by Pastor James Bell

Jesus heard the laughter, even the punch line of the joke the greeter was telling some other folks. And it was a funny story, but Jesus had heard it many times before, usually in churches. No one took much notice as he quietly slipped through the door and across the foyer. You simply can’t greet everyone who comes into a service, especially if they all seem to wait until the last minute to arrive.

“Is this your first time with us?” asked a smiling receptionist at the welcome desk.

“Actually, I’ve been here a few times, but not in a while.”

“Well, it’s good to have you back. Be sure to fill out a visitor card!”

“May I ask why?”

“So we can have a record of your visit. Also, the pastor will send you a nice letter.”

Smiling once more, Jesus entered the Sanctuary and found a seat near the back.

“Look at someone and tell ‘em Jesus is alive!” bellowed the service leader. “We’re gonna give him our crazy praise today!”

The band was good. Very good. And the singers could do more than just sing. They were dancing, grinning, vibrant vocalists who never lost eye contact with their audience. The place was rocking. Everything ended with a crescendo exactly 23 minutes later. The pastor smiled his approval. After all, this service was being shot by three cameras and exported to five remote locations. Timing was everything.

After a video of a man asking people on the street why they didn’t come to church, which ended with an obese, unshaven homeless man wiping his nose and saying the preacher’s sermons didn’t make sense to him anymore, the pastor boldly approached the pulpit.

“My message today is ‘Why the Gospel Makes Sense’. If you are the man in that video, blow your nose and listen carefully!”

The congregation roared with laughter. They realized they had been set up, but it was great to be part of a church that was never boring and always so creative. The pastor worked his way skillfully through his power points, streaming from huge screens above his head.

“Even if you didn’t believe in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, just following his principles would change your life for the better”, the Pastor said, “And as your faith deepens, you start to realize that the poor choices you have made are hindering your search for true joy and fulfillment. Look in the mirror! You were designed to be something special!”

There was an impressive response to the call for transformation. You simply had to stand to respond. Many people did. After a prayer of agreement, they were thanked for coming and dismissed. One of the ushers approached the pastor after the service, striding quickly across the altar area and leaning to whisper in his ear.

“There’s a man sitting on the back row. Looks like he’s been crying.”

“Did anyone talk to him? Did he fill out a visitor card?”

“Don’t think so. He has kind of a strange look on his face. Seems like I’ve seen him around here before, but it’s been a long time. Always looks kind of outta place …”

Exiting the Sanctuary, the worship leader walked past the single figure sitting on the back row with one arm across the back of the pew. She smiled at this man with a troubled look on his face. She thought about how you often don’t really know who you are ministering to on a Sunday morning. She remembered that he didn’t seem be very demonstrative in his worship response, especially to the new song she had written, “Dancin’ Throwdown (a Hallelujah Hoedown)”. She consoled herself that he was probably too old school to appreciate cutting edge stuff.

The Sanctuary was quiet and almost empty now. Ushers were cleaning and straightening.

“Could I help you, Sir?” an usher said, walking toward the only person left in the Sanctuary.

Jesus smiled. “I don’t think so, but thanks for asking. And I was just wondering if there might be some way I could help you?”

“Nah, not really. I just gotta straighten up the church and get all the trash and stuff outta here before the next service.”

“I understand. I have a lot of experience doing that myself.”

The usher smiled, sighed, and shook his head, remembering how someone said at the last ushers meeting that this church seemed to attract some really different kinds of people. Reaching the front of the Sanctuary, he turned to get one more look. The visitor was gone.

Our new series, "Where in the World is Jesus" starts this Sunday.

by Pastor James Bell

I was the kid who was bored in Sunday School and fantasized about playing baseball as the pastor droned on in his weekly sermon. How did I get to be so religious?

I can’t blame it on my middle-class, church-going, upbringing. Mother and Dad were faithful to the church, but more generous than most others in our flock about understanding when their kids simply got worn out from “churchianity”. They did worry a bit more about my eternal destiny than that of my two sisters, and rightfully so, because I seemed to relish not being religious. I changed lyrics, shared them with my little friends, and sang them lustily to the appreciative glances of adults who had no idea what I was actually singing. Mother did check me out occasionally to make sure I was not about to commit the unpardonable sin. Dad warmed the seat of my pants in response to a verse he felt disrespected the pastor.

I thought it strange when the pastor announced one Sunday morning that I had been saved, and there was weeping that erupted from the children’s ministry workers. One lady looked over at me and began to pray in tongues. My state of bewilderment was further evidence that a religious person I was not. The pastor even dropped me in the baptistry while I was being immersed, giving me an immediate disconnect with the sacredness of the moment and a strong suspicion that he was not above revenge.

For me, the rites of passage that brought out the worst in many of my friends actually centered my thinking on Jesus and his church. The seed sown by my school teacher parents, as they filled my mind with scripture, began to take root. Serving Jesus made sense to me. The fact that I really did experience salvation, unlike some of my pre-adolescent buddies who just went along to get along, made a huge difference. The Christian lifestyle fit perfectly with the verses I had kept in my heart.

But even in Bible college I wasn’t religious. Even as a future minister, I found much liturgy to be embarrassingly outmoded or hilariously funny. I related strongly, as did every young person in the 60’s and early 70’s, to the word, “real”.  To many of us, that word meant embracing transparency and rejecting hypocrisy. Religion was out. Spiritual expressiveness was in. Not being very expressive by nature, I found myself, once again, on the outside looking in.

After wandering through the wilderness of self-promotion and ambitious striving (I was Jonah in retailing), I arrived back at my original starting point. Religion opened it’s intricately decorated doors to me. I came right on in. But before long I was questing for something more, driving my newest set of mentors to distraction. The result was a leap of faith back into ministry, back into my true calling, back right square in front of the big “R” once again, but this time I had a determination to avoid all things religious. Except maybe Christmas.

Hosanna has drawn like-minded people into a big family. We cherish the teaching of the Word. We give ourselves to unbridled worship without the bondage of religious tradition. We celebrate our freedom in  spiritual things. Then at times we, at least some of us, look in the mirror and repent for things that might not be religious or hypocritical, but are surely just as detrimental to our walk with God.

Time has woven the realization that everything religious is not bad or even outdated. The Lord’s Supper and baptism are our heritage. Places of worship serve as reminders of what God has done (and will do).
There is a place at the altar area of our sanctuary that is sacred to me. I experienced a huge personal victory there. Hymns like “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross” and others can bring me tearfully close to the Master, even though my daily worship usually involves worship songs from this present era of music composition (thank God for Baloche and Redman), and Mississippi Mass ranks high on my iPod playlist.

I don’t worry about being religious anymore. Instead, I am grasping, reaching with a passionate heart, sometimes running and often stumbling, to that place of refuge, that secret place of the Most High. Just “being” with Jesus is worship in it’s most intimate sense. Elijah knew that, as did Rahab and John the Baptist. I like to think they were were about as religious as I am. And yet, we are surrounded with a cloud of witnesses like them from pages throughout the Bible.

So I suppose, in fact I deeply believe, that when we gather to worship these days, we are all in pretty good company.

Blessed abundantly,

James

by Pastor James Bell

Authentic Christianity is, more than anything else, a reflection of Jesus. This Easter we we were caught up in joyful, exuberant worship. The welcoming of many visitors and the fellowship of our church family was highlighted by a new peak in attendance. We had 701 in our combined (9:00, 10:45 and 2:00) services! I am so thankful for two people who came. It doesn’t matter which two. 701 just sounds better than 699, doesn’t it? What a great weekend it was!

I think many of those who attended Friday evening were surprised at what a powerful move of God we experienced. The videos, the communion service, and the connection of the worship songs to relevant truths about the cross were all a part of a strong presence of the Holy Spirit.

Saturday brought us face to face with more visitors than you might have imagined. So many thank you letters were sent out to families who were experiencing Hosanna for the first time. Many of those families returned to one of our services on Sunday.

“Exuberant” would be one word to describe Sunday’s worship. It seemed like waves of the Holy Spirit were moving across the congregation. Expressions of joyous praise echoed heavenward as everyone was blessed and refreshed.

On behalf of the Elders, Deacons, and staff, I want to say thanks to you. Thanks for coming, thanks for helping, and thanks for bringing your friends to church with you. It was one of the most memorable weekends we have ever had. Glorious worship on Friday night, wide-eyed kids finding multi-colored eggs and having a blast on Saturday morning, and then wonderful Easter services on Sunday.

Oh, and there is one more thing I want to share with you. Why not keep this going? As we begin our new series “The Church and the Kingdom of God”, let’s bring the same anticipation and enthusiasm to every service! The tomb is still empty, Jesus is still alive! All we have to do is bring the same heart for worship. The same Lord will show up with the same power in our services. Are you ready for a continual outpouring of the Spirit? Me too!

He is risen indeed,

Pastor James

This year’s Easter at Hosanna will feature a weekend of worship and community outreach. We have re-scheduled our monthly night of worship from Sunday evening to Good Friday evening, April 2nd. Come join us at 7 p.m. for a great time of worshipping together! Then on Saturday morning, April 3rd, we will invite the community to bring their
kids and join our Easter Egg Hunt. The orchard will be transformed into a playground of fun, food and laughter. Sunday will be a special time for all three of our Easter services as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus at 9:00AM, 10:45AM, and en Español at 2:00PM.

Invite your family, neighbors, and friends to our Easter weekend! You can even download our Easter flyer to print and hand out.
If you would like to volunteer to help, please contact Nora Chunn.

There are dozens of differing opinions about what happens when God’s children gather. You can mention just about any aspect of a church service and there are almost as many options to choose from as there are churches.

When we first came to this church, our sanctuary was a small chapel. When the song leader (worship pastors had not yet been invented) needed to adjust the sound, he would suddenly disappear behind the large pulpit, turning the amp in the pulpit either up or down. He would pop back up and we had a new, usually louder, version of him. That one guy did it all, except for the message. Music direction, sound effects, and offertory solos were all on him. We mostly watched and listened. We didn’t mind. We were having church the way we always did.

Today our folks enjoy an awesome sound system, and the platform is filled with a multi-talented, gifted, worship team led by an anointed worship pastor. We changed. Perhaps “evolved” is more accurate. Hours of preparation are poured into the one and one half hours we worship together in a Sunday service.

These days it would be easy for us to think, “Now we’re having church!” But not everyone would agree. The Episcopal pastor down the street once said to me, “Your congregation would be bored out of their minds in our services”. Before I could humbly agree, he added, “And our people would come to your church and think you have surely lost you minds!” I couldn’t think of a response (a rare occurrence for me). He grinned and said, “But we both love Jesus, don’t we?”

Watchman Nee recounts a time when he thought he would eventually die in a prison cell. He and his cellmate tore open a rotten orange that was given them for their evening meal. They took the peeling and divided it saying, “This is my body.” They squeezed a bit of juice into each other’s mouths as they said, “This is my blood”. They also felt that they were having…church.

As the head of the church, Jesus is leading many different flocks, at least those flocks who are willing to be led, back to a central truth. It is all about him. For the true believer, style is not so important anymore. Personality and flair have left us a little weary. We really want to have church the way Jesus wants us to have church. Is that what is in your heart?

At Hosanna, we feel called to glorify God in worship as a ministry to him. We are aware that, resident within in the presence of God, are multiplied blessings for his people. We know that faith comes by hearing the word. So we worship, teach and minister. It’s a pretty simple format, but it allows room for the Holy Spirit to lead us to God in different ways at different times. We think it’s the way God wants us to have church.

Is there room for improvement? There surely is. In any relationship there are areas that can be improved. Here are some suggested tweaks:

• Having a prayerful atmosphere in the Sanctuary before church, without loud greetings, jokes, and irreverent laughing and guffawing (which are all perfectly fine in the foyer and vestibule).
• Members being on time. It really hinders if half the congregation arrives in the middle of the worship time
  (Hint: Start earlier, aim for an arrival 10 minutes before service).
• Respecting the invitation and altar ministry time. People leaving and returning to the Sanctuary during this time can abort the calling and conviction of God on individuals who are contemplating life-changing decisions.

Just these three “tweaks” will tremendously improve the spiritual ambiance in our Sanctuary. Will you consider helping us with these things? If so, we’re convinced you will love having church here even more!

You might even think the preaching has suddenly gotten a lot better.