Cedar Creek Chronicles
June 8, 2021
Dog lovers, take note: A study published last week in the journal Current Biology has concluded that puppies are naturally wired to communicate with people from birth.
"Puppies will look at and return a person's social gaze and successfully use information given by that person in a social context from a very young age, all prior to any extensive experience with people," says Dr. Emily Bray from the Arizona Canine Cognition Center.
Bray and her team have been studying dogs for more than a decade, and their recent study measured the ability of 375 eight-week-old puppies to make eye contact with a researcher and then follow the researcher's eye and hand gesture to a treat hidden under one of two cups. The treats were hidden equally between the two cups, and all of the 375 puppies were Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, or lab-golden mixes still living with their mother and littermates.
The research team determined that the puppies were "highly skillful" in looking into the eyes of the researcher, following cues, and selecting the right cup 70% of the time. Many of the puppies were able to follow the researcher's gesture on the first trial with no training, Bray said.
The team then followed 160 of the puppies into adulthood, testing them on similar tasks to see whether their behaviors would change as adults. Bray said the continued research confirmed that there is a genetic basis for their ability to engage skillfully with humans.
"Almost universally across all of the tasks, performance improved as they aged, especially in things like impulse control and social cues," she said. "They can do it when they're young, but they can do it even better by the time they are an adult."
As we set aside our envy of a job that requires working with puppies day after day (ah, the bliss!), there is much that we can learn from Bray's study. First of all, if you have ever felt like your dog's gaze deep into your eyes was an attempt to read your soul, you're probably correct. And secondly, this need for deep connection translates to humans as well, particularly as we have endured 15-plus months of limited interactions with others. As Christians, how can we help to meet this need? Could it be as simple as looking one another in the eyes?
We all desire to be seen in this world, whether by a puppy or another human. How many times each day do you meet the gaze of those around you, allowing for a moment of human connection? The act may sound simple, but as we begin to emerge from months of isolation, the heart-level impact of making eye contact with another can make all the difference in someone's day.
We are reminded in 1 Samuel that the Lord does not perceive others by how they look, as we too often do, but perhaps by something more akin to a puppy's soul-searching gaze:
But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).
How do you encounter those around you as you move through your days? Our culture often speaks of the platitudes of offering a kind word, which can be important, but do you really see the people you meet? What would it look like to focus on looking for the heart of those you encounter, remembering Bray's study and the inherent intensity of a puppy's direct gaze as it stares into the eyes and reads the body language of each new person it meets? While we can't all play with puppies every day (darn), how might a heart-focused presence change the cadence of the world around you?
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, June 13, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We look forward to hearing from Rev. Shari Grover this week. We will also celebrate the Lord's Supper together this Sunday, so be sure to have juice and bread or crackers on hand.
Re-opening for Sunday Services: We are excited to welcome you back into the Ministry Center for 10 a.m. Sunday morning services beginning June 20! For those who prefer to wear masks and maintain social distancing, we will have a designated space for you, and we will continue to do our utmost to ensure proper airflow and clean surfaces throughout both buildings. We will continue livestreaming our services as well, for those who are traveling or who prefer to view from home. Stay tuned for more details.
Cedar Creek Youth: No Youth Group this Sunday. Instead, be on the lookout for emails regarding exciting summer activities!
Cedar Creek Children's Ministries: Parents, watch for an email link to a YouTube Sunday school lesson each week, and contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org if you know a family who would like to be added to our list. Here is the link to this week's lesson: When Elijah Ran from Jezebel.
Seeking a Worship Arts Director: Please help spread the word that we are seeking excellent, qualified candidates for Worship Arts Director. You can find the position posted on our website here and on the ECO national job board here.
Ministry Center Refresh Fundraiser: We are excited about our new paint, new livestream equipment, and freshly cleaned carpets. We have nearly reached our goal of $10,000, and we are asking you to consider joining the cause with a special donation beyond your regular tithe. You can donate online here or by mailing a check to the church office.
Diane Anderson Memorial: We will host a memorial service for Diane at 1 p.m. June 19 at Rise Church (formerly Calvin Presbyterian) to allow for comfortable social distancing. All are invited. The family is requesting that in-memoriam donations be sent to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation or to the Diane Anderson Memorial Fund via Cedar Creek Church. The Diane Anderson Memorial Fund will be used in conjunction with the Lilly Grant to build an amphitheater and outdoor picnic area on the backside of our property for the community to enjoy. Donations can be made through the Cedar Creek website or via mail; be sure to designate "Diane Anderson Memorial Fund" on your donation.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom to catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. on the following Tuesdays this summer: June 8, July 6, July 20, August 10, and August 24. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Peace on your week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
June 1, 2021
As we emerge from the trials of a global pandemic and enter into the tenuous landscape of a changed new world, it can be all-too-easy to allow anxiety to color our days. Do we wear a mask? No mask? Shake hands? Bump elbows? Step into a crowd? Stick with Zoom? A guidebook or checklist would ease the re-entry, but alas, we are making history with each new day of 2021, and the Bible reminds us again and again that we are not to be anxious -- even when the cost is steep and our reserves are low.
Listen to these wise words about God's peace-filled will for our days:
Psalm 55:22 -- Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.
Psalm 56:3-4 -- When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise -- in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
Psalm 121:1-2 -- I lift up my eyes to the mountains -- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Proverbs 3:5-6 -- Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 12:25 -- Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.
Matthew 6:34 -- Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Luke 12:25 -- Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?
Romans 8:31 -- What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Philippians 4:6-7 -- Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
1 Peter 5:7 -- Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Often when we are overwhelmed by the pressures of the world, we slide into a kind of paranoia -- assuming the worst of the people and situations around us. We begin to mistrust the motivations of the people and forces that surely do not have our best interests at heart, and it becomes increasingly more difficult to see the Lord's handiwork in our lives. But what if we acquire a new lens instead? What if, instead of paranoia, we assume pronoia?
Pronoia is when we suspect that the world around us is conspiring on our behalf, secretly benefiting us. Rather than assuming everyone is out to get us (paranoia), we assume that everyone exists to appreciate and even love us. Sociologist Fred Goldner defined pronoia as "the delusion that others think well of one."
But what if pronoia wasn't a delusion at all? What if we lived post-COVID lives marked by pronoia assumptions of kindness and well-being, leading days of servant leadership and selfless humility, as Christ demonstrated? How would we encounter people in our workplace or in our neighborhoods differently? How would we think about our futures and savor our pasts with new sensibilities, amazed by the distances God has brought us already and astounded by the distances yet to come?
My prayer for you as you enter these transitional summer months is that your days are marked by an irrational sense of pronoia, pressing you to rely on God's heart and wisdom rather than anxiously worrying about what has transpired or what may be ahead. Allow the Lord to orchestrate your days, embracing his supernatural joy and shunning the secular anxiety that beckons with each new hour.
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, June 6, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We look forward to hearing from Douglas Johnston in Costa Rica this week.
Re-opening for Sunday Services: With restrictions in Washington County easing and the majority of our congregation vaccinated, we look forward to welcoming you back into the Ministry Center for 10 a.m. Sunday morning services beginning June 20. For those who prefer to wear masks and maintain social distancing, we will have a designated space for you, and we will continue to do our utmost to ensure proper airflow and clean surfaces throughout both buildings. We will continue livestreaming our services as well, for those who are traveling or who prefer to view from home. Stay tuned for more details as we look forward to welcoming you back soon!
Cedar Creek Youth: The youth will gather in the Hite House this Sunday from 12 to 1:30 p.m. for lunch and fellowship. All middle and high schoolers are welcome!
Cedar Creek Children's Ministries: Parents, watch for an email link to a YouTube Sunday school lesson each week, and contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org if you know a family who would like to be added to our list. Here is the link to this week's lesson: Elijah Confronted Evil Ahab.
Thank you to Nicole & Congrats to Haley: Haley Holman is transitioning this week into the Office Coordinator role as Nicole Wells steps down and prepares to move to Nashville, TN. Many thanks to Nicole for a job well done in challenging COVID times this past year, and congratulations to Haley for stepping into this new role. Haley plans to continue in her role as Children and Youth Ministries Director as well.
Seeking a Worship Arts Director: Please help spread the word that we are seeking excellent, qualified candidates for Worship Arts Director. You can find the position posted on our website here and on the ECO national job board here. Steve Wells has graciously agreed to continue working with us as his family prepares to move, and we plan to tap into some of the many talented folks in our congregation this summer as we wait on the Lord's plan for this important position.
Ministry Center Refresh Fundraiser: A BIG thank you to Michelle and Scott Popkes for their tireless work painting the inside of the Ministry Center and maintaining our beautiful property! Thank you also to those who have helped with the painting and who moved furniture this past Friday as the carpets were deep cleaned. We plan to mount new livestream cameras on the ceiling this week, and we look forward to several other decorative projects in the Ministry Center as well. We have received more than $7,100 towards our goal of $10,000, and we are asking you to consider joining the cause with a special donation beyond your regular tithe. You can donate online here (use drop-down menu and choose "capital campaign"), or by mailing a check to the church office.
Diane Anderson Memorial: We will host a memorial service for Diane at 1 p.m. June 19 at Rise Church (formerly Calvin Presbyterian) to allow for comfortable social distancing. All are invited. The family is requesting that in-memoriam donations be sent to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation or to the Diane Anderson Memorial Fund via Cedar Creek Church. The Diane Anderson Memorial Fund will be used in conjunction with the Lilly Grant to build an amphitheater and outdoor picnic area on the backside of our property for the community to enjoy. Donations can be made through the Cedar Creek website or via mail; be sure to designate "Diane Anderson Memorial Fund" on your donation.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom to catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Christ's joy to you this week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
May 25, 2021
Put yourself completely under the influence of Jesus, so that he may think his thoughts in your mind, do his work through your hands, for you will be all-powerful with him to strengthen you.
-- from A Gift for God by Mother Teresa
One of the greatest complexities of our faith is that joy and sorrow are inextricably intertwined, drawing us ever-closer to a creator who knows and loves us. While our culture prefers to isolate emotions like these as singular experiences, one and then the other, we know that a truly spiritual life is far more nuanced than that.
This week we are mourning the death of our dear friend, covenant partner, and elder Diane Anderson, who passed on Saturday with her family surrounding her. We are saddened at the loss of her loving, energetic spirit among us, and we pray enduring strength and Holy Spirit peace for Wade, Alayne, and Timothy. And while we fear those moments when her absence will startle us into fresh sorrow, we also rejoice that she is free now from the physical pain of cancer and Crohn's Disease, and experiencing the fullness of heaven.
Jesus defines heaven beautifully in John 14:3: "That you may be where I am," he tells us. Heaven is the presence of Jesus. May we rest in the simplicity and complexity of that truth, and take deep comfort in knowing that Diane is in her Father's house.
As I shared on Sunday, I had the honor of praying with Diane several times in her final hours, and one prayer we lifted together comes from William Barclay's Prayers for the Christian Year. May it bless your week as well:
O God, you are our refuge.
When we are exhausted by life’s efforts;
When we are bewildered by life’s problems;
When we are wounded by life’s sorrows;
We come for refuge to you.
O God, you are our strength.
When our tasks are beyond our powers;
When our temptations are too strong for us;
When duty calls for more than we have to give it;
We come for strength to you.
O God, it is from you that all goodness comes.
It is from you that our ideals come;
It is from you that there comes to us the spur of high desire and the restraint of conscience,
It is from you that there has come the strength to resist temptation,
and to do any good thing.
And now as we pray to you,
Help us to believe in your love,
so that we may be certain that you will hear our prayer;
Help us to believe in your power,
so that we may be certain that you are able to do for us above all that we ask or think;
Help us to believe in your wisdom,
so that we may be certain that you will answer,
not as our ignorance asks,
but as your perfect wisdom knows best.
All this we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
We will keep you apprised of plans for a service for Diane, as well as a Cedar Creek memorial fund designated in her name. If you would like to help provide meals for the Anderson family, click on the Anderson Meal Train to sign up for a time.
As COVID restrictions ease and we are preparing to gather again, we are pleased to say that the painting and cleaning in the Ministry Center is nearly complete. While you are always welcome to join us on a Sunday to help with livestream, our hope is to open our Cedar Creek Church doors fully on Father's Day, June 20 -- with an area set aside for those who prefer to wear masks and socially distance as well as areas for those who are vaccinated and ready to gather more freely. We will keep you posted on details as they unfold. In the meantime, consider joining us in Snyder Park this Sunday for an afternoon of fun and fellowship! (See All-Church Gathering below.)
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, May 30, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We will move into Week 16 of our sermon series "Imagine: The Book of Revelation."
All-Church Gathering: Our Cedar Creek Youth are hosting a "Day in the Park" at Snyder Park this Sunday, May 30, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. All ages are invited to pack a lunch or snacks and enjoy an afternoon of fellowship, fun, and games. Join us for beautiful weather and an opportunity to gather!
Cedar Creek Children's Ministries: Parents, watch for an email link to a YouTube Sunday school lesson each week, and contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.ord if you know a family who would like to be added to our list. Here is the link to this week's lesson: Coming of the Holy Spirit.
Two Job Postings: We are still seeking candidates for two key positions on our staff: Worship Arts Director and Office Coordinator. Both positions are posted on our website here. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit their materials as soon as possible; the positions will close once they are filled.
Ministry Center Refresh Fundraiser: Thank you for your generous donations as we paint, deep clean, and refresh the Ministry Center in anticipation of regular use one day soon. We have received more than $7,100 towards our goal of $10,000 in recent weeks (hooray!), and we are asking you to consider joining the cause with a special donation beyond your regular tithe. You can donate online here (use drop-down menu and choose "capital campaign"), or by mailing a check to the church office.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom to catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Peace on your week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
May 18, 2021
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland
-- Isaiah 43:19
In January of 1951, three Italian musicians sang original, unreleased compositions on the radio in what became the first iteration of the Festival Della Canzone Italiana di Sanremo (the Italian Song Festival of Sanremo). Two years later, the expanding new-song festival moved from radio to live Italian television, and two years after that, the Sanremo Music Festival inspired the creation of the Eurovision Song Contest, an international competition that provided a way for war-torn Europe to draw together after World War II by showcasing new compositions from around the world.
This year's Eurovision competition begins today in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, where 39 countries are gathering for the first time since 2019. When pandemic restrictions canceled Eurovision in 2020, many Americans were introduced to the song contest for the first time with the Netflix movie Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga -- a Will Ferrell comedy that inspired many to begin hunting for clips on YouTube. Duncan Laurence of the Netherlands won Eurovision in 2019, which is why the event is hosted in Rotterdam this year.
With its kitsch appeal and boundary-pressing international flare, Eurovision has been a launching ground for many best-selling artists, including Julio Iglesias (1970), ABBA (1974), Olivia Newton-John (1974), and Celine Dion (1988). In its earlier years, performers were required to sing in their national language. As competition grew more fierce and songwriters across Europe recognized that judges needed to understand their content, however, entries such as "La La La" (1968) and "Boom Bang-a-Bang" (1969) entered the mix until organizers relaxed the language rule.
While it may seem far afield for many of us, much of Europe will be focused here this week: Semi-Final 1 is today, Semi-Final 2 is Thursday, and the Grand-Final is this Saturday. And, for the first time ever, an American company is streaming this year's competition: To watch, create a free Peacock account on the Peacock TV website. Each participating country casts two blocks of votes: one is based on a professional jury, and the other comes from votes of the general public. For a list of past Eurovision winners, look here, and for a glimpse at ABBA's 1974 winning entry "Waterloo," look here.
It's unfortunate that we Americans have been mostly out of the Eurovision loop over the decades, as the contest is a fabulous example of talent and silliness, glitz and non-political camaraderie. Despite the rule changes over the years, the competition has held firm to its requirement that entries are original and previously unreleased. As we look to the newness of spring, the new that is emerging from pandemic restrictions, and the new talent that is showcased in contests like Eurovision this week, let us remember that we are called to focus on the new -- looking ahead rather than dwelling on the past, stepping boldly forward into change rather than walking away from the challenges that God sets before us. As you move through this week, how will you embrace the new, finding Christ's promised joy in each next moment?
He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"
-- Revelation 21:5
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, May 23, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We will move into Week 15 of our sermon series "Imagine: The Book of Revelation." We will also celebrate the Lord's Supper together this Sunday, so be sure to have juice and bread or crackers on hand.
Congratulations to Graduates: This Sunday is Senior Sunday at Cedar Creek Church, an opportunity to honor and pray for this year's graduating Cedar Creek high school seniors: Leanne Emmi, Kara Helland, and Landon Wells. While we are sorry to not be gathering in-person, we look forward to hearing from each of our graduates and praying for God's hand over their lives as they move into new adventures this fall.
Cedar Creek Youth Group: Join us from 12 to 1:30 p.m. in the Hite House this Sunday, May 23, for lunch and a discussion of the value of spiritual disciplines and soul-care. All middle school- and high school-aged youth are welcome.
Cedar Creek Children's Ministries: Parents, watch for an email link to a YouTube Sunday school lesson each week, and contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.ord if you know a family who would like to be added to our list. Here are links to this week's lesson: Israel's History of Evil Kings.
Help us finish painting! Thanks to the ongoing hard work of Elder Michelle Popkes, the Ministry Center re-painting project is nearly complete. If you have space this week to help with painting the bathrooms, doorway trim, and a few other final touches, please contact Michelle Popkes at popkes@comcast.net or Pastor Jennie at jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Ministry Center Refresh Fundraiser: Thank you for your generous donations as we paint, deep clean, and refresh the Ministry Center in anticipation of regular use one day soon. We have received more than $7,100 towards our goal of $10,000 in recent weeks (hooray!), and we are asking you to consider joining the cause with a special donation beyond your regular tithe. You can donate online here (use drop-down menu and choose "capital campaign"), or by mailing a check to the church office.
New Job Postings: Please join us in praying for a smooth transition for the Wells family as they relocate to Nashville, TN, this summer, and help us spread the word that we are seeking excellent candidates for two key positions on our staff: Worship Arts Director and Office Coordinator. Both positions are posted on our website here. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit their materials as soon as possible; the positions will close once they are filled.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom to catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use, but we are able to safely accommodate up to 25 people on a Sunday morning. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Christ's joy to you this week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
May 11, 2021
In a 1942 letter to his former student Mary Neylen, writer and professor C. S. Lewis acknowledges that we are too often caught up in life's whirlwinds, forgetting to set aside our assumptions and watch for God in the ordinary. Much like the Pharisees in their best moments, we acknowledge Jesus but secretly crave the pomp and decor of a king. But God's plan is far greater than the excitement of a parade, far more enduring than an earthly adrenaline rush: "It is when we notice the dirt that God is most present in us; it is the very sign of his presence," Lewis writes.
In her 1991 poem "Rice," Mary Oliver similarly reminds us that the deeper connectedness we crave is extraordinarily satisfied in the ordinary:
Rice
It grew in the black mud.
It grew under the tiger's orange paws.
Its stems thinner than candles, and as straight.
Its leaves like the feathers of egrets, but green.
The grains cresting, wanting to burst.
Oh, blood of the tiger.
I don't want you just to sit down at the table.
I don't want you just to eat, and be content.
I want you to walk out into the fields
where the water is shining, and the rice has risen.
I want you to stand there, far from the white tablecloth.
I want you to fill your hands with the mud, like a blessing.
How will you honor the ordinary this week, noticing the dirt and holding the mud in your hands like a prize?
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, May 16, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We look forward to hearing this Sunday from Haley Holman, Children and Youth Ministries Director.
Help us finish painting! Thanks to the ongoing hard work of Elder Michelle Popkes, the Ministry Center re-painting project is nearly complete. If you have space this week to help with painting the bathrooms, doorway trim, and a few other final touches, please contact Michelle Popkes at popkes@comcast.net or Pastor Jennie at jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Ministry Center Refresh Fundraiser: We are moving steadily ahead with our Ministry Center Refresh projects, and we are asking that you prayerfully consider a financial donation to help us replace damaged siding, repaint the Ministry Center, have the carpets professionally cleaned, purchase additional livestream equipment, and refresh the stage area. We have received more than half of our goal of $10,000 in recent weeks (hooray!), and we are asking you to consider joining the cause with a special donation beyond your regular tithe You can donate online here (use the drop-down menu and choose "capital campaign") or by mailing a check to the church office.
Seeking Elder & Deacon Nominations: Nominations for elder and deacon roles are due this Sunday, May 16. Please submit your nominations to the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com. If you have questions about these two important roles in our church and/or the application process, contact Michelle Popkes at popkes@comcast.net or Pastor Jennie at jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
New Job Postings: Please join us in praying for a smooth transition for the Wells family as they relocate to Nashville, TN, this summer, and help us spread the word that we are seeking excellent candidates for two key positions on our staff: Worship Arts Director and Office Coordinator. Both positions are posted on our website here. All are invited to a drive-through farewell for the Wells family on June 13 at Cedar Creek Church.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom to catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Cedar Creek Youth Group: Join us from 12 to 1:30 p.m. in the Hite House this Sunday, May 16, for lunch and socially distanced fellowship. All middle school- and high school-aged youth are welcome.
Cedar Creek Children's Ministries: Parents, watch for an email link to a YouTube Sunday school lesson each week, and contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.ord if you know a family who would like to be added to our list. Here are links to this week's lesson: Where Does Wisdom Come From? and Craft Time with Pastor Jennie.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use, but we are able to safely accommodate up to 25 people on a Sunday morning. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
May your week be blessed by God's extraordinary presence in the ordinary,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
May 4, 2021
The conference notifications keep arriving in my inbox: "What Does It Take to be Happy?" "What is Happiness to YOU?" "In Pursuit of Happiness." We spoke this past Sunday about the ways God has used plagues in Exodus and again in Revelation to get our attention, pointing to the inadequacies of the idols we hold dear and ultimately drawing us closer to Him. So how has a longing for happiness emerged from our current pandemic?
Before COVID restrictions wiped our calendars clean in March 2020, the most common answer I heard to "How are you?" was "Busy." Better yet, "BUSY," accompanied by an eye-roll and a sigh. For many of us, myself included, the calendar had become an idol, locking us into responsibilities that we deemed critical and keeping us dashing from point to point without space to pause and enjoy.
Here is where it behooves us to pause and wonder: Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:37-39 that the two greatest commandments are to love God and love our neighbor. But He doesn't stop there. In John 15, we hear of a love that is a kind of soaking -- from Father to Son to us and back up again: If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
As we love the Father and remain in His love, just as Jesus does, we are offered the gift of Jesus' joy. Not incremental joy or a taste of His joy, but complete joy. And, as Jesus reminds us in John 14:26-27, this joy is undergirded by a Holy Spirit peace that will be foreign to the secular world: The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
So as I ponder the most recent conference invitation, a virtual gathering sponsored by The Atlantic titled "In Pursuit of Happiness," I am pleased to see the seeking. On whatever level the realization occurs, our culture has woken up to the idol of busyness, and that will undoubtedly emerge as one of the indelible positives from this difficult past year. The speakers at the two-day event in May promise to "explore the human hold on happiness," including "the ways in which a year of social isolation has reframed our understanding of a lasting sense of joy." The speakers are numerous and diverse, from psychology professors and financial CEOs to journalists and the U.S. Surgeon General (look here), which suggests that this pursuit is not isolated to a narrow population of seekers.
While we know "the human hold on happiness" can lead us down a frustrating path, aiming us right back at the empty idols that seek to destroy with the vengeance of Revelation 9, what role can we play as we hear those around us seeking new answers, a new path? Will you continue to allow anxiety and frustration define the way you speak to others, or will you allow Jesus' complete joy to enter in?
Keep in mind that happiness is dependent on our circumstances; we are "happy" when everything is aligned as we want it to be. But joy -- complete joy -- has nothing to do with our circumstances; we can experience joy in the darkest of foxholes. So how will you experience joy today? And how will you allow your joy seep out to all you encounter, befuddling their quest for happiness with a Holy Spirit resonance that ultimately draws them to Jesus?
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, May 9, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We will move into Week 14 of our sermon series "Imagine: The Book of Revelation." We will also celebrate the Lord's Supper together this Sunday, so be sure to have juice and bread or crackers on hand.
Help us finish painting! Many thanks to those who helped paint the interior of the Ministry Center this past Friday and Saturday. We need to finish a second coat, trim, and a few touch-ups, so please join us again this weekend if you're able: this Friday and Saturday, May 7 and 8, from 9 a.m. on. As last weekend, be sure to wear a mask and old clothes, and, if you have them, please bring paint brushes, rollers, extension poles, and tarps. All are welcome!
Ministry Center Refresh Fundraiser: We are joyfully anticipating the Sunday when we welcome you all back, and in anticipation of that day, we are asking that you prayerfully consider a financial donation to help us with a few Ministry Center Refresh projects. We are hoping to raise $10,000 this spring to help us replace damaged siding where the woodpeckers have been happily at work, repaint the inside of the Ministry Center, have the carpets professionally cleaned, purchase additional livestream equipment, and refresh the stage area. We have already nearly $3,000 towards our goal of $10,000, and we are asking you to consider joining the cause with a special donation beyond your regular tithe. You can donate online here or by mailing a check to the church office.
Seeking Elder & Deacon Nominations: Our Nominating Committee is seeking candidates for elder and deacon roles this spring. If you would like to nominate a covenant partner to serve in one of these roles, please submit your nominations to the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com (self-nomination is fine!). If you have questions about these two important roles in our church and/or the application process, contact Michelle Popkes at popkes@comcast.net or Pastor Jennie at jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
New Job Postings: We join the Wells family in celebration as they plan for a move to Nashville, TN, this summer, although we are also anticipating a sorrowful farewell to these longtime friends, covenant partners, and staff members of our church. Please join us in praying for a smooth transition for the Wells family, and help us spread the word that we are seeking excellent candidates for two key positions on our staff: Worship Arts Director and Office Coordinator. Both positions are posted on our website here.
Cedar Creek Youth Group: No youth group this Sunday in honor of Mother's Day. Celebrate Mom, and we will see you on May 16!
Cedar Creek Children's Ministries: Parents, watch for an email link to a YouTube Sunday school lesson each week, and contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.ord if you know a family who would like to be added to our list. Here is a link to this week's lesson: Solomon Divided the Kingdom.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom to catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use, but we are able to safely accommodate up to 25 people on a Sunday morning. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
In joy,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
April 27, 2021
Do not say, "Why are the old days better than these?"
For it is not wise to ask such questions.
Ecclesiastes 7:10
Imagine a 700-acre farm rolled up and squeezed into a 95,000-square-foot warehouse in southern Los Angeles County. Better yet, imagine a farm twice that size here in Oregon, condensed and stacked into our local Safeway grocery store. Sound unlikely? Meet Plenty, an indoor vertical farming company founded in 2013.
With a vertical farm already producing in San Francisco and a research farm in Laramie, Wyoming, this innovative agriculture start-up announced yesterday that it plans to open a new indoor farm in Compton, using a controlled environment to grow food-bearing plants hydroponically (without soil) and in staggeringly tall towers. As founder Nate Storey acknowledges, 90 percent of crop losses in the United States are caused by extreme weather, and bacteria and pathogen outbreaks have stressed the system as well. Plenty seeks to meet those challenges head-on by building these unique farms in urban areas and using earth-friendly technologies to increase productivity: vertical plant towers, LED lighting, and robots to plant, feed, and harvest.
The company cultivates its crops in hyper-clean environments where staff don protective gear and robots do much of the work, Storey says. In fact, the environment is so controlled that the first time produce is touched by bare hands is when the customer opens the packaging at home. Because Plenty's farms are not impacted by weather, seasons, pest infestations, harmful bacteria, or natural disasters, the company can produce food all year round.
Shireen Santosham, head of strategic initiatives for Plenty, said the company needs only a fraction of the water used by traditional agriculture processes, and their Compton location is strategic: "Plenty looks at food justice as racial justice, so it's important to us that the nutritious products we're producing are available locally in Compton," she said. The new Compton farm will be completed by the end of this year.
Too often we assume that the best solutions are to the right rather than the left or up rather than down, when really God is calling us to a whole new view. Farming vertically rather than horizontally? Why not? What kind of out-of-the-box thinking can you engage with and inspire in others this spring? What can God inspire in you when you let go of the constraints and assumptions that tie us to how we've always imagined the world?
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, May 2, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We will move into Week 13 of our sermon series "Imagine: The Book of Revelation."
Come help us paint! We will be gathering in the Ministry Center all day this Friday and Saturday (April 30 and May 1), from 9 a.m. on, to paint the Ministry Center. Come help us bring a fresh coat of paint to a beloved space as we anticipate opening our doors fully one day soon. Wear a mask and old clothes, and, if you have them, please bring paint brushes, rollers, extension poles, and tarps. All are welcome!
Ministry Center Refresh Fundraiser: We are joyfully anticipating the Sunday when we welcome you all back, and in anticipation of that day, we are asking that you prayerfully consider a financial donation to help us with a few Ministry Center Refresh projects. We are hoping to raise $10,000 this spring to help us replace damaged siding where the woodpeckers have been happily at work, repaint the inside of the Ministry Center, have the carpets professionally cleaned, purchase additional livestream equipment, and refresh the stage area. We have already nearly $3,000 towards our goal of $10,000, and we are asking you to consider joining the cause with a special donation beyond your regular tithe. You can donate online here or by mailing a check to the church office.
Seeking Elder & Deacon Nominations: Our Nominating Committee is seeking candidates for elder and deacon roles this spring. If you would like to nominate a covenant partner to serve in one of these roles, please submit your nominations to the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com (self-nomination is fine!). If you have questions about these two important roles in our church and/or the application process, contact Michelle Popkes at popkes@comcast.net or Pastor Jennie at jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
New Job Postings: We join the Wells family in celebration as they plan for a move to Nashville, TN, this summer, although we are also anticipating a sorrowful farewell to these longtime friends, covenant partners, and staff members of our church. Please join us in praying for a smooth transition for the Wells family, and help us spread the word that we are seeking excellent candidates for two key positions on our staff: Worship Arts Director and Office Coordinator. Both positions are posted on our website here.
Cedar Creek Youth Group: We are gathering from 12 to 1:30 p.m. in the Hite House this Sunday for lunch and fellowship. All middle and high schoolers are welcome. Bring a friend!
Cedar Creek Children's Ministries: Parents, watch for an email link to a YouTube Sunday school lesson each week. Here is a link to this week's lesson: Solomon Built a Temple.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom to catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use, but we are able to safely accommodate up to 25 people on a Sunday morning. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Peace,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
April 20, 2021
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Hebrews 11:3
When is the last time you wondered at the intricacy of a spiderweb? Have you ever pondered how the spider knows which way to leap, masterfully weaving together strands of silk that are five times stronger than steel? What if you could hear a soundtrack that accompanies the spider as it pulls and spins, leaps and connects? Scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced last week that they have collaborated with a Berlin artist and the MIT music department to translate spider webs into music.
Their goal is to better understand how spiders communicate and they began by crafting two-dimensional laser scans of a spider web, then converted those scans into a mathematical model that allows them to recreate the web in 3D virtual reality. By working with the music department to create a somewhat eerie harp-like instrument, they were able to scan the spider as it was weaving its web and then allow the harp to build and intensify according to the spider's vibrations.
"Even though the web looks really random, there actually are a lot of internal structures," MIT engineering professor Markus Buehler explained when he presented the work at the American Chemical Society last Monday. "You can visualize them and you can look at them, but it's really hard to grasp for the human imagination or human brain to understand all these structural details."
A spider builds without scaffolding, instead creating its web into higher levels of complexity as it goes. Buehler compared web construction to a guitar that changes and grows new strings as the structure becomes more complex. A heightened understanding of web building could lead to advancements in 3D printing techniques, as well as an ability to communicate with spiders.
"We're beginning to perhaps be able to speak the language of a spider," Buehler said. "The hope is that we can then play these back to the web structure to enhance the ability to communicate with the spider and perhaps induce the spier to act in a certain way, to respond to the signals in a certain way."
To hear a nine-minute clip that has emerged from Buehler's work, click here: Spider Web Sonification During Construction. While the music itself is rather haunting, I hope you will join me in applauding the scientific minds that continue to turn to God's creation for our most brilliant models of artistry and perfection. What else can we find in the world around us that can both inspire us to new heights and draw us closer to our Creator? Let the world outside your window be your inspiration this week.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
Psalm 19:1-4
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, April 25, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We will move into Week 12 of our sermon series "Imagine: The Book of Revelation." We will also be celebrating communion together this Sunday, so be sure to have juice and bread or crackers on hand so you can join us.
Ministry Center Refresh Fundraiser: We are joyfully anticipating the Sunday when we welcome you all back, and in anticipation of that day, we are asking that you prayerfully consider a financial donation to help us with a few Ministry Center Refresh projects. We are hoping to raise $10,000 this spring to help us replace damaged siding where the woodpeckers have been happily at work, repaint the inside of the Ministry Center, have the carpets professionally cleaned, purchase additional livestream equipment, and refresh the stage area. We have already received $2,650 towards our goal of $10,000, and we are asking you to consider joining the cause with a special donation beyond your regular tithe. You can donate online here or by mailing a check to the church office.
Seeking Elder & Deacon Nominations: Our Nominating Committee is seeking candidates for elder and deacon roles this spring. If you would like to nominate a covenant partner to serve in one of these roles, please submit your nominations to the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com (self-nomination is fine!). If you have questions about these two important roles in our church and/or the application process, contact Michelle Popkes at popkes@comcast.net or Pastor Jennie at jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
New Job Postings: We join the Wells family in celebration as they plan for a move to Nashville, TN, this summer, although we are also anticipating a sorrowful farewell to these longtime friends, covenant partners, and staff members of our church. Please join us in praying for a smooth transition for the Wells family, and help us spread the word that we are seeking excellent candidates for two key positions on our staff: Worship Arts Director and Office Coordinator. Both positions are posted on our website here.
Cedar Creek Youth Group: We are gathering from 12 to 1:30 p.m. in the Hite House this Sunday for lunch, then heading over to the Ministry Center to count chairs to determine how many our church needs to fill the room and how many we can donate. The best part? We will use the stacked chairs as barricades for a NERF WAR. Join the fun!
Cedar Creek Children's Ministries: Parents, watch for an email link to a YouTube Sunday school lesson each week. Here is a link to this week's lesson: When Solomon Asked for Wisdom
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom to catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use, but we are able to safely accommodate up to 25 people on a Sunday morning. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Blessings on your week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
April 13, 2021
Sometimes it's hard to get past the assumption that bigger is better: a larger size + more money + broader experience + greater time invested = better results, right? In our 21st-century western American biggie-size culture, the answer invariably is an all-caps "YES!" And in our faith, more of Jesus is a daily desire, of course, but a bigger Jesus? Must we?
In the small Brazilian town of Encantando, the community has rallied together to raise enough money to build an enormous "Christ the Protector" statue that will stand even taller than its photogenic predecessor in Rio de Janeiro, "Christ the Redeemer." The 141-foot steel and concrete Encantando statue will be the third tallest monument of Jesus in the world, standing 16 feet taller than Rio's Jesus and falling just behind the 172-foot Jesus statue in Lisbon, Poland, and a 249-foot construction underway in Mexico.
A father-son team is working to build the Encantando statue -- sculptor Genesio Gomes Moura and his son Markus Moura -- and the construction that began in July 2019 is slated to finish later this year. Workers installed Jesus' head and arms last week, and an interior elevator promises to lift tourists to a glass lookout point at the height of Jesus' heart. The project is priced at about $353,000 total, and organizers are seeking donations to complete the work (for more details, look here).
While the views of the valley below will undoubtedly be stunning and the image of Jesus' loving, outstretched arms is comforting, how does the world encounter a church in competition with itself to present the biggest deity? Encantando's Christ the Protector statue will join a remarkable list of gold, bronze, stone, and concrete deity statues worldwide, from Buddha and various Hindu gods to Confucius and a handful of political figures. The tallest by nearly 200 feet is the massive "Statue of Unity" in Gujarat, India. Constructed of donated scrap iron, the 2018 monolithic 597-foot statue depicts Vallabhbhai Patel (1875-1950), the first Deputy Prime Minister of independent India and a follower of Mahatma Gandhi. For a glimpse at some of the world's tallest statues, see this photo collage from The Atlantic magazine.
As we strive to bring the peace and hope of Jesus Christ to those we encounter, how do we account for competitions like these, echoes of Aaron's golden calf in Exodus 32? How do we acknowledge the irony and yet point to the wisdom that the living Savior is not a statue but a miraculous truth, that His presence need not be measured in iron or scrap metal when his steadfast love is almighty and immeasurable?
Hear these words from Isaiah 54:10:
"Though the mountains be shaken
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed,"
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
Thank goodness our God is bigger than any statue and greater than any human plan, as ambitious and well-intended as either may be. Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, April 18, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We will move into Week 11 of our sermon series "Imagine: The Book of Revelation."
Congregational Meeting: Please plan to sign on Zoom after the worship service this Sunday for a brief Congregational Meeting to approve a new Nominating Committee. This committee is commissioned anew each spring, and we need a congregational vote to approve them to do the good work of seeking new elder and deacon candidates. The Congregational Meeting can be accessed after our regular worship service here: Join Zoom Meeting (Meeting ID 869 1804 9681; Passcode 428464).
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom to catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Cedar Creek Children's Ministries: Parents, watch for an email link to a YouTube Sunday school lesson each week. Here is a link to this week's lesson: Jesus Appeared to Many People.
Cedar Creek Youth Group: Cedar Creek Youth are looking forward to gathering at the Hite House at 12 p.m. this Sunday for fellowship and fun in the beautiful sunshine. BYO friends, lunch, water, and snacks. And stay tuned for a fun new name for our youth group!
Cedar Creek Youth Ignite: Northwest Christian Church in Newberg is hosting an event 7 to 8:30 p.m. April 19 for all high schoolers and college-aged students. There will be a Chick-fil-A food truck, games, and worship, so be sure to invite friends and join us. We will meet at Cedar Creek at 6:15 p.m. to carpool to Newberg; pick-up after the event will be at 9 p.m. at Cedar Creek.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
May the love of Christ fill your days this week. Enjoy the sunshine.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
April 6, 2021
In his magical 1922 poem "The Waste Land," T. S. Eliot opens with a glimpse of the spring struggle inherent in the month of April:
April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
Winter kept us warm, covering
Earth in forgetful snow, feeding
A little life with dried tubers.
Eliot wrote "The Waste Land" in the aftermath of the first global pandemic, not long after he and his wife had recovered from the deadly Spanish Flu in the winter of 1918. Between 1918 and 1920, some 100 million people around the globe died from the Spanish Flu -- more even than were killed in World War I. In Eliot's new homeland England, one-fourth of the population contracted the disease and more than 200,000 people died. Listen to his description of London as he grapples with what life will be like emerging from such a horrific time:
Unreal City,
Under the brown fog of a winter dawn,
A crowd flowed over London Bridge, so many,
I had not thought death had undone so many.
Sighs, short and infrequent, were exhaled,
And each man fixed his eyes before his feet.
Eliot, who earned the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948, allowed the rhythm and ruggedness of life to undergird his work. After his conversion to Anglicanism in 1927, a groundwork of Orthodox Christianity informed much of his poetry, and his lyrical verse Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats was adapted into Andrew Lloyd Webber's Broadway musical Cats. You can read a full version of "The Waste Land" here.
As we ponder together both the post-Easter wrestle of spring and emergence from a global pandemic, what will your poem be? How will you encounter both the familiar and the new, and how will you introduce Christ's light into each new moment?
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Livestream Easter Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, April 11, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We will move into Week 10 of our sermon series "Imagine: The Book of Revelation." We will also celebrate the Lord's Supper together this Sunday, so be sure to have juice and bread and crackers on hand.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom to catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Cedar Creek Children's Ministries: Parents, watch for an email link to a YouTube Sunday school lesson each week. Here is a link to this week's lesson: Easter: Jesus' Resurrection.
Cedar Creek Youth Group: Cedar Creek Youth are looking forward to gathering at Snyder Park at 12 p.m. this Sunday for yard games and fellowship. BYO friends, lunch, water, and snacks. We are also still pondering youth group name suggestions and ideas for a mission statement and Bible verse to attach to Cedar Creek Youth, so be sure to fill out the survey Haley sent to your inbox!
Cedar Creek Youth Ignite: Northwest Christian Church in Newberg is hosting an event 7 to 8:30 p.m. April 19 for all high schoolers and college-aged students. There will be a Chick-fil-A food truck, games, and worship, so be sure to invite friends and join us. We will meet at Cedar Creek at 6:15 p.m. to carpool to Newberg; pick-up after the event will be at 9 p.m. at Cedar Creek.
All-Church Spring Clean-Up: Join us at 9 a.m. April 10 to help clean up the church grounds and prepare for spring! Please wear a mask and bring gardening tools, if you have them.
Congregational Meeting: Join us for for a brief Congregational Meeting via Zoom on April 18 to approve a new Nominating Committee. This committee is commissioned anew each spring, and we need a congregational vote to approve them to do the good work of seeking new elder and deacon candidates. The Congregational Meeting can be accessed after our regular worship service here: Join Zoom Meeting (Meeting ID 869 1804 9681; Passcode 428464).
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Blessings on you as you encounter the beauty of April this week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
March 30, 2021
In the warm climate of Palestine, the leaves of the fig trees begin to bud and unfurl in late March. Alongside the spring leaves, a crop of small edible knobs called taksh emerge -- tiny early buds that drop to the ground before the true figs form later in summer. A tree that sprouts leaves but no taksh in the spring will not produce figs for the summer harvest.
Today is Fig Tuesday, the Holy Week day when we meditate on the story of Jesus and the fig tree in Matthew 21:18-22 and Mark 11:12-25. While the moment sounds sudden and harsh without context, let's remember that Jesus' anger throughout his years of itinerant teaching is consistently directed at the so-called religious types whose faith is shallow, hypocritical, and ultimately harmful to those around them. As you read the story of the fig tree, keep in mind that this tale is not ultimately about the fig tree at all -- a common metaphor in the climate of the Middle East -- but about false ornamental religion that runs counter to the Gospel:
Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered.
When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked.
Jesus replied, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" (Matthew 21:18-22).
It makes sense that Jesus would have found a fig tree in late March or early April, shortly before Passover, and expressed frustration that the absence of taksh indicated that the tree would not bear fruit that year. Do you hear his warning in this brief moment? When others approach us, hungry for spiritual direction and thirsting for a taste of the Holy Spirit, do we boast ornamental leaves of spiritual tasks ticked off our list or are we humble, hard-working people who bear fruit, evidenced in the early buds of spring and the later harvest to come?
Jesus has no patience for dishonest, showy attempts at practicing "religion." As we were reminded in Revelation 4 this past Sunday, he wants us to cast our crowns at the throne, coming before him in full humility and authenticity. We are not called to be taksh-free, leafy green spring trees, nicely pruned but empty; we are called to live within the mess of a taksh-trampled ground and the promises of good fruit to come.
As you move through Holy Week, here are Scriptures to ponder each day as we remember the story and anticipate Easter Sunday:
Fig Tuesday: Mark 11:12-25
Spy Wednesday: Matthew 26:14-16
Maundy Thursday: Luke 22:27-38
Good Friday: John 19:16-42
Black / Holy Saturday: Matthew 27:62-66
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Good Friday: Watch your inbox for links to an at-home Good Friday worship service on April 2. While we would much rather gather in person, we hope this in-home service will bless you with space to reflect and remember Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
Livestream Easter Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Easter Sunday, April 4, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We will move into Week 9 of our sermon series "Imagine: The Book of Revelation" with a look at Revelation 5. Invite friends, family, and neighbors to join us via livestream for a celebration of our Risen Lord!
Cedar Creek Easter Drive-By: After service on April 4, plan to get into your cars and drive to Cedar Creek for a socially distanced Easter celebration. Much like our Christmas Drive-By, this will be an opportunity to enjoy treats, say hello to friends, and (weather permitting!) step out of your car briefly for a family Easter photo. If you would like to donate baked goods or other treats for the drive-by, we would be thrilled to include you. Please be sure any donations are individually wrapped, and contact the office at ccsherwood@gmail.com for donation details.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom to catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Cedar Creek Children's Ministries: Parents, watch for an email link to a YouTube Sunday school lesson each week. Here is a link to this week's lesson: Jesus' Triumphal Entry.
Cedar Creek Youth Group: No Youth Group this Sunday as we celebrate Easter with our families. We look forward to seeing you at the Cedar Creek Easter Drive-By!
All-Church Spring Clean-Up: Join us at 9 a.m. April 10 to help clean up the church grounds and prepare for spring! Please wear a mask and bring gardening tools, if you have them.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Christ's peace to you this week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
March 23, 2021
As we anticipate Palm Sunday this Sunday and Easter Sunday the following week, I hope you will carve space to remember the enormous cost and impact of this critical week. While time may blur into the tenuousness of pandemic restrictions, God is not waiting. He is in all and over all, and if there is anything we can learn from the trajectory of history, it is that any time the world experiences great upheaval, we can anticipate God to bring forward change in new and unexpected ways. How will we be transformed this time? How will we step into the new rather than longing for what used to be?
What if you start by pressing into the excitement, anxiety, and complexity of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem? His disciples had experienced his miraculous power, and the gathered crowds could feel something different about his presence. Listen to the story, pondering the monumental change about to rock the globe:
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”
They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve. (Mark 11:1-11)
You can also read the story of Jesus' ride into Jerusalem in Matthew 21:1-11, Luke 19:28-44, and John 12:12-19. How will you move into this final pre-Easter week attuned to God's voice and anticipating rather than lamenting what has been lost, trusting the Lord's providence rather than anxious about what could go awry?
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, March 28, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We will move into Week 8 of our sermon series "Imagine: The Book of Revelation" with a look at Revelation 4. We will also celebrate the Lord's Supper together, so please be sure to have juice and bread or crackers on hand so you can join us from your home.
Cedar Creek Children's Ministries: Parents, watch for an email link to a YouTube Sunday school lesson each week. Here is a link to this week's lesson: The Last Supper.
Cedar Creek Youth Group: Youth Group will gather at 12 p.m. this Sunday in the Hite House for lunch and fellowship. Watch your inbox for updates from Haley, including an ongoing discussion about a new name for the group.
Good Friday: We look forward to sharing links for an at-home Good Friday worship service with you on April 2. While we would much rather gather in person, we hope this in-home service will bless you with space to reflect and remember Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
Easter Livestream Service: Invite friends and family to sign on at 10 a.m. April 4 for our Cedar Creek Easter Worship Service. Watch your Thursday email and our Cedar Creek Facebook page for an Easter slide that can be forwarded via email or social media. For those who are uneasy attending church in person, our livestream capability allows them to experience God's love and the truth of Jesus Christ from the comfort of their homes. Join us as we celebrate the Risen Lord! 10 a.m. Easter Sunday, April 4, at https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/
Cedar Creek Easter Drive-By: After service on April 4, plan to get into your cars and drive to Cedar Creek for a socially distanced Easter celebration. Much like our Christmas Drive-By, this will be an opportunity to enjoy treats, say hello to friends, and (weather permitting!) step out of your car briefly for a family Easter photo. If you would like to donate baked goods or other treats for the drive-by, we would be thrilled to include you. Please be sure any donations are individually wrapped, and contact the office at ccsherwood@gmail.com for donation details.
All-Church Spring Clean-Up: Join us at 9 a.m. April 10 to help clean up the church grounds and prepare for spring! Please wear a mask and bring gardening tools, if you have them.
Nominating Committee: We are seeking three or four members for our 2021 Nominating Committee. As a committee member, you will receive and review nominations for Elder and Deacon, and present selected candidates to Session. We will approve the Nominating Committee at a Congregational Meeting this spring, and committee members commit to a one-year term with meetings once or twice a month in April, May, and June. If interested, please contact Michelle Popkes at popkes@comcast.net or Pastor Jennie at jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Lenten Devotional: Last month, we shared with you a 2021 Lent Devotional, a daily Scripture reading and devotional time from The Presbyterian Outlook that runs through Easter Sunday, April 4. If you did not receive a copy and would like one, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom to catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Blessings on your week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
March 16, 2021
The oldest, shortest words -- "yes" and "no" -- are those which require the most thought.
-- Pythagorus, Greek philosopher and mathematician
In our 21st-century busy-ness, we often talk about the importance of saying "no" -- of grounding ourselves in what is worthy rather than allowing our days to drift past without a keen sense of awareness. And while our ability to set appropriate boundaries is important, our willingness to say "yes" can be even more critical.
Do you remember Jesus' words to the church in Laodicea, the unfortunate congregation that has lapsed into lukewarm apathy.
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. (Revelation 3:20)
How ready are you to say "yes" when Jesus knocks, even if the knock is an interruption? Our western postmodern mindset locks us into schedules and patterns, SMART goals and equations, and it can be painfully difficult to deviate from what we believe is right and good. But what if we assume that Jesus will interrupt every day? What if we wake up each morning anticipating his interruption, not knowing when it will occur but confident that some interference in our day will rearrange our expectations into something wonderfully new?
Jennifer Garner and Edgar Ramirez tackle this yes/no battle head-on in a delightfully silly Netflix movie released last week called Yes Day. When increasing tensions with their three kids lead to the realization that they are spending their days repeatedly saying "no," the parents agree to a 24-hour "Yes Day": anything goes, including the kids' wildest whims (with a few safety ground rules in place, of course). While the chaos that ensues is campy, there are poignant moments when most of us would instinctively say "no," and yet the Mom and Dad must take a breath, stop the automatic "no," reverse their answer, and step into something risky but (mostly) joyful.
What if you spent a day this week listening to your own "nos" and pondering whether a reversal would open new doors? Saying "yes" is not always about adding new tasks to an already full calendar; the best kinds of "yes" are to interruptions and innovative approaches that leave you thinking about your work and relationships in all new ways. We are called to be transformed daily, Friends. How will you anticipate the interruption and be ready with your "yes" today?
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, March 21, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We look forward to hearing from ECO Pastor Shari Grover this week as she brings us a message titled "How to Fight the Trap of Human Comparison: 5 Truths to Remember from Genesis 29:16-35."
Cedar Creek Children's Ministries: Parents, watch for a link to a YouTube Sunday school lesson each week. If you are not receiving the weekly link and would like to, contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org. Here is a link to last week's lesson: Preparation for the Passover.
Cedar Creek Youth Group: Youth Group will not be meeting this Sunday, March 21, because of Spring Break. Watch your inbox for updates from Haley.
Good Friday: We look forward to sharing links for an at-home Good Friday worship service with you on April 2. While we would much rather gather in person, we hope this in-home service will bless you with space to reflect and remember Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
Easter Livestream Service: Invite friends and family to sign on at 10 a.m. April 4 for our Cedar Creek Easter Worship Service. Watch your Thursday email and our Cedar Creek Facebook page for an Easter slide that can be forwarded via email or social media. For those who are uneasy attending church in person, our livestream capability allows them to experience God's love and the truth of Jesus Christ from the comfort of their homes. Join us as we celebrate the Risen Lord! 10 a.m. Easter Sunday, April 4, at https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/
Cedar Creek Easter Drive-By: After service on April 4, plan to get into your cars and drive to Cedar Creek for a socially distanced Easter celebration. Much like our Christmas Drive-By, this will be an opportunity to enjoy treats, say hello to friends, and (weather permitting!) step out of your car briefly for a family Easter photo. If you would like to donate baked goods or other treats for the drive-by, we would be thrilled to include you. Please be sure any donations are individually wrapped, and contact the office at ccsherwood@gmail.com for donation details.
All-Church Spring Clean-Up: Join us at 9 a.m. April 10 to help clean up the church grounds and prepare for spring! Please wear a mask and bring gardening tools, if you have them.
Nominating Committee: We are seeking three or four members for our 2021 Nominating Committee. As a committee member, you will receive and review nominations for Elder and Deacon, and present selected candidates to Session. We will approve the Nominating Committee at a Congregational Meeting this spring, and committee members commit to a one-year term with meetings once or twice a month in April, May, and June. If interested, please contact Michelle Popkes at popkes@comcast.net or Pastor Jennie at jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Lenten Devotional: Last month, we shared with you a 2021 Lent Devotional, a daily Scripture reading and devotional time from The Presbyterian Outlook that runs through Easter Sunday, April 4. If you did not receive a copy and would like one, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom to catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Christ's peace on your week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
March 9, 2021
I spent much of my childhood skeptical about Easter. I of course enjoyed the fanfare of egg hunts, chocolate bunnies, fancy clothes, and a church service crowded with Easter lilies, but I struggled with some of the elements that other kids seemed to so comfortably accept: adults dressed in oversized rabbit costumes, baby chicks and bunnies emerging from eggs, an Easter bunny tale that seemed to mimic Santa Claus.
I adored the beauty of classic stories like The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes, but I could never equate the magic of the Easter bunny with the majesty of the resurrected Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday. What did Cadbury Eggs have to do with Jesus? What did an Easter Sunday church service have to do with baskets of candy and egg salad sandwiches? We hunted for dyed hard-boiled eggs in those days -- plastic prize-filled treats were a rarity -- so what did it mean that we invariably smelled a forgotten Easter egg behind the living room couch months later?
The word that somehow escaped my youthful attempts to connect secular and spiritual was this: new. The chicks, bunnies, eggs, lilies, and baskets of plastic grass all pointed towards spring and new growth. And in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are made new, freed to walk with the Holy Spirit in the promises of the Gospel.
While the morphing together of secular celebrations and religious high holidays is undeniably complex, surely what we can lean into here is the hope of what is new -- tulips and daffodils, baby animals and eggs, and -- best of all -- our new lives once we have committed to the promises of Jesus Christ. Hear Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Do you remember Jesus' rebuke of the Church in Sardis in Revelation 3? He told them that their willingness to compromise with the culture around them and their reliance on reputation had left them lethargic; they were as good as asleep, and Jesus told them to wake up, remember what they had been taught, and strengthen what remained. He told them to wake up and try something new or he would come like a thief in the night.
Our challenge the week of February 28 was to try something new, stepping out of the lethargy of comfort and routine to attempt something we have never done before. It might be as minor as a new challenge at work or as big as a new instrument, language, or sport. What can you do to ensure that you are on the alert, ready for God's new plans for your life rather than lulled into the complacency of yet another day at home as we wait for the pandemic to abate? As you ponder what Easter-inspired new challenge you can bring into your life, watch this three-minute TED Talk titled "Try Something New for 30 Days."
As so many of us have been reminded by the gravity of the pandemic, life is short and our time to enjoy one another is precious. So what will we do, both as individuals and as a church, to ensure that we are alert, energetic, and hope-filled? Are you ready to step onto a new God path for 30 days ... and then another 30 days, and another 30 days, and another 30 days? God calls us to compassion, not complacency; He desires for us to be on the alert rather than lethargic and dull, especially in a time when our calendars have been cleared. What new Easter blessings will you discover this month?
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, March 14, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We look forward to Week 7 of our sermon series "Imagine: The Book of Revelation." We will celebrate the Lord's Supper together this Sunday, so please be sure to have juice and bread or crackers on hand so you can join us from your home.
Cedar Creek Children's Ministries: Our Children's Ministry is up and rolling again, thanks to Haley, Diane, and our Cedar Creek Youth. Parents, watch for a link to a YouTube Sunday school lesson each week. If you are not receiving the weekly link and would like to, contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org. Here is a link to last week's lesson: 7 Churches.
Cedar Creek Youth Group: Youth Group is gathering this Sunday from 12 to 1:30 p.m. If the weather is sunny, we will meet at Snyder Park; if it's cold/rainy, we will meet in the Hite House. Contact Haley for details.
Cedar Creek Easter Drive-By: After service on April 4, plan to get into your cars and drive to Cedar Creek for a socially distanced Easter celebration. Much like our Christmas Drive-By, this will be an opportunity to enjoy treats, say hello to friends, and (weather permitting!) step out of your car briefly for a family Easter photo. If you would like to donate baked goods or other treats for the drive-by, we would be thrilled to include you. Please be sure any donations are individually wrapped, and contact the office at ccsherwood@gmail.com for donation details.
Easter Livestream Service: Invite friends and family to sign on at 10 a.m. April 4 for our Cedar Creek Easter Worship Service. Watch your Thursday email and our Cedar Creek Facebook page for an Easter slide that can be forwarded via email or social media. For those who are uneasy attending church in person, our livestream capability allows them to experience God's love and the truth of Jesus Christ from the comfort of their homes. Join us as we celebrate the Risen Lord! 10 a.m. Easter Sunday, April 4, at https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/
Lenten Devotional: Last month, we shared with you a 2021 Lent Devotional, a daily Scripture reading and devotional time from The Presbyterian Outlook that runs through Easter Sunday, April 4. If you did not receive a copy and would like one, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Blessings on you as we anticipate Easter Sunday together,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
March 2, 2021
In a warehouse in Valencia, California, long rolls of nondescript canvas are tied with string and piled on top of one another, some with numbered tags and many without. The dusty canvas rolls are 10, 20, and 30 feet long, taking up precious space in an expensive Santa Clarita neighborhood. But if you untie the string, a magical world emerges: a snowy suburban home from National Velvet, a sunlit glass gazebo from The Sound of Music, a craggy Mount Rushmore scene from North by Northwest.
In Hollywood's early days, studios hired artists to paint enormous, intricate backdrops that transported us magically to the Sistine Chapel or the African Serengeti, all thanks to the craft of talented backdrop artists. Some of the canvases were shared among studios, but many have been discarded over the years. And as moviemakers increasingly turn to digital artistry and traditional Hollywood studios are repurposed, what to do with these dusty piles has become a critical question.
Thanks to the perseverance of an art and design professor at UT-Austin, Texas Performing Arts now owns the largest collection of education Hollywood Motion Picture backdrops in the world, and visitors can wander through monumental scenes from Singin' in the Rain, An American in Paris, and The Wizard of Oz for a general admission fee of only $12. "Behind the Scenes: The Art of the Hollywood Backdrop" features 12 of the art studio's 50 backdrops, and this month is the first time the almost-discarded canvases have been open to the public.
For UT Professor Karen Maness, the exhibition brings to life for her students majestic hand-painted artworks that truly befuddle the mind. The Austrian backdrop for The Sound of Music towers 15 feet tall and 30 feet wide, and other backings stretch 45 feet tall and 90 feet wide, surrounding the viewer with a grand illusion that can be both breath-taking and invigorating.
"This is critical knowledge that has almost been lost," Maness says, "the ability to see color truly, the ability to understand what linear perspective does and means, the ability to create atmospheric perspective, how to make a mark efficiently with a paintbrush to communicate your design idea."
As Maness describes, the paintings themselves are so precisely drawn that when you look at them up close, they don't seem to portray anything at all. But when you step back, the world unfurls before you.
The magic is all about perspective, and now more than ever before, we need to have the agility to shift our lenses, stepping in and out of majestic scenes, emotional memories, historical promises, and dusty warehouses as we seek to understand both the toll and the new understanding this past year has brought. As Jesus taught the gathered crowds in his Sermon on the Mount, the world is not as we assume, and our worldly lenses too often slide askew from God's lens. Can you imagine the shock of those gathered when they heard Jesus say, "Blessed are the poor in Spirit," "Blessed are those who mourn," and "Blessed are the meek"? As Jesus reminds us in Matthew 5 and as the masterful perspectives of aging Hollywood backdrops demonstrate, so much in life appears simple when we are up close; and then we step back to see the beauty of the world.
For a glimpse of the backdrops on display at Texas Performing Arts this month look here, and for a look at the Art Directors guild Backdrop Recovery Project, an effort to keep hundreds of these irreplaceable pieces out of Hollywood studio dumpsters, look here. May the Lord keep your lenses shifting and your focus, ultimately, on Him.
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, March 2, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page,and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We look forward to Week 6 of our sermon series "Imagine: The Book of Revelation."
Cedar Creek Children's Ministries: Our Children's Ministry is up and rolling again, thanks to Haley, Diane, and our Cedar Creek Youth. Parents, watch for a link to a YouTube Sunday school lesson each week. If you are not receiving the weekly link and would like to, contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org. Here is a peek at last week's lesson from Kol Helland: Church Responsibility.
Cedar Creek Youth Group: Youth Group is gathering this Sunday from 12 to 1:30 p.m. in the Hite House. Contact Haley for details.
Lenten Devotional: Last week, we shared with you a 2021 Lent Devotional, a daily Scripture reading and devotional time from The Presbyterian Outlook that runs through Easter Sunday, April 4. If you did not receive a copy and would like one, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Peace on your week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
February 23, 2021
As we study together the letters to the seven churches in Revelation, how readily are you able to imagine yourself cheering in the massive stadium in Smyrna or wandering through the majestic library in Pergamum? What if you could hold in your palm the coins they traded in the marketplaces some 2,000 years ago?
Earlier this month, archaeologists in the ancient city of Aizanoi in Turkey announced details of a remarkable collection of 651 silver Roman coins dating from the period of Emperor Augustus, who ruled from 44 BC to 14 AD. Researchers from Pamukkale University discovered the coins in a jar beneath three terracotta plates during archeological excavations of a vessel buried near a stream. The coins are remarkably well preserved, with images of such Roman emperors and politicians as Marcus Brutus, Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, and Augustus. Even the engravings on the coins are still legible, and scholars report that the collection is the largest number of ancient coins found together.
According to archaeologist Elif Ozer, each coin tells a mythological story, such as the Trojan hero Aeneas carrying his father Anchises on his back -- a nod to a scene from Virgil's Aeneid. Scholars believe that 439 of the coins are denarii, a silver coin minted in the Roman Empire during Jesus' time, and 212 of the coins are cistophori, a silver coin minted in Pergamum.
The coins are on display in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara, Turkey, and Ozer plans to publish her team's findings in a scientific journal later this year. The excavation in Aizanoi is part of a larger restoration effort called the Aizanoi Penkalas Project that began in 2011. The campaign hopes to one day offer riverboat tours that mirror an ancient Roman maritime journey, leading visitors through Aizanoi's ancient ruins. Scholars have also discovered traces of an ancient settlement dating back to 3,000 BC in the area, as well as 1,000 Roman stones and sculptures. You can read more about this month's announcement in Smithsonian Magazine here.
2 Corinthians 5:7 reminds us that we "live by faith, not by sight," but sometimes an earthly reminder like a jug of coins in Asia Minor is just the nudge we need to remember that these seven churches in Revelation were real churches with real people and real struggles as they sought to follow Jesus' teachings. If you can't hold a Pergamum coin or a Caesar denarii in the palm of your hand today, what else might serve as a tactile reminder of God's faithfulness to His people and to you? The cold damp of winter dew on a leaf? The warmth of a rare sunbeam through a window? The soft weight of a favorite blanket?
However you encounter God's promises this week, I hope you will expect great joy. Hear these words from later in the Book of Revelation:
Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!" (Revelation 19:6-7)
Rejoice and be glad, and ponder ways to share your joy with those around you. Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, February 28, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We look forward to Week 5 of our sermon series "Imagine: The Book of Revelation." We will celebrate the Lord's Supper together this Sunday, so please be sure to have juice and bread or crackers on hand so you can join us from your home.
Cedar Creek Children's Ministries: The Children's Ministry is up and rolling again! Diane and Haley are excited to be working on gathering Sunday school material for the children. Videos of Bible lessons will be sent via email every Sunday beginning February 28. Watch your inbox!
Cedar Creek Youth Group: This Sunday, the youth will have a special movie night from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Come gather in the Ministry Center to eat pizza and finally watch a new movie on a big screen! Contact Haley for details.
Lenten Devotional: Last week, we shared with you a 2021 Lent Devotional, a daily Scripture reading and devotional time from The Presbyterian Outlook that runs through Easter Sunday, April 4. If you did not receive a copy and would like one, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Blessings on your week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
February 16, 2021
In Eugene Peterson's book Reversed Thunder, he bemoans the careful language we sometimes use when we talk about God. We are wary of saying more than logic can verify, or misspeaking and exposing ourselves as nonsensical. The pressure is real when we believe that every word we choose will somewhere reveal a hidden truth about our salvation, and we take great care to avoid the mistakes we ourselves have critiqued and even poked fun at.
Another misstep, Peterson acknowledges, comes when we let our language about God slide into pious fantasies, speaking only the careful Christianese that seems safe, expected, unquestioned. "But poets are extravagant and bold, scorning both the caution of the religious philosopher and the earnestness of the ethical moralist," Peterson writes. And the Apostle John is a poet who is pressing us into new ways of thinking about God in the Book of Revelation, not to frighten or shame us but to help intensify our relationship with God:
"[John] is not trying to get us to think more accurately or to train us into better behavior, but to get us to believe more recklessly, behave more playfully -- the faith-recklessness and hope-playfulness of children entering into the kingdom of God. He will jar us out of our lethargy, get us to live on the alert, open our eyes to the burning bush and fiery chariots open our ears to the hard-steel promises and commands of Chris, banish boredom from the gospel, lift up our heads, enlarge our hearts."
Peterson takes the name of his book about Revelation, Reversed Thunder, from a 1600s poem by Welsh poet George Herbert:
Prayer [is] the church's banquet, angel's age,
God's breath in man returning to his pilgrimage,
The Christian plummet sounding heav'n and earth
Engine against th' Almighty, sinner's tow'r,
Reversed thunder, Christ-side-piercing spear ...
How bold are you in your faith? How ready are you to be extravagant, to claim words such as "faith-recklessness" and "hope-playfulness" as you allow your prayers to be "reversed thunder," sending back to the Lord your own private tune? As we anticipate week four of our Revelation study together, I hope you will continually ponder how these new lenses can transform the way you live your life today: Expect the unexpected, revel in odd juxtapositions, wonder at the new turns that life seems to take each new week.
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Ash Wednesday: Watch your inbox for a link to our in-home Ash Wednesday service tomorrow morning. You can also find the links on Cedar Creek's Facebook page and on our church website here. Please tune in any time Wednesday for a contemplative time of worship from the comfort of your home.
Lenten Devotional: Check your inbox for a 2021 Lent Devotional, a daily Scripture reading and devotional time from The Presbyterian Outlook that begins tomorrow, February 17, and runs through Easter Sunday, April 4. If you did not receive a copy and would like one, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: We will not gather this Wednesday in order to allow space for Ash Wednesday worship. See you next week!
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, February 21, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We look forward to Week 4 of our sermon series "Imagine: The Book of Revelation."
Congregational Meeting: Mark your calendars for a Congregational Meeting after service on February 21. We will gather via Zoom to discuss the 2020 Annual Report, which we have shared with you via email this week. You can join the meeting on February 21 by clicking this link. If you have not received a 2020 Annual Report and would like one, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Donations Needed: The Youth will be donating a part of their funds raised in "Dial! Dash! Donate!" to the Good Neighbor Center. Along with the cash donations, we also hope to collect items from GNC's donations needs list. Items needed include full and twin sheets & blankets, towels, washcloths, razors, latex gloves, paper towels, toilet paper, Lysol spray/wipes, all-purpose spray, hand sanitizer, and large diapers (size 6). All items must be NEW and not used. Please bring your item donations to the Hite House any time through February 21, and place them in the container by the door. If you are not able to drive to the church, contact Haley and she will gladly pick them up from you.
Cedar Creek Youth Group: The Youth will be going to the Family Promise day center to do some yard work this Sunday. We will meet at the Hite House at 12 for lunch and prep, then head over to the center in Tualatin at 12:45. To work out a plan for commuting, please contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org. Stay tuned, too, for details about a youth movie night on February 28.
Cedar Creek Children's Ministries: The Children's Ministries Team and Cedar Creek Youth are teaming up to build video Sunday school lessons for Cedar Creek kids. Watch your inbox for details!
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
May you be extravagant and bold in Christ this week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
February 9, 2021
The third-century Roman Emperor Claudius II was an aggressive military leader who stepped into his role at a time when the Roman Empire was under attack both within and outside its borders. Claudius believed that single men made the best soldiers, undistracted by emotional attachments to wives or children, and he also found the Christian concept of marriage distasteful and unnecessary. So he outlawed marriage in the Roman Empire.
According to 4th-century history, Valentine of Rome was a temple priest who performed secret marriages despite the Emperor's decree, including marriage ceremonies for Roman soldiers. Claudius II spent much of his time battling enemies outside his territory, so for many years, Valentine hosted weddings without detection. When he was found out and refused to deny Christ before the Roman guards, the Emperor ordered him beheaded on February 14, 269 AD.
Valentine or Valentius was a common name derived from the Latin word valens, which means "strong, vigorous, worthy, and healthy." Two other Christian men named Valentine were martyred for their faith on or near February 14 in the mid-200s AD: Valentine of Terni, Italy, a bishop who attempted to convert Claudius II; and Valentine of the Roman province in North Africa, who was also executed for his faith.
When Pope Gelasius I dedicated February 14 to the three saints and martyrs named Valentine in the 400s, he intended to replace the pagan festival Lupercalia with a Christian holiday. Somewhere in the mix of acknowledging the brave role Valentine of Rome once played as well as the oddity of the pagan fertility festival Lupercalia, Valentine became the saint of lovers.
In the 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer offered the first mention of Valentine's Day with a line in "The Parliament of Fowls" that "Seynt Valentynes Day" is the day when every bird comes to choose its mate. In 1600, William Shakespeare gave a nod to Saint Valentine's Day in his comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream, and a fledgling American greeting card manufacturer named Hallmark began producing Valentine's Day cards in 1913, just three years after it was founded in 1900. More than 100 years later, some 131 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged each year.
As we anticipate Valentine's Day this Sunday, I hope you will ponder the sacrifice made by brave rebels such as Valentine of Rome. While under the rule of an Emperor who forbade Christian marriage and in a time when Christians were commonly tortured and imprisoned, Valentine chose to celebrate love within the secrecy and sanctity of his church. He was willing to risk his life to honor love, and he ultimately claimed Jesus Christ as his first love.
Remember the Apostle John's reminder in his first letter to the struggling churches of his day:
We love because he first loved us.
-- 1 John 4:19
How will you live into the power of this verse as you celebrate Valentine's Day this weekend?
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, February 14, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We look forward to Week 3 of our sermon series "Imagine: The Book of Revelation," followed by a celebration of the Lord's Supper. Be sure to have elements on hand (juice and bread or crackers) so you are able to join us.
Donations Needed: The Youth will be donating a part of their funds raised in "Dial! Dash! Donate!" to the Good Neighbor Center. Along with the cash donations, we also hope to collect items from GNC's donations needs list. Items needed include full and twin sheets & blankets, towels, washcloths, razors, latex gloves, paper towels, toilet paper, Lysol spray/wipes, all-purpose spray, hand sanitizer, and large diapers (size 6). All items must be NEW and not used. Please bring your item donations to the Hite House any time through February 21, and place them in the container by the door. If you are not able to drive to the church, contact Haley and she will gladly pick them up from you.
Cedar Creek Youth Group: Middle and high school youth are welcome to join at 12 noon this Sunday in the Hite House for a socially distanced continuation of the "Equipped" series. On February 21, the Youth will be going to the Family Promise day center to do some yard work. We will meet at the Hite House at 12 for lunch and prep, then head over to the center in Tualatin at 12:45. To work out a plan for commuting, please contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Ash Wednesday: We look forward to sharing links to an at-home Ash Wednesday worship service with you on February 17. While we are sorry to not gather in person as we honor this holy day of prayer that opens the six weeks of Lent, we trust that the Holy Spirit will bless your day with a calming sense of peace and remembrance. Watch your inbox for links next Wednesday.
Congregational Meeting: Mark your calendars for a Congregational Meeting after service on February 21. We will gather via Zoom to discuss the 2020 Annual Report, which we will share with you via email beforehand. You can join the meeting on February 21 by clicking this link.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Have a blessed Valentine's Day,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
February 2, 2021
Only one woman sat on the speakers' platform when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963. Dorothy Height had helped to organize the rally in Washington DC's National Mall and had already made a name for herself as president of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) and a forerunner of the civil rights movement.
But Height was not asked to speak that day. As she sat listening and reveling in the energy of the 250,000 gathered in the Mall, male civil rights leaders stepped past her across the platform one after the other to take the microphone. When she died in 2010 at the age of 98, Height was credited with being the first person to treat the problems of equality for women and equality for Black people as a seamless whole, drawing together concerns of social injustice that had historically been kept separated.
Height's long-time involvement with the YWCA began in the 1920s when she was shocked to learn that the color of her skin prevented her from swimming in the pool at the Pittsburgh YWCA. After earning degrees in educational psychology and social work, Height worked for the New York City YWCA and later joined the national YWCA staff in the field of Interracial Relations. She became president of the NCNW in 1957 and served in that position for 40 years.
Considered a member of the "Civil Rights Six," Height was counted as a primary leader of the civil rights movement alongside Martin Luther King Jr., James Farmer, John Lewis, A. Philip Randolph, and Roy Wilkins. Despite her background as a prize-winning speaker, Height was often overlooked because of her gender, and yet she persevered, developing international volunteer programs in Asia, Africa, Europe, and South America, and modeling servant leadership in all that she did.
Despite the seemingly insurmountable cultural barriers that stood in her way, Height led a life focused on betterment and change, encountering each new trial as a challenge to be overcome rather than a burden to bear. While 2020 and now 2021 have proven trying indeed, what is your heart response today, this week, this month? Are you overburdened or expectant, downtrodden or eager for what changes the Lord may have ahead? How might you adopt a Dorothy Height mindset for 2021, speaking up loudly and joyfully in the moments where darkness pervades?
As you navigate a new week and a new month, remember God's comforting words in Isaiah 40:
In the wilderness prepare
the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
Where do you see the glory of the Lord revealing itself amidst the gloom of this year? Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, February 7, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We look forward to hearing from Steve Ristow in Fairbanks, Alaska, as well as celebrating Scout Sunday.
Scout Sunday: Scout Sunday is a nationwide celebration that falls on February 7 this year, providing an opportunity for local Troops to participate in a church service and honor a Scout's "duty to God." We look forward to including Sherwood Troop 116 and Tualatin Troop 530 in our service this Sunday. Scouting is a year-round program that emphasizes honesty, integrity, and respect, while Scouts earn merit badges and serve in the community. If you or your family would like to learn more, send an email to jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org . I have been involved with Scouting for many years, and I serve as Chaplain of Troop 116.
Cedar Creek Big Game Watch Party: The Anderson family has generously offered to host a Cedar Creek Church Big Game Watch Party this Sunday. Whether you are a football fan or a commercial-watcher, join us for a fun afternoon with a Zoom connection for live text, audio, and video chat throughout the Super Bowl game. Visit the Cedar Creek Church Facebook page for details.
Cedar Creek Youth Group: The youth will not meet in person this Sunday to allow time to attend the Cedar Creek Big Game Watch Party. Middle and high schoolers are continuing with the "Equipped" series and will meet next at 12 noon on February 14 in the Hite House. For more information, contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Donations Needed: The Youth will be donating a part of their funds raised in "Dial! Dash! Donate!" to the Good Neighbor Center. Along with the cash donations, we also hope to collect items from GNC's donations needs list. Items needed include full and twin sheets & blankets, towels, washcloths, razors, latex gloves, paper towels, toilet paper, Lysol spray/wipes, all-purpose spray, hand sanitizer, and large diapers (size 6). All items must be NEW and not used. Please bring your item donations to the Hite House between February 7 and 21, and place them in the container by the door. If you are not able to drive to the church, contact Haley and she will gladly pick them up from you.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Ash Wednesday: We look forward to sharing links to an at-home Ash Wednesday worship service with you on February 17. While we are sorry to not gather in person as we honor this holy day of prayer that opens the six weeks of Lent, we trust that the Holy Spirit will bless your day with a calming sense of peace and remembrance.
Congregational Meeting: Mark your calendars for a Congregational Meeting after service on February 21. We will gather via Zoom to discuss the 2020 Annual Report, which we will share with you via email beforehand. You can join the meeting on February 28 by clicking this link.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Peace on your week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
January 26, 2021
Hong Kong resident Lai Chi-wai is a four-time winner of the Asian Rock Climbing Championships and once was ranked eighth in the world for his rock-climbing prowess. In 2011, Lai was in a major car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down, but the 37-year-old has not let paraplegia diminish his dreams.
A week ago Saturday, Lai spent more than 10 hours using sheer upper arm strength to pull himself 820 feet up the side of one of Hong Kong's towering glass-paned skyscrapers -- a building that stands as tall as the Eiffel Tower.
"I was quite scared," Lai said. "Climbing up a mountain, I can hold onto rocks or little holes, but with all glass, all I can really rely on is the rope that I'm hanging off."
Lai raised $670,639 ($5.2 million in Hong Kong dollars) in charity donations for his climb up the 89-story Nina Tower in Tsuen Wan on January 16, and while high winds kept him from reaching the top, Lai said he hoped his climb would send a message of hope to others:
"Some people don't understand the difficulties of disabled people. Some people think that we are always weak, we need help, we need assistance, we need people's pity," Lai said. "But I want to tell everyone it doesn't have to be like that. If a disabled person can shine, they can at the same time bring about opportunity, hope, bring about light; they don't have to be viewed as weak."
After his tragic accident 10 years ago, Lai resumed rock climbing by attaching his wheelchair to a pulley system and using his upper arms to haul himself up. On the anniversary of his car accident five years ago, he ascended the 1,624-foot Lion Rock Mountain, a Chinese folk culture symbol of Hong Kong's strength and grit.
In a time of global disappointment and discouragement, stories like Lai's remind us that God's path for each of us is unique, marked by unexpected challenges, and Holy Spirit-designed to press us into places we never expected to travel. Are you ready to step in, reliant on God's hand over your life and cognizant of all who are watching as you journey?
Consider Paul's words in his Letter to the Hebrews:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. -- Hebrews 12:1-3
Do you hear Lai's determination echoing through Paul's words to the Hebrews? Note that Paul does not promise an easy trail or matching steps, nor does Jesus. Paul calls us to "run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus." Have you discovered the race marked out just for you, prepared by God's loving hands so that you might step into His best plans for you? What spiritual disciplines do you need to put into place so that you are able to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus?
Jesus endured the cross, scorning its shame. What shame do you need to set aside so you can avoid growing weary, instead moving ever-closer to the joy set before you just as Jesus did?
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, January 31, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We look forward to Week 2 of our sermon series "Imagine: The Book of Revelation."
Dial! Dash! Donate!: Thank you for supporting our Cedar Creek Youth with your take-out dinner orders this past Sunday. The youth raised more than $200 in tips by delivering pre-ordered take-out meals to people's homes, and we look forward to running this fundraiser again in the future. If you missed out this past weekend, watch for details later this spring!
YouTube Encouragement: Covenant partner Sylvana Candela has launched a YouTube channel focused on transformative healing, particularly amidst the challenges of this difficult year. Sylvana's YouTube encouragement comes on the heels of her recently released book Gently Heal Thyself. Sylvana is a licensed acupuncturist who has supervised acupuncture clinics in the Los Angeles area prior to moving to Sherwood.
Hungry Hero Food Donations: The Hungry Hero Dessert Co. in Old Town Sherwood is collecting food donations from families in need in this difficult time. If you have items to donate or are in need yourself, visit 22567 SW Washington St. or check them out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHungryHero/
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
ECO National Gathering: Join us this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for the 2021 ECO National Gathering. Click here to register. This year's "Into the Unknown" virtual gathering is free and open to all!
Cedar Creek Youth Group: Middle and high school students are invited to gather at 12 noon this Sunday in the Hite House for a socially distanced discussion of the youth series "Equipped." For more information or if you are unable to attend in person, contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Cedar Creek Super Bowl Watch Party: The Anderson family has generously offered to host a Cedar Creek Church Superbowl Watch Party on February 7. Whether you are a football fan or a commercial-watcher, join us for a fun afternoon with a Zoom connection for live text, audio, and video chat throughout the game. Visit the Cedar Creek Church Facebook page for details.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
May you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus this week, running the race with perseverance.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
January 19, 2021
Feeling frustrated? Overwhelmed? Exhausted? Here's one way to get those 2020/2021 emotions out: Call 1-561-567-8431, scream as loud and long as you like, and then hang up. As the website boasts, don't worry. No one is actually listening when you call, although your voice will be recorded and added to what has become an international montage of collective frustration. To listen to screams from around the world, including your own, go to the website justscream.baby.
Chris Gollmar is an elementary school teacher, artist, and coder in Florida who tapped into the heart of our current cultural swing when he coded his participatory scream project this past fall. As tensions grew in the United States in September and October, Gollmar said it didn't take long to decide on a theme and a name for his project: "Just Scream!" Since that time, Just Scream has been featured in articles around the world and received more than 70,000 recordings.
"Never in my life would I have expected so many people to actually pick up the phone, dial a number, and record themselves for the world to hear," Gollmar said. "But we're all screaming on the inside right now, so I guess I should have figured."
A similar quarantine project this past summer allowed participants to record a scream aimed at the rocky crags of Iceland (look here). While the Iceland project is no longer saving new entries, Gollmar's Just Scream hotline continues through this Thursday, January 21. Be sure to call today if you want your voice in the mix!
While for most of us these kinds of stories bring a momentary smile and then are forgotten, I hope you will take a moment to ponder the inherent humanness of what is happening here: Life has spun out of control, and so we are aggravated and seeking outlets. Our anger and consternation are real, and the sources of our frustration are many: the pandemic, quarantine, vaccines, political tensions, social strife, employment concerns, finances, etc. And yet in projects like Gollmar's, we are able to pull together in humor and in unity. The why of our frustration no longer matters when we are all frustrated together -- deeply human and ultimately unified. While Gollmar's project started as a United States initiative, it quickly spread worldwide, and that global connection is worth noting.
After we record our own screams, what voice can we bring to the conversation as Christians? How do we remind the world that God is in control, and His Spirit is steadfast, kind, and omnipresent? As Augustine reminded us this past Sunday, "God is an infinite circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere."
Remember Paul's word in Philippians 4:6-7:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Take note of your neighbors, Friends. How is God calling you to be a peacemaker in a moment when much of the world longs to pick up a telephone and scream?
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, January 24, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We look forward to a special sermon from Douglas Johnston in Costa Rica, followed by a celebration of the Lord's Supper. Be sure to have elements on hand (juice and bread or crackers) so you are able to join us.
Dial! Dash! Donate!: Our Cedar Creek Youth fundraiser is this Sunday, January 24 from 5:30-7:30PM. Here are the instructions on how to participate:
Fill out this form NO later than Sunday at 3PM (preferably asap)
Order food online at a restaurant for pickup (please choose any sherwood restaurant or a restaurant within your zip code. Perhaps a 5 mile radius.) We also suggest ordering it to be picked up at a specific time.
Make sure the order is PREPAID.
Text or Call Haley at (903.407.1226) with the restaurant, pickup time, and your delivery address.
Wear a mask when answering the door.
We are asking for a $5 minimum donation. You may give in cash or through Venmo (send money to @haleyholman.
Please contact Haley for any questions or information. We appreciate everyone's participation. https://forms.gle/wSs5HZmsDyCxBZhK6
Cedar Creek Youth Group will not be gathering at the usual time this Sunday in lieu of Dial! Dash! Donate! on Sunday evening. To help with the youth fundraiser, contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
ECO National Gathering: Register today for the 2021 ECO National Gathering this January 29 to 31. Click here to register and for a preview of what is to come, and click here for a humorous National Gathering promo video. This year's "Into the Unknown" virtual gathering is free and open to all, and your online registration does not obligate you to attend everything -- just those speakers or sessions that are of interest. Take advantage of this rare opportunity to attend for free and without the need to travel!
Cedar Creek Super Bowl Watch Party: The Anderson family has generously offered to host a Cedar Creek Church Superbowl Watch Party on February 7. Whether you are a football fan or a commercial-watcher, join us for a fun afternoon with a Zoom connection for live text, audio, and video chat throughout the game. Details can be found in the Community News emails sent on Thursdays as well as on the Cedar Creek Fellowship Facebook group.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140. If you did not receive a pledge card this fall and would like to, email the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
May the peace of God guard your heart and mind in Jesus Christ this week.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
January 12, 2021
"My father was a St. Bernard, my mother was a collie, but I am a Presbyterian," begins Mark Twain's 1903 short story "A Dog's Tale." The story is a heart-wrenching commentary on the ills of short-sighted people who mistreat others, told through the voice of a sweet, trusting dog who has an affinity for the word "Presbyterian": "This is what my mother told me, I do not know these nice distinctions myself. To me they are only fine large words meaning nothing. My mother had a fondness for such; she liked to say them, and see other dogs look surprised and envious, as wondering how she got so much education."
And later in the story, we hear this: " ... for there were some most pleasant [neighbor dogs] not far away, and one very handsome and courteous and graceful one, a curly-haired Irish setter by the name of Robin Adair, who was a Presbyterian like me, and belonged to the Scotch minister."
Mark Twain's wise humor resonates through much of his work, and here we get his mild ribbing of those scholarly Presbyterians who use big words that sound impressive but ultimately mean little. (At least Robin Adair was "handsome and courteous," right?)
As we live through this reality-shifting moment in history, do you hear God pressing us to the truth of who we are? Fancy words are akin to perfectly staged selfies or carefully polished stories that offer to the world a prettier picture than what is true to this moment. But how do those fancy words and staged selfies impact the world? Do they comfort the lonely and lift up the hurting, or do they widen the chasm that we already feel in our need to physically distance from one another?
God does not want our false self -- as minor as the polishing may be -- nor does the world. God desires our true self, beneath the fancy words and impressive posturing. He created each of us intentionally and perfectly, so why do we mask His creation with insincere decorations? Consider Psalm 139:
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand-
when I awake, I am still with you.
Rather than spinning in our own concerns, words, and images, what if we follow David's plea and set our sights on God's thoughts this week? How might our outlook on the pandemic, politics, and conflict around us shift if we continually seek God's wisdom as if pondering innumerable grains of sand? How do we ensure that we are walking in the confidence of our own creation, and the strength of God's fortitude and steadfast surety?
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, January 17, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays).
Cedar Creek Youth Group is gathering this Sunday at 12 noon in the Hite House for a socially distanced discussion of their new series "Equipped." All middle and high school students are welcome to join. For more information or if you are not able to attend in person, contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Dial - Dash - Donate: Mark your calendars for a special dinner delivery night between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, January 24. Order take-out from your favorite local restaurant, and Cedar Creek Youth will deliver to your home in our Door Dash-style Cedar Creek Youth fundraiser. Watch your email inbox for details and an opportunity to sign up!
ECO National Gathering: Register today for the 2021 ECO National Gathering this January 29 to 31. Click here to register and for a preview of what is to come, and click here for a humorous National Gathering promo video. This year's "Into the Unknown" virtual gathering is free and open to all, and your online registration does not obligate you to attend everything -- just those speakers or sessions that are of interest. Take advantage of this rare opportunity to attend for free and without the need to travel!
Cedar Creek Super Bowl Watch Party: The Anderson family has generously offered to host a Cedar Creek Church Superbowl Watch Party on February 7. Whether you are a football fan or a commercial-watcher, join us for a fun afternoon with a Zoom connection for live text, audio, and video chat throughout the game. Stay tuned for details.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140. If you did not receive a pledge card this fall and would like to, email the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
May you seek the Lord this week, confident that you are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
January 5, 2021
Too many well-intentioned people are so preoccupied with the clatter of effort to do something for God that they don't hear Him asking that He might do something through them.
- Thomas R. Kelly, A Testament of Devotion
Kelly was an American Quaker professor who dedicated his life to listening for God's call through the angst and anxiety of two world wars. When World War I broke out, Kelly traveled to England with the YMCA to work with German prisoners of war. He was eventually fired from that position when his ardent pacifism angered military officials, and he returned to the United States to complete his PhD.
Kelly taught at Earlham College, Wellesley College, and the University of Hawaii before pursuing a second doctoral degree — a testament to his continued search for God's calling on his life. After several years of coursework and research, he published his second dissertation but failed the oral defense due to a memory lapse. That experience sent him into a spiritual crisis, and in 1938, Kelly moved to Berlin to be an encouragement to Quakers living under Hitler's regime.
On the morning of January 17, 1943, Kelly learned that Harper & Bros. was interested in publishing his book of devotions; shockingly, he died of a heart attack later that day. Thankfully colleagues were able to gather and submit his works, leading to the publication of A Testament of Devotion later that same year.
With a steadfast faith despite the turmoil in the world around him, Kelly lived a life of serving and seeking, opening himself daily to God's new plans. Too often we slide into the ease of good works, assuming that what we do will prove to the world, to ourselves, and to God that we are good people and good Christians. And while good works indeed will emerge from a faith-filled life, be wary of making works your focus. Hear Paul's words to those worshipping in Ephesus:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
How can you ensure this week — this new year — that you are open to the myriad of ways God may be working through you rather than focusing on a checklist of tasks you can do for Him? The Lord created each of us uniquely, intricately, and perfectly, and He has plans for your good gifts. Are you prepared to listen well for the Holy Spirit's call on each new day?
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, January 10, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We look forward to a worship service led by our Cedar Creek Youth this Sunday! We will also be celebrating communion together, so be sure you have crackers or bread and juice on hand.
Cedar Creek Youth Group is gathering this Sunday at 12 noon in the Hite House for a socially distanced introduction to the series "Equipped." Join us as we explore ways to share our faith with others. Lunch will be provided. If you are not able to gather in person, please contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Dial - Dash - Donate: Stay tuned for details on an upcoming Door Dash-style Cedar Creek Youth fundraiser. Order take-out from the comfort of your home, and Cedar Creek Youth will deliver to your door!
ECO National Gathering: Register today for the 2021 ECO National Gathering this January 29 to 31. Click here to register and for a preview of what is to come. This year's gathering is free and open to all, and your online registration does not obligate you to attend everything — just those speakers or sessions that are of interest. Take advantage of this rare opportunity to attend for free and without the need to travel!
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140. If you did not receive a pledge card this fall and would like to, email the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Peace on your week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
December 29, 2020
Many thanks to each of you for your encouragement and support as I have walked the rather arduous six-year journey to ordination. What an honor it is to be ordained in the Presbyterian Church, and what a special gathering we had this past Sunday of voices who have been so instrumental in the life of our church. May the Lord bless our days ahead with the energy and encouragement of a wonderfully circuitous path! (If you missed it or if you would like to view again, click here to see our December 27 service.)
As we look forward to celebrating the New Year, join me in pondering again the irony of the words I shared this past Sunday from Dr. Robert P. Kerr in The People's History of Presbyterianism:
Books are to be read, not to lie on dusty shelves. But this is a busy age, and most persons will not take time to read extensive treatises. The people call for short sermons, short prayers, and short books. Nor is this demand without reason; for life itself is short, and there is much to do.
Kerr wrote these words in 1888, a time when the telephone was first gaining popularity and many years before automobiles were affordable. How curious to hear a scholar from an era we view as slow-paced bemoaning the rush that we feel in our 21st-century Silicon Valley scramble, right? Just as Kerr acknowledged the hurry of culture in 1888, I hope we will all ponder the pressures that define our lives -- both with COVID restrictions in place and as we (hopefully) emerge in the year ahead. Is our "much to do" honorable, biblical, and energizing? Are the pressures we feel each day Holy Spirit-inspired? As we align our lives with Christ, is our busy-ness worthy?
Acclaimed nature writer and National Book Award winner Barry Lopez died on Christmas Day after a battle with prostate cancer. Lopez, who was a longtime resident of Oregon, often spoke of our inability to hear one another when we are "people with agendas." When we are pressed for time, agendas can be logical; they help us to be efficient and purposeful, drawing from an experience what is most helpful and moving on to the next. But are we able to listen well, to be fully present in each new moment, when we are distracted by the agenda we have prepared and are waiting anxiously to attend to?
Perhaps our greatest challenge for the New Year is simply gratitude: loving the world we already have and praising God for the intricacies he has set in motion for us in the present moment. It is not our job nor our calling to race about frantically, striving to satisfy agendas that mean little in God's majestic eternal view. "Mystery," Lopez writes, "is the real condition in which we live, not certainty." How can we enter 2021 grateful for the mystery and joy-filled as we encounter each new moment with Christ-like attentiveness?
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
George Fox University Players: We are excited to host another virtual presentation of the George Fox University Players this Sunday, January 3, during our 10 a.m. livestream service. The Players are a touring company of GFU students who present music and drama to schools, churches, and prisons, and we look forward to hearing this year's stories that speak directly into this challenging time. The Players continue a 30-year tradition at GFU, and we have welcomed them annually at Cedar Creek for many years. To join us for worship at 10 a.m., click this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays).
Cedar Creek Youth Sunday: Our Cedar Creek Youth will lead worship for us on January 10. All middle and high school youth, as well as our college-age friends, are invited to showcase your talents as we worship together! Watch your inbox and Instagram feed for details, or contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Both Cedar Creek Youth Group and our Wednesday Connect & Pray are taking a break until January. Enjoy your holiday, and be sure to reach out to me directly or to the church office if we can help in any way.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140. If you did not receive a pledge card this fall and would like to, email the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Blessings on your New Year's celebration,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
December 22, 2020
A blessed, peace-filled Christmas to each of you. May you be grateful for God's good gifts this year and energized by a renewed longing to share His love with others in the new year.
As you prepare your heart for Christmas, take a moment to enjoy this majestic performance from the George Fox University music department: Joy to the World.
We look forward to our livestream candlelight Christmas Eve Service at 5 p.m. this Thursday. Join us by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). Invite your friends and family to join this week!
This Sunday, December 27, will boast a special gathering of Cedar Creek pastors as we celebrate Pastor Jennie's ordination and installation. Join us at 10 a.m. via livestream, and please plan to stay for a Congregational Meeting via Zoom following the service to vote on Pastor Jennie's Call and Terms of Call. Here is the Zoom link for the Congregational Meeting: Cedar Creek Congregational Meeting (Meeting ID: 829 7668 7644; Passcode: 727393).
Both Cedar Creek Youth Group and our Wednesday Connect & Pray are taking a break until January. Enjoy your holiday, and be sure to reach out to me directly or to the church office if we can help in any way.
Let these words from Isaac Watts' "Joy to the World" be the backbeat of your week: Let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing. And remember, as we discussed this past Sunday, that Watts' hymn ultimately points to the greatest gift of all:
and wonders of his love,
and wonders of his love,
and wonders, wonders of his love.
Blessings on your Christmas week.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
December 15, 2020
The cover of this week's Time Magazine is a bold red X through the year "2020," followed by the subtitle "The Worst Year Ever." The cover illustration cues to an essay titled "Our Awful Year: 2020 Tested Us Beyond Measure. Where Do We Go From Here?" Inside the essay, you will find pull-out quotes like, "This is the story of a year you'll never want to revisit," and, "Our most debilitating threat this year was a sense of helplessness."
What do you think? Have you felt the despair of 2020? Are you feeling it still? Have you witnessed it in the people around you? Rather than rolling our eyes at the headlines that trumpet the angst of a trying year, how can we step into the fray with a posture of humility, bringing Jesus' peace and repose to all who are struggling?
Listen to Paul's words in Chapter 12 of his Letter to the Romans: Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing, and perfect will.
Too often we focus our energy on moments of rejection -- whether we are feeling rejected by the world or choosing to reject what is before us -- rather than recognizing the renewal that God intends in those difficult moments. What would it mean for you to seek renewal in 2020 and 2021, asking that God transform your mind so it better aligns with His? Rather than reacting with disappointment or irritation to the shuffling of the world around you, how will you seek places of wonder, of simple beauty, of new growth?
We are daily blessed by God's gifts of grace and mercy. As we anticipate a Christmas celebration next week and continue to navigate the trials of a surprising year, what will others see in our demeanor and our actions that stands against this cultural claim of "The Worst Year Ever"? What if "the worst year" turns out to be transformational in ways that we won't be able to count for decades to come? Let your minds be renewed and your joy stand firm, my friends, as we anticipate Christ's birth together.
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Livestream Sunday Service: Celebrate the final Sunday of Advent at 10 a.m. this Sunday, December 20, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We have discussed the rallying cry of "O Come, All Ye Faithful," the Holy Spirit peace longing of "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear," and the connecting joy of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," and this Sunday we will be discussing God's love through the lens of the classic carol "Joy to the World."
Cedar Creek Christmas Drive-By: After service this Sunday, plan to pile into your cars and drive to Cedar Creek for a socially distanced Christmas Drive-By celebration. If the weather cooperates, you will have an opportunity to step out of your car briefly for family Christmas photos, or you can remain cozy inside as you drive through the Hite House lot to enjoy music, Christmas treats, and a chance to wave to friends. We will also be distributing candles for our Christmas Eve service so you can sing a candlelit "Silent Night" hymn from the comfort of your home. Bring your Christmas cheer and join the fun this Sunday!
Christmas Eve Service: Invite friends and family to sign on at 5 p.m. December 24 for a special Christmas Eve livestream service. We will close our The Carols of Advent sermon series with an evening service focused on the majestic hymn "Silent Night."
Cedar Creek Youth Group: Youth Group is taking a break for the holidays these next few weeks, but we look forward to a Cedar Creek Youth Sunday during worship on the morning of January 10. Watch your inbox and Instagram feed for details, or contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Ordination Sunday: We look forward to a special service on December 27 as we celebrate the close of the Christmas season as well as Pastor Jennie's ordination as a minister in ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians. If you are a covenant partner with Cedar Creek Church, please plan to join a Congregational Meeting via Zoom following the service to vote on Pastor Jennie's Call and Terms of Call. Here is the Zoom link for the December 27 meeting: Cedar Creek Congregational Meeting (Meeting ID: 829 7668 7644; Passcode: 727393).
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. Wednesdays via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140. If you did not receive a pledge card this fall and would like to, email the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven't heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
May the peace of Christ reign in your home this week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
December 8, 2020
The Yale Book of Quotations was first published in 2006 as a scholarly compilation of quotations focusing primarily on modern and American quotations. With an alphabetical list of more than 12,000 quotes, the book reflects its editors' exhaustive search for accurate original sources as well as misattributions (the phrase "Go West, young man" indeed was from Horace Greeley, for example, not John Soule as Bartlett's and The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations have erroneously reported).
Each year, Editor Fred Shapiro compiles new quotes to update the collection, and the Yale Law School library announced yesterday that "Wear a mask" tops the list for 2020. Here are the top 10 most significant quotes from 2020, according to Yale:
1. "Wear a mask." Dr. Anthony Fauci, May 21.
2. "I can't breathe." George Floyd, May 25.
3. "One day -- it's like a miracle -- it will disappear." President Trump referring to the coronavirus, February 27.
4. "I see the disinfectant that knocks it out in a minute, one minute. And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning?" President Trump, April 23.
5. "I will never lie to you. You have my word on that." White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, May 1.
6. "My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed." Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, September.
7. "If you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't Black." President-elect Joe Biden, May 22.
8. "The science should not stand in the way of this." Kayleigh McEnany referring to school reopenings, July 16.
9. "You're a lying dog-faced pony soldier." Joe Biden, February 9.
10. "We are all Lakers today." Los Angeles Clippers Coach Doc Rivers after the death of Kobe Bryant, January 26.
Politics aside, I hope you hear a collective longing to encapsulate time in a single quote, misplaced assumption, or word of wisdom -- particularly in a year of trials. What Scripture or wise word would you assign to 2020? My go-to life verse is John 14:27: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. This year has been marked by uncertainty and anxiety for all of us, but what a God-gift it would be to look back on my life one day and affirm that I have done my utmost to live by Jesus' words in this verse.
How about you? Do you have a favorite Bible verse? If so, do you seek each day to make decisions, measure your emotions, and bless others with the Holy Spirit empowerment of that verse? As our culture chuckles (or groans) at the most significant quotes of 2020, what will you name as the verse or word of wisdom that defines how you aspire to live your life in this time, particularly in this Advent season?
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Livestream Sunday Service: Celebrate the second Sunday of Advent at 10 a.m. this Sunday, December 13, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We are exploring the history and meaning of classic Christmas hymns in our Advent sermon series "The Carols of Advent" this year. We have discussed the rallying cry of "O Come, All Ye Faithful" and the Holy Spirit peace longing of "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear," and this Sunday we will listen for the joy resonating through "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." We will be celebrating communion together this Sunday, so be sure you have crackers or bread and juice on hand.
Christmas Movie Watch Party: Mark your calendar for a Cedar Creek Christmas Movie Watch Party at 5 p.m. this Sunday, December 13. Join us from the comfort of your home as we watch the 1940s classic It's a Wonderful Life together via Amazon Watch Party. No need to have an Amazon account; just click this link from any computer to connect, watch, & chat: https://amz.onl/cScDy6l. (Keep an eye on your front porch this weekend for a batch of movie treats to enjoy as we gather together ...)
Christmas Blessings: If you would like to join us in blessing others by baking treats or donating small gifts for the Cedar Creek Christmas Drive-By on December 20, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com. We welcome your ideas!
Cedar Creek Christmas Drive-By: After service on December 20, plan to pile into your cars and drive to Cedar Creek for a socially distanced Christmas Drive-By celebration. You will have an opportunity to step out of your car briefly for family Christmas photos, then return to your car to enjoy music, Christmas treats, and a chance to wave to friends. We will also be distributing candles for our Christmas Eve service so you can enjoy our candlelit "Silent Night" hymn from the comfort of your home. Bring your Christmas cheer and join the fun!
Christmas Eve Service: Invite friends and family to sign on at 5 p.m. December 24 for a special Christmas Eve livestream service. We will close our The Carols of Advent sermon series with an evening service focused on the majestic hymn "Silent Night."
2020 Advent Devotions: We emailed 2020 Advent Devotions to Cedar Creek friends this past weekend, offering you a moment of Scripture and an Advent focus for each day this month as we anticipate the birth of Christ. If you did not receive a copy and would like to, email the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Cedar Creek Youth Group: Youth Group is gathering at 12 p.m. this Sunday via Zoom. Watch your inbox and Instagram feed for details, or contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140. If you did not receive a pledge card this fall and would like to, email the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven't heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. Wednesdays via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Have a blessed week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
December 1, 2020
Rather than steeping in the disappointment of a lonely Thanksgiving without family, Missy Buchanan wanted to come up with something silly and unexpected. So she and her husband shipped life-sized cardboard cutouts of themselves to their adult children and grandkids, and the family is still chuckling over the surprise.
Missy said she told family members to expect large packages in the mail, but she did not tell them of the six-foot surprise inside. Two preteen grandkids said they "basically fell on the floor laughing" when they opened the box and saw their grandparents' life-sized faces smiling up at them. Three-year-old Noah likes to talk to his cardboard grandparents, and he insists on bringing the cutout into his room at night when it's time to go to sleep. Grandkids Quintin (12), Oliver (10), and Clara (6) have had fun posing with their cutout grandparents in various spots around their yard, including one particularly endearing photo that includes chickens (look here).
"It doesn't do any good just to complain and be miserable and gripe," Missy said. "We can still have fun. It's just going to be a different kind of fun."
So often we cling to what we know, frustrated when the patterns no longer bring us the results we expect and looking elsewhere to place blame as we continue repeating what we know best. But God never promised us repetition and ease. On the contrary, the Lord grants us supernatural peace in the firestorm and company in the angst. So how will we pursue joy in new ways in this Advent season?
As you ponder surprises and set your focus on hope this week, consider these verses that remind us of God's steadfast love despite life's changes around us:
He must become greater; I must become less. John 3:30
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:11
But you [my God] remain the same, and your years will never end. Psalm 102:27
"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:7-8
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5
Even when God doesn't appear before us as we think He should or fix the world around us according to our plans, He has been, always will be, and is good. And in that, we can place our faith. So how will you surprise your family, friends, and neighbors with something unexpected that will draw them out of the weight of 2020 and into the hopefulness of faith in God's excellent plans for us?
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Livestream Sunday Service: Celebrate the second Sunday of Advent at 10 a.m. this Sunday, December 6, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We are exploring the history and meaning of classic Christmas hymns in our Advent sermon series "The Carols of Advent" this year. This past Sunday, we talked about the rallying cry of "O Come, All Ye Faithful," and this Sunday we will listen for God's good word to us through the peace focus of "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear."
2020 Advent Devotions: We emailed 2020 Advent Devotions to Cedar Creek friends this past weekend, offering you a moment of Scripture and an Advent focus for each day this month as we anticipate the birth of Christ. If you did not receive a copy and would like to, email the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Christmas Movie Watch Party: Mark your calendar for a Cedar Creek Christmas Movie Watch Party at 5 p.m. Sunday, December 13. Join us from the comfort of your home as we watch the 1950s classic White Christmas together with a live chat feature. Watch your inbox for details!
Cedar Creek Christmas Drive-By: After service on December 20, plan to pile into your cars and drive to Cedar Creek for a socially distanced Christmas Drive-By celebration. You will have an opportunity to step out of your car briefly for family Christmas photos, then return to your car to enjoy music, Christmas treats, and a chance to wave to friends. Bring your Christmas cheer and join the fun!
Christmas Eve Service: Invite friends and family to sign on at 5 p.m. December 24 for a special Christmas Eve livestream service. We will close our The Carols of Advent sermon series with an evening service focused on the majestic hymn "Silent Night."
Cedar Creek Youth Group: Youth Group is gathering at 12 p.m. this Sunday via Zoom. Watch your inbox and Instagram feed for details, or contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140. If you did not receive a pledge card this month and would like to, email the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven't heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Happy Advent, Friends. May your December be marked by laughter, joy, and surprises.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
November 24, 2020
Hannah longed for a baby. She had a loving husband and a comfortable lifestyle, but her desire went unanswered day after day, year after year. Compounding her grief was a rival wife, Peninnah, who bore children easily and taunted Hannah cruelly. Every time Hannah went to worship in God's house, Peninnah would be there jeering and reminding Hannah that God had not given her children.
Hannah lost her appetite and cried inconsolably, praying to the Lord for relief from her pain. When the priest Eli saw Hannah's wordless, fervent prayers, he concluded that she must be intoxicated. "How long are you going to stay drunk?" he asked her. "Put away your wine!" But Hannah was not drunk. She was desolate, ashamed, and in pain, and she had come to the house of the Lord to seek relief.
Eli blessed Hannah as she left, and not long after she was pregnant with baby Samuel. Hannah's prayer in 1 Samuel 2 is a beautiful song of thankfulness and an apt reminder that the deepest gratitude so often emerges from a time of loss. Listen to Hannah's words and ponder how they might reflect moments of joy in your own life:
My heart rejoices in the Lord;
in the Lord my horn is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
for I delight in your deliverance.
There is no one holy like the Lord;
there is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.
Do not keep talking so proudlyor let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the Lord is a God who knows,
and by him deeds are weighed.
The bows of the warriors are broken,but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
but those who were hungry are hungry no more.
She who was barren has borne seven children,
but she who has had many sons pines away.
The Lord brings death and makes alive;he brings down to the grave and raises up.
The Lord sends poverty and wealth;
he humbles and he exalts.
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
and has them inherit a throne of honor.
For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s;on them he has set the world.
He will guard the feet of his faithful servants,
but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.
It is not by strength that one prevails;those who oppose the Lord will be broken.
The Most High will thunder from heaven;
the Lord will judge the ends of the earth.
He will give strength to his kingand exalt the horn of his anointed.
Notice Hannah begins and ends her prayer with a horn of exaltation. As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, what are the prayers that have been answered in your life? How can you lift high a horn of rejoicing rather than bemoaning what could have or should have been? Anyone can long for more, never satisfied with the gifts of the day, but how will you instead adjust your mindset to match Hannah's stance of awe and wonder? When, where, and how loudly will you blow your horn?
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect at Cedar Creek:
Christmas Decorating: Join us at 9 a.m. this Saturday, November 28, to help decorate the Ministry Center for the Christmas Season. Because our buildings remain largely closed, we will limit our decor to the stage and other areas in view of the livestream cameras. Wear your mask and come for a morning of holiday music and fun!
Livestream Sunday Service: Celebrate the first Sunday of Advent at 10 a.m. this Sunday, November 29, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We will celebrate communion together this Sunday, so please have bread or crackers and juice on hand so you can join us from the safety of your home.
The Carols of Advent: We are excited to explore the history and meaning of classic Christmas hymns in our Advent sermon series this year, starting with "O Come, All Ye Faithful" this Sunday. Watch your inbox this weekend for a summary of The Carols of Advent series, plus Advent Devotions to help you keep your focus on the Christ Child as we anticipate Christmas together.
Christmas Movie Watch Party: Mark your calendar for a Cedar Creek Christmas Movie Watch Party at 5 p.m. Sunday, December 13. Join us from the comfort of your home as we watch the 1950s classic White Christmas together with a live chat feature. Watch your inbox for details!
Cedar Creek Christmas Drive-By: After service on December 20, plan to pile into your cars and drive to Cedar Creek for a socially distanced Christmas Drive-By celebration. You will have an opportunity to step out of your car briefly for family Christmas photos, then return to your car to enjoy music, Christmas treats, and a chance to wave to friends. Bring your Christmas cheer and join the fun!
Christmas Eve Service: Invite friends and family to sign on at 5 p.m. December 24 for a special Christmas Eve livestream service. We will close our The Carols of Advent sermon series with an evening service titled "Silent Night."
Cedar Creek Youth Group: Youth Group is gathering at 12 p.m. this Sunday via Zoom. Watch your inbox and Instagram feed for details, or contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140. If you did not receive a pledge card this month and would like to, email the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven’t heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. Wednesdays via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. We will take a bye this week because of the Thanksgiving holiday, but be sure to sign on next week! To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
May you lift your horn high in the Lord this week. Happy Thanksgiving!
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
November 17, 2020
When life is quickly shifting beneath our feet, your greatest calling is to focus your eyes on the Lord -- watching for His brilliance in the natural beauty of the world around you and listening for His voice as He simply speaks your name. He knows your heart, He knows your fears, and He knows what brings you calm. As we anticipate a Thanksgiving that likely is not what we had planned, hear these words from The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence:
The most holy and necessary practice in our spiritual life is the presence of God. That means finding constant pleasure in His divine company, speaking humbly and lovingly with Him in all seasons, at every moment, without limiting the conversation in any way. This is especially important in times of temptation, sorrow, separation from God, and even in times of unfaithfulness and sin.
We must try to converse with God in little ways while we do our work; not in memorized prayer, not trying to recite previously formed thoughts, Rather, we should purely and simply reveal our hearts as the words come to us.
May you be blessed this week with moments when you discover God's presence in surprising, ordinary, remarkable ways.
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect:
George Fox University Players: We are excited to host a virtual presentation of the George Fox University Players this Sunday, November 22, during our 10 a.m. livestream service. The Players are a touring company of GFU students who present music and drama to schools, churches, and prisons, and we look forward to hearing this year's stories that speak directly into this challenging time. The Players continue a 30-year tradition at GFU, and we have welcomed them annually at Cedar Creek for many years. To join us for worship at 10 a.m., click this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays
Christmas Shoeboxes: Please prayerfully consider joining us in supporting Operation Christmas Child this week! If you would like to bless a child in another part of the world with a toy, hygiene items, school supplies, and the Gospel, find a standard-sized shoebox and fill it up. We will be collecting shoeboxes at the Hite House and Ministry Center through this Sunday, November 22. You can drop them off on Sunday between 8:30 and 11:30 a.m., or contact the church office to arrange for a drop off (ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com). You can also leave prepared boxes under cover outside the Hite House door and email the church office to let us know. For more information about packing a shoebox or about Operation Christmas Child, visit the Samaritan's Purse website here.
Pledge Card Sunday: This Sunday, November 22, is also our annual Pledge Card Sunday, a date when we ordinarily gather each year to prayerfully submit financial pledges for the upcoming year. Because COVID restrictions prevent us from gathering in person, we are asking that you mail your pledge to the church by this Sunday; check your mailbox for a pledge card and stamped envelope that should arrive this week. The Cedar Creek Stewardship Committee and Session need to hear from you in order to prepare a budget for 2021, so please return your pledge as soon as you are able. If you did not receive a pledge card in the next week and would like to, email the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Christmas Decorating: Mark your calendars for 9 a.m. Saturday, November 28, for those who would like to help us decorate the Ministry Center for the Christmas Season. Because our buildings remain largely closed, we will limit our decor to the stage and other areas in view of the livestream cameras. Wear your mask and come for a morning of holiday music and fun!
Cedar Creek Youth Group: Cedar Creek Youth Group: Middle and high school youth are invited to join Cedar Creek Youth from 12 to 1:30 p.m. this Sunday via Zoom. Watch your inbox and Instagram feed for details, or contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven't heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
May God's good presence surround you this week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
November 10, 2020
The business site Investing.com has an amusing slideshow this week of more than 100 disappointing purchases when the buyer expected excellence and instead received a subpar product: "supersized" balloons that expand no larger than a fist; a colorful Minnie Mouse birthday cake that arrived resembling a half-drowned misshapen rat; a glamorous bejeweled gown that hangs farther to the left than the right with plastic pieces already coming unglued; a silver soup ladle that looks standard-sized in the advertisement photos but arrives bizarrely too large to dip into any ordinary soup pot. In an age of COVID restrictions that have pressed most of us to increase our online shopping, the old adage caveat emptor rings all the more true: Let the buyer beware of uneven sizes, untrue colors, misleading photographs, unlikely shipping promises, poor customer reviews, etc. But despite our best shopper's finesse, we still receive misfires from time to time, right?
It can be frustrating when an anticipated purchase arrives and is not what we need or hoped for. And how devastating it is when the cornerstone we assumed was truth slides beneath us, leaving our faith shaken and our hopes shattered. Do you know anyone who is building their faith on secular promises, trusting in a culture that may or may not deliver what they desire?
When life is challenging, as it has been this year and continues to be, it can be easy to focus on ourselves and our own difficulties, turning to the culture for comfort and sustenance. But God promises more than mere Band-Aids. He promises us supernatural peace in the moment, hope in a future in His Kingdom, and an eternity wrapped in His love:
Deuteronomy 31:8 -- The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
Isaiah 40:29 -- He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Isaiah 40:31 -- But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 43:2 -- When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
Joshua 1:9 -- Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
Psalm 23:4 -- Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Philippians 4:6-7 -- Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect:
Christmas Shoeboxes: Christmas Shoeboxes: Please prayerfully consider joining us in supporting Operation Christmas Child again this year. If you would like to bless a child in another part of the world with a toy, hygiene items, school supplies, and the Gospel, find a standard-sized shoebox and fill it up! We will be collecting shoeboxes at the Hite House and Ministry Center through November 22. You can drop them off on a Sunday between 8:30 and 11:30 a.m., or contact the church office to arrange for a drop off (ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com). You can also leave prepared boxes under cover outside the Hite House door and email the church office to let us know. For more information about packing a shoebox or about Operation Christmas Child, visit the Samaritan's Purse website here.
Pledge Card Sunday: November 22 is also our annual Pledge Card Sunday, a date when we ordinarily gather each year to prayerfully submit financial pledges for the upcoming year. Because COVID restrictions prevent us from gathering in person, we are asking that you mail your pledge to the church by November 22; watch your mailbox for a pledge card and stamped envelope this week. The Cedar Creek Stewardship Committee and Session need to hear from you in order to prepare a budget for 2021, so please return your pledge as soon as you are able. If you do not receive a pledge card in the next week and would like to, email the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Christmas Decorating: Mark your calendars for 9 a.m. Saturday, November 28, for those who would like to help us decorate the Ministry Center for the Christmas Season. Because our buildings remain largely closed, we will limit our decor to the stage and other areas in view of the livestream cameras. Wear your mask and come for a morning of holiday music and fun!
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, November 15, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays).
Cedar Creek Youth Group: Cedar Creek Youth are planning a special event this Sunday to celebrate Landon's 18th birthday. Watch your inbox and Instagram feed for details, or contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Confirmation Sunday: We are excited to celebrate with two of our Cedar Creek teens -- Kol Helland and Carson Harrop -- as they come before the congregation this Sunday to profess their faith and become covenant partners of Cedar Creek Church. Weekly Confirmation Classes began mid-summer and include a study of the essential tenets of the Presbyterian faith, an exploration of individual spiritual gifts, and the practice of articulating a belief in Jesus Christ that can be shared with others. Congratulations, Kol and Carson!
Art at Symposium: Sylvana Candela currently has a one-woman art exhibit on display at the Symposium coffeehouse in Sherwood. Her work includes portrait paintings and landscapes with some passages from Scripture, as well as a painting of Jesus. Sylvana has also created a display of her healing coloring pages from her newly published book Gently Heal Thyself. The exhibit runs through the end of November. Be sure to visit Symposium this month to see Sylvana's beautiful work. Congratulations to Sylvana!
ECO National Gathering: Please consider registering today for the 2021 ECO National Gathering, which is free and open to all via Zoom this January 29 to 31. Click here to register and for a preview of what is to come. I have attended national conferences in California and Texas over the years, and these are a wonderful opportunity to hear engaging speakers, listen to fabulous worship, and get inspired about the many ways ECO congregations are having an impact nationwide and around the world. I'm excited that this year's gathering is free and open to all. Join us!
Fall Church Clean-Up: We have one more clean-up day scheduled for 1 p.m. November 21 and organized by Boy Scout Troop 116. We welcome all available trucks and trailers to haul away debris; we will reimburse for dump fees. Because of COVID-19 concerns, we will be meeting in smaller "bubbles" of four or five people of the same family or others you are comfortable working with wearing face masks and spread out on the church grounds to minimize contact. Please sign up by sending Scott Popkes an email at pa437@comcast.net. Thank you to all who have helped already!
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven't heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Peace on your week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
November 3, 2020
Consider Madeleine L'Engle's wise words in her book Glimpses of Grace:
Bach is, for me, the Christian artist par excellence, and if I ask myself why, I think it has something to do with his sense of newness. I've been working on his C Minor Toccata and Fugue since college, and I find something new in it every day. And perhaps this is because God was new for Bach every day, was never taken for granted. Too often we do take God for granted. I'm accustomed to being a Christian I was born of Christian parents who were born of Christian parents who were ...
That's all right, when one is a child, this comfortable familiarity with being Christian, because to the child everything is wonderful and new, even familiarity. The edge has not been taken off the glory of God's creation. But later on there comes a time when this very familiarity can become one of those corrupting devices. We learn this early, in our attachment to certain bedtime routines of bath and story and prayer and teddy bear and glass of water and goodnight kiss -- and the routine must never be varied, because this is security in what the child learns early is an insecure world.
How are you moving through the uncertainty of Election Day, of this week? Are you able to embrace the newness of a Bach toccata, or are you craving the comforting routine of a bedtime pattern that does not deviate? Be mindful of your lens this week, careful to ensure that, as L'Engle writes, "the edge has not been taken off the glory of God's creation." We see the spectacular beauty of change all around us in the brilliance of the leaves and the patter of the rain. How can we ensure that we are seeking God rather than familiarity, that we are pursuing Christ rather than pressing into routine? Daniel's prayer of praise is an apt reminder:
Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.
He changes times and seasons;
he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him. (Daniel 2:20-22)
Here are this week's announcements and opportunities to connect:
Confirmation Sunday: We are excited to celebrate with two of our Cedar Creek teens -- Kol Helland and Carson Harrop -- as they complete their Confirmation Classes this month and come before the congregation on November 15 to profess their faith and become covenant partners of Cedar Creek Church. Weekly Confirmation Classes began mid-summer and include a study of the essential tenets of the Presbyterian faith, an exploration of individual spiritual gifts, and the practice of articulating a belief in Jesus Christ that can be shared with others. Congratulations, Kol and Carson!
Art at Symposium: Sylvana Candela currently has a one-woman art exhibit on display at the Symposium coffeehouse in Sherwood. Her work includes portrait paintings and landscapes with some passages from Scripture, as well as a painting of Jesus. Sylvana has also created a display of her healing coloring pages from her newly published book Gently Heal Thyself. The exhibit runs through the end of November. Be sure to visit Symposium this month to see Sylvana's beautiful work. Congratulations to Sylvana!
ECO National Gathering: Please consider registering today for the 2021 ECO National Gathering, which is free and open to all via Zoom this January 29 to 31. Click here to register and for a preview of what is to come. I have attended national conferences in California and Texas over the years, and these are a wonderful opportunity to hear engaging speakers, listen to fabulous worship, and get inspired about the many ways ECO congregations are having an impact nationwide and around the world. I'm excited that this year's gathering is free and open to all. Join us!
Fall Church Clean-Up: We have two more clean-up days scheduled on November 7 and November 21. Clean-up will start at 9 a.m. on November 7, rain or shine, and run about two hours. We will need all available trucks and trailers to haul away debris; we will reimburse for dump fees. On November 21, Boy Scout Troop 116 will organize the clean-up beginning at 1 p.m. Because of COVID-19 concerns, we will be meeting in smaller "bubbles" of four or five people of the same family or others you are comfortable working with wearing face masks and spread out on the church grounds to minimize contact. Please check your calendars and sign up by sending Scott Popkes an email at pa437@comcast.net.
Christmas Shoeboxes: Please prayerfully consider joining us in supporting Operation Christmas Child again this year. If you would like to bless a child in another part of the world with a toy, hygiene items, school supplies, and the Gospel, find a standard-sized shoebox and fill it up! We will be collecting shoeboxes at the Hite House and Ministry Center through November 22. You can drop them off on a Sunday between 8:30 and 11:30 a.m., or contact the church office to arrange for a drop off (ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com). You can also leave prepared boxes under cover outside the Hite House door and email the church office to let us know. For more information about packing a shoebox or about Operation Christmas Child, visit the Samaritan's Purse website here.
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, November 8, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays).
Cedar Creek Youth Group: Cedar Creek Youth are meeting in person this Sunday at the Hite House at their new time of 12 to 1:30 p.m. each Sunday. Watch your inbox and Instagram feed for details, or contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them
to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven't heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Blessings on your Tuesday,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
October 27, 2020
Reformation Day is this Saturday, October 31 -- the anniversary of the day in 1517 when professor and monk Martin Luther wrote a letter to the Archbishop of Mainz protesting the sale of indulgences, among other church practices. As was the custom in his hometown of Wittenberg, Germany, Luther nailed his letter to the door of Castle Church, sparking the Protestant Reformation.
In honor of Reformation Day 2020, the Presbyterian Historical Society is reminding churches of "The Plague Song" by Ulrich Zwingli, a priest in Zurich, Switzerland, who was closely associated with the Reformation alongside Luther and John Calvin. Early in his ministry at Groosmunster Church, Zwingli contracted the bubonic plague, which killed nearly half the residents of Zwingli's hometown, Zurich. Zwingli battled the plague in 1519 and 1520, ultimately recovering fully and living another 10 years.
Zingli's "The Plague Song" was included in many 16th- and 17th-century hymnals, and the hymn serves as an apt reminder that our most challenging times can often lead to profound and sorely needed change. As millions battled and succumbed to the Black Death, leaders like Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli fought for renewal and reformation. And thanks to the printing press, their ideas spread across the western world and Protestantism was birthed.
Zingli's song is divided into three sections: At the Beginning of the Illness, In the Midst of his Illness, and During Convalescence. For more history on Zwingli's illness and the lyrics to his hymn, you can view the Presbyterian Historical Society's Reformation Sunday insert here.
As in the era of the bubonic plague, COVID-19 is not a time to wait and despair. Change undoubtedly will emerge from the trials of this year. What will your role be? How can you seek justice, offer peace, and give voice to those who have no voice?
As we look to the holidays, we are anticipating the Advent Season with excitement at Cedar Creek Church, and we trust that you will seek out ways to remain active and connected with your church family this fall:
Cedar Creek Trail: We are excited to share that after nearly nine years of discussions and negotiations, construction on the new Cedar Creek Trail that will run along Cedar Creek directly behind the Ministry Center and Hite House should be completed by the end of summer 2021. This phase of the trail starts at Stella Olsen Park and continues along the creek to 99W. Eventually the trail will run from Wilsonville to Hillsboro. For more details on this project, look here.
Life.Church Internships: For young adults interested in paid internship opportunities, Life.Church is offering a variety of ministry internships nationwide. The deadline to apply for spring internships is this Saturday, October 31, or follow Life.Church on Instagram for future deadlines. Look here for internship opportunities and application details.
Fall Church Clean-Up: We have two more clean-up days scheduled on November 7 and November 21. Clean-up will start at 9 a.m. on November 7, rain or shine, and run about two hours. We will need all available trucks and trailers to haul away debris; we will reimburse for dump fees. On November 21, Boy Scout Troop 116 will organize the clean-up beginning at 1 p.m. Because of COVID-19 concerns, we will be meeting in smaller "bubbles" of four or five people of the same family or others you are comfortable working with wearing face masks and spread out on the church grounds to minimize contact. Please check your calendars and sign up by sending Scott Popkes an email at pa437@comcast.net.
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, November 1, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays).
Cedar Creek Youth Group: Cedar Creek Youth are meeting in person this Sunday at the Hite House from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Youth are also invited to stay for an optional social & homework hour from 7 to 8 p.m. Starting November 8, Youth Group will begin meeting in the Hite House from 12 to 1:30 p.m. each Sunday. Watch your inbox and Instagram feed for details, or contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven’t heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Happy Halloween.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
October 20, 2020
When Professor David Branscome signs off the Zoom session for his Ancient Mythology course at Florida State University, he typically says something like "Have a great weekend" or "See you next time." Students often respond with "Thank you" or "You, too" as they sign off as well, but earlier this month, Branscome heard an unexpected response: One student answered, "I love you." Surprised but without missing a beat, Branscome replied, "I love you, too."
Several days later, students in the 180-person class gathered on the class texting platform GroupMe to plan an "I love you" chain, replacing the typical "Thank you" with "I love you" during their next Zoom class. Unfazed, Branscome responded to each student with "I love you, too" or "I love you all." And now the "I love you" chain is expected at the close of each class, and Branscome reports that another one of his online classes has adopted the chain as well.
Check out this 15-second TikTok for a glimpse of the FSU "I Love You" chain: Bye, Love You.
In an era of isolation and self-quarantine, the response is a telling reminder that we all need human connection and kindness. As one student in Branscome's class said, most of the 180 students leave their cameras off during class, and the layers of blank screens can feel lonely at times. The "I love you" chain has reminded students that they can pull together in unique ways even in the midst of a global pandemic.
"I think that this is one of the nice things about the online environment," Branscome said. "Strangely being apart brings us closer together -- at least in this environment."
More than 2.3 million people have viewed the TikTok recording of the close of Branscome's class, another reminder that our longing for human connection runs deep. As Christians, we should be bringing Christ's love to the world in real and tangible ways every day. Remember John 15:12: My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
And listen to these words in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12:
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
What will you do today to share Christ's love with those around you? As you ponder, consider these ways to ensure you are connecting with our church body this week:
Fall Church Clean-Up: It's that time of year again when the leaves are falling and the church grounds need cleaning up for the preservation of our buildings and safety of those who bring you services each Sunday. Because of COVID-19 concerns, we will be meeting in smaller "bubbles" of four or five people per session. Bubbles will be limited to people of the same family or others you are comfortable working with wearing face masks and spread out on the church grounds to minimize contact. We have scheduled three clean-up days to ensure the job gets done: October 24, November 7, and November 21. Clean-up will start at 9 a.m. on October 24 and November 7, rain or shine, and run about two hours. We will need all available trucks and trailers to haul away debris; we will reimburse for dump fees. On November 21, Boy Scout Troop 116 will handle the clean-up beginning at 1 p.m. Please check your calendars and sign up by sending Scott Popkes an email at pa437@comcast.net. Your help at multiple sessions is encouraged.
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, October 25, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We will be celebrating communion together this Sunday, so be sure to have some juice and bread or crackers on hand so you are able to join us.
Cedar Creek Youth Group: Cedar Creek Youth are meeting in person this Sunday at the Hite House from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Youth are also invited to stay for an optional social & homework hour from 7 to 8 p.m. Please wear a mask and bring your own snacks. Watch your inbox and Instagram feed for details, or contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them
to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven't heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
May the love of Christ be a comfort to you this week.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
October 13, 2020
At a cathedral in North Yorkshire, UK, volunteers have crafted more than 10,000 origami angels to hang from a net in the church's central nave. Each paper angel represents a prayer lifted during the COVID pandemic, and at-will donations from visitors who come to view the display have gone to support the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, a charity providing emergency service by helicopter to millions across all of Yorkshire.
You can view a brief YouTube describing Ripon Cathedral's "Wing and a Prayer" project here and find the Ripon Cathedral website here. The images are startlingly beautiful, and the reminders of the impact of single prayers are powerful, particularly in the darkness of this difficult year. What biblical reminders do you see represented here, both in the individual paper creations and in the beauty of the flight of angels hanging from the ancient cathedral's vaulted ceiling? In an era when life feels unscripted and painful, where can we find hope, peace, joy, and renewal? And how can you share the hope of renewal with those around you, even in such simple acts as sharing the story of Ripon Cathedral's 10,000 angels?
As you view the Wing and a Prayer project, I encourage you to rest in the promises of Isaiah 40, recognizing the struggles of this year but embracing the assurances the Lord offers when we find our hope in Him:
Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
As I announced this past Sunday, Cedar Creek Church is excited and honored to have been chosen as one of 12 congregations in the wider Portland area to participate in a five-year $1 million Lilly Endowment grant titled the Thriving Congregations Initiative. The goal of the grant is to nurture "12 regional congregations that display a diverse representation of historical and aspirational constituents and exhibit the potential to lead their wider communities in intentional development of thriving practices." The Thriving Congregations Initiative plans to share progress with the wider community through a series of blogs, short videos, and podcasts filmed at the various summits through 2024. Be in prayer, friends, as we are embarking on some exciting Holy Spirit-driven work!
Here are ways to ensure you are connecting with our church body this week:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, October 18, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays).
Cedar Creek Youth Group: The Youth will be meeting at the Hite House from 5:30-7PM. If desired, there will be an optional social & homework hour afterward from 7-8PM. Please bring a mask and your own snacks. For more info, contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven’t heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
May the peace and hope of Jesus Christ fill your home this week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
October 6, 2020
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced this morning that three physicists have been awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics for their mathematical methods used to discover and define black holes: Roger Penrose (age 89) of the University of Oxford earned half the award for "the discovery that black hole formation is the robust prediction of the general theory of relativity," and Reinhard Genzel (68) and Andrea Ghez (55) jointly earned the other half for "the discovery of a supermassive compound object at the center of our galaxy" (see Academy announcement here).
Because a black hole is space where gravity pulls so fiercely that light cannot escape, scientists have had to learn to discern the location of a black hole not by viewing it directly but by measuring its impact on the stars and planets that surround it. Ghez, the one American recipient of this year's prize, is known for her advancements in the field of "adaptive optics" -- technology that uses deformable mirrors to compensate for optical distortions. In other words, if something is blurry or difficult to see, why not reshape the surface of a mirror until the object comes in clearly by looking at the mirror rather than at the object itself?
Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon (following Neil Armstrong by 19 minutes) and an ordained Presbyterian elder, celebrated Communion in a private moment on July 21, 1969, and read aloud Jesus' words from the surface of the moon: I am the vine. You are the branches. Whoever remains in me, and I in him, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without me (John 15:5). On his voyage back to Earth, Aldrin shared publicly a reading from the same notecard: When I considered the heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou hast ordained, what is man that Thou art mindful of him? (Psalm 8:3-4).
As we bemoan the challenges of 2020, I sometimes wonder if our lens is askew, grounded in an earthly view that does not allow for the possibility of something greater, something less mired in gravity and human judgment. As Aldrin reminded us with his bold celebration of the Lord's Supper and reading of David's poetry, who are we amidst the majesty of the Lord's creation that He would be mindful of us, that he would love and die for us? Rather than bemoaning, we should simply be amazed.
Perhaps 2020 is the perfect year to ponder the mathematical genius that allows us to contemplate such concepts as black holes and adaptive optics. In those moments when you feel the weight of this year, is it possible that looking away will help you to see more clearly? Let's commit to finding new lenses together, seeking out prayer, Scripture, and Christian fellowship as our adaptive optics. Surely we will see more clearly when we look to the Lord rather than directly at the quandaries that lie before us. And to the three physicists who now get to share 10 million Swedish kronor (equivalent to just over $1.2 million), we extend our gratitude for life work that is a daily exploration of the handiwork of His fingers.
As you don your adaptive optics, please consider how you are connecting with our church body this week:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, October 11, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We will be celebrating communion together this Sunday, so be sure to have some juice and bread or crackers on hand so you are able to join us.
Cedar Creek Youth Group: The Youth will be meeting at the Hite House from 5:30-7PM. If desired, there will be an optional social & homework hour afterward from 7-8PM. Please bring a mask and your own snacks. For more info, contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven’t heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Blessings on your week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
September 29, 2020
Are you ready to start paying for stuff you don't need with the wave of a hand? Amazon debuted "Amazon One" this morning, new technology that connects the palm of your hand with your credit card, allowing you to pay for items as you exit a store with the simple wave of your hand.
The feature is available in two Amazon Go stores in Seattle today, and Amazon plans to expand across Seattle, San Francisco, New York, and Chicago. Amazon One allows for touch-free store entry and payment, which is particularly useful during our no-contact pandemic restrictions, although Amazon says it began working on the convenience of a hand wave long before the pandemic hit.
To use the new technology, you enter a credit card in an Amazon One device and hold your palm out for a thorough scan, which includes multiple camera images attempting to record subcutaneous details that aren't necessarily visible to the eye. These images are encrypted and stored online, and entry scanners at participating Amazon Go stores will be able to access the information when you wave your palm both for entry into the store and when you gather items to purchase. Amazon plans to sell the technology to other retailers one day, possibly extending the convenience to malls, offices, and even stadiums.
While some of us may cringe at the thought of more stored biometric data, it's hard to deny the temptation of sheer convenience: no more awkwardly digging through a wallet or purse, or waiting in tedious lines. Can you imagine the ease of gathering the items you need and then simply waving your hand at a scanner as you exit?
But have you also paused to wonder why our western American culture is so focused on convenience? As we press for the next best way to speed past the essentials of life -- irritants like cooking, bathing, washing clothes, commuting, shopping -- what do we do with the time saved? If we add space for prayer, creativity, study, and rest, fabulous. But if we are simply opening space for more items to fill our calendars, what are we accomplishing?
I'm a big fan and consumer of new technologies, but I want us to also be mindful of our culture of convenience, a mindset that runs counter to the example Jesus lived. Consider Paul's words to the believers in Philippi in Philippians 3:10:
I want to know Christ -- yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.
Jesus lived a life of inconvenience rather than convenience, walking hundreds of miles with his friends, lingering over a meal or a conversation, looking for a place to rest each night. He did not seek the luxuries and conveniences that our culture presses on us, and in his reliance on God in each new day, each new hour, he had peace. Technology is wonderful and efficiencies can be deeply satisfying, but only when they grant us time to linger. How will you strive to know Christ better this week? Where will you find your moments to pause and ponder?
Please consider how you are connecting with our church body this week:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, October 4, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find the link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays).
Cedar Creek Youth Group: Middle Schoolers are meeting this Sunday from 5 to 6:15 p.m. via Zoom, and High Schoolers are meeting from 5:45 to 7 p.m. via Zoom. Watch your inbox and Instagram feed for details, or contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them
to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven't heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. this Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Peace on your week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
September 22, 2020
For many of us, the sight of a retired Boeing 747 perched on the roof of Evergreen Wings & Waves in McMinnville is a marvel. Can you imagine the water cooler conversation or board room meeting where the idea first launched?
"And then we could use a crane to lower a 747 onto the roof and run four huge slides looping 62 feet down into a splash pool ..."
The expense, structural concerns, liability, and logistics are enough to snuff so many out-of-the-box inspirations, but to what end? Do we allow ourselves ample time to dream, wonder, trust, and -- best of all -- align with God's box-busting lens?
In 1999, engineer Bruce Campbell paid $100,000 for a retired Boeing 727 commercial jetliner that he hated to see twisted into yet another pile of scrap metal and disassembled parts. Since that time, he has spent another $120,000 moving the 727 to its resting place on Holly Hill Road in Hillsboro and retrofitting it into his permanent home. For a glimpse inside Campbell's home, look here, and to schedule a visit, check out Campbell's website here: http://airplanehome.com/.
How much do we truly live by the words we hear in Proverbs 3:5 when we read, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding"? How often do we fall back into our own understanding, experiences, and assumptions, rather than pressing boldly into the unknown of God's great vision? How expansive is your box, and what can you do to press your imagination into and beyond its deepest corners?
Join us as we envision creative ways to connect with one another and with our community:
Youth Church Clean-Up: Cedar Creek Youth will gather at the church this Thursday afternoon to gather tree branches and clean up the grounds after the wind storm earlier this month. Watch for details from Haley soon, or contact her directly at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. each Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. All are welcome!
Cedar Creek Youth Group: Youth Group is meeting in person again this Sunday, September 27, from 5:30 to 7:45 p.m. Watch your inbox and Instagram feed for details, or contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, September 27, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find this link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We will be celebrating communion together this Sunday, so be sure to have some some juice and bread or crackers on hand so you are able to join us.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven't heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com orjennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Dream boldly, trust the Lord unconditionally, and be blessed.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
September 15, 2020
The air quality index in the Portland metro area ranks as "hazardous" again today. For days, Portland has had the worst air of any major city in the world as we strain for a glimpse of blue sky or even a wisp of cloud through the smoke. Much like the Israelites of the Old Testament, we long for deliverance -- dreaming of rain that will wash the air clean.
The heaviness of the smoke can feel a little like exile, pressing us down and blanketing us in thick gray when we would much rather dash outside to enjoy the last of our typically beautiful late-summer Oregon days. Ah, the irony: Our pandemic fears trained us to move outside to escape the germs of the indoors, and then three dozen wildfires elbowed us back into the safer recirculated air of our homes. The Israelites also longed for relief from their exile, but from time to time God reminded them that He had a different role in mind: Rather than praying for their own release, God called them to preach release to those around them -- a different, less tangible kind of release that only He can offer.
Hear these words in Isaiah 42:5-7:
This is what God the Lord says-
the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
who gives breath to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
"I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness."
Are you able to shift your lens as God calls the Israelites to shift, focusing on preaching release to others rather than focusing on your own relief from exile? Do you hear the health in looking to your neighbors rather than yourself, stepping into God's greater plan rather than bemoaning the particulars of another day of smoky skies? Blessings on you as you navigate this week; may the peace of Christ cover your homes with light, laughter, and joy regardless of your circumstances.
As a new school year gets underway and fall routines are set in motion, please consider ways you can be participating in the life of our church:
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. each Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. All are welcome! To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray.
Cedar Creek Youth Group: Youth Group will meet in person this Sunday, September 20, and will run 5:30 to 7:45 p.m. Watch your inbox and Instagram feed for details, or contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, September 20, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find this link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays).
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140. THANK YOU to the many who have been faithful with your tithes through this difficult time. We are so grateful.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven't heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Be well, my friends. May you offer Christ's peace and hope to those around you this week.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
September 8, 2020
As I write this, the Douglas firs surrounding our home are swaying wildly to and fro against a reddish smoke-thick sky, dropping fir cones across our deck like hail and showering loose branches across the driveway with each new gust. The air is thick with smoke from a Christmas tree farm down Baker Road that began burning last night, and sirens blare every so often as fire trucks speed past.
I just received a text from a friend asking for prayer as she evacuates her Newberg home, and I have been lifting friends and friends of friends in prayer all day as the emails come in: the pastor and his wife along the Santiam River whose home and church burned to the ground last night, the couple who had to evacuate their Salem home so quickly that they didn't have time to find their kitty, the cousin in Mulino whose home is now surrounded on all sides by slow-burning fires. Friends, join me in bringing before the Lord our anxiety, our despair, our sorrow, our helplessness. Tonight is not a night to give into fears but to step forward boldly in faith that the Lord is in control. How can you help? Whom can you check on? How can you pray?
As you ponder, I challenge you to find a moment to step outside your home and read David's words in Psalm 27 aloud to the smoky skies. The NIV translation titles this psalm "A Psalm of Fearless Trust in God," which is precisely where we need to be resting in moments like these:
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the defense of my life;
Whom shall I dread?
When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh,
My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.
Though a host encamp against me,
My heart will not fear;
Though war arise against me,
In spite of this I shall be confident.
One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord
And to meditate in His temple.
For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle;
In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;
He will lift me up on a rock.
And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me,
And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice,
And be gracious to me and answer me.
When You said, “Seek My face,”
my heart said to You,“Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.
”Do not hide Your face from me,
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not abandon me nor forsake me,O God of my salvation!
For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
But the Lord will take me up.
Teach me Your way, O Lord,
And lead me in a level path
Because of my foes.
Do not deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries,
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
I would have despaired unless I had believed that
I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord.
Cedar Creek Youth Group: Youth Group is meeting in person this Sunday, September 13, from 5 to 7:45 p.m. Wear a mask and clothes that can get wet; snacks/dinner will be provided. For details, watch your inbox or contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, September 13, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find this link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays).
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140. THANK YOU to the many who have been faithful with your tithes through this difficult time. We are so grateful.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven't heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study under the big white tent in the Y parking lot from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. On hot weather days, they meet in the Teen Center. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. each Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. All are welcome! To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Be strong and let your heart take courage,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
September 1, 2020
Born on a Scottish farm, Evelyn Glennie began losing her hearing at the age of 8; by age 12, she was profoundly deaf, having lost nearly all of her hearing to nerve damage. Glennie says she was angry at first, but when her percussion teacher asked her to rest her hand on the tympani drum, Glennie realized that she could listen by discerning the varying beats as they rose up through her forearm.
Now 55, Glennie has earned global recognition as the world's first full-time professional solo percussionist, and she has made it her life's mission to teach the world to experience the kind of full-body participatory listening that she has mastered. For a brief taste of her work and theories, watch Feeling Sound with Evelyn Glennie (6 minutes). And for a deeper dive, watch her TED Talk "How to Truly Listen" (32 minutes).
As sisters and brothers in Christ who are longing to introduce others to the peace, hope, and joy of Christ's Kingdom, how well do we listen? Do we rely solely on our ears and discount a person or a situation when the ambient noise around us is too distracting? Do we pretend to hear but allow the voice in our brain to interrupt with questions, next topics, opinions, and agendas? What would it feel like to walk onto a stage barefoot so we can listen more fully? What does it mean to be a participatory listener, and how might it help us to better connect with our friends, family, neighbors, and those we have yet to meet?
James 1:19 reminds us that we should be listening first: My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. Are you "quick to listen"? What pointers can you carry from Glennie into the week before you? What a church we would be if people knew us for our profound ability to listen deeply and well!
Fun news: Check out Sylvana Candela's newly finished book now available on Amazon: Gently Heal Thyself. Congratulations, Sylvana!
And here are some ways to remain connected with your church family this week:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, September 6, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find this link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays).
Cedar Creek Youth Group: Here are the Zoom meeting times for this Sunday -- Middle School Zoom Bible Study, 5-5:45 p.m.; Middle & High School Game Time, 5:45-6:15 p.m.; High School Zoom Bible Study, 6:15-7 p.m. For details, watch your inbox or contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140. THANK YOU to the many who have been faithful with your tithes through this difficult time. We are so grateful.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven't heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study under the big white tent in the Y parking lot from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. On hot weather days, they meet in the Teen Center. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. each Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. All are welcome! To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
May the Holy Spirit guide you to a new kind of listening this week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
August 25, 2020
How are you doing with the humor challenge of this past Sunday? Have you made someone laugh today? Are you able to read Scripture with a new lens this week, seeking the moments where we too quickly read past God's good humor? (For a reminder of Sunday's sermon, check out our August 23 livestream here.) If you need inspiration, here are a few spiritual one-liners to get you started:
Don't let your worries get the best of you. Remember that Moses started out as a basket case.
Our church is prayer-conditioned.WARNING: Exposure to the Son may prevent burning.
Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.
Some minds are like concrete: thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.
The best mathematical equation ever: 1 cross + 3 nails = 4 given.
God loves everyone, but probably prefers the fruit of the Spirit over religious nuts.
Exercise daily: Walk with the Lord.
Never give the devil a ride. He will always want to drive.
Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.
When you get to your wit's end, you'll find God lives there.
Forbidden fruits create many jams.
Be ye fishers of men & women: You catch 'em, and He'll clean 'em.
Give Satan an inch, and he'll be a ruler.
God grades on the cross, not the curve.
When you pray, don't give God instructions. Just report for duty.
A lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing.
Wisdom has two parts: (1) having a lot to say and (2) not saying it.
God doesn't call the qualified; He qualifies the called.
Read the Bible. It will scare the hell out of you.
My prayer for us each is that we will walk through this final week of August with Psalm 47 hearts:
Clap your hands, all you nations;
shout to God with cries of joy!
Here are some ways to remain connected with your church family this week:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, August 30, by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find this link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays).
Cedar Creek Youth Group: About 20 of us gathered for a sunny afternoon of games and prayer this past Sunday (thank you, Haley!), and we look forward to getting both youth groups meeting regularly again starting this Sunday. Here are meeting times for the next two weeks, August 30 and September 6: Middle School Zoom Bible Study, 5-5:45 p.m.; Middle & High School Game Time on Zoom, 5:45-6:15 p.m.; High School Zoom Bible Study, 6:15-7 p.m. For details, watch your inbox or contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Cedar Creek Youth Instagram: Haley has created a new Instagram page for Cedar Creek Youth Ministry. Follow @cedarcreek.yth and stay updated on all that is happening!
Confirmation Class: Our Cedar Creek Confirmation Class is meeting at 1 p.m. Sundays via Zoom. Please be in prayer for our preteens who are digging into what it means to walk boldly in a faith that is their own.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. each Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. All are welcome! To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140. THANK YOU to the many who have been faithful with your tithes through this difficult time. We are so grateful.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven't heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com. We have many groups that would love to welcome you!
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study under the big white tent in the Y parking lot from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. On hot weather days, they meet in the Teen Center. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream. Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Christ's joy to you today,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
August 18, 2020
Greetings, all.
I hope you are recognizing the importance of story in this crazy COVID era of confusion and consternation. What new narratives are we writing as we traverse this curious time? Can you imagine the bonds we all will share one day as we reminisce about 2020, telling tales of face masks and lockdowns, battles over toilet paper and Chlorox wipes? What better way do we have to connect with one another than the stories that we share?
Here are a few connectors to ponder in this amusing CNN story from this past Saturday: "How Many of These Sad Pandemic Achievements Have You Unlocked?" As you peruse the options and create your own checklist, consider the 2020 narratives that will emerge one day. How can the realization of connection points help you relate to a neighbor, a relative, a friend, a boss, a coworker, a peer?
Our lives are defined by story, as we see so plainly evidenced in the arc of story from Genesis to Revelation and in Jesus' reliance on parables. As Christians and as a church, what new doors might these new 2020 connection points open for us? Rather than bemoaning lost opportunities, how might we see these shared COVID narratives as a way for us to enter in naturally, bringing peace and hope where people least expect? We are each on mission in the very way that we live our lives, my friends. How might you allow story to open a new path for relationship this week?
Here are some ways to remain connected with our church family this week:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, August 23, from the comfort of your home by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find this link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, Cedar Creek Facebook page, and on our and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). We will be celebrating communion together this Sunday, so please be sure to have some juice and bread on hand so you are able to join.
Cedar Creek Youth Back to School Event: Join us from 2:30 to 4 p.m. this Sunday between the Hite House and Ministry Center for an outdoor Back to School gathering for youth and families. Come for a time of worship, fellowship, celebration, and fall excitement! Bring your mask and water bottle. For details, contact Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream! Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Confirmation Class: Our Cedar Creek Confirmation Class is meeting at 1 p.m. Sundays via Zoom. Please be in prayer for our preteens who are digging into what it means to walk boldly in a faith that is their own.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. each Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. All are welcome! To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140. THANK YOU to the many who have been faithful with your tithes through this difficult time. We are so grateful.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven't heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com. We have many groups that would love to welcome you!
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study under the big white tent in the Y parking lot from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. On hot weather days, they meet in the Teen Center. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Christ's peace to you today,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
August 11, 2020
Warning: Please don't run from bears or push your slower friends down in attempts of saving yourself.
Sometimes it's in our humor that we most clearly hear the slings and arrows of a culture, and even the National Park Service is not immune. Listen to these tips posted a few days ago warning visitors how to respond if they encounter a bear:
If you come upon a stationary bear, move away slowly and sideways; this allows you to keep an eye on the bear and avoid tripping. Moving sideways is also non-threatening to bears. Do NOT run, but if the bear follows, stop and hold your ground. Like dogs, they will chase fleeing animals. Do NOT climb a tree. Both grizzlies and black bears can climb trees. Do NOT push down a slower friend (even if you think the friendship has run its course).
Tongue-in-cheek, of course, the post continues with additional assurances that most bears are merely curious and not interested in engaging with humans, followed by this closing line:
P.S. We apologize to any "friends" who were brought on a hike as the "bait" or were sacrificed to save the group. You will be missed.
Ouch to the friends who were brought along as bait! And while I love the humor here, we are clearly hearing an increasing impatience in our COVID culture as people feel trapped, political tensions escalate, and leadership decisions are questioned at every turn. How do we, as Christians, step into the fray, enjoying good humor but watching with intentionality for moments where we can tip the scale from vitriol, blame, and anger to hope, peace, and joy?
James reminds us that true wisdom is not astute political decision-making but instead the humility of daily reliance on the Holy Spirit. Listen to James 3:13-18:
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
Pay attention to a culture that is impatient and on edge. We are called to be the peacemakers, not the instigators. What role will you play this week to bring calm and encourage joy?
Take note of the many ways you can be in communication with your church family this week:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, August 2, from the comfort of your home by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find this link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, Cedar Creek Facebook page, and on our and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays).
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream! Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Worship Team, Livestream Host, or Stream Team. Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Cedar Creek Youth: Watch for emails from Haley as we begin gathering our youth again, and be sure to welcome her to Oregon! You can reach Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Confirmation Class: Our Cedar Creek Confirmation Class is meeting at 1 p.m. Sundays via Zoom. Please be in prayer for our preteens who are digging into what it means to walk boldly in a faith that is their own.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. each Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. All are welcome! To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140. THANK YOU to the many who have been faithful with your tithes through this difficult time. We are so grateful.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven't heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com. We have many groups that would love to welcome you!
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study under the big white tent in the Y parking lot from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. On hot weather days, they meet in the Teen Center. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Peace on your week.
And if you find space for a hike in our beautiful Oregon woods, no pushing ...
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
August 4, 2020
What does it say about our culture that we have a fascination for cakes that are meticulously crafted to look like anything but cake? Why is it so enticing to watch a knife cut through a T-bone steak or a Doc Marten only to reveal red velvet or chocolate layers? Hyperrealism emerged alongside the technology explosion, finding its footing somewhere in the '90s and growing increasingly more popular in the unmooring of 2020. Look here for cakes that will startle your senses, and look here for art that mimics reality in a way that is both challenging and oddly satisfying.
While Realism was a response to the gaudy awe and sensuality of Romanticism, what is Hyperrealism a response to? Consider the hyper-consumerism and digital image obsession of today's culture. Hyperrealism -- whether seen in paintings, sculpture, or, um, cake -- is drawing out and sometimes poking fun at the obsessions that most demand our attention and dollars. We also see an echo of late-Romantic efforts to unite the world. What better way to bond than over a box of take-out Pad Thai that is actually layered lemon curd?
As we chuckle (or salivate) over the cakes and are awed by the mind-boggling precision of the art, take note of the cultural longings at play: to recreate creation, to elevate perfection, to embrace a full-bodied moment, to agree on a common aesthetic, to dismantle expectations. Do you hear the interplay of dissatisfaction and desire, of construction and deconstruction?
Jesus calls us in Matthew 28:16-20 to go into the world and share his peace, not retreat and point fingers as if others are in the wrong and we hold a secret truth. So what does it mean that we and our quarantine culture are fascinated with cakes that aren't cakes? How will a knowledge of Hyperrealism as a current cultural swing help you share hope with your neighbor, your family, your coworker? If someone who is seeking God's Kingdom is clinging to the suspicion that you are selling an illusion, how will you share God's joy and promises in a new way that they can hear?
Here are some ways to connect with your church family this week:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, August 2, from the comfort of your home by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find this link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, Cedar Creek Facebook page, and on our and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). This week's message is "Becoming a John 9 People -- Part III" (John 9:35-41).
Communion Sunday: We look forward to celebrating the Lord's Supper together during our livestream service this Sunday, August 9. Please have some juice and bread or crackers on hand for you and those in your home so you can celebrate with us.
Building Accessibility: Our buildings remain closed to general use. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center, we would love to have your help during a Sunday morning livestream! Let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Worship Team, or Stream Team. We are also seeking volunteers interested in "hosting" the livestream service from the comfort of your home (welcoming people, monitoring the chat, etc.). Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Cedar Creek Youth: Watch for emails from Haley as we begin gathering our youth again, and be sure to welcome her to Oregon! You can reach Haley at haley@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Confirmation Class: Our Cedar Creek Confirmation Class is meeting at 1 p.m. Sundays via Zoom. Please be in prayer for our preteens who are digging into what it means to walk boldly in a faith that is their own.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. each Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. All are welcome! To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140. THANK YOU to the many who have been faithful with your tithes through this difficult time. We are so grateful.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven't heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com. We have many groups that would love to welcome you!
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study in the Teen Center on hot days, or under the big white tent in the Y parking lot if it’s not too warm from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Blessings on your week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
July 29, 2020
As we strive to bring Holy Spirit peace and hope to a culture unmoored by social injustice, racial strife, and political enmity, it can be difficult to know what to do -- particularly when a global pandemic keeps many of us confined to our homes. But do you realize that the words we use have a remarkable impact not just on how we communicate but on who we are and how our culture evolves? Our words have a profound effect on the people around us, whether we realize it or not, and it's important to recognize the ways we can unintentionally hurt others even with what we might assume is casual conversation.
Racism permeates our language so deeply that most of us are not even aware. Below are a few phrases that are directly tied to our nation's history of chattel slavery and racism. Let's commit to affirming and encouraging those around us with the words we choose rather than aligning with language that perpetuates unconscious biases:
Master bedrooms/bathrooms: Because of the slavery-era connotations in the word "master," many in the real estate industry today are calling for a shift to "primary" rather than "master." The change has not yet gained traction, however, as the majority of online private home listings still reference a "master bedroom" or "master bathroom."
Master/slave: In computer technology, engineers frequently use these words to describe a software or hardware process in which one component controls another. In recent years, programmers have begun adopting the words "primary/replica" instead.
Blacklist/whitelist: A blacklist typically references a list of emails, URLs, or IP addresses that are blocked, while a whitelist includes elements that are allowed. In order to dismantle the assumption that black=bad and white=good, some in the tech industry have begun using "blocklist" and "allowlist" instead.
The Masters: Sportswriter Rob Parker recently called for the Masters Tournament to change its name, particularly considering the history of the Augusta National Golf Club where the tournament is held. For much of its history, the Georgia club required that all caddies were black. Black golfers were banned from the Tournament until 1975, Black members were first admitted to the club in 1990, and women were first admitted in 2012.
Peanut gallery: While this phrase typically refers to the cheapest seats where rowdy hecklers are gathered, the term actually dates back to the 19th-century vaudeville era and references the sections of the theater where Black people usually sat. The radio show "Howdy Doody" later borrowed the phrase to reference where the show's live audience sat, and the term still refers to a source of inconsequential, uninformed criticism.
Grandfathered in: While the phrase is used today to suggest someone or something that is exempt from new rules, the legal term actually refers to the "grandfather clause" adopted by seven Southern states during the Reconstruction Era. Under the grandfather clause, anyone who was able to vote before 1867 was exempt from the literacy tests, property requirements, and poll taxes needed for voting. But slaves were not freed until 1865 and were not granted the right to vote until 1870, so the grandfather clause effectively excluded many of them from voting for decades.
Cakewalk: The original cakewalk was a dance performed by enslaved Black people on plantations before the Civil War. Plantation owners held contests in which slaves competed for a cake. The dance was later popularized in minstrel shows -- a high-legged prance with the head, shoulders, and upper torso tilted back.
The list goes on, my friends, and I pray that the current tensions will continue to unearth these injustices that have held our neighbors and friends trapped in a social structure with unseen linguistic traps. What can we do to claim love and truth in place of these long-standing biases? How can we bring to the forefront Jesus' command that we love others as ourselves?
For those interested, the song Miles danced to in worship last week was "Together" by the Christian group For King & Country. The group wrote and filmed the song in quarantine this past May, and the video is an excellent reflection on the challenges of 2020: Together.
Here are some ways to connect with your church family this week:
Livestream Sunday Service: Worship with us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, August 2, from the comfort of your home by clicking this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find this link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page , and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays). This week's message is "Becoming a John 9 People -- Part II" (John 9:13-34).
Building Accessibility: In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, our buildings remain closed to general use. For our Sunday morning livestream services, we have physically distanced seating in the Ministry Center for those participating in the service. Face masks are required, and we keep both doors open and a fan running to ensure adequate air flow. If you are aching to get back into the Ministry Center for a Sunday morning service, we would love to have your help! Please let us know if you are interested in any one of these important roles: Call to Worship, Prayer, Community News, Worship Team, or Stream Team. We are also seeking volunteers interested in "hosting" the livestream worship service from the comfort of your home (welcoming people, monitoring the chat, etc.). Email me directly or the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com for more information.
Cedar Creek Youth Zoom Gathering: Watch for a link from Haley for a youth Zoom meeting after church this Sunday, August 2. Save time to welcome Haley and share your hopes for our youth group!
Confirmation Class: Our Cedar Creek Confirmation Class for preteens and teens begins this Sunday, August 2, at 1 p.m. via Zoom. For more information, email the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. each Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. All are welcome! To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140. THANK YOU to the many who have been faithful with your tithes through this difficult time. We are so grateful.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven't heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you are not connected with a small group and would like to be, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com. We have many groups that would love to welcome you!
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study under the big white tent in the Y parking lot from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Blessings on your week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
July 21, 2020
If you find yourself longing for something more in the strain of 2020, know that you are not alone. And while the Lord desires for us to live in His peace despite the circumstances that surround us, the longing we feel -- more often than not -- ultimately is a longing for Him. Hear the longing for God in these moments in Scripture:
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? Psalm 42:1-2
How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Psalm 84:1-2
I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me. My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times. Psalm 119:19-20
Come, all who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Isaiah 55:1-2
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28
Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day -- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:8
How can you learn to turn your longing into Holy Spirit-connected moments of prayer, of meditation, of worship? As you ponder this idea of spiritual longing, take a moment to peruse the website WindowSwap, a wonderfully successful quarantine project that encourages people worldwide to submit a 10-minute view out of their window. As you click the "Open a new window" tab and peruse windows around the world, I hope you will be struck as I was by the humanity that we all share -- as well as the oddity of a pandemic that has changed life on a global scale. As we recognize our own longing for God's hand on our lives, how can we help others to see that they, too, are longing for the goodness of the Lord?
Please consider how you will enter in this week so we remain connected as sisters and brothers in Christ:
Livestream Sunday Service: Join us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, July 26, from the comfort of your home for our livestream service by clicking on this link: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. You can also find this link by clicking on the blue button titled "Sunday Livestream" on the Cedar Creek website, on our Cedar Creek Facebook page, and in the weekly Community News email (check your inbox on Thursdays).
Communion Sunday: We look forward to celebrating the Lord's Supper together during our livestream service this Sunday, July 26. Please have some juice and bread or crackers on hand for you and those in your home so you can celebrate with us.
COVID Response: Our staff and elders continue to prayerfully monitor health advisories and government mandates as we consider what is safe and wise for our church body. We have reduced seating in the Ministry Center to 25, allowing for Worship Team and Stream Team members to remain adequately physically distanced during our Sunday morning livestream services. We have stocked the Ministry Center with face masks and sanitizer, and you may notice this Sunday that those of us in the Ministry Center will be using pre-filled communion juice/wafer sets to minimize the possibility of transmission. We will keep you apprised as restrictions change, but for now we are continuing to limit Sunday attendance to those who are participating in the service. If you have questions, don't hesitate to contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study under the big white tent in the Y parking lot from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. each Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. All are welcome! To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven’t heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If your group is comfortable, we encourage you to consider gathering outdoors where you are able to maintain proper physical distancing. (Please keep in mind that indoor private gatherings must be limited to 10 or fewer. Outdoor private gatherings of 25 or fewer are permitted as long as six-foot physical distancing is maintained; masks are required when physical distancing cannot be maintained.)
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Be well and be blessed, my friends. God is good.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
July 14, 2020
Imagine a place where you are greeted by welcoming signs that read "For You"; your friends are already gathered waiting for your arrival; friends and strangers alike clap you on the back and offer hugs of encouragement; the music is familiar and the decor is exactly what you like most; and when you are asked to share with the room -- always an intimidating moment -- you are offered witty scripts to choose from and a cadre of friends ready to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you. Could we be in Narnia? A 21st-century version of the latter half of Revelation? A swanky resort? Welcome to TikTok, an app that recently surpassed more than 2 billion downloads worldwide and has become a staple for Generation Z -- those in their teens through early 20s.
Borne of a curious merging of former apps such as Vine, Musical.ly, Bouyin, ByteDance, and others, TikTok hit the U.S. in late 2018 and has skyrocketed in popularity in less than two years. And while U.S. officials have threatened in recent days to ban TikTok because of questionable data-gathering, the global pandemic has boosted TikTok's popularity to new levels. The question for us is, why? As we seek to share Jesus's promises of love and joy with a culture that is hurting, what can we learn from apps like TikTok where the younger generation so readily and joyfully gathers?
Pay attention to the attractors above: Users are greeted by an opening screen titled "For You," and algorithms masterfully read and anticipate personal preferences until the sounds and images that surround the user are as familiar as a childhood bedroom ... but better, as affirmations and opportunities to excel abound. The New York Times recently posited that TikTok is "rewriting the world," and we see it in TikTok's futuristic algorithms that leave users feeling both satisfied and clamoring for more. (Picture short-form videos where participants lip sync and dance to music, compete in viral challenges, share their thoughts on social trends, offer comedic skits, etc.) But what is the satisfaction, and what is the more?
Here is where we hear biblical echoes: We are living in an era when people are instantly and internationally connected, and all are exhibiting a common desire to be seen, be heard, be known, be connected, and be affirmed. We are living in a global culture that desires to live fully and joyfully, and we know that algorithms will fail and apps will fade away. So how can we be a church that recognizes the longings of this 21st-century TikTok culture and steps in graciously to share our Holy Spirit joy? How can we help those around us to feel known, heard, appreciated, and loved?
As we seek to remain connected despite COVID restrictions, please consider how you will enter in this week:
LiveStream Sunday Service: Join us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, July 19, from the comfort of your home for our Cedar Creek LiveStream Service! Here is the link to stream in the service on Sunday: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/ We will also post this link on Facebook and in the weekly community news email.
Congregation Meeting July 19: Immediately following the LiveStream Service, we will be having a brief congregational meeting via Zoom. The Nominating Committee will present for congregational approval, one new candidate for Deacon and one Elder returning for a second term. Click on the link below following the July 19 service to connect with us on Zoom at approximately 11 a.m.: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3870240122 Meeting ID: 387 024 0122
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study under the big white tent in the Y parking lot from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. each Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. All are welcome! To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven't heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If your group is comfortable, we encourage you to consider gathering outdoors where you are able to maintain proper physical distancing. (Please keep in mind that indoor private gatherings must be limited to 10 or fewer. Outdoor private gatherings of 25 or fewer are permitted as long as six-foot physical distancing is maintained; masks are required when physical distancing cannot be maintained.)
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Peace on your week. And if you happen to make a TikTok or two, send the links my way!
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
July 7, 2020
Happy July, Friends!
Many thanks to those who drove the winding gravel road into Metzler Park this past weekend for our annual All-Church Campout. We enjoyed the good company of more than 30 Cedar Creek friends at various times over the four-day weekend, sometimes with masks on and other times waving from a distance through the Douglas firs. We braved outhouses in place of the usual showers, sinks, and flushing toilets (new facilities coming soon!), and the weekend adventures included cliff jumping, crawdad hunting, kickball games, walks to the swimming hole, LOTS of catching up by the campfire, and -- of course -- nightly s'mores.
Saturday evening closed with a peaceful worship service buoyed by the sounds of Clear Creek trickling across the rocks below, a light breeze through the forest, birds chattering in the limbs above, and laughter from distant campgrounds. We listened together to C.S. Lewis' opening chapter of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, pondering the tenuous situation of the children who have been displaced from their homes in wartorn London as Lucy steps tentatively through the fur coats of the wardrobe with her fingertips stretched forward:
It was almost quite dark in there and she kept her arms stretched out in front of her so as not to bump her face into the back of the wardrobe. She took a step further in -- then two or three steps -- always expecting to feel woodwork against the tips of her fingers. But she could not feel it.
Lucy is a child of war, and in this moment she is anticipating the back of the wardrobe, stretching her fingers to feel the wood so she can gather her bearings and better understand where she is. But instead of wood, she feels something soft, powdery, prickly, and cold, and soon realizes that she is standing in a snowy forest. As Lewis writes, Lucy is "a little frightened" but "inquisitive and excited as well," and Lewis encourages that childlike inquisitive trust in all of his works -- from the brilliant apologetics of Mere Christianity and Surprised by Joy to the magical fiction of the Narnia series and The Screwtape Letters.
Lucy does not wallow in her moment of fear, tucking back inside the wardrobe and rejecting the new world that awaits, nor do any of the characters in Lewis' works. The Christian life demands that we trust and move forward in the faith of our calling: Lucy began to walk forward, crunch-crunch over the snow and through the wood toward the other light. What steps forward will you take today, trusting that the Lord has a plan far greater than we can anticipate or imagine? Are your fingers stretched forward, preparing to encounter something new?
Please consider how you will join us this week as we continue to connect as a church body:
Livestream Sunday Service: Join us at 10 a.m. this Sunday, July 12, from the comfort of your home for our first Cedar Creek Livestream Service! Here is your new link to stream in the service on Sunday: https://cedarcreeksherwood.online.church/. We will also post this link on Facebook, on the church website, and in Thursday's community news.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this challenging time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Tuesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study under the big white tent in the Y parking lot from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. each Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another. All are welcome! To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven’t heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If your group is comfortable, we encourage you to consider gathering outdoors where it can be easier to maintain proper distancing and the risk of spreading the virus is lower.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
May the Lord bless your week with a deep Holy Spirit trust in His good plan.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
June 30, 2020
Gerard Manley Hopkins was an English poet and a bit of a tortured soul who became known after his death in June of 1889 as one of the Victorian era's most influential writers. Hopkins was compelled his entire life to describe the beauty of God's creation through the rhythm and imagery of poetry, although when he converted to Roman Catholicism and joined the Jesuit priesthood in his 20s, he burned all of his poems in a bonfire and did not write again for many years. He believed his passion for poetry deterred him from devoting himself fully to the priesthood, and it took many years and much study before he was able to see the two passions did not need to be in conflict with one another.
Hopkins is known for his sprung rhythm, a running rhyme that ran counter to conventional ideas of metre and poetic rhythm in his era and served as a precursor to free verse. Despite the rules of a religion that he believed served to press down the enthusiasms of life, Hopkins could not help himself. Thankfully he shared much of his poetry with his good friend Robert Bridges, who published the edition Poems after Hopkins' death from typhoid fever at age 44.
Listen to the beauty and rhythm in Hopkins' poem "Pied Beauty":
Glory be to God for dappled things –
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced – fold, fallow, and plough;
And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.
All things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
Praise him.
While the world may feel like a swirl of changing rules, contradictions, and conflict this summer, grant yourself moments when you can stand or sit in awe of God's masterpiece all around you. The natural world presses forward with the beauty of color, contrast, and intricate details, and we too often allow our worldly anxieties to swallow the childlike awe that God has gifted to each of us. Enjoy today -- all that is original, spare, and strange -- and allow yourself to be dazzled by Him.
Please join us this week as we continue to connect as a church body:
All-Church Campout: We are excited for our annual All-Church Campout coming up July 2-5 at Metzler Park in Estacada. For park information, click here. If you are not registered and would like to join us, email the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com. If you don’t plan to camp, please join us Saturday, July 4, for games, a potluck dinner, and a casual worship service amidst the Douglas firs. All are welcome!
Livestream: Our Cedar Creek Stream Team is busy working through the various softwares, hardwares, and linking components necessary to bring our church up to Livestream ready in just a few weeks. If you have a heart for technology, sound, and/or social media, we would love your assistance. Email the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com to start a conversation about the role you would like to play. Meanwhile, mark your calendars for (1) 10 a.m. July 12 for our first Livestream Service and (2) 10 a.m. July 19 for an open-door service in the Ministries Center (with proper restrictions in place) plus Livestream access for those who choose to worship from home.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this difficult time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Morning In-Home Worship: Visit our Cedar Creek Church website here for new links each Sunday morning. You can also find the Sunday links in your email inbox each weekend and on Facebook. Join us, and invite your neighbors to join as well.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. each Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another! To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray.
Wednesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study via Zoom at 12:25 p.m. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Wednesday YMCA Teen Talk: Don is also hosting a weekly Teen Talk at the YMCA at 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven’t heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. Blessings on you for loving one another well in this challenging time.
May you be astonished this week by the majesty of God’s creation, by the peace of the Holy Spirit, and by the presence of the living Savior.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
June 23, 2020
As we welcome a beautiful Oregon summer this week, enjoy these words from Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver:
The Summer Day
Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
Maybe the best prayer is to start by paying attention, falling down into the grass and remembering what it means to be idle and blessed. Oliver calls us, as Jesus did, to step into our days with our eyes wide open, our minds alert, and our hearts grateful for the intricacy and majesty of God’s creation around us. To hear Oliver read “The Summer Day,” click here.
Here she is again in her poem “Sometimes”:
Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
How will you pay attention today, how will you be astonished, and whom will you tell?
Keep in mind these ongoing ways to connect as a church body:
All-Church Campout: We are excited for our annual All-Church Campout coming up July 2-5 at Metzler Park in Estacada. For park information, click here. If you are not registered and would like to join us, email the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com. If you don’t plan to camp, please join us Saturday, July 4, for games, a potluck dinner, and a casual worship service amidst the Douglas firs. All are welcome!
Livestream: Our Cedar Creek Stream Team is busy working through the various softwares, hardwares, and linking components necessary to bring our church up to Livestream ready in just a few weeks. If you have a heart for technology, sound, and/or social media, we would love your assistance. Email the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com to start a conversation about the role you would like to play. Meanwhile, mark your calendars for (1) 10 a.m. July 12 for our first Livestream Service and (2) 10 a.m. July 19 for an open-door service in the Ministries Center (with proper restrictions in place) plus Livestream access for those who choose to worship from home.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this difficult time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Morning In-Home Worship: Visit our Cedar Creek Church website here for new links each Sunday morning. You can also find the Sunday links in your email inbox each weekend and on Facebook. Join us, and invite your neighbors to join as well.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. each Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another! To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. The meeting ID is 619 794 703.
Wednesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study via Zoom at 12:25 p.m. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Wednesday YMCA Teen Talk: Don is also hosting a weekly Teen Talk at the YMCA at 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven’t heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. Blessings on you for loving one another well in this challenging time.
May you be astonished this week by the majesty of God’s creation, by the peace of the Holy Spirit, and by the presence of the living Savior.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
June 16, 2020
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor, theologian, and writer who spent a foundational year studying and serving in the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem when he was in his mid-20s. Bonhoeffer later wrote that it was in America’s Harlem that he began to see things “from below” – empathizing with the oppressed and recognizing the church in the United States was doing little to encourage integration.
When he returned in Germany in 1931, Bonhoeffer became a lecturer at the University of Berlin, and he delivered a radio address just two days after Hitler was installed warning Germany about the Fuhrer (leader) who could likely turn out to be a Verfuhrer (misleader or seducer). Bonhoeffer’s talk was cut off the air mid-sentence. After more than a decade as a Nazi dissident, fighting for the oppressed and encouraging an underground church, Bonhoeffer spent a year and a half imprisoned at Tegel military prison awaiting trial. In April 1945, he was hanged just 21 days before Adolf Hitler committed suicide.
Bonhoeffer was a prolific writer throughout his career, and his writings on the role of the Christian church in the secular world have been enormously influential – most notably, The Cost of Discipleship. Consider these words from Bonhoeffer, who was executed before he turned 40:
We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer.
Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.
We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.
I discovered later, and I’m still discovering right up to this moment, that is it only by living completely in this world that one learns to have faith. By this-worldliness I mean living unreservedly in life’s duties, problems, successes and failures. In so doing we throw ourselves completely into the arms of God, taking seriously, not our own sufferings, but those of God in the world. That, I think, is faith.
Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.
We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God.
We have all been interrupted by God this spring. What will your interruption merit?
Keep in mind these ongoing ways to connect as a church body:
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this difficult time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Morning In-Home Worship: Visit our Cedar Creek Church website here for new links each Sunday morning. You can also find the Sunday links in your email inbox each weekend and on Facebook. Join us, and invite your neighbors to join as well.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: No meeting this Wednesday as I will be in an ECO Presbytery of the Northwest meeting at that time. Blessings on your week!
Wednesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study via Zoom at 12:25 p.m. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Wednesday YMCA Teen Talk: Don is also hosting a weekly Teen Talk at the YMCA at 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org
.Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven’t heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. Blessings on you for loving one another well in this challenging time.
Blessings on your week, my friends. Stay well and stay connected.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
June 9, 2020
For more than two decades, I have led university-level students through a communal reading of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” The letter is long and students typically groan when they realize we are going to read it in its entirety, word by word; but as the sentences roll off their tongues, they are soon entranced by his brilliant mastery of language. I teach “Letter from Birmingham Jail” because it is one of the most effective pieces of persuasion ever composed.
King wrote in longhand his response to eight white religious leaders who had published a statement of concern after King was imprisoned for his participation in nonviolent demonstrations. Rather than confronting the religious leaders with righteous anger or berating the city of Birmingham for its egregious role in perpetuating segregation and racism, King opens by complimenting the men for their “genuine good will.” He continues with agreement with their complaints and an explanation of his nonviolent protest efforts.
My favorite moment comes midway through the letter, when King writes a list that echoes Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 6:3-10. Notice that King’s sentence is long because the wait has been long, and while the religious leaders have asked King to wait, the length of his poignant details cause them to wait. If you are able, take a moment to read King’s words aloud:
We have waited for more than three hundred and forty years for our God-given and constitutional rights. The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward the goal of political independence, and we still creep at horse-and-buggy pace toward the gaining of a cup of coffee at a lunch counter. Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say “wait.” But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick, brutalize, and even kill your black brothers and sisters with impunity; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her little eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see the depressing clouds of inferiority begin to form in her little mental sky, and see her begin to distort her little personality by unconsciously developing a bitterness toward white people; when you have to concoct an answer for a five-year-old son who is asking in agonizing pathos, “Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?”; when you take a cross-country drive and find it necessary to sleep night after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel will accept you; when you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading “white” and “colored”; when your first name becomes “n----” and your middle name becomes “boy” (however old you are) and your last name becomes “John,” and when your wife and mother are never given the respected title “Mrs.”; when you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never knowing what to expect next, and plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of “nobodyness” – then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait. There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over and men are no longer willing to be plunged into an abyss of injustice where they experience the bleakness of corroding despair. I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience.
As we move through these unchartered days of pandemic restrictions and daily protests, take heed of King’s call here for listening ears. No one is called to live “forever fighting a degenerating sense of ‘nobodyness.’” What can we do as individuals and as a church to ensure that all God’s children are heard, loved, and encouraged? How can we respond to the developments of each new day with remarkable peace, hope, and love for our neighbors on all sides?
Here are some ongoing ways to connect as a church body:
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this difficult time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Morning In-Home Worship: Visit our Cedar Creek Church website here for new links each Sunday morning. You can also find the Sunday links in your email inbox each weekend and on Facebook. Join us, and invite your neighbors to join as well.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. each Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another! To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. The meeting ID is 619 794 703.
Wednesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study via Zoom at 12:25 p.m. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Wednesday YMCA Teen Talk: Don is also hosting a weekly Teen Talk at the YMCA at 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org
.Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven’t heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. Blessings on you for loving one another well in this challenging time.
Be well, be encouraged, and be bold in your ambassadorship.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
June 2, 2020
I pray this week finds you well, despite the heaviness that has descended across our country in recent days. I spoke with a young man yesterday who told me that he hopes the moment we are in now as a nation and as a world is the worst of his lifetime, and then he shrugged, perhaps realizing that so often those hopes are dashed by a larger event that we never could have imagined. This year has been unmooring, disorienting, and disappointing on so many fronts, and it is difficult to imagine where we will be in a month, a week, even a day. But God is good, God is in control, and it is so often in the painful unveiling that we discover the beauty of truth beneath. I pray that in all of the unrest and strife, we begin to build a new cultural norm in which all people are loved and valued for the wholeness of who they are.
Keep in mind that God is not surprised. Hear C. S. Lewis' words in Letters to Malcolm:
We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade, the presence of God. The world is crowded with him. He walks everywhere incognito. And the incognito is not always hard to penetrate. The real labor is to remember, to attend ... in fact to come awake. Still more, to remain awake.
How will we remain awake despite the pain, despite the challenges? How will we give voice to those who are systematically silenced, just as Jesus did? How will we stand up for the peace of Christ and the joy of the Spirit in all things – calming rather than provoking, listening rather than accusing?
Here are some ongoing ways to connect as we anticipate gathering soon – hopefully this month!
Senior Sunday: This Sunday, June 7, we are celebrating our three Cedar Creek high school seniors: Timothy Anderson, Jeremy Lund, & Piper Harrop. Watch for fun videos this Sunday, and send some congratulatory love their way!
New Cedar Creek Banners: Watch for our new outdoor banners directing people to the Cedar Creek Church website for our weekly online Sunday services. Invite your friends and neighbors to join us each Sunday at cedarcreeksherwood.org!
Confirmation 2020: If you know a teen in middle or high school who would like to join this year’s confirmation class, send me an email at jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org. We will meet weekly beginning in July and running through the fall.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this difficult time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Morning In-Home Worship: Visit our Cedar Creek Church website here for new links each Sunday morning. You can also find the Sunday links in your email inbox each weekend and on Facebook. Join us, and invite your neighbors to join as well.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. each Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another! To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. The meeting ID is 619 794 703.
Wednesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study via Zoom at 12:25 p.m. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org.
Wednesday YMCA Teen Talk: Don is also hosting a weekly Teen Talk at the YMCA at 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays. For more information, contact Don at dmershon@ymcacw.org
.Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven’t heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. Blessings on you for loving one another well in this challenging time.
Remember Lewis’ reminder that “the world is crowded with God.” Where do you see Him today? More importantly, how will you show Him to others?
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Cedar Creek Chronicles
May 26, 2020
Annie Dillard is an American writer best known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning nonfiction book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. She grew up attending Presbyterian churches in Pennsylvania, and her discussions of faith and culture are witty and astute. Hear her call for the raw immediacy of the Holy Spirit, for example:
The higher Christian churches come at God with an unwarranted air of professionalism, with authority and pomp, as though they knew what they were doing, as though people in themselves were an appropriate set of creatures to have dealings with God. I often think of the set pieces of liturgy as certain words which people have successfully addressed to God without getting killed. In the high churches, they saunter through the liturgy like Mohawks along a strand of scaffolding who have long since forgotten their danger. If God were to blast such a service to bits, the congregation would be, I believe, genuinely shocked.
And in Teaching a Stone to Talk, Dillard suggests that God’s enormity is much more alarming than our comfortable churches allow:
Why do people in church seem like cheerful, brainless tourists on a packaged tour of the Absolute? Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews.
Can you imagine church gatherings where we were handed crash helmets as we walked through the doors and asked to buckle in before the opening music begins? Why do we expect calm and complacency when the Lord promises a whole new world? Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17).
As we anticipate a gradual re-opening in Washington County and explore ways to livestream our services so all remain included, let’s seek out our crash helmets now. It would be ludicrous to anticipate an interaction with the Living God and expect to emerge unscathed.
This spring is not a time of mere waiting, but a time of building-up, focusing in, and anticipating something surprising and new. How are you connecting with your church family and serving those around you this week? Here are some ongoing ways to connect:
New Cedar Creek Banners: Watch for our new outdoor banners directing people to the Cedar Creek Church website for our weekly online Sunday services. Invite your friends and neighbors to join us each Sunday at cedarcreeksherwood.org!
Confirmation 2020: If you know a teen in middle or high school who would like to join this year’s confirmation class, send me an email at jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org. We will meet weekly beginning in July and running through the fall.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this difficult time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Morning In-Home Worship: Visit our Cedar Creek Church website here for new links each Sunday morning. You can also find the Sunday links in your email inbox each weekend and on Facebook. Join us, and invite your neighbors to join as well.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. each Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another! To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. The meeting ID is 619 794 703.
Wednesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don for a weekly adult Bible study via Zoom at 12:25 p.m. The meeting link changes each week, so contact Don Mershon for this week's link.
Wednesday YMCA Teen Talk: Don is also hosting a weekly Teen Talk through the YMCA at 1:30 p.m. The meeting link changes each week, so contact Don Mershon for this week's link.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Youth Group: Don is hosting Youth Group via Zoom video conference on Sunday evenings at 6 p.m. through the end of May.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven’t heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. Blessings on you for loving one another well in this challenging time.
Do you have your helmet ready? Are you buckled in? The Living God is present and ready, promising a whole new world. Let’s be a church that expects things to get a little rowdy every time we call on the earth-shattering power of the Holy Spirit.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
May 19, 2020
If you were inspired by the UK Blessing this past Sunday, here are a series of links - including the UK - to virtual choirs around the world who have pulled together to sing this worship song in recent weeks. Enjoy!
Cedar Creek Church has been blessed with good news this past week! We are pleased to announce that we have hired Nicole Wells to step into Rosalie's position as Office Coordinator when Rosalie retires on May 31. We also have hired Kara Helland and Mattie Harrop to take over Jeremy's job as Caretaker. Please send your thanks, prayers, and blessings to all three as they graciously step into these new roles. And as Rosalie, Jeremy, and Don step down from jobs well done, we pray that the Lord blesses their next steps with energy, joy, peace, and direction.
More good news: Thanks to the diligence of Clerk of Session Steve Lund, Cedar Creek has qualified for and received a $8,938 loan disbursement through the government's Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). God is good!
As we look ahead to another week of God's perfect plan, His perfect peace, and His perfect joy, reach out to a friend who may be seeking a foothold of hope. Remind them of the good words above echoing around the world in the priestly blessing the Lord instructs Moses to offer over the Israelites in Numbers 6:24-26: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.
As always, let's find ways to remain connected this week:
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this difficult time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Morning In-Home Worship: Visit our Cedar Creek Church website here for new links each Sunday morning. You can also find the Sunday links in your email inbox each weekend and on Facebook. Join us, and invite your neighbors to join as well.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. each Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another! To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. The meeting ID is 619 794 703.
Wednesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don for a weekly adult Bible study via Zoom at 12:25 p.m. The meeting link changes each week, so contact Don Mershon for this week's link.
Wednesday YMCA Teen Talk: Don is also hosting a weekly Teen Talk through the YMCA at 1:30 p.m. The meeting link changes each week, so contact Don Mershon for this week's link.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to
ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Youth Group: Youth Director Don Mershon is hosting Youth Group via Zoom video conference on Sunday evenings at 6 p.m. through the end of May.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven't heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Several small groups are meeting via video conference each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. Blessings on you for loving one another well in this challenging time.
May His presence go before you, behind you, beside you, all around you, and within you. He is with you. Amen.
Pastor Jennie Harrop
5.12.2020 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
(Disclaimer: This article uses emoji images. We apologize if they don't all transfer on your devices correctly.)
Did you know that as coronavirus restrictions have made it more difficult to connect, people are using emojis more now than ever before? One writer describes emojis as "body language for the digital age" - a way to communicate those ideas and emotions that slide between words. Not only has our use of emojis increased, but the ones we choose to use have changed. We are seeing plenty of �� (shopping cart) and �� (masked smiley) these days, and a marked decrease - sadly - in the use of ⚾ (baseball) and ✈ (airplane). But can you guess which emoji has skyrocketed in popularity over the past two months? This one: ���� (praying hands).
When our questions remain unanswered and the future is uncertain, where else can we turn? For most people - believers and nonbelievers alike - the prayer hands emoji suggests hope and faith in something larger than we are. When we text or email a friend and acknowledge our own helplessness in our current circumstances, the ���� (praying hands) offers hope and expresses humility better than words.
According to a story in CNN Business yesterday, the prayer hands emoji was used 25% more often in April 2020 alone. Is it possible that our culture will emerge from this experience with a new humility that allows space for the Holy Spirit? Do you hear the potential awakening to God's presence? Are you ready to greet those who are seeking, welcoming them home with a smile and (one day) a hug?
While the use of the prayer hands has increased, the most popular emoji of all is still the tears of joy face: ��. (Did you know Oxford English Dictionary named �� (tears of joy) word of the year in 2015?) Let's recognize the enormous potential here: If God himself is our joy (Psalm 16:11), Jesus' goal was to bring his joy to us so that our joy might be full (John 15:11), and the joy of God is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22), we should have claimed the �� (tears of joy) emoji long ago!
So here is our challenge: How do we bring together ���� (praying hands) and �� (tears of joy) so our post-COVID culture sees faith and joy intrinsically joined? If our faith is solid, we will exude a supernatural joy, and when our joy overflows to the world around us, won't that bring others flocking to the faith? How can you step forward with faith that Jesus' joy will spread from you to others? What role can you play this week in bringing together ���� (praying hands) and �� (tears of joy)? (If you want to read yesterday's CNN article about the increase in emoji use, click here.)
Thank you for a fun Mother's Day Service this past Sunday. It's always such a joy to see everyone gathered on a single screen. Here are other ways our church is staying connected this week:
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this difficult time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Morning In-Home Worship: Visit our Cedar Creek Church website here for new links each Sunday morning. You can also find the Sunday links in your email inbox each weekend and on Facebook. Join us, and invite your neighbors to join as well.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. each Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another! To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. The meeting ID is 619 794 703.
Wednesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don for a weekly adult Bible study via Zoom at 12:25 p.m. To join, contact Don Mershon for the meeting code.
Wednesday YMCA Teen Talk: Don is also hosting a weekly Teen Talk through the YMCA at 1:30 p.m. To join, contact Don Mershon for the meeting code.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
Sunday Youth Group: Youth Director Don Mershon is hosting Youth Group via Zoom video conference on Sunday evenings at 6 p.m.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. If you haven't heard from us and would like a call, let us know.
Sunday Small Groups: Several small groups are meeting via Zoom each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. Blessings on you for loving one another well in this challenging time.
Pastor Jennie Harrop
5.4.2020 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
In N. T. Wright's book Simply Jesus, he writes about two conflicting cultural phenomena that were building during Jesus' lifetime: the steely, power-hungry might of the Roman Empire and the growing eagerness among Jesus' contemporaries for the fulfillment of the age-old stories of Israel. As Wright tells us, these two forces alone would have been enough to produce a perfect storm with devastating consequences, but Jesus introduced a third gale. Hear Wright's words at the close of Chapter 5:
From the moment Jesus of Nazareth launched his public career, he seems to have determined to invoke the third part of the great storm as well. He spoke continually about the hurricane of which the psalmists had sung and the prophets had preached. He spoke about God himself becoming king. And he went about doing things that, he said, demonstrated what that meant and would mean. He took upon himself (this is one of the most secure starting points for historical investigation of Jesus) the role of a prophet, in other words, of a man sent from God to reaffirm God's intention of overthrowing the might of pagan empire, but also to warn Israel that its present way of going about things was dangerously ill-conceived and leading to disaster. And with that, the sea is lashed into a frenzy; the wind makes the waves dance like wild things; and Jesus himself strides out into the middle of it all, into the very eye of the storm, announcing that the time is fulfilled, that God's kingdom is now at hand. He commands his hearers to give up their other dreams and to trust his instead. This, at its simplest, is what Jesus was all about.
While the COVID-19 pandemic may have interrupted our lives with a health and economic crisis that would have been unimaginable just two months ago, is it possible that our society was, in Wright's words, "dangerously ill-conceived and leading to disaster" as we entered 2020? God's kingdom is at hand. Are we able to give up our own dreams and trust God's path instead?
Your Cedar Creek Church elders have been pondering Wright's Simply Jesus in recent months, discussing a new chapter at the start of each Session meeting and reveling over the ways the Holy Spirit continually makes the content fresh and applicable. We encourage you to order a copy and let us know what you think! Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters
We look forward to seeing you this Sunday for a 10 a.m. Mother's Day worship service via Zoom, as well as any other times you are able to connect:
Mother's Day: Join us at 10 a.m. Sunday, May 10, for an all-church Zoom service much like Easter. We will share favorite Mom memories, hear from God's Word, and celebrate Communion together. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Cedar Creek Mother's Day Service. While a computer, laptop, iPad, or smart phone works best, you can also join by phone at 1-669-900-6833. The meeting ID is 956 0756 1713.
Congregational Meeting: Please plan to stay on Zoom after the Mother's Day service for a brief Congregational Meeting to approve our 2020 Nominating Committee.
Wednesday YMCA Bible Study: Join Don Mershon for a weekly adult Bible study via Zoom at 12:25 p.m. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Bible Study. The meeting password is 008505.
Wednesday YMCA Teen Talk: Don is also hosting a weekly Teen Talk through the YMCA at 1:30 p.m. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Teen Talk. The meeting password is 049667.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. each Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another! To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray The meeting ID is 619 794 703.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this difficult time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to
Sunday Morning In-Home Worship: Visit our Cedar Creek Church website here for new links each Sunday morning. You can also find the Sunday links in your email inbox each weekend and on Facebook. Join us, and invite your neighbors to join as well.
Sunday Youth Group: Youth Director Don Mershon is hosting Youth Group via Zoom video conference on Sunday evenings at 6 p.m.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone.
Sunday Small Groups: Several small groups are meeting via Zoom each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer.
Blessings on your week,
Pastor Jennie Harrop
4.28.2020 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
Did you know Martin Luther wrote a letter advising churches about appropriate behavior during a COVID-like situation more than 500 years ago? In 1527, when a plague was threatening the lives of residents in Luther's hometown of Wittenberg, Germany, Luther wrote a letter to the Reverend Doctor Johann Hess, pastor at Breslau (now Wroclaw, Poland), titled "Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague." Rev. Hess had written to Luther some months prior to inquire whether it was appropriate for Christians to flee from a plague, and Luther answers with a directness, humor, and wisdom that is typical: Do you really think we should all flee in order to save our own lives? Luther asks. Or do you believe that we are called to sit and accept death as a punishment from God? Neither, Luther says. As Christians, we are commanded to both seek wise solutions and suffer for Christ - not sit in complacency or flee.
Here is Luther's response to the plague:
I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine, and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance infect and pollute others, and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me and I have done what he has expected of me and so I am not responsible for either my own death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me, however, I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely, as stated above. See, this is such a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy and does not tempt God.
Do you have a God-fearing faith, neither brash nor foolhardy but trusting fully in the One who saves? Are you asking God to mercifully protect us from COVID-19, and then taking the proper steps to protect yourself and your loved ones during this trying time? As Luther reminds us, God calls us to love our neighbors wholly:
This I well know, that if it were Christ or his mother who were laid low by illness, everybody would be so solicitous and would gladly become a servant or helper. Everyone would want to be bold and fearless; nobody would flee but everyone would come running. And yet we don't hear what Christ himself says, "As you did to one of the least, you did it to me" (Matthew 25:40). When he speaks of the greatest commandment, he says, "The other commandment is like unto it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39). There you hear that the command to love your neighbor is equal to the greatest commandment to love God, and that what you do or fail to do for your neighbor means doing the same to God.
How will you love your neighbors well this week? How will you honor Martin Luther, the forefather of the 16th-century Protestant Reformation, by heeding his wisdom from so long ago?
Here are upcoming Cedar Creek Church dates and reminders for your calendar. If you have not yet joined us for a Wednesday Connect & Pray, we would love to see you tomorrow eve!
This Sunday: Watch your email or check the church website here for links for your Sunday Morning In-Home Worship this Sunday, May 3. We are excited to include a greeting from our partner church in Costa Rica, Centro Cristiano Hechos 29, and a special musical Call to Worship from Piper.
Mother's Day: Join us at 10 a.m. Sunday, May 10, for an all-church Zoom service much like Easter. We will share favorite Mom memories, hear from God's Word, and celebrate Communion together. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Cedar Creek Mother's Day Service. While a computer, laptop, iPad, or smart phone works best, you can also join by phone at 1-669-900-6833. The meeting ID is 956 0756 1713.
Congregational Meeting: Please plan to stay on Zoom after the Mother's Day service for a brief Congregational Meeting to approve our 2020 Nominating Committee.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. each Wednesday via Zoom so we catch up and pray for one another! To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray The meeting ID is 619 794 703.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this difficult time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here, or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to
Sunday Morning In-Home Worship: Visit our Cedar Creek Church website here for new links each Sunday morning. You can also find the Sunday links in your email inbox each weekend and on Facebook. Join us, and invite your neighbors to join as well.
Sunday Youth Group: Youth Director Don Mershon is hosting Youth Group via Zoom video conference on Sunday evenings at 6 p.m.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone.
Sunday Small Groups: Several small groups are meeting via Zoom each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer.
Christ's blessings on your home,
Pastor Jennie Harrop
4.21.2020 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
In July 1845, Henry David Thoreau moved into a small house he had built on forested property along the shores of Walden Pond, just outside of Concord, Massachusetts. For two years, Thoreau sought to live simply. Consider his words in the essay “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For”:
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary.
While Thoreau believed in transcendentalism rather than Christianity, his efforts to be fully present are admirable. Remember Isaiah 43?
Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland. (Isaiah 43:18-19)
How can we focus on living deliberately in this time that God has gifted to us? Do we live with intentionality? Do we turn away from life that is not life? Do we refuse resignation? For many of us, the months leading up to the pandemic were marked by pleasant resignation. But aren’t we called to something so much more than mere routine?
Thoreau said, “If you advance resolutely in the direction of your dreams, you will meet with a success unanticipated in your common hours.” Replace “dreams” with “God’s dreams,” and you have a recipe for a magnificent life. When you have three minutes, watch this brief moment with Harvard Professor Larry Buell, who is at the site of Thoreau’s home at Walden Pond: “Reflections on Walden.” Do you see the new thing that God is doing in you? If you wrote an essay titled “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For” (as Thoreau titled his), what would you say?
Here are reminders of the ongoing ways we are remaining connected as a church family:
Sunday Morning In-Home Worship: Visit our Cedar Creek Church website here for new links each Sunday morning. You can also find the Sunday links in your email inbox each weekend and on Facebook. We may be worshiping separately in our homes, but we can still worship the Lord together in the Spirit each Sunday. Join us, and invite your neighbors to join as well.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this difficult time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Youth Group: Youth Director Don Mershon is hosting Youth Group via Zoom video conference on Sunday evenings at 6 p.m. If you know a teen who needs the link, contact Don at don@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. When you get the call, let us know how you're doing and how we can be praying for you.
Sunday Small Groups: Several small groups are meeting via Zoom each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you would like to join the fun, look here for a listing of our Cedar Creek small group leaders.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. via Zoom for an opportunity to catch up with your church family and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. While a computer, laptop, iPad, or smart phone works best, you can also join by phone at 1-669-900-6833. The meeting ID is 619 794 703.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org. We want to be in prayer for you, and we are asking that you keep your friends on the Prayer List in your prayers as well. Christ's peace to you and your home.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
4.14.2020 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
What a blessing it was to celebrate Easter with you via Zoom this past Sunday! Thank you for gathering, thank you for stepping faithfully into a new experience, and thank you for your love for our church, the Lord, and one another. As Louie so eloquently reminded us, our church is not about the four walls of a building. Our church is a gathering of beloved sisters and brothers in Christ who choose to come together to follow Jesus faithfully, despite the trials of our circumstances. It was a pleasure to see your faces and your living rooms, and each new day of in-home quarantine will make our Ministry Center celebration one day all the sweeter.
I have been throughout the COVID-19 crisis of Jesus' words to the Pharisees who are trying to trip him up when they ask in Matthew 22, "Which is the greatest commandment?" The simplicity of Jesus' answer speaks volumes into the complexity of our current situation: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all you mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
As Christians, we know that when we love the Lord completely, all will be well with our souls - regardless of our circumstances. But do we put as much faith into the importance of loving our neighbors as ourselves? What would it look like if we embodied this second commandment fully, demonstrating to our friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors what it looks like to live a life that is wonderfully intertwined with the community that surrounds us?
In a wonderful 2017 TED Talk, psychologist Susan Pinker argues that the secret to living a long life is not grounded in genetics, optimism, proper exercise, or a low-fat diet, but in close personal relationships. When you have a spare 15 minutes, listen to Pinker's research on the Italian island of Sardinia, which boasts 10 times as many centenarians as we have in the United States:"The Secret to Living Longer May Be Your Social Life."
As you listen, I hope you will ponder Jesus' commandment, the effects of COVID-19, and the role our church can play both now and in the future. As our culture longs to emerge from stay-home orders and gather together again, how can our church actively demonstrate what it means to love one another well and ensure that everyone has the kinds of close personal relationships that ensure a long and healthy life?
Here are some of the ongoing ways we are remaining connected as a church family during this challenging time:
Sunday Morning In-Home Worship: Visit our Cedar Creek Church website here for new links each Sunday morning. You can also find the Sunday links in your email inbox each weekend and on Facebook. We may be worshiping separately in our homes, but we can still worship the Lord together in the Spirit each Sunday. Join us, and invite your neighbors to join as well.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this difficult time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Youth Group: Youth Director Don Mershon is hosting Youth Group via Zoom video conference on Sunday evenings at 6 p.m. If you know a teen who needs the link, contact Don at don@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are continuing to check in with everyone in the church each Sunday by phone. When you get the call, let us know how you're doing and how we can be praying for you.
Sunday Small Groups: Several small groups are meeting via Zoom each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If you would like to join the fun, look here for a listing of our Cedar Creek small group leaders.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. via Zoom for an opportunity to catch up with your church family and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. While a computer, laptop, iPad, or smart phone works best, you can also join by phone at 1-669-900-6833. The meeting ID is 619 794 703.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org. We want to be in prayer for you, and we are asking that you keep your friends on the Prayer List in your prayers as well. Christ's peace to you and your home.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
4.7.2020 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
Now, more than ever, we are called to show the world, our families, and ourselves that we are able to celebrate and be joyful - in spite of our circumstances. As we read this past Sunday in Jeremiah 29, the Lord called the Israelites to build homes, plant gardens, raise families, claim peace, seek prosperity, and pray in their city of exile. He did not ask them to wait; he called them to flourish. He did not ask them to pause until news became more clear; he called them to act in the moment of their exile: Because if the city to which I have carried you prospers, you, too, will prosper, the Lord told the exiled Israelites.
Our "city of exile" may be our home, our neighborhood, our town, or our nation. For many of us, it may simply be a psychological struggle of not knowing. How would you define your city of exile? And once you are able to define its boundaries, how will you practice joy within it? Our human tendency is to find a safer place - to flee the exile and seek respite in something that feels like the normalcy we once knew. But sometimes that can prove self-defeating, particularly if it increases our disconnect from the present moment and leaves us feeling morose and defeated.
Hear the Lord's words in Jeremiah 29:8-9: Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them, declares the Lord. When we spend too much time predicting what path the virus will take and when restrictions will lift, we lose sight of the moment before us: the blue of the sky on this beautiful Tuesday, the robins singing amidst the branches as spring bursts open around us, and the importance of this week on our church calendar. What will you do this week to celebrate Holy Week? How will you prepare your heart for the most important joyful celebration in our Christian annual calendar: Easter morning?
Here are some ways to remain connected, prayerful, and joyful this week:
Holy Tuesday: Spend some time today in Matthew 21:23 - 23:29; Mark 11:27 - 12:44; and Luke 20:1 - 21:4. Take note of the enormous impact Jesus had in his teachings on this day, particularly his seven "woes" against the Pharisees in Matthew 23:13-36. Consider downloading an app like YouVersion for daily devotional readings this week and beyond. If you have kids, download The Bible App for Kids to help you lead your kids through this week before Easter.
Maundy Thursday: "Maundy" is a shortened form of the Latin verb "mandatum," which means "to command." It was on this night that Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:34-35). Read Matthew 26:17 - 35; Mark 14:12-31; Luke 22:7-38; and John 13. Spend some time prayerfully pondering how Jesus' disciples must have felt as they gathered to celebrate the Passover meal together, had their feet washed by their Messiah, and heard the words He spoke over the bread and the cup. Whether or not you have family in your home, dinner on this night should be a festive celebration: use the fine china, light the candles, cook something special, and spend time prayerfully considering the joy that must have been present in that final Passover meal.
Good Friday: Read Matthew 26:36 - 27:1-55; Mark 14:41 - 15:47; Luke 22:39 - 23:49; John 18 - 19. As you ponder Christ's crucifixion, consider joining Christian sisters and brothers across the country for a day of fasting and prayer. Dana Allin, head of our ECO Presbyterian denomination, shared in an email this week that denominational leaders who are members of the National Association of Evangelicals have decided to bring all congregations together for a day of fasting and prayer on Good Friday: "I hope you will join me in taking some time on Friday to bow our knees before the cross of Christ and intercede on behalf of our world. Then, on Sunday, even though we will not be standing next to one another in corporate worship, we will proclaim boldly the truth that Christ is risen. He is risen indeed!" For more information, visit nae.net/goodfridayprayer.
Holy Saturday: Holy Saturday is a solemn time to remember the day that Jesus lay in the tomb after the crucifixion. The only biblical reference to this day is here: Matthew 27:62-66. Consider wearing black or dark colors today as a reminder to mourn Jesus' sacrifice. If you live close to a local cemetery, walk there and spend some time looking for inscriptions, sculptures, and symbols that resonate with Holy Saturday. What grief can you embrace today, as you prepare to trade your mourning clothes for joy in the morning?
Easter Sunday: Join your church family at 10 a.m. via Zoom for a first-ever virtual Cedar Creek Church Easter Service - a brief message, worship music, prayer, communion, and an opportunity to hear from each of you about a favorite Easter memory. Have a small amount of bread and drink ready to use as we take Communion together. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Cedar Creek Easter Sunday. While a computer, laptop, iPad, or smart phone works best, you can also join by phone at 1-669-900-6833. The meeting ID is 659 256 648.If Zoom is new to you or makes you uneasy, let me know at jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org. I am happy to practice with you individually so you feel comfortable enough to join the celebration.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this difficult time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the "Donate Online" link here or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org. We want to be in prayer for you, and we are asking that you keep your friends on the Prayer List in your prayers as well. May Christ's peace surround you and fill you this week.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
3.31.2020 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
After spending the night in Bethany, a final resting place on the route to Jerusalem, Jesus and his disciples stepped among the crowds who were walking the final two miles to the Mount of Olives and down into the city. The dusty road was filling with men, women, and children singing hymns and waving fronds from Jericho’s palm trees in the afternoon sun as Jesus and his friends joined the festivities. As they neared Jerusalem, they could see the evening sun gleaming off the gold cornices of the Temple ahead, their palm branches still waving aloft with shouts of excitement and victory.
For the crowds of people who had heard of Jesus’ miracles, particularly the story of Lazarus’ revival from the dead, the palm branches were symbols of celebration, triumph, hope, and peace: In Mark, “Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields” (Mark 11:8). In John, “They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting, ‘Hosanna!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Blessed is the King of Israel!’” (John 12:13). The three shouts that John records are joyful, calling out the prophecies of old and looking toward the promises of the future:
· “Hosanna!” means “Save us” or “Help us” and is a cry to God for help that we hear in Psalm 118:25.
· “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” echoes the Psalm 118 verses that follow: “Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you” (Psalm 118:25-26).
· “Blessed is the King of Israel!” is a bold declaration that Jesus is king and the long-awaited Messiah. In Matthew 21:9, we hear the crowds shouting “Son of David!” which is also a declaration of the Israelites’ expected Messiah.
Hear the festive, promise-filled close to Psalm 118:
The Lord is God,
and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
up to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I will praise you;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
As we anticipate Palm Sunday in less than a week, where is your heart? If you were part of the throngs along the dusty road to Jerusalem, what would you be thinking, feeling, shouting? Would you have a palm branch in hand, and what would it mean to you to wave it high? Let us each take our fears, disappointments, losses, and sorrows to the Lord in prayer this week, stepping fully into the promises of Psalm 118 before we move into Holy Week.
Keep in mind that all is active and well at Cedar Creek, despite the stay-home restrictions. If you need support or aid of any kind, let us know; we are here for you and so very grateful that you are a part of our church family. Here is a summary of current church activities. If there are connections you are making that should be on this list, let us know:
Sunday Morning In-Home Worship: Visit our Cedar Creek Church website here for new links each Sunday morning. You can also find the Sunday links in your email inbox each weekend and on Facebook.
Sunday Offering: Please consider increasing your offering during this difficult time, so that our church body might turn and bless our community. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140.
Sunday Youth Group: Youth Director Don Mershon is hosting Youth Group via Zoom video conference on Sunday evenings at 6 p.m. If you know a teen who needs the link, contact Don at don@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Phone Calls: We are calling everyone in the church each Sunday to check in. Please take the call or call back when you’re able to let us know how you’re doing.
Sunday Small Groups: Some groups are meeting via Zoom each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. If your group is not, please consider it!
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us at 7 p.m. each Wednesday via Zoom for an opportunity to catch up with your church family and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. While a computer, laptop, iPad, or smart phone works best, you can also join by phone at 1-669-900-6833. The meeting ID is 619 794 703.
Prayer List: Check our Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org. We want to be in prayer for you, and we are asking that you keep your friends on the Prayer List in your prayers as well.
Easter Sunday: As we anticipate Easter Sunday together, mark your calendars for 10 a.m. Sunday, April 12, for our Easter Sunday Worship on Zoom. We will hear a brief message, sing worship songs together, hear from each of you about a favorite Easter memory, and pray together as a church family. Have a small amount of bread and drink ready to use as we take Communion together.
We have decided to postpone our Costa Rica summer mission trip to Summer 2021 because of the ongoing health crisis, and we will make a decision about the All-Church Campout by the end of May. Watch for an update direct from Costa Rica in our Moment for Mission on Palm Sunday!
If Zoom is new to you or makes you uneasy, let me know at jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org. I am happy to practice with you individually so you feel comfortable enough to join the fun.
When you feel anxious or lonely in this challenging time, please remember that your church family is surrounding you – in our homes down the block or in the next town – also mourning the losses that accompany the struggle of this moment. But God is good, His love endures forever, and the miracle of Easter is just around the corner.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
3.24.2020 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
When Elisabeth Elliot was just 30 years old, her husband Jim was speared to death along with four of their missionary friends while attempting to befriend the Huaorani tribe of Ecuador. Because of her deep faith, Elliot set aside worldly fears and chose to continue to reach out to the Huaorani people. In 1958, just two years after her husband was killed, Elliot and her three-year-old daughter Valeria went to live among the people who had murdered her husband. Elliot’s faith, joy, and ability to forgive what most would consider unforgivable inspired many in the tribe to become believers and begin new lives of forgiveness and peace.
Elliot did not choose a life of pain, resentment, what ifs, fear, or anger. Instead she embraced life fully, stepping fully into a Holy Spirit-guided confrontation with all that she feared the most; and the fruit that came from her choices was remarkable. As we each ponder each new day this week, what if we were to adopt Elliot’s Jesus-approach to life?
· I do know that waiting on God requires the willingness to bear uncertainty, to carry within oneself the unanswered question, lifting the heart to God about it whenever it intrudes upon one’s thoughts. It’s easy to talk oneself into a decision that has no permanence – easier sometimes than to wait patiently.
· One reason we are so harried and hurried is that we make yesterday and tomorrow our business, when all that legitimately concerns us is today. If we really have too much to do, there are some items on the agenda which God did not put there. Let us submit the list to Him and ask Him to indicate which items we must delete. There is always time to do the will of God. If we are too busy to do that, we are too busy.
· Restlessness and impatience change nothing except our peace and joy. Peace does not dwell in outward things, but in the heart prepared to wait trustfully and quietly on Him who has all things safely in His hands.
· I realized that the deepest spiritual lessons are not learned by His letting us have our way in the end, but by His making us wait, bearing with us in love and patience until we are able to honestly pray what He taught His disciples to pray: Thy will be done.
· Waiting on God requires the willingness to bear uncertainty, to carry within oneself the unanswered question, lifting the heart to God about it whenever it intrudes upon one's thoughts.
· The will of God is not something you add to your life. It’s a course you choose. You either line yourself up with the Son of God…or you capitulate to the principle which governs the rest of the world.
· God is God. Because he is God, He is worthy of my trust and obedience. I will find rest nowhere but in His holy will that is unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what he is up to.
· God never withholds from His child that which His love and wisdom call good. God's refusals are always merciful – "severe mercies" at times but mercies all the same. God never denies us our heart’s desire except to give us something better.
· Maturity starts with the willingness to give oneself.
· I have one desire now – to live a life of reckless abandon for the Lord, putting all my energy and strength into it.
Our Cedar Creek Church buildings are closed through the end of April, but the church is alive and well – just as Jesus is alive and moving among us! Here are some of the ways our church is joining together during this curious time:
Sunday Morning In-Home Worship: Visit our Cedar Creek Church website here for new links each Sunday morning to Scripture, a Pastor’s Moment, a song from the Worship Team, and a focused prayer time. You can also find the Sunday links in your email inbox each weekend and on Facebook.
Sunday Phone Calls: Our elders, deacons, and pastor have committed to calling everyone in the church each Sunday to check in. Please take the call or call back when you’re able to let us know how you’re doing, what prayer requests you have, and whether you have any immediate needs. If you have not received a phone call, please contact the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com. And please consider using your Cedar Creek Church directory to check on others via phone or email. If you need an updated directory, we are happy to send one to you.
Sunday Youth Group: Youth Director Don Mershon is hosting Youth Group via Zoom video conference on Sunday evenings at 6 p.m. If you know a teen who needs the link, contact Don at don@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Sunday Offering: Please remember that in difficult times like these, we need your support more than ever. We encourage you each to prayerfully consider giving a little more during these weeks that we are not able to gather, so that we might join together again one day blessed and amazed by the Lord’s good provisions. You can donate online by clicking on the “Donate Online” link here or send tithes and donations by mail to Cedar Creek Church, 21901 SW Sherwood Blvd., Sherwood, Oregon 97140. If you have questions, feel free to call the church at 503.925.8175. We are not currently in the office, but we are checking phone messages as we are able. You can also send an email to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Wednesday Connect & Pray: Join us from 7 to 8 p.m. each Wednesday evening via Zoom video conference for an opportunity to catch up with your church family and pray for one another. To join, click this link from any internet-connected device: Wednesday Connect & Pray. While a computer, laptop, iPad, or smart phone works best, you can also join by phone at 1-669-900-6833. The meeting ID is 619 794 703.
Small Groups: Some groups are meeting at their regular time via Zoom each week to check on one another, share prayer requests, and spend time in prayer. Reach out to your small group leader if you are not meeting and would like to, and if you are looking for a group to join, let me know at jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Prayer List: Check our continually updated Prayer List on the website. If you have items you would like to add, email them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com and/or jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org. We want to be in prayer for you, and we are asking that you keep your friends on the Prayer List in your prayers as well.
Palm Sunday: Watch for special links in our Sunday In-Home Worship on April 5, including activities for kids as we anticipate Christ’s Resurrection together.
Easter Sunday: As we anticipate Easter Sunday together, mark your calendars and gather in your homes at 10 a.m. Sunday, April 12, for our Easter Sunday Worship live on Zoom. We will hear a brief message, sing worship songs together, hear from each of you about a favorite Easter memory, pray together, and celebrate Communion together. Have ready a small amount of bread, tortilla, or pita to serve as the Bread of Christ. Also have a small amount of drink such as juice, water, soda, or tea to use as the Cup of Christ. Jesus is the Host, and we will ask that He bless your elements as we take Communion together.
If you are anxious, lonely, have an immediate need, or simply need someone to talk to, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can find your church leadership listed on the website here, and any one of us would love to connect with you.
Be joyful, my Friends, as that is the message we are called to carry to the world: Jesus died for our sins, we are freed by His sacrifice, and we are called to walk freely, love God and one another fiercely, and share the joy-filled Good News with all we encounter.
May the peace of Christ fill your hearts and your homes this week.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
3.17.2020 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
On Sunday, October 22, 1939, scholar and professor C. S. Lewis preached a sermon at St. Mary the Virgin Church, Oxford, that he originally titled “None Other Gods: Culture in Wartime.” World War II had just begun and Lewis, a veteran of the First World War, was pondering the human capability to grow and progress despite the uncertainty of war. The sermon was later reprinted for the Christian Student Movement as “Christian in Danger” and finally in a collection of essays as “Learning in War-Time.” In those title shifts, we hear a culture grasping for clarity in a time of crisis: What do we turn to? What can we count on as solid and dependable? Is there space for creativity, progress, and fulfillment, or must everything be put on hold?
Listen to Lewis’ words:
I think it important to try to see the present calamity in a true perspective. The war creates no absolutely new situation: It simply aggravates the permanent human situation so that we can no longer ignore it. Human life has always been lived on the edge of a precipice. Human culture has always had to exist under the shadow of something infinitely more important than itself. If men had postponed the search for knowledge and beauty until they were secure, the search would never have begun. We are mistaken when we compare war with “normal life.” Life has never been normal. Even those periods which we think most tranquil, like the nineteenth century, turn out, on closer inspection, to be full of cries, alarms, difficulties, emergencies. Plausible reasons have never been lacking for putting off all merely cultural activities until some imminent danger has been averted or some crying injustice put right.
But humanity long ago chose to neglect those plausible reasons. They wanted knowledge and beauty now, and would not wait for the suitable moment that never came. Periclean Athens leaves us not only the Parthenon but, significantly, the Funeral Oration. The insects have chosen a different line: They have sought first the material welfare and security of the hive, and presumably they have their reward. Humans are different. They propound mathematical theorems in beleaguered cities, conduct metaphysical arguments in condemned cells, make jokes on scaffold, discuss the last new poem while advancing to the walls of Quebec, and comb their hair at Thermopylae. This is not panache; it is our nature.
Paul wrote the New Testament epistles Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon while he was under house arrest in Rome between roughly 60 and 62 AD. He did not cordon himself off and wait to be freed. He gathered the tools he had before him – most notably his profound faith and his Holy Spirit passion to communicate that faith to others – and he wrote letters of love and appeal, correction and direction.
As Lewis reminds us, our current health crisis is not creating an absolutely new situation. Human life has always been lived on the edge of a precipice, and so we hunker down in our homes with a new kind of God-given “normal,” and we determine together the best ways to step more deeply into our faith and then share that faith with others. Paul did it, Jesus requires it (love the Lord and love your neighbor), and in these days, weeks, and possibly months when “normal life” seems to be on pause, it is our turn.
How will you draw closer to God in these moments, creating new habits that will last far beyond the current crisis? How will you listen well to your loved ones and neighbors, not offering advice or dictates but truly learning to listen and hear their hearts? How will you add a voice of faith, love, hope, and peace to your community – with a phone call, a FaceTime call, a Zoom gathering of friends, or a social media post that points to beauty rather than fear? Indeed, we are called as Christians to promote peace over anxiety, but be wary of the ways your words can sound judgmental, blaming, or shaming. Instead of undermining the fears of those around you, how can you be a source of kindness, calm, and joy? None of us has the answers of what will come next and how we will be expected to proceed, and in that we must rest, knowing that God is in control and our best next step is to praise the beauty of the blue, blue sky and look to our neighbors to see who might need food, household supplies, or – most importantly – a word of hope.
Our in-person Cedar Creek events are on pause as we do our part to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our community, but our church itself is NOT on pause. Your church leadership is meeting regularly, determining the best ways to keep our beloved community connected, cared for, and informed about the needs of others. What can you do to join us?
1. Visit our Cedar Creek Church website to stay informed, particularly under the “COVID-19 Resources” tab. We will be posting an in-home Sunday Worship for you each week, and we love hearing how you are gathering in your homes to worship the Lord just as we are gathering in ours. Be sure to click through the various options on the Resources tab.
2. Pray. Reference the Psalms, click on our Cedar Creek prayer list, or simply sit in silence, listening for what the Lord may have for you. If you have prayer requests for yourself, your families, or your neighbors, send them to ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com and we will share them on the website so others can be praying for you.
3. Reach out to each other. If you need a new Cedar Creek Church directory, email ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com. What if you committed to reaching out to someone new in our church family each week?
4. Give to the church. How bold can you be with your giving during this curious time? If we each committed to giving to the church not only our regular offering but also the money we would otherwise spend on travel, entertainment, and restaurants, can you imagine the excitement when we reconvene? Visit our website for the church address to mail your check or the “Donate Online” link at the bottom of the page.
5. Look ahead. As you will recall from our Annual Meeting at the beginning of this month, we have big plans for Cedar Creek Church: a new garden area, a renovated Ministry Center, a new video book study on Sunday mornings, continued conversations with local groups that want to use our facilities, increased presence at annual events like the Robin Hood Festival and Cruisin’ Sherwood – and all of those plans will forge ahead as soon as we are able. How will you join in? We also look forward to a JOYFUL REUNION once we are back in our beloved Ministry Center together. What will that day be like? What kind of party can we plan? Help us imagine!
May you be blessed by a firm sense of God’s presence this week. If you have needs, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
3.10.2020 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
Our kitchen is a mess. No, really -- an unusable mess: It is sealed behind a large plastic screen, and behind that screen, the 20-year-old mottled rug and over-waxed linoleum have been ripped out, the walls have been stripped down to the studs, and the floor is scattered with insulation, errant nails, and wads of duct tape.
For anyone who has lived through a remodel, you know that it is an uncomfortable process. We began by packing away a moving van full of dishes, appliances, lamps, and furniture, and – with some relief – donating and throwing away another truckload or two. Then we created a mini “kitchen” in our upstairs library for the next few months: a small microwave, toaster oven, and coffee maker propped on side tables around a sink, plus an ample supply of paper plates, cups, and silverware.
When the work is underway, the house shakes with the vibration of power tools, and it can be unnerving to have the driveway filled with trucks and the hallways filled with unfamiliar voices. And when the weekend comes, the silence is eerie as we walk past the sealed-off kitchen and family room to our mini upstairs kitchen, wondering aloud what the next week’s construction will bring. The emotions are curious, ranging from unease and anxiety to excitement and anticipation, mixed with a little sorrow as we say farewell to the way things were. And every part of it feels like exactly where Jesus wants us to be: uncomfortable, anticipating, trusting, and most definitely not in control.
Remember Proverbs 3:5: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. When we are surrounded by worldly comfort, our life events are falling into place neatly and predictably, and we feel fully in control, do we seek the Lord with the same urgency as someone who is in need? When the life we know is unmoored, the power tools are rattling so loud it’s difficult to think, and the places we once thought safe are no longer available to us, we can’t help but turn to Him.
Do you remember what it was like as a child to anticipate a birthday party or a special day, not knowing quite what to expect but fully believing that it would be wonderful? That it is how we are called to live: with excitement and expectancy rather than defeat or worry, knowing that discomfort and disruptions are all part of the journey.
Consider Matthew 6:31-34: Do not worry, saying “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. What would it look like for you to step into places where you are no longer comfortable, living expectantly and relying fully on Him?
Here is a run-down of some of our upcoming Cedar Creek events:
March 15 – Worship: Come hear Louie Olivares lead us through Chapter 9 of the Book of Daniel. Can you believe we have less than a month remaining in our Daniel series? As we look ahead to the latter half of spring, mark your calendars for a Serve Sunday on April 19, followed by a new sermon series that will dig into our Cedar Creek values and faith statements.
March 20 – Cedar Creek Movie Night: Join us at 6:30 p.m. in the Ministry Center for a free showing of the new movie Breakthrough plus munchies. Stay tuned for details, and let us know if you’re interested in helping us plan. Our hope is to make “Cedar Creek Movie Night” a once-monthly event for families and community members of all ages.
March 21 – Youth Group to Cannon Beach: The Cedar Creek Youth Group will be gathering at 9 a.m. March 21 at the Hite House to drive to Cannon Beach for a fun-filled day. If you are interested in joining or helping out, email Don Mershon. Friends are welcome!
March 23 – Ladies Night Out: Join us at 7 p.m. at the Sherwood Symposium for this month’s Ladies Night Out. All ladies are invited for a chance to catch up, get to know one another better, and relax with friends.
April 4 – All-Church Spring Clean-Up: Bring your yard tools and energy for a fun morning of cleaning our beautiful property as we prepare for spring. We will gather at 9 a.m. and continue until the work is done.
April 5 – Palm Sunday Brunch & Egg Hunt: Mark your calendars for a special Palm Sunday service at 10 a.m., followed by an all-church brunch and Easter egg hunt. Stay tuned for details from the Children’s Ministry Team.
April 12 – Easter Sunday: Bunnies, chicks, tulips, baskets, egg hunts, dye … what does it all have to do with the Resurrection of Jesus? Join us at 10 a.m. on Easter Sunday as we explore the miracle of Easter together. If you have neighbors and friends who are unsure about which church to attend on Easter Sunday, invite them to join us for a morning of fellowship, humor, and excited celebration of the Good News that allows us to live joyful, peaceful, hope-filled lives.
God bless,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
3.3.2020 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
Just over 100 years ago, we made several egregious errors regarding a particularly fast-spreading influenza virus: (1) slow communication, (2) poor hygiene, and (3) unfettered worldwide travel. During the flu season of 1918-1919, more than one-third of the world’s population was infected with the virus – roughly 500 million people. According to the Centers for Disease Control, a shocking 50 million people died in the pandemic, with about 675,000 deaths occurring in the United States.
With the benefit of hindsight, health care experts and historians agree that the conclusion of World War 1 in November 1918 exacerbated the virus as soldiers who had been in close contact with each other traveled home. A lack of education about proper hygiene also contributed to the spread (this was, after all, 102 years ago). And, believe it or not, most scholars view the 1918 influenza pandemic as an excellent case study of what not to do when communicating important health information to a lot of people.
Internationally, government heads still raw from the Great War were hesitant to admit the extent of the illness because it might reflect poorly on them. But the miscommunication did not end there. During World War I, President Woodrow Wilson had issued an executive order aimed at limiting all war communication in an effort to maintain the nation’s morale. When the flu hit, health officials borrowed the strategy by downplaying and even denying the illness in an effort to quell panic. In an oft-quoted statement, Chicago’s director of public health determined that it was not his job to interfere with the morale of his community: “It is our job to keep people from fear. Worry kills more than the disease,” he said. That proved to be very, very wrong.
As we watch news of the coronavirus, particularly as it hits close to home, our prayer of course is that this virus will quickly dispel so it is no longer front-and-center on nearly every media report we see. And I hope you will also keep the historical lens of our nation’s poor communication in 1918 in mind. While hype and panic are hugely ineffective, of course, it is important to stay informed and filter wisely the information we are hearing. Because of the constant communication, hygiene has improved, sick people are self-isolating, and those in a vulnerable state are not as likely to be exposed. That’s all good news, and let’s pray that the newbie hand-washers continue the habit long after the coronavirus has faded away!
Please be aware that your Elders, your Deacons, and your church staff have all discussed concerns regarding COVID-19 in Oregon, and we are following reliable sources closely. If we have updates for you that pertain specifically to our Cedar Creek community, we will post them on our website here.
Meanwhile, here are two trustworthy sources for those of you interested in keeping tabs on what is new:
Oregon Health Authority
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
More than anything, keep in mind that others are watching how you respond as a person of faith. Jesus calls us to radiate peace, hope, joy, and love in all situations. When the world around us is experiencing unrest, we exemplify peace. When our neighbors are fearful or blaming or angry, we demonstrate the love of Christ. Let’s band together as a church body that is responding with wisdom, calm, and great hope in a Son of Man who is riding on the clouds (Daniel 7). If you need support from our church body at any point, email the church office at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com.
Here is a run-down of some of our fun upcoming Cedar Creek events:
March 1-8 – Family Promise: Our church is pleased to be hosting families in need in our Ministry Center this week, providing a warm place to sleep, meals, and access to resources. For more information about Family Promise, look here; you will find our church listed under “Donors and Supporting Partners.” We are grateful to our partner churches who help us to staff and provide meals when we host every three months or so.
March 8 – Worship: Steve Wells will bring us a good word on Chapter 8 of the Book of Daniel this Sunday. We encourage you to read ahead and/or reread as we continue our deep-dive in Daniel. For digital access, BibleGateway is an excellent resource: Daniel 8.
March 20 – Cedar Creek Movie Night: Join us at 6:30 p.m. in the Ministry Center for a free showing of the new movie Breakthrough plus munchies. Stay tuned for details, and let us know if you’re interested in helping us plan. Our hope is to make “Cedar Creek Movie Night” a once-monthly event for families and community members of all ages.
March 21 – Youth Group to Cannon Beach: The Cedar Creek Youth Group will be gathering at 9 a.m. March 21 at the Hite House to drive to Cannon Beach for a fun-filled day. If you are interested in joining or helping out, email Don Mershon. Friends are welcome!
April 4 –All-Church Spring Clean-Up: Bring your yard tools and energy for a fun morning of cleaning our beautiful property as we prepare for spring. We will gather at 9 a.m. and continue until the work is done.
April 5 – Palm Sunday Brunch & Egg Hunt: Mark your calendars for a special Palm Sunday service at 10 a.m., followed by an all-church brunch and Easter egg hunt. Stay tuned for details from the Children’s Ministry Team.
April 12 – Easter Sunday: Bunnies, chicks, tulips, baskets, egg hunts, dye … what does it all have to do with the Resurrection of Jesus? Join us at 10 a.m. on Easter Sunday as we explore the miracle of Easter together. If you have neighbors and friends who are unsure about which church to attend on Easter Sunday, invite them to join us for a morning of fellowship, humor, and excited celebration of the Good News that allows us to live joyful, peaceful, hope-filled lives.
If you missed our Annual Meeting this past Sunday, be sure to pick up paper copies of our Annual Report, Cedar Creek 2020, and job descriptions of our three open staff positions – all available on the table by the front windows in the Ministry Center. Be sure, too, to write your name on any or all of the three clipboards if you are interested in adding your voice to some of our 2020 projects.
Blessings on your week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.orgCedar Creek Chronicles
2.25.2020 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
While I grew up attending a Presbyterian church in Portland, we did not celebrate a liturgical calendar, so my first exposure to Ash Wednesday was as a college student at Pacific Lutheran University in the 1980s. On the morning of Ash Wednesday each year, our campus pastors would gather in the red brick courtyard in the center of campus with tiny bowls of charcoal-black ash, marking a cross on students’ foreheads and reciting the words of Genesis 3:19: “For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
I found the ritual solemn, humbling, and a little bit curious, and I – like so many students – wrestled internally with the impact of wearing the cross as I went to classes that day: Was it an act of bold faith or smug boastfulness? Would others stare uncomfortably, and what did it say about me and my faith that I was pondering this at all? As I researched and queried those around me over the years, I soon settled into a comfortable reverence of the liturgical calendar.
Ash Wednesday is a meaningful remembrance of Christ’s walk into the desert where he fasted for 40 days and nights before beginning his public ministry. As Presbyterians, we view this season as an important opportunity for reflection and repentance; the ash cross is optional, but it can be deeply meaningful when you approach the ceremony with reverence, contemplation, and expectation.
More simply put, Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season lay a road that can carry us from some of the dreary places in our life to the great joy of Easter. In an era of instant communication about so many tragedies and seemingly impenetrable struggles worldwide, Ash Wednesday and the days of Lent can provide us with a way to talk about grief and fear – not denying it or rushing to the relief of Easter, but holding death and resurrection in tension. When we do this in community, we invariably emerge stronger, wiser, and bolder in our faith.
Whether Ash Wednesday is a normal part of your faith walk or a mysterious new concept, I hope you will join us tomorrow evening so we can consider together the importance of recognizing our own mortality and praising the God who created us.
Here is what is coming up in the life of our church:
Ash Wednesday Service – 7 p.m. February 26 in the Ministry Center. Join us for a brief, contemplative Ash Wednesday service as we ponder together Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. All ages are welcome.
Worship Service – 10 a.m. March 1 in the Ministry Center. We are continuing our sermon series on the Book of Daniel, and this Sunday we will dig into Daniel’s curious dream in Chapter 7.
Annual Meeting – 11:15 a.m. March 1 in the Ministry Center. Each year, we gather for an Annual Congregational Meeting to hear reports from various teams and look ahead to the next year. Join us as we hear about Cedar Creek 2020, a rethinking of our church vision and mission statements based on the good work of our Visioning Team this past fall/winter, and ponder various longer-term projects to beautify our church.
Family Promise – March 1-8 in the Ministry Center. Family Promise will be hosting families in our Ministry Center all next week. Please consider staying after service this Sunday to help us set up, and email the church office if you are interested in volunteering in other ways with this important outreach.
Cedar Creek Movie Night – 6:30 p.m. March 20 in the Ministry Center. We are opening our doors to the community for a free showing of the new movie Breakthrough plus munchies. Stay tuned for details, and let us know if you’re interested in helping us plan!
Youth Group to Cannon Beach – 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 21. If you are interested in joining, email Don at don@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
Spring All-Church Clean-Up – 9 a.m. April 4. Bring your yard tools and energy for a fun morning of pruning and cleaning our beautiful property as we prepare for spring.
Palm Sunday Brunch & Egg Hunt – 11:30 a.m. April 5. Mark your calendars for a special Palm Sunday service, followed by an all-church brunch and Easter egg hunt.
Christ’s peace to you this week, Friends. If you need prayer or would like to speak with me, an elder, or a deacon, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
2.18.2020 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
The body is not made up of one part but of many. (1 Corinthians 12:14)
I just returned from a three-day volleyball tournament at the Arizona Cardinals stadium in Phoenix. As I sat courtside and cheered, I was struck anew by the intense camaraderie demanded on the court: each set, attack, block, and dig looks like it has been beautifully choreographed into a team dance that keeps the ball afloat. But in reality, the players never know where the ball will drive next; they are continually anticipating each new movement, working together as one unit as they work to surprise the other team with a hit that cannot be returned. (If you need a reminder of how a volleyball game runs, look here for moments from a 2018 Olympic-level match.)
Whether a player makes an error or earns a point, the team meets in center court for an instantaneous reboot: back-slaps, high-fives, quick apologies, encouragement, a moment to shake off the last point and prepare for the next. The most successful teams have players who are humble, quick on their feet, hyper-conscious of everything around them, energized by the team dynamic, and always looking forward to the next play. Less successful teams have players who are boastful about themselves, critical of others, stuck in the moment, or overly self-critical. Simply put, the best teams work as a unit – selfless, energized, and working toward a singular goal. The less successful teams have players who are too self-focused to recognize the nuances on the court around them, which means the ball hits the court before they have time to react.
Jesus calls us to share the good news of the Gospel far and wide, and to honor the various giftings of those in our church family as we do. Just as volleyball players are each skilled and trained in a different position, we can come together powerfully as the body of Christ when we are humble and energized by the team that surrounds us. As Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 12, we are baptized by the same Spirit and yet we each have God-given gifts that make us unique. What are your God-given gifts? What are the gifts you see in those around you?
Better yet, how will you encourage team camaraderie with those in your life today? Are you ready to forgive an error, encourage a success, shake off a loss, look ahead to the prize? “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus,” Paul writes to the Philippians. How can we come together as Cedar Creek Church to encourage one another and those around us, leading people confidently to the love and hope of God’s promises?
Join us as we work as a team to share God’s Kingdom!
Worship Service – 10 a.m. February 23 in the Ministry Center. We are excited to welcome the Ristow family this Sunday: Steve, Audrey, Maddie, and Klaira. The Ristows have been missionaries in remote villages in Alaska since 2014, and we look forward to hearing Steve continue our Daniel sermon series with a consideration of Chapter 6.
Youth Night at the YMCA – 6 p.m. February 23 at the Sherwood Regional Family YMCA. Invite your friends for a fun night of swimming, rock wall, sport court, worship, sermon, and snacks.
Ladies Night Out – 7 p.m. February 24 at the Sherwood McMenamins. Come for lively conversation and plenty of laughter. We gather on the fourth Monday evening of each month, and all are welcome. Mark your calendar now, and bring a friend!
Ladies’ Night Out - 7 p.m. February 24 at the Sherwood McMenamins. Come for lively conversation and plenty of laughter. We gather on the fourth Monday evening of each month, and all are welcome. Mark you calendar now, and bring a friend!
Ash Wednesday Service – 7 p.m. February 26 in the Ministry Center. Join us for a contemplative Ash Wednesday service as we ponder together Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
Blessings to you and yours this week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
2.11.2020 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
“Infinite scroll” is a web design technique that allows us to move through internet content quickly and easily, swiping with a finger or scrolling with a mouse. New content loads continuously as we scroll down the page, allowing us to progress fluidly through the information rather than clicking and waiting for a new page to load. As web designers describe, the dynamic content-loading is almost magical, anticipating our next desire and feeding us new images and ideas in an infinite stream. The concept of infinite scrolling was revolutionary when it first emerged, improving our efficiency exponentially. But when technology no longer has a discernable beginning or end, where does that leave us? Are we able to self-regulate enough to step away from the content that continues to grow before our eyes? When we have no grounding table of contents or outline to return to, are we left in a mire of disorientation? How is that affecting the culture around us?
The origins of infinite scrolling are a bit nebulous, with some designers pointing to 1993 as a year when conversations around the concept first emerged. Aza Raskin is an interface designer and Silicon Valley heir who is credited with introducing the idea globally in 2006. Raskin says he built infinite scrolling alongside multiple interface projects designed to provide the most seamless experience possible, and he never anticipated the consequences. Since that time, Raskin has apologized, acknowledging that social media companies are using his technology to foster addiction: “It’s as if they’re taking behavioral cocaine and just sprinkling it all over your interface, and that’s the thing that keeps you coming back and back and back.” Ouch.
Whether or not you are a social media connoisseur, where are the moments of infinite scroll in your life? We all have them: habits, quirks, preferences, apathies, desires, addictions. Where are the moments when you slide into a place where you may not intend to stay as long as you do? How can you find the footing of a secure beginning and an end, the solidity of purpose and intent? The only “infinity” we are called to is with our Heavenly Father one day, so what does it mean that our culture has pressed into infinity as an efficiency, self-loading so we are left disoriented and hardly needing to think at all? How can we stand up as Jesus followers and teach others how to set biblical limits, engaging with the culture but drawing ourselves ever closer to Jesus’ example of loving others and loving God?
Remember King Nebuchadnezzar’s solution in Daniel 4: “At the end of that time, I raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored.” What will it take for you to lift your eyes toward heaven – today, tomorrow, and with constancy? How can we spur one another to resist a cultural infinite scroll and instead embrace a Jesus-focused infinite scroll?
Here are some upcoming events in the life of our church:
Worship Service – 10 a.m. February 16 in the Ministry Center. We are continuing our sermon series on the Book of Daniel, and we look forward to hearing Youth Director Don Mershon guide us through Chapter 5.
Youth Group – 11:30 a.m. February 16 in the Hite House. Middle and high schoolers are invited to join for lunch, games, study, and prayer. Bring a friend!
Family Promise Volunteer Training – 6:30 p.m. February 16 at the Lake Oswego LDS Center. Cedar Creek’s next hosting week for this important ministry of our church is March 1-8, and you must attend a training before interacting with the families. Join us!
A Visit from the Ristows — 10 a.m. February 23 Steve Ristow will be bringing us the message for the morning and his family, Audrey, Klaira & Maddie will be with him. They are forming a new ministry in Alaska and I’m sure they will tell us all about it. Don’t miss it!
Youth Night at the YMCA – 6 p.m. February 23 at the Sherwood Regional Family YMCA. Invite your friends for a fun night of swimming, rock wall, sport court, worship, sermon, and snacks.
Ladies Night Out – 7 p.m. February 24 at the Sherwood McMenamins. Come for lively conversation and plenty of laughter. We gather on the fourth Monday evening of each month, and all are welcome. Mark your calendar now, and bring a friend!
Ash Wednesday Service – 7 p.m. February 26 in the Ministry Center. Join us for a contemplative Ash Wednesday service as we ponder together Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
Blessings on you. May your infinite scrolling be Holy Spirit-driven this week.
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
2.4.2020 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
Greetings from Grapevine, Texas, a northwest suburb of Dallas where ECO pastors and elders are gathered for the 2020 ECO National Conference. The theme of this year’s conference, “Interconnected,” comes from one of our denominations core values: “Our Mutual Spurring” (look here for a summary of ECO’s mission and core values). Beyond the amusement that a “mutual spurring” ties well with Texas cowboy imagery (of course!), these words from the writer of Hebrews are worth soaking in as we move into this first week of February:
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:19-25).
The NIV subtitles this section “A Call to Persevere in the Faith,” and I love the echoes here of the two greatest commandments we hear from Jesus in Matthew 22: Love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor as yourself. In the verses above, do you hear the affirmation and encouragement? Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart. How do we love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind? We begin by drawing near with a sincere heart. How, then, do we love our neighbor as ourselves? We meet together, encourage one another, and consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. When we are pondering how to encourage and empower someone else, it is difficult to remain mired in irritation, anger, resentment, or hurt.
How can we draw together as a church and as a community, spurring one another on toward love and good deeds? What can you do differently this week that will inspire someone else to pursue God’s good plan for their lives?
Here are a few dates for your calendars:
Teen Center Dance & Glow Stick Party at 7:30 p.m. February 7: Middle school teens grades sixth through eighth are invited to the Sherwood YMCA for a night of loud music and fun! Entrance cost is $6.
Scout Sunday at 10 a.m. February 9: Join us for a special service commemorating the partnership of Boy Scouts of America with faith-based institutions worldwide. We look forward to special flag ceremonies and Boy Scout participation throughout the service. We are continuing in our Book of Daniel sermon series with a look at Chapter 4.
Family Promise Volunteer Training at 6:30 p.m. February 16: If you have not yet attended a training, please consider attending at the Lake Oswego LDS Center. Cedar Creek’s next hosting week is March 1-8, and you must attend a training before interacting with the families.
Youth Night at the YMCA at 6 p.m. February 23: Bring your friends for swimming, rock wall, sport court, worship, sermon, and snacks at the Sherwood Regional Family YMCA.
Ash Wednesday Service at 7 p.m. February 26: Join us for a midweek Ash Wednesday service as we ponder together Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
Don’t forget: Children’s Ministries is collecting new socks of all sizes for their February Sock Drive to be donated to Love INC. Bring them to church and drop them into the big box in the Ministry Center (Sanctuary).
Christ’s peace on your week,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
1.28.2020 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
I was blessed to grow up in a home with a physician father and an RN mother, which meant conversations around the dinner table about effective wound care or clogged carotid arteries was as normal as pondering the weekend soccer schedule.
From my earliest toddler memories, I recall hearing that my dad needed to “make rounds,” which meant he would be gone for a few hours on a Saturday morning, a Sunday afternoon, or a weeknight evening. From my vantage point, “making rounds” meant he would drive away in his dad-only work car, be gone for a number of hours, and sometimes discover something in his “round-making” that demanded immediate attention: an emergency surgical repair, a meeting with family members, a necessary consult with colleagues. If that happened, “making rounds” would extend into a full day or even sometimes two days.
I understood from an early age his work as a vascular surgeon: I knew that he met with patients in the office on certain days of the week, and on other days he donned surgical scrubs and held a curved suture needle as he repaired tears and internal parts that had malfunctioned. I witnessed that calm, steady-handed precision extend to his toil in our family vegetable garden, the way he packed the car for family vacations, and the careful way he would carve a Thanksgiving turkey. What I could never quite figure out is how “making rounds” equated with his work as a surgeon.
I remember asking and being told that “making rounds” had to do with checking on patients, particularly those who had undergone surgery and were now in recovery in the hospital. What no one realized is that “making rounds” in my brain involved large round film reels – the kind that clicked rhythmically when they turned. Every time he left to “make rounds,” I imagined my dad alone in a darkened room in the hospital, creating movie reels that somehow helped his patients or other doctors or simply recorded the work he had done during the week. I imagined that “making rounds” must be tedious, lonely work, and I wondered if other doctors had to create and maintain films as well.
When he asked one Saturday if I wanted to “make rounds” with him, I was hesitant because I wasn’t sure I wanted to sit in the corner of a dark room waiting for him to finish. He assured me that we would be speedy as he only had two or three patients to check on this time. How surprised I was when we spent that morning in a brightly lit wing of Emanuel Hospital, chatting with friendly nurses and peeking into various patient rooms to talk to people who were relieved to be done with their surgery, pleased to see my father, and eager to go home.
“Making rounds” wasn’t lonely at all, and it had nothing to do with film reels, dark rooms, or tedium. I had spent most of my childhood pitying my father for his long hours laboring over large round wheels of film, and I still to this day have a difficult time equating “making rounds” with patient visits rather than isolation. I had a perspective that I had assumed; no one had taught me or thought to correct me since we all assumed that our words were defining the same concepts.
We each hold a perspective that is unique to our upbringing, our choices, our genetic make-up, our faith, and our current circumstances, and we daily assume that our perspective matches or is at least similar to those who surround us. This past Sunday, Steve Wells brought us a wise biblical lens on the importance of checking our perspective. As we work through Daniel together, keep an eye out for this recurring theme – and be pondering the lenses you wear and the perspective-shifts that the Lord may be calling you to.
Here are a few dates for your calendars:
Worship Service at 10 a.m. February 2: We look forward to hearing Louie Olivares bring us God’s word from Daniel 3. Invite your friends and neighbors as we explore together in this rich Old Testament book.
All-Church Super Bowl Gathering at 3 p.m. February 2: The Hilgaertner family has graciously offered to host a Super Bowl party this Sunday. Prepare your favorite chili and/or cornbread recipe to enter in our cook-off, or bring a side to share. There will be games and plenty of good conversation for non-football fans, so come whether you prefer to watch the game, the commercials, or none of the above!
Scout Sunday at 10 a.m. February 9: All Boy Scouts are invited to wear their Class A uniforms and participate in this special service in a variety of ways: color guard, greeters, ushers, readers, praise band. If you are a Scout or Scout leader and would like to participate, send me an email at jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org. For 110 years, Boy Scouts has partnered with religious organizations to promote strong values, leadership, and community service, and Scout Sunday is an annual opportunity to honor those partnerships.
Family Promise Volunteer Training at 6:30 p.m. February 16: The next opportunity to get “approved” to volunteer with the families of Family Promise is at the Lake Oswego LDS Center. Our next hosting week is March 1-8.
Youth Night at the YMCA at 6:00 p.m. February 23: Bring your friends for swimming, rock wall, sport court, worship, sermon, and snacks at the Sherwood Regional Family YMCA.
Ash Wednesday Service at 7 p.m. February 26: Join us for a midweek Ash Wednesday service as we ponder together Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
May your week be blessed by an ever-increasing sense of the expansiveness of God’s perspective,
Jennie
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
1.21.2020 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
I spent most of this past weekend cheering courtside at the Matt Hartner Memorial Volleyball Classic, one of the West Coast’s largest volleyball tournaments: 264 teams, 33 courts, and 4 locations across the University of Oregon campus. The team I traveled south to support is comprised of 12 girls from various Portland metro high schools who had been practicing together twice weekly for just over a month. In any team sport, trust is paramount, and these girls had just begun to learn one another’s names.
Their talent was evident in the first 8 a.m. game on Saturday morning: the setter who jumped impossibly high and seemed to hang in the air above the frenzy, gently tipping the ball to precisely the right teammate; the hitter who leaped casually above the seven-foot net, slamming the ball into the opposing court with a velocity that would have sent me sprinting for the door; the defensive player who slid belly-first across the court, a single outstretched fist saving an errant ball from hitting the court. Individual talent is fun to watch, but without trust and constant communication, a team will rarely be successful.
What I had the pleasure of witnessing through the three-day MHMC Tournament was not just a team pulling together on the court but a team bonding during the off-hours, sharing life with one another in spontaneous ways that likely are now lifelong memories. While the planned moments were important – they would not have continued in such a large, complex tournament without showing up on time at the correct court for each new match – the unplanned moments brought the most surprises, laughter, and bonding: a morning when all 12 somehow slept late and had to scramble to find breakfast before a 7:15 a.m. court appearance; tired nights lying across one another’s beds and talking well past midnight; parent-free meals in a sushi restaurant and later a hamburger joint; time spent trying to scrub chocolate brown hair dye and spray tan out of at least one of the hotel bathtubs.
The team did well at the tournament, moving up a bracket and finishing with five solid wins and two losses. Better than that, though, the girls parted ways with promises of more hair dye (oh my) and unplanned adventures at the next weekend-long tournament in February. When we entrust another with a little unregulated silliness, aren’t we more likely to have confidence that they will be precisely where we need them to be when the whistle blows and the ball is in the air?
The Lord created us to live relationally and love one another well. Consider Ecclesiastes 4:9-12:
“Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
Jesus reminds us of the importance of relationships when he answers the Pharisees’ inquiry about the greatest commandment in the law in Matthew 22:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.
Do you allow space in your life for the spontaneity of relationships with others? How can we pull together as a church, trusting more deeply and looking forward to moments of laughter and surprise?
Here are a few dates for your calendars:
10 a.m. January 26: Join us to hear Steve Wells lead us through Chapter 2 of Daniel. Our Daniel sermon series will continue through Palm Sunday, and we look forward to diving deeply into this beautiful Old Testament book, seeking God’s truth.
3 p.m. February 2: The Hilgaertners have graciously offered to host an all-church Super Bowl gathering. There will be a chili cook-off and a cornbread cook-off, and all are encouraged to bring other sides, snacks, and desserts. Join us for an afternoon of fun, whether you are a football fan or not!
10 a.m. February 9: All Boy Scouts, current and former, are invited to attend service with us in honor of Scout Sunday. Scouts and troop leaders should plan to wear their Class A uniforms and may choose to participate in the service in a variety of ways: color guard, greeters, ushers, readers, praise band. For more information, send me an email at jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org.
7 p.m. February 26: Join us for an Ash Wednesday service as we ponder together Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
Christ’s peace to you this week,
Pastor Jennie Harrop
1.14.2020 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
Most of us can read the writing on the wall; we just assume it's addressed to someone else. - Ivern Ball, American writer
Very superstitious, / Writing's on the wall, / Very superstitious, / Ladders 'bout to fall. - Stevie Wonder, American singer
He who commits a wrong will himself inevitably see the writing on the wall, though the world may not count him guilty. - Martin Farquhar Tupper, English poet
No, no, there wasn't any planned 14th season; we all saw the writing on the wall. The ratings had been going down and so forth. That curve goes on every show and in everybody's life. - Larry Hagman, American actor
Too often do reviewers remind us of the mob of Astrologers, Chaldeans, and Soothsayers gathered before "the writing on the wall" and unable to read the characters or make known the interpretation. - Charlotte Bronte, English novelist
It is also a warning. It is a warning that, if nobody reads the writing on the wall, man will be reduced to the state of the beast, whom he is shaming by his manners. - Mahatma Gandhi, Indian lawyer and ethicist
I was thinking about doing another film at the same time, which was the sequel to Basic Instinct, and I just had a feeling that wasn't going to happen. You know, I just kind of read the writing on the wall. - Bruce Greenwood, American actor
Your magic white rabbit / Has left its writing on the wall / We follow like Alice / And just keep diving down the hole. - Egypt Central, American metal band
We have all heard the phrase, and many of us use it freely and readily: "When our corporate income dropped, we could read the writing on the wall." "When my friend stopped returning my calls, I could read the writing on the wall." "When collection agencies began calling, he could read the writing on the wall." The phrase has slid linguistically over the generations from story to myth to metaphor to idiom, and most people aren't aware that this phrase suggesting impending unpleasantries finds its origins in the Old Testament's Book of Daniel.
Consider the mysterious moment when the writing appears: King Belshazzar (Nebuchadnezzar's son) has thrown a party for a thousand of his nobles, wives, and concubines. As they are drinking wine from gold and silver goblets stolen from the temple in Jerusalem, raucously praising their own gods, a hand suddenly appears and begins writing on the wall as they watch:
Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking. The king summoned the enchanters, astrologers, and diviners. Then he said to these wise men of Babylon, "Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom" (Daniel 5:5-7).
When the king's wise men are baffled by the inscription and Daniel is summoned, imagine the pressure that Daniel was under when he stepped into that room. This story is just one example of many ways the Book of Daniel has become an irreducible part of our 21st-century language and culture. Join us these next three months as we walk through this rich Old Testament book together, digging into the history, the continual reminders of God's omniscience, and the direct applications to our own lives. We began with Chapter 1 this past Sunday (listen here), and we will conclude with Chapter 12 on Palm Sunday, April 12.
This Sunday, January 19, we are in for a treat as the George Fox University Players bring us a powerful performance titled "The Art of Listening." Look here for details, and be sure to invite friends and family!
May the Lord bless your week with his everlasting hope, peace, and joy. I look forward to seeing you this Sunday,
Pastor Jennie Harrop
1.7.2020 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
In the early 2000s, I had the pleasure of serving as a trustee and later vice president of the public library in our small town in Colorado. It was an ideal board to serve on, as our budget was millions more than we could manage to spend: contracted income from neighboring natural gas wells that seemed to grow exponentially even in the time I was there. The library was viewed as a helpful, inspiring, and nonthreatening focal point for the town, as many libraries are: When we organized new activities, people came. When we appealed for change in the community, people listened. We board members joked that our seemingly endless income stream eliminated the bulk of what would normally be our jobs - fundraising and line-item wrangling - and we enjoyed dreaming up new innovations and pondering what it would take to draw people together in meaningful ways, faithful that we would have the tools we needed to see the work through.
What I loved most about my time on the library board was that the library itself functioned as a natural connector for the community. People went to the library for inspiration, for community, for solitude, for advice, for new understanding, for aid when times were tough. Children's artwork covered the walls, and the announcement boards were lively and active. We were one of the first libraries in the country to begin renting pre-loaded Kindles to library members, and one of the first to cover our south-facing roof areas with solar panels. Neither project expended much, if anything, from our budget. Instead both were primarily funded by incentive grants and, more importantly, borne of a community that dreamed a little larger than most.
I love it that our Ministry Center once housed the Sherwood Public Library. For a peek at how our building looked as a library, click here. Do you see the children's corner under the windows and the book stacks that line the center of the room? What a wonderful testament to life and learning, inspiration and community-gathering.
As we step faithfully into 2020, we are excited to be opening our doors again to the community, blessing them with our beautiful property and, ultimately, a Holy Spirit sense of peace, joy, and hope. As many of you know, both Family Promise and Boy Scout Troop 116 have been meeting regularly in our buildings since last spring/summer, and we are excited this month to welcome three Young Life groups that will be gathering after school on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays in the Hite House. Please be praying that the lives of all who spend time at Cedar Creek are blessed by God's presence in ways they did not anticipate, drawing them ever closer to a life lived with Him.
Consider the reminder we read in Hebrews that we are called to hold unswervingly to our faith, to draw together as a community in God's name, to spur one another on, and to do all of this in anticipation of Christ's return one day:
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:23-25)
How can we live this out together? Our coffers may never overflow as they did at the public library in Colorado (one never knows!), but we are blessed with so much that we can share with those in need. How can we encourage one another as we seek to serve together?
Here is what lies ahead this month:
10 a.m., January 12: Join us as we begin a new sermon series on the Book of Daniel. We look forward to reading Daniel together from now until Easter.
6:30 p.m., January 12: Sherwood youth groups will be gathering at Countryside Community Church for "Unite 2020," an event sponsored by Cedar Creek, Countryside, Colossae, Journey, and Resonate, among others. Email Don Mershon for details.
January 12-19: Family Promise will be using our buildings to offer respite for local families in need. Email the church office if you would like to help.
January 19:The George Fox University Players will perform during our 10 a.m. worship service. Invite your friends!
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, Friends. For he who promised is faithful.
Be blessed.
Pastor Jennie Harrop
12.31.19 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
Beware the 2020 analogies: "20/20 vision" is a reference to visual acuity that we often overstate, assuming that 20/20 vision is perfection and, therefore, the measure to which we should all aspire. But 20/20 is actually a relative guide based on a standard of measurement that we were once told was archaic (ah, the irony): An individual with 20/20 vision can see clearly at 20 feet what we would expect a normal human to see. In Europe, where the metric system is the standard, eye specialists use a 6/6 measurement based on a 6-meter distance.
The meaning of 20/20 drifts generously from the precision of a -1.25 prescription to the vernacular overstatement that "hindsight is 20/20," and here is where we should take heed. As we enter this new decade with anticipation and excitement, be wary of the disappointment that comes when things don't follow the path we expected. Our culture presses us to set new goals, but offers little to help us actually reach those goals. Our Christian faith, on the other hand, promises us the scaffolding to lead us toward end results far loftier than our human brains can imagine. Wouldn't we all prefer the latter?
So as we step into this New Year with joy and anticipation, be wary of the 2020 - 20/20 analogies. Is 20/20 vision all that God calls us to - an ability to see at 20 feet about as well as our neighbor? In Hebrews 11:1, we are reminded that the crux of our faith lies far beyond our ability to see at all:
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
And in Proverbs 3, we remember that God's plans are far greater than our own:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Of course we can join the New Year's festivities as people joke about 2020 as the year when we can finally see with new visual acuity, but let's be ready to offer kindness and assurance when those around us realize in the months ahead that (1) 20/20 vision is not perfection and (2) our human measurement is limited at best. Perhaps then we can introduce them to a God who promises wisdom, joy, peace, and hope in miraculous ways that explode our mere 20 feet into a multitude of supernatural dimensions.
Yes, let's set goals and aspire to things greater than we have yet seen, but let's expect God's presence in all that we do, leading us on paths that surprise us and in directions that we had not anticipated. This new year should not be about mere checklists that satisfy us when the boxes are ticked; this new year should be about a myriad of blank canvases and pot after pot of colorful paint as we wait with the greatest anticipation to see what beautiful colors will unfold before us.
Here is what lies ahead in the life of our church:
December 31: Please be praying for Don and our youth as they gather at the church tonight to bring in the New Year and then travel to Bullwinkle's in Wilsonville for an all-nighter with youth groups from around the Portland metro area. I hear we have maxed our numbers this year, which is exciting!
January 12-19: Family Promise will be using our building to offer respite for local families in need. Please consider volunteering your time to help set up, cook meals, or spend time with the families who will be living at our church. Email the church office for more information.
January 13: This month's Men's Fellowship will return to Buffalo Wild Wings in Tualatin to watch the 2020 NCAA Football National Championship game. Plan to meet as soon after 5:00pm as you can.
January 19: We look forward to hosting the George Fox University Players during our 10 a.m. worship service. Come hear these talented university students bring a message of hope and healing. Invite your friends!
Blessings on your New Year's holiday, all. May you feel God's affirming presence in ever-more personal, deepening ways as we move into this new year together.
Pastor Jennie Harrop
12.17.19 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
Why is it that we live our lives longing for more, but the "more" - once gained - rarely satisfies?
A friend of mine was startled one Christmas when her sweet six-year-old son burst into tears that afternoon amidst the emptied stockings and unwrapped gifts. He had begged for months for a certain emerald green bicycle, and my friend and her husband had carefully hidden the bike away until Christmas morning. Her son was overjoyed when he discovered the very bicycle he had wanted for so long wrapped in a red bow beside the Christmas tree. He rode the bike gleefully that morning, first down the kitchen hallway and then - with my friend's encouragement - down the driveway to the neighbor's house and back. But something shifted that afternoon and his mood darkened.
"Did we buy the wrong size? The wrong color?" my friend wondered. Was this just over-excitement colliding with too much sugar and not enough sleep? But she soon realized that her son was wrestling with something far more existential.
"Where did the feeling go?" her son sobbed in her arms. "I want the feeling back!"
His joy that Christmas season was in the anticipation, the longing, the hope of something miraculous and life-giving. He rode the bicycle for many years to come, forgetting to park it in the garage enough times that the paint melted and curled over the years to reveal rust-colored stripes beneath. He enjoyed his bicycle as much as any child would, but he learned something that Christmas: There was a joy in the asking, the waiting, and the anticipating that was far more enduring than any material gift.
As we encourage others to experience the truth of Christ's birth, how can we remind them that true joy is found in the Spirit and in relationship with others? We are commanded to love God and love one another, and when we complicate that simple commandment with amendments, appendices, and caveats, we shield ourselves from the fullness of God's unimaginable abundance.
Our #CedarCreekCares event this past Saturday was a beautiful example of God's providence. When we began planning the event as a silent auction and end-of-year fundraiser, we anticipated a modest gathering of 30 or 40 from our congregation. What happened Saturday was a Jesus-feeds-thousands kind of joyful miracle: We welcomed about 100 guests for a delightful evening of beautiful music, dance, good food, fun auction items, and joyful fellowship. By our count this morning, we raised nearly $2,200 to support our church's outreach efforts in the coming year. God is good. Many thanks to Jessie Cousins, Rosalie Lund, Steve Wells, and Don Mershon for their hard work in ensuring that the night was a success.
Serve Day: This Sunday (12/22), join us at 10 a.m. in the Ministry Center parking lot wearing work clothes as we set off together to serve our community. If you are able, please consider bringing yard tools, cleaning supplies, boxes, packing tape, and Christmas gift cards to bless those we will be serving. All ages, abilities, and mobility levels are welcome: There will be something for everyone to do as we serve together.
Christmas Dessert & Caroling: This Sunday evening at 6 p.m., plan to return to the Ministry Center for a dessert potluck and Christmas caroling in the nearby neighborhoods with Colossae Church. Bring a dessert to share and a favorite board game or two. Caroling is optional, of course, and we will have games, music, and desserts in the Ministry Center from 6 to 8 p.m. rain or shine. If you are able, please come at 5:30 p.m. to help us set up tables. Come anticipate Christmas with our good neighbors at Colossae!
Christmas Eve Service: We look forward to a beautiful evening of poinsettias, candles, fellowship, storytelling, and music. Join us at 5 p.m., and bring your family and friends.
New Year's Youth All-Nighter: Cedar Creek youth will gather at 10 p.m. December 31 at the church to celebrate the New Year with games, food, and a trek to Bullwinkle's Family Fun Center to join youth group kids from all over the Portland area for a night of fun. See Don Mershon for details.
If you are finding yourself wrapped in a mire of holiday planning, worrying, and too-little time, I encourage you to take a moment to sit and simply listen for the Lord. Do you know how Jesus responded when he overheard the synagogue leaders fussing and wondering? Mark 5:36 tells us: "But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, 'Do not fear, only believe.'" Amen.
Be joyful, Friends. Believe, and you will find yourself abundantly blessed.
Pastor Jennie Harrop
12.10.19 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
Where is the life we have lost in living?
T. S. Eliot
In her beautiful essay collection titled Grace (Eventually), Anne Lamott writes the following:
[My friend] said that when she'd gotten sober, she saw that even though you get the monkey off your back, the circus never really leaves town. "Make yourself a nice snack," she told me.
I made oatmeal with applesauce.
The best way to change the world is to change your mind, which often requires feeding yourself. It makes for biochemical peace. It's almost like a prayer: to be needy, to eat, to taste, to be filled, building up instead of tearing down. You find energy to do something you hadn't expected to do, maybe even one of the holiest things: to go outside and stand under the stars, or to go for a walk in the morning, or in such hard times, both.
How have you changed your mind this fall? How have you fed yourself so you are able to build up those around you rather than tear down? Christ calls us to hear, love, and invigorate those
around us with a joy that is unexpected. How do your days demonstrate Christ's call?
As we anticipate Christmas Eve just two weeks from today, we have a number of ways to celebrate the season together:
December 14 (6-8 p.m.): #CedarCreekCares Christmas Dinner & Silent Auction - Join us for an Olive Garden-provided dinner for just $5 per person, plus musical entertainment by the Sherwood High Mixolydians, Landon Wells, Miles Harrop, Chandler Wells, Piper Harrop, and others. We will have more than 30 impressive items for you to bid on in our silent auction, as well as gift-card-filled grab bags. Don't miss the fun!
December 15 (after church): Cedar Creek Youth Christmas Party - Wear your best ugly Christmas sweater and bring a white elephant gift. Come for lunch and games!
December 16 (7 p.m.): Ladies Night Out - We look forward to gathering at Industry Restaurant in Tualatin for an evening of good food, drink, catching-up and - undoubtedly - much laughter. Join us!
December 22 (10 a.m.): Serve Sunday - We will gather in the Ministry Center parking lot at 10 a.m. and then travel together to the home of a Love INC client who needs our help this Christmas. All ages and abilities are welcome.December 22 (6 p.m.): Christmas Caroling & Dessert Potluck with Colossae Church - Bring your favorite dessert to share and come for an evening of music and games. For those who want to bless the neighborhood with Christmas carols, we will join with Colossae Church to go out in groups to nearby homes. And for those who prefer to stay indoors, we will have games and music in the Ministry Center as well. Let's anticipate Christmas together with songs and laughter!
December 24 (5 p.m.): Christmas Eve Service - We look forward to a poinsettia-filled sanctuary and a chance to soak in the Christmas story as told by a number of our children and youth. What better way to experience the story of Christ's birth than through the voice of a child?
December 31 (10 p.m.) - January 1 (7 a.m.): Cedar Creek Youth New Year's Party at Bullwinkle's - Join hundreds of area youth group teens for a night of go-karts, laser tag, mini golf, bowling, video games, pizza, and more! Check with Don for details and to get your name on the list.
We are blessed beyond measure, my friends. Christ's peace and joy to you this week,
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
Luke 2:4-5
Happy Advent, Friends.
The word advent derives from the Latin ad + venire, which means to come. The English derivation comes from the Latin adventus, which means arrival. While early Roman Christians initially tied advent to an anticipation of Christ's second coming in the clouds, by the Middle Ages the word was linked more overtly to Jesus' birth and the Christmas season.
The first Sunday of Advent was December 1, when we lit the candle of hope. The second Sunday of Advent will be this Sunday, when we light the candle of peace. The third Sunday of Advent is December 15, when we will light the pink candle of joy. The fourth Sunday of Advent will be on December 22, when we light the candle of love. The white Christ candle sits in the middle of the Advent wreath and is lit on Christmas. When we honor the liturgy of Advent each year, we bring to the forefront an ancient expectancy of the Messiah: as we celebrate his birth and as we anticipate his second coming. By commemorating the Advent, we join our hearts and voices with the faithful disciples who have come before us - in our church, in our community, and around the world.
While for many of us, Christmas is a time of great joy and excitement, many people dread the frivolity of a season that rarely leaves space for grieving a lost loved one, honoring the struggles of mental health, or acknowledging the disappointments of unrealized hopes and dreams. In the past 16 months, I have lost three cousins: one to breast cancer, one to suicide, and one to skin cancer. We were all close in age, and I have childhood memories of joyful holidays and silly pranks with each. I have had moments as recently as yesterday when I swear I spotted one of their faces across a crowded room, and the realization that they are no longer with us hits me anew. I take comfort in knowing that they each finally have relief from their earthly pain, but I ache for their families who must plan joy and festivities when all they really want to do is find a quiet space to mourn. As we move through this holiday season together, let's watch for the angst in the hearts of those around us. How can we embody Christ's empathy and authentic love this month - even amidst the joy and excitement?
Here is what we have to look forward to in the life of Cedar Creek Church:This Sunday, December 8, we will ponder why the Lord chose Joseph. Plan to stay after the service for a brief congregational meeting, a Christmas potluck, and cookie decorating sponsored by the Children's Ministries Team. Bring your favorite Christmas breakfast food to share!
On Monday, December 9, men are invited to join Cedar Creek Men's Fellowship at 7 p.m. at Langer's for a night of bowling fun!
We are looking forward to our #CedarCreekCares Dinner & Silent Auction at 6 p.m. December 14 at the Sherwood YMCA Teen Center. Come for an Olive Garden dinner for only $5, plus entertainment from the award-winning Sherwood High a capella group Mixolydians. We will also enjoy performances by our own Landon Wells, Chandler Wells, Piper Harrop, and Miles Harrop. Don't miss it.
Cedar Creek Youth will be gathering after church on December 15 for a Christmas party and white elephant gift exchange. Invite your friends, and start dreaming now about how to ensure that your gift is the silliest one there!
Ladies Night Out is planned for 7 p.m. December 16 at Industry Restaurant in Tualatin. Join us for good food, fellowship, and lots of laughs.
On December 22, we will gather at the Ministry Center at 10 a.m. as usual and then head out into the community for a service project. We look forward to seeing what the Lord has planned for our second all-church Serve Sunday.
Also on December 22, be sure to join us in the Ministry Center at 6 p.m. for a Christmas dessert potluck and caroling in the neighborhood with Colossae Church. What a great opportunity to partner with our closest church neighbors!
Our Christmas Eve service will be at 5 p.m. this year. Join us for a wonderful evening of music, hearing the story, and anticipating the miracle of Christmas together.
On December 31, Cedar Creek Youth are headed to Bullwinkle's again for an all-night New Year's Eve party. Check with Don for details. The numbers are growing, so be sure you are on his list!
And ... a quick teaser for January ... I have just gotten confirmation that the George Fox University Players will be leading us in their thought-provoking performance titled "Looking Up" during our worship service on January 19. Mark your calendars and invite your friends!
Many blessings to you this first week of Advent, my friends. I am honored to serve, learn, and worship alongside you. We have much to be thankful for and much to anticipate!
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
11.26.19 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
Greetings, all.
We closed our 12-week ReFrame series this past Sunday evening with a wonderful documentary titled Godspeed: The Pace of Being Known. If you can carve 40 minutes this week to imagine what a less harried, less internet-dependent life might look like, here it is: https://www.livegodspeed.org/watchgodspeed-cover. Our technological innovations in the last decade have been phenomenal, but do we remember how to see and hear one another well? As we are reminded in Godspeed, most of us need to slow down in order to catch up to God.
Please remember that our #CedarCreekCares campaign needs YOU to help spread the word! #CedarCreekCares is a two-pronged campaign: (1) We are seeking one-time donors interested in giving a financial gift to Cedar Creek to help us with our many service projects and initiatives in the community. (2) We are hosting a #CedarCreekCares Christmas Dinner & Silent Auction from 6 to 8 p.m. on December 14 at the Sherwood YMCA. Dinner on December 14 will be provided by the Olive Garden for only $5 per person, and we are excited to hear from the musical talents of the award-winning Sherwood High Mixolydians, Miles "Automatic" Harrop, Chandler Wells, and others.
Ready to help? Here are some options:
Send the #CedarCreekCares letter to family, friends, or business owners who may be interested in donating a one-time end-of-year gift. Letters are available in the Ministry Center or via email by request (ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com).
Share the #CedarCreekCares flyer in person, via email, or over social media. The flyer is also available in the Ministry Center or via email by request.
Donate a silent auction item or gift basket for our December 14 event.
Volunteer to help during our December 14 event.
Come on December 14 ready to eat good food, bid on exciting auction items, and enjoy some fabulous entertainment!
For details, contact Rosalie at ccsherwoodoffice@gmail.com, Jennie at jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org,
or talk to Jessie on a Sunday morning. We would love to include you as we prepare for a joyous night!
We are pleased to share that Young Life is beginning to use our facilities for regular meetings. Please be praying this month for the families associated with Boy Scout Troop 116 and Sherwood Young Life. As the kids enjoy our grounds and become familiar with calling Cedar Creek home, our prayer is that their families will feel drawn to the peace and joy that their kids are experiencing at Cedar Creek Church.
Here is our December list of upcoming events. Mark your calendars and invite your friends:
December 1 (10 a.m.): First Sunday of Advent -- join us as we begin to ponder the Christmas story together
December 6/7 (times TBA): Rising Free movie at Regal in Sherwood (look here)
December 8 (after church): Children's Ministries Christmas Lunch Potluck
December 9 (7 p.m.): Men's Fellowship
December 14 (6 p.m.): #CedarCreekCares Christmas Dinner & Silent Auction
December 15 (after church): Cedar Creek Youth Christmas Party
December 16 (7 p.m.): Ladies Night Out
December 22 (10 a.m.): Serve Sunday
December 22 (6 p.m.): Christmas Caroling & Dessert Potluck with Colossae Church
December 24 (5 p.m.): Christmas Eve Service
December 31 (10 p.m.): Cedar Creek Youth New Year's Party at Bullwinkle's
Happy Thanksgiving, Friends. May the Lord bless you with a profound sense of His holy presence this day and this week.
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
11.19.19 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
When I lived in Colorado for 16 years, I hiked and camped as often as I could: with my family, with my church, with friends, with visitors, and frequently alone. We lived on five acres of the Colorado plains northeast of Denver with a startling view to the west of the snow-capped Rocky Mountains, and we had unfettered access to the nearly 400 square miles of Rocky Mountain National Park. When I wasn't juggling babies, working, or studying, I was hiking.
One Friday in September, I set off alone to climb St. Vrain Mountain, a wonderfully solitary trail that meandered through thick alpines and then turned steeply up rocky shale to a peak of 12,162 feet - and a majestic panoramic view of the surrounding Rocky Mountains to the north and south. I had climbed St. Vrain many times before, and this time I was seeking a word from the Lord. Life was unsettled, and I had questions. I knew the trail well - what time to hit the trailhead, when I would likely emerge from the treeline, the point when it was necessary to summit before afternoon thunderstorms rolled through, and how to jog steadily down the mountain without aggravating my knees. I carried my Bible and a journal in my pack, hoping for some clear and steady answers from God; I was sure he was calling me to new paths, and I was ready for the game plan.
Once the trail emerged from the treeline, it zigzagged through alpine scrub and occasional boulders before veering sharply up to the summit. The last portion of the climb was always deceiving. The summit looked close - it seemed like a quick, determined jog would finish the climb - but the altitude of over 11,000 feet stole the breath from my lungs and set heart pounding in an alarming way. As the trail angled up toward the summit, the hard-packed dirt turned to shale, and soft, fine-grained rocks that slipped beneath my boots and seemed to drag my backwards each time I stepped forward.
I kept my head down that day as I climbed, focusing on the rocks beneath my feet as I struggled to breathe evenly and keep my pace slow and steady. Each time I paused to catch my breath and look up, the summit seemed no closer. But I had climbed this path before, and I knew the deception of the final stretch; the best remedy was to keep moving and trust that the distance would shrink.
I paused one last time, breathing deeply and focusing on my boots, steadying myself for the final ascent. And then I heard it: a rhythmic clicking of sliding shale that matched the sounds my boots had made, but I wasn't moving. I raised my head slowly, uneasy because my perch was tenuous and my breath labored, which meant I wasn't in any position to defend myself, if needed. Ten feet above me, a mountain goat stepped gingerly across the shale, ignoring me completely as he walked a path perpendicular to mine - across the mountain rather than up. I held my breath, wanting to freeze time. Behind him trailed another mountain goat, and then another and another. They were seven in a string, of varying ages and sizes, sure-footed and unimpressed by my ungraceful perch below them.
I didn't own a cell phone back then, so no photos, no scrambling to tell other people, no impulse to capture or show or boast. It was a fleeting moment, and it was everything I needed to propel me onward. When I reached the summit, the mountain goats long gone on a trail below, I did receive a clear word from God: "Be still," He told me. And when I asked for more, He said it again: "Be still." And those words were enough. He was in charge, He knew my anxieties, He knew my longings, and He had it all in the palm of His hand.
Hear again David's words in Psalm 46:11: Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Where can you find moments today to be still and know?
LOTS of good stuff coming this winter:
November 24 (6 p.m.): Final night of ReFrame
December 1 (10 a.m.): First Sunday of Advent
December 6/7 (times TBA): Rising Free movie at Regal in Sherwood (lookhere)
December 8 (after church): Children's Ministries Christmas Lunch Potluck
December 9 (7 p.m.): Men's Fellowship
December 14 (6 p.m.): #CedarCreekCares Christmas Dinner & Silent Auction
December 15 (after church): Cedar Creek Youth Christmas Party
December 16 (7 p.m.): Ladies Night Out
December 22 (10 a.m.): Serve Sunday
December 22 (6 p.m.): Christmas Caroling & Dessert Potluck with Colossae Church
December 24 (5 p.m.): Christmas Eve Service
December 31 (10 p.m.): Cedar Creek Youth New Year's Party at Bullwinkle's
Peace to you this week,
Pastor Jennie Harrop
11.12.19 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
What is your "Theology of Joy"? If your first response is, "I don't have one," think again. You do. We all do. And your "Theology of Joy" often is the first sense that people have of you when you walk in a room, answer an email, talk on the phone, even change lanes on I-5. Do you reserve joy for those moments when your work is complete, your relationships are sound, and you are not tired, hungry, or anxious? Do you believe that joy is really for those whose walk is more holy than yours? Is joy for tomorrow, because now is too hurried, too frazzled, too lonely, too sorrow-filled, too numb, too _______ ?
Writer C. S. Lewis describes his lifelong search for joy in his 1955 biography Surprised by Joy. Lewis tries to put words to those wonderful fleeting moments in life when he experienced a supernatural sense of profound peace, hope, love, excitement, and longing: a childhood memory of a time in the garden with his brother, for example, or a fascination with Beatrix Potter. He seeks to define joy as far more profound, supernatural, and steadfast than mere "happiness," which is where we often land. Happiness demands that our circumstances are settled, whereas joy comes from the Holy Spirit and is available to us at any moment of any day. Why else would we read in James 1, "Count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds"?
Lewis lived much of his life with his brother Warren - two bachelors focused on their research and writing in their home "The Kilns" in Oxford, England. Lewis published Surprised by Joy in 1955. In 1956, Lewis married the love of his life at nearly 60 years old. Her name? Joy Davidman. As Lewis witnessed, and as we must be witnesses to, the joy that the Lord promises reaches far beyond our own limited view of how things should be and what losses we believe we have incurred. Is your "Theology of Joy" grounded in how well things are going, or do you allow the Holy Spirit to bring you joy in all circumstances, just as God promises he will?
Many thanks to those who helped at last Saturday's All-Church Clean-Up! We had a record turn-out with more than 30 volunteers scattered across the grounds raking leaves, stacking wood, and prepping the grounds for winter. A special thank you to Boy Scouts Order of the Arrow and Troop 116 members, some of whom worked for more than eight hours wrestling blackberries for us!
Here are some dates for your calendars:
10 a.m. 11/17: This Sunday is Pledge Dedication Sunday, so please prayerfully consider how you will support our church financially in 2020. We will allow a space during the offering this Sunday for you to bring your pledge cards forward, as well as a word of hope for our church. Join us Sunday to hear more, and to dig into God's message of joy for us!
6 p.m. 11/17: This Sunday evening, we will gather at 6 p.m. for a potluck dinner and to watch Episode 10 of the ReFrame series, titled "Joyful Living." Cedar Creek Youth will gather at Langer's for a night of fun.
7 p.m. 11/18: Ladies, come join us for Cedar Creek Ladies' Night Out at Industry Restaurant in Tualatin!
10 a.m. 11/24: Remember to bring your shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. There are boxes and info forms for you to pick up at the church.
6 p.m. 12/14: Save the date for the #CedarCreekCares Christmas Dinner and Silent Auction at the YMCA. Come for dinner for only $5 per person, bid on items large and small, and enjoy musical talents of Landon Wells, Chandler Wells, Piper Harrop, Miles Harrop, and others! All funds raised at this event will go towards helping Cedar Creek Church to serve the community well. Please consider donating a silent auction item, requesting one-time end-of-year gifts from friends and family, and spreading the word to any who might like to join us. We will have the donation request letter and a flyer available in the Ministry Center. If you would prefer a digital copy of either, let me know.
6 p.m. 12/22: Save the date for Christmas Caroling and Dessert with Colossae Church. We look forward to gathering with our neighbors for an evening of potluck desserts, music in the Ministry Center, and caroling nearby for those who want to join.
Hear Paul's words from Romans 15 as you ponder your "Theology of Joy" this week:
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
May Christ's joy fill you this day in ways that surprise and delight you!
Pastor Jennie Harrop
jennie@cedarcreeksherwood.org
11.5.19 * Cedar Creek Church * Sherwood
In my work with university-level adult students, I am reminded almost daily of the deep hurt the church has caused. So many people today are instantly defensive at the mere mention of Christianity, preparing themselves to fend off our barbs and arrows. In their experience, Christians are simplistic, demeaning, hypocritical, and judgmental, twisting our "truth" however best fits our circumstances. My first instinct is to defend our faith and try to explain why their beliefs are uninformed, untrue. But is that the approach Jesus would call us to?
N. T. Wright argues in his 2011 book Simply Jesus that the core problem lies with us. We are the ones who have Jesus wrong, Wright argues, and "if Christians don't get Jesus right, what chance is there that other people will bother much with him?"
Jesus - the Jesus we might discover if we really looked! - is larger, more disturbing, more urgent than we - than the church! - has ever imagined. We have successfully managed to hide behind other questions (admittedly important ones) and to avoid the huge, world-shaking challenge of Jesus's central claim and achievement. It is we, the churches, who have been the real reductionists. We have reduced the kingdom of God to private piety, the victory of the cross to comfort for the conscience, and Easter itself to a happy escapist ending after a sad, dark tale. Piety, conscience, and ultimate happiness are important, but not nearly as important as Jesus himself.
How do we learn to not only tell the stories of Jesus, but to show the stories - to show the truth of who Jesus was and is today in the choices we make, the words we speak, and the moods we impart as we move through our days? How we can encourage one another to encounter Jesus in the enormity that Wright suggests here?
Here is a glimpse of what is upcoming in our church. Join us Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. to hear more!
This Saturday at 9 a.m. is our All-Church Clean Up. Join us in your work clothes, and bring any yard tools you have to help clear leaves, cut black berries, and prepare our property for the winter months.
This Sunday at 10 a.m., we will hear from Louie Olivares about the ReFrame story "Ambassadors." Come worship with us at 10 a.m.!
This Sunday at 6 p.m., we will continue with Week 10 of our fall ReFrame series. Join us for a potluck dinner, viewing of ReFrame Episode 9, discussion, and prayer. Everyone is welcome.
November 11 at 5:30 p.m. is Men's Fellowship at Buffalo Wild Wings in Tualatin.
November 17 is the Sunday to bring your pledge cards as we prayerfully consider together how to financially support our church in the year ahead.
November 18 at 7 p.m. is Ladies' Night Out at Industry Restaurant in Tualatin.
November 24 is the Sunday to bring your filled shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.
Watch for a letter in your mailbox this week with your pledge card for 2020. We are excited about the good work God is building in our midst, and it is our hope that you will spend the next week or two in prayer seeking God's will for your giving this next year. Thank you for your faithfulness to our church as we seek new ways to dig into the truth of Jesus' story and carry the hope of that truth to all we encounter.
May you experience Christ's joy this week in surprising ways!
Pastor Jennie Harrop