Nathaniel James Just Turned One Year Old!

My son Nathaniel James just turned one year old February 8th. Last week he received his first haircut. He can walk. He can say “Mom”, “Dad”, and “Uh Oh”. In light of these events I am in presently in denial about the possibility that he is more a toddler than the newborn that I envision him to be. We celebrated his first birthday in the newly remodeled second building at church that will serve as our church fellowship hall (We just had a church work day to clean up the mess from the aforementioned remodel of the second building. For the first time in all of our moves and building projects I didn’t get one before and after picture). During the party, as I watched adults mingle and kids frolic, it occurred to me that our church began Sunday morning services this very weekend two years ago. The next thought that crossed my mind was that, just as my son has changed and grown so dramatically in one year, so our church in a relatively short amount of time.

It seems only yesterday that a handful of us gathered for our first morning service, on a bitter cold February day, in a drafty old shipping dock we had just remodeled. From my vantage point on the stage I could see the two small groups in front of me. On the right side of the sanctuary a few souls shivered under the industrial heater mounted from the ceiling. On that side of the room the temperature rarely rose above sixty degrees. On the left side of the sanctuary sat a group in short sleeves. It was there the fan from the heater (blast furnace) deposited the only heat in the building. It quickly earned the name, “The Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego Side.” Both sides in the sanctuary would lean forward, straining to hear, as the blast furnace kicked on and off multiple times throughout every service. A large curtain obscured a drafty garage door that rattled violently with every gust of wind. The sounds of passing cars periodically poured through the single paned windows. And you know what happened? The Lord used all of the unique characteristics of our sanctuary as a filter to build and protect our little fellowship. They were a stepping stone to those who were to be a part of our body, they were a stumbling block to all those who were to be somewhere else.

Over the past two years I have watched dozens of people come through the doors of our church and smile nervously as they view the simple surroundings. Even now, in our new and improved facilities, it is funny to watch how visitors from a traditional church background respond to the enthusiasm of our patrons over the metal buildings we are so grateful to fix up and call “church”. Recently, one man, trying to be kind as I gave him a quick tour, commented to me, “These aren’t so bad, I’ve seen worse facilities.” I chuckled inwardly and thought,“You should have seen them before we remodeled them.” Are they clean? Yes. Well maintained? Yes? Are they adequate for our needs? Yes. Will they cause you to rear end another car because you are gawking at their architecture? No!

It brings to mind the story we read of in the second chapter of Haggai. For 490 years the children of Israel have disobeyed the Lord’s commands despite repeated warnings of coming judgment. In 586 b.c. the Lord allowed King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army to overrun Jerusalem, level the city, destroy the temple, and deport the people to Babylon. Seventy years later, according to the word of the Lord, and by the decree of King Cyrus, the people would be allowed to return to their homeland. A small group journeyed back to their native city, and, amidst the ruins, began to rebuild the temple. But after only a short while the work was stopped due to discouragement. Sixteen years later, the Lord sent His messenger Haggai to encourage them to complete the rebuilding of the temple, which they had abandoned a decade and a half before.

Stirred up by Haggai, the people zealously recommit themselves to the effort of rebuilding the once famous temple. The young Israelites, born in captivity, which had never seen the city or the temple in its entire splendor, worked feverishly to rebuild the house of the Lord, so that the glory of God would dwell with their generation. As is the case in every situation where people commit themselves wholly to the work of the Lord there were critics. The wizened old ones that had been carried away from the city as young children now sat on the sidelines and scoffed, “You young pups have never seen a real temple. This temple will never compare to the magnificence of Solomon’s temple. God would never inhabit that shack.”

Interestingly enough, the Lord heard their criticism and replied by the mouth of His prophet that His glory would indeed inhabit this more humble abode, and even more that, “the glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former’, says the Lord of hosts, ‘And I will give peace’, says the Lord of hosts (Haggai 2:9Haggai 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 ‘The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says Yahweh of Armies; ‘and in this place will I give peace,’ says Yahweh of Armies.”

).” This would be true in ways that they would never fully understand in their lifetime. And though Herod the Great would eventually rebuild the temple to a degree that rivaled the structure in the day of Solomon, the real substance of the Lord’s message was that this temple, modest in comparison to the one the elders had seen, would be the very temple where Jesus Himself would be dedicated, teach, and drive out the money changers. It would also be the temple where, upon His death on the cross, the veil that separated a sin stained people from a holy God, would be torn from top to bottom, signifying that now all who would put their trust in Christ could come boldly to His Throne of Grace. And it all started with a remnant of humble people that had little knowledge or concern about the way God had worked in the lives of previous generations. History is good, but the Living God continually desires to write a new chapter of His Story in the lives of those who would embrace what He is doing now, despite how it compares to the way He has worked in other times, or is working in other places.

I praise the Lord for the two metal buildings we occupy, even though many drive right by, and, despite the well lit sign that reads “Parkland Chapel”, say things to me like, “I never knew that was a church. I figured it for a garage, or a machine shop, or something.” The place we worship may not be postcard material, but I know the beauty of these buildings is not on the outside, but in the people that fill up the inside, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. The people that the Lord is drawing into our fellowship are leaving many of their preconceived notions about church and desperately desiring to follow hard after a relationship with Jesus, despite the outward appearance of the place where they corporately gather. The lack of a traditional Midwestern church building actually enhances the spiritual beauty of the place to me. I never have to say to anyone that someone attends because of our amazing facilities. If they attend our fellowship, it is for teaching, fellowship, prayer, or the breaking of bread, and God gets all of the glory.

In every generation God’s eyes rove to and fro throughout the earth to search for that group who will seek Him in simplicity and purity, even if it doesn’t look the way the regular religious of the day think it should. As I reflected while watching the crowd at Nathaniel’s first birthday party, I inwardly beamed with pleasure and thankfulness for a son, and a church, who are both more toddlers than infants. My prayer for each of them is that as they grow and mature they would know Christ deeply and that would be reflected in their lives in such a way that Christ receives all of the glory. “He who began a good work will be faithful to complete it.”

God bless,

Here are a few pictures for effect.