strengthen the whole church • Families can reflect the gospel We are never too late to learn and grow from where we currently are. My hope and encouragement for all of us is that this Sunday we can come worship our Father, the head of our house, and walk away knowing how to help make our homes a spiritually healthy place for kingdom impact.