VIRUS UPDATES

Dear KMCC Family,

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Rom 15:13. Despite uncertainty and fear, may God enable us to be a church who trusts in Him… and as we do so, may He bind our hearts together in His love.

These are certainly strange and uncertain times! Please read the following carefully and prayerfully.

As I’m sure you are aware, the WI governor limited social contact to groups under 10. In response, the elders met last night and made the difficult decision to temporarily close down all KMCC midweek and Sunday gatherings (this, unfortunately, includes the Women’s Monthly Fellowship on April 1). We recognize that we are erring on the side of caution, but our desire is to protect the vulnerable among us, model being good citizens to those around us, and love one another through an unprecedented time.

Organized aspects of church life during isolation:

We find ourselves in the middle of the Lent season as we look forward to Resurrection Sunday. Christians through the centuries have “fasted” or refrained from certain activities, foods or beverages during Lent in order to focus their attention on Jesus and his resurrection. Instead of viewing this time of isolation from one another as a victory for Satan, we are going to view it as an opportunity to “fast” from certain normal activities in order to draw our hearts together towards our Savior.

Between tomorrow, Thursday, March 19th and Maundy Thursday, there are 21 days. One week for each day that Jesus was in the tomb. In isolation. Resting. Looking forward to Resurrection Sunday. During this time of isolation, resting and looking forward to Resurrection Sunday, for the purpose of focusing our eyes on Jesus and promoting healthy community life among our congregation, the elders have arrived at the following plan:

1. Beginning tomorrow, and for the next 21 days, you will receive an email early in the morning from me or one of our leaders. It will be a short reading, a prayer, or a short video intended to focus your attention upon God. This is a way for the elders to communicate with you.
2. Additionally, we desire to HEAR FROM YOU. After receiving those emails, please take the opportunity to “REPLY ALL” and type out a prayer. Or, go to www.kmcc.org and click on “Virus updates” and post a prayer in the comment section at the bottom of the page. This is an opportunity to hear from one another.
   1. What is your prayer to the Father that day? What is your anxiety? What is your hope? What is your concern? What is your need? What is your joy? Just a short paragraph or even a sentence will do.
   2. As we hear from one another, our hope is that God will reveal himself to us through our heart’s cry to the Lord.
   3. If we have enough participation, we will compile the prayers into a commemorative “KMCC book of prayers” when this is all over.
3. Thirdly, the elders have committed to making each of the three Sundays a day of Sabbath. A day where we put away distractions, come together as families and focus on the Lord. Please join us in this from your home. Rest. Jot down a collective prayer. Make phone calls to others in the congregation. Pray.
4. Fourth, if you are physically able and if you feel so led by the Spirit, set aside the three Mondays as a corporate day of fasting and prayer.
5. Fifth, we will gather again for the first time, after these 21 days, on Good Friday, April 10th at 6:00 p.m. Providentially, the sermon title God had laid upon my heart weeks ago is “God Rested”. We will look together at how God did his greatest work while resting on the Sabbath. And then, we will joyfully gather again on Resurrection Sunday, April 12th at 9:30 a.m.

Organic aspects of church life during isolation:

We are mindful of the fact that as a church family, we want to do a good job of caring for one another. So, we will be taking the following steps to coordinate care for one another:

1. If you are isolating and are particularly vulnerable or anxious, please contact Dallas Bednar or myself so we may assure that you are being supported. There are gracious volunteers who have offered to go shopping for, visit, or assist those who do not feel it is safe to go out. The best way to be in contact with the elders is through the daily emails or through our cell phones.  Call anytime!

1. 1. Jason Knapp’s cell phone number is 262-501-8487.  
   2. Dallas Bednar’s cell phone is 262-490-7786.  
2. If you would like to visit in person with an elder, please schedule a time. We are happy to listen and pray with you at the church. Of, if you are in a desperate place financially, please let us know. For either of these requests, please contact our secretary, Karen Millard, at [email protected].
3. The elders and our group leaders will be working hard to oversee the care of our congregation and to make sure people are not relationally isolated even if they are physically isolated. Please assist us in this by intentionally reaching out to us and to one another.
4. Please know that your generosity is appreciated and critical in this time. You can give one-time or recurring gifts online at www.kmcc.org. Simply click on the “give” button at the top of the home page. Or, you may send donations to the church mailing address. Thank you.
5. Be creative! We have many creative and innovative people in our church. How can we use these gifts as an opportunity to love and serve our God and his people in this unique time?

We love you all.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Jason, on behalf of the elders and staff

~ March 19, 2020 ~

As we begin this journey together, may this psalm serve as an anchor for our souls.  Read it slowly.  Allow the Spirit to speak to you.

Psalm 91 (ESV):

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.”

For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler

and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his pinions,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

You will not fear the terror of the night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,

nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

You will only look with your eyes

and see the recompense of the wicked.

Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—

the Most High, who is my refuge—

no evil shall be allowed to befall you,

no plague come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways.

On their hands they will bear you up,

lest you strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread on the lion and the adder;

the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;

I will protect him, because he knows my name.

When he calls to me, I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will rescue him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation.”

Heavenly Father,

In love, may we hold fast to you and to one another during this time of isolation.  Use this time.  Not to make us better people; but to make us dependent, loving, faith-filled people.  May we not lose faith in you or in your goodness.  As we begin the journey of staying home, we choose to make you our dwelling place.  Cover us with your loving wings.  Shelter us in your tender care.  Shield us with your faithful goodness.

We pray for those in our congregation without income, we pray for the students without housing, we pray for those we know in assisted living – please provide for their needs, open doors of opportunity, and protect them from harm.  In this time of isolation, produce in our congregation the fruit of faith, love and hope.

Amen.

P.S. Please reply with your prayers or requests.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Jason

~ Friday, March 20, 2020 ~

As we have been working our way through the gospel of Mark, we have seen a number of confrontations between Jesus and Satan (or demons).  The lies of Satan result in sin, death, disease and division.  The truth of Jesus’ gospel message, heard and accepted in our hearts, leads to healing, life, forgiveness, joy, and community.

The following was forwarded to me the other day and I thought it was insightful:

• Satan – “I will cause anxiety, fear and panic.  I will shut down business, schools, places of worship, and sports events.  I will cause economic turmoil.  I will isolate people.”
• Jesus – “I will bring together neighbors and restore the family unit.  I will help people slow down their lives and appreciate what really matters.  I will teach my children to rely on me and not the world.  I will teach my children to trust me and not their money and material resources.”

What Satan intends for evil, God uses for good.  I am reminded of Joseph’s answer to his brothers who sold him into slavery, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear…”. (Gen 50:20 ESV). Be encouraged, God in his providence does not waste anything.  He will bring about His good purposes for all of us in this.  So do not fear.

How do we eliminate fear?  By focusing on truth.  By filling our minds with the truth of God’s Word.  “This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.” Ps 18:30 (ESV)

Heavenly Father,

We are inundated with news reports, stuck in our houses, confused by the many voices, uncertain who to believe, fearful that we will soon be in poverty, saddened by all the loss and turmoil, stressed by all the demands, frightened by the thought of suffering, fatigued by the pace of constant change.

Today, we put on the helmet of your salvation.  May your salvation protect our minds from fear, anxiety, condemnation, depression, confusion, stress, and doubt.  May your Spirit give us wisdom, insight, discernment, clarity, and courage.  May your word bear the fruit of compassion, kindness, love, joy, peace, patience, self-control, perseverance, and sensitivity in the soil of our hearts.  Fill us and use us, we pray.

Amen.

Jason Knapp

~ Saturday, March 21, 2020 ~

James 1:2-4 (ESV) - “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

That same verse in The Message: “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.”

Count it joy.  Consider it a sheer gift.  We can be serious, cautious, wise, prudent and still be full of joy.  The trial is a gift given by a loving and good Father who is shaping our character.  He wants us steadfast in him.  He is maturing us.  He is making us complete. 

Count it joy.  Don’t be afraid.  Don’t be anxious like the world.  Jesus has got you; in life OR in death.  Jesus sees you in your humanity… in your weakness, in your distress, in your anxiety, in your sickness, in your pain.  And he understands.  He has been there himself.  He has suffered like us.  He is there to comfort you. 

He is there, not to remove you from the suffering, but to walk with you through it.  He will use your weakness and frailty to demonstrate his love and power to others.  In faith and in hope, let the suffering alongside Jesus and others do its work in you so that you become mature in your faith.

Heavenly Father,

I have to admit, it is difficult to see a pandemic as a gift.  It is tough to see the stocks crashing, businesses folding, and income drying up as a blessing from you.  It is difficult hearing of people who are sick, worried and uncertain of whether they have this virus or not, and see this as a joy.  It is sad to see the healthcare workers working themselves to exhaustion with limited medical supplies, and see this as good for them.

But I chose to rest in what you say in Isaiah, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”(Is 55:8-9 ESV)  I chose joy.  I chose you.  I chose to trust your sovereign plan.  I chose to believe that you are good. 

Amen.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Jason

~ Sunday, March 22, 2020 ~

            In 2007, our family was living among a tribal group in the country of Papua New Guinea.  The only way in or out of our location was by airplane.  There were no roads.  There was no internet.  No cell phone coverage.  It rained every day.  It was during a particular lonely, uncertain, and isolated time as a sickness went through our villages, taking lives and causing fear, that I wrote the following words:

            I feel lost, surrounded by a world of unknown.

I feel alone, like a child whose friends had all gone home.

            Where do I go, what do I do?

Who is there to pull me through?

            What can I do for those who rely on me?

            How do I lead when the way is hard to see?

                        When they stray, I am depressed.

                        When they follow, I am perplexed.

He is hope when all hope is gone.

            He is light when darkness is strong.

            He is water for the soul that is dry.

            He is salvation for those doomed to die.

            He is Jesus.  Jesus.  Jesus.

Sometimes the darkness seems to win.

            Sometimes victory seems so thin.

                        He is my salvation, it is sure

                        His time of appearing is drawing near.

He is hope when all hope is gone.

            He is light when darkness is strong.

            He is water for the soul that is dry.

            He is salvation for those doomed to die.

            He is Jesus.  Jesus.  Jesus.

            Jesus walked with us through that trying time.  We learned that He visits us in our loneliness.  We grew inseparably tight as a family.  We saw God use all of us, even our little 2 year old, in the lives of those who didn’t yet know him. 

            Father, we come to you in sadness and frustration.  We are sad that we cannot gather in one place as your people today.  We are sad that we cannot worship you corporately through raising our voices together in song.  Oh, we know we can all sing in our own homes and you hear us, but our hearts are mysteriously unified when we can sing together.  We are sad that our children cannot play and learn together.  We are sad that our building sits empty this morning.  

We are frustrated that Satan gets to cause so much turmoil.  We are frustrated that we cannot do anything but wait.  We are frustrated that we are powerless.  We are frustrated with what we see going on around us: markets crashing, businesses going under, good folks without work, worship services canceled.  We are saddened that, as a result, anxiety and panic have gripped so many.

            But we are glad and we rejoice in the fact that you are a good Father, and you are in control.  We praise the name of Jesus who has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us.  Father, today we chose to rest in your goodness and spend time with you.  We choose to cease from work and to cease from striving.  We will rest in your unfailing love and we will do the only thing we can do right now… pray for our brothers and sisters around the world.  We pray that our hearts would all be drawn to you today.  Lord God, heal the sick!  Protect the vulnerable!  Comfort the broken hearted!  Give peace to the anxious!  Provide for the jobless.  Comfort the lonely.  Give hope to the faint hearted.  Illuminate those in darkness.  Draw hearts to your saving grace.  Use us, as your children, to proclaim the hope we have found in Jesus.  He alone is our hope and our salvation!

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,

for my hope is from him.

He only is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

On God rests my salvation and my glory;

my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

Trust in him at all times, O people;

pour out your heart before him;

God is a refuge for us. Selah”. (Ps 62:5-6 ESV)

Amen.
Grace and peace
Pastor Jason Knapp

KMCC, take time today to sit as a family and pour your hearts out to the Father. 

~ Monday, March 23, 2020  ~

Click Here to watch the video for today.

Lord,
We come to you today as we try to navigate through this time of separation, social distancing, and uncertain time in our lives. We come to you in this day of fasting and ask you to show us who you really are. To show us that everything is in your control. To reaffirm us in the fact that nothing is out of your control, or your purpose. To remind us that we can still find joy in our dismay and anxiety.

~ Tuesday, March 24, 2020 ~

Habakkuk’s Complaint

Our oldest son’s middle name is Habakkuk.  I know… what parent does that to a kid?  You should see doctors, officials, and teachers try to pronounce it, much less spell it!

Habakkuk is a gem of a book; for many years it has been my favorite of the Minor Prophets.  I tend to like the people in scripture who question God… I don’t feel so maverick and alone.

God’s desire has always been that people would have a relationship with him.  In Habakkuk's day, the southern half of Israel, called Judah, had forsaken their covenant relationship with God.  Judah was wrapped up in their prosperity, and God’s judgment was going to come upon them so that their hearts would turn back to him.

Habakkuk is told by God what he is going to do and the prophet struggles to understand how God could use the Babylonians to judge His own chosen people.  He is appalled at the gross immorality and sin he sees among God’s people, but he is trying to accept that death and destruction will come from the hand of a loving and gracious God.

Habakkuk opens up his written prophecy, a prophecy which is going to be preserved for generations and be included in the Canon of scripture, with a complaint!  It is raw, “How long will I cry for help and you not hear? Why do you make me see evil?”  After God answers him, Habakkuk is bold enough to ask a second question, “Why are you silent when the wicked swallow up the man more righteous than he?”  In other words, “How can you use the wicked Babylonians to judge your chosen people?”  Habakkuk could not understand what God was doing.

God’s answer to Habakkuk includes the famous line, “the righteous shall live by his faith.”

Sometimes, from our small, human vantage point, God’s ways do not make much sense.  We are perplexed by his unpredictability.  God is an incomprehensible mix of wrath and mercy.

Habakkuk’s prophecy ends with a prayer in chapter 3 recounting God’s miraculous saving power.  Partway through Habakkuk’s description of God’s saving judgment, he says this, “Before him went pestilence, and plague followed at his heels.”  God uses various means to accomplish his will and to turn people’s hearts to himself – even plagues and diseases.

As Habakkuk looks forward to God’s immanent judgment to fall upon Judah, he trembled in anticipation, most likely a mix of fear of what is to come and awe at who God is (3:16).  Then he says this, “I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us.”  He knows what is going to happen.  In the face of destruction, devastation, suffering and uncertainty, Habakkuk sits and waits for God to do his thing.  He trusts that God’s ways and purposes are far grander than he can comprehend… so he TRUSTS!  Like Paul, he is content with whatever state he may find himself in (Phil 4:11).  He lived by FAITH.

Father, our prayer today is that you would give us the strength to live by faith.  We trust that you are in control and that your vantage point is much greater than ours.  We admit that our eyes are prone to wander from you.  In doing so, we worry and fret, we scheme and connive.  We focus on our earthly kingdoms and our creature comforts.  As we sit through this plague that is hitting our nation and our world, some of us tremble in fear and in awe of your power.  Please let us accept it as coming from your loving hand.  We turn our eyes and our hearts to you and wait quietly for your salvation.  May your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  We trust you.

Amen
Jason Knapp

~ Wednesday, March 25, 2020 ~

Habakkuk’s Song

I have often scratched my head wondering what God is doing. Well… to be completely honest, I have done more than scratch my head; I have fussed and fumed, grumbled and complained, cried and yelled.

We learned a little about the book of Habakkuk yesterday. It is the written account of a person just like us, who happens to be a prophet, trying to understand what God is doing. In the midst of God's judgment, he was doubting a little and he was frustrated a lot. We saw that in situations that are beyond us (most of life is beyond us, if we are completely honest with ourselves), the proper response before the sovereign Lord of the universe is reverential fear and trembling in company with quiet and patient faith. “The righteous will live by his faith.” It is not surprising that this verse is the foundation of the Apostle Paul’s doctrine of justification.

Habakkuk’s prophecy ends with an incredible declaration of faith. In the midst of doom and gloom, of imminent suffering and death, of disease and starvation, Habakkuk chooses to rejoice in God. He understood and lived out what Paul says in Phil 4:11-13 “For I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

In light of what we are experiencing, there is a rich lesson for us this very day from Habakkuk: Even when we cannot understand what God is doing; when God seems to have forgotten us; when we cannot find him anywhere, and it seems that he is crushing us… the reality is just the opposite. He is working out his loving plan to bring all nations to himself. He wants all creation to know that "In His presence there is fullness of joy." (Ps 16:11) His plan is incredibly bigger than any one of us. We will most likely not understand or comprehend it, so we live by faith believing that God is good and that he is just.

Many years ago, I wrote a poem based on Habakkuk’s incredible statement of faith, which you can read in Habakkuk 3:17-18. Make it your prayer today and be encouraged to CONTINUE IN YOUR FAITH. After all, it is Jesus who brings us into God's presence to experience the joy of knowing him!

Habakkuk’s Song
Though the fig tree shall not blossom
Neither fruit be in the vine,
The labor of the olive shall fail,
The fields will yield no meat
The flock cut off from the fold
And there will be no herd in the stalls

Yet will I rejoice in the God of my salvation,
Who will comfort me through all my tribulation.
The Lord is on my side
He will be my guide
How can I fear what man can do to me?

Though enemies be against me
And I’m alone in the dark of night,
Though storms encompass all around me.
Though my friends turn from the light
And I am stuck across the sea
And I have no means, no means of flight.

Yet will I rejoice in the God of my salvation,
Who will comfort me through all my tribulation.
The Lord is on my side
He will be my guide
How can I fear what man can do to me?

When things seem overwhelming to us
Remember Jesus' night on the cross.

Jason Knapp

~ Thursday, March 26, 2020 ~

A Redhead's Anger

I see the clouds of locusts starting to build up in the distance again. The all too familiar emotion building up inside of me as their stench wafts my way.  Anger that they are coming back.  Anger that the time between swarms gets shorter.  Anger that I must sit here again and decide if your promises are true.

They always leave carnage and destruction. Their scars... earthly permanency. 

Lord, I know you sent the rainbow of promise to Noah that his nightmare would not repeat. You promised to never again curse the ground because of man.  You would never again strike down every living creature, and that seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, will not cease.  Yet knowing humans as I do, even a rainbow of promise did not stop Noah’s body from tensing when the drops of rain would hit his head.  It did nothing to quiet the gurgling screams he heard at night when he closed his eyes.  His loneliness for his generation never to be abated during his long years on earth.

Lord, you restored the fortunes of Job, twice as much as he had before.  You blessed his latter days more than his beginning. You allowed him to become an old man full of days. And yet I know the grief at the loss of his ten children never vanished with the giving of others.  I know that when a messenger came to deliver news, he would have to push down the rising panic that it would be news too hard to bear.  I know he still absently itched the scars from the boils, and he would mistakenly call a new servant by the name of his deceased favorite.  As an old man full of days, death would have been so very welcome.

As I struggle to push down my anger, I turn to the book of Job.  He asks, “why?!” and with a fury that outmatches mine, God, you respond:

Please Click Here to Read God’s Response to Job

I am humbled and reminded.  The only promise I need to remember, the only promise I need to cling to, the only answer I am allowed - is that you are God, and I am not. And for an angry redhead, that is comfort enough.

Kellie Knapp

~ Saturday, March 28, 2020 ~

SUNDAY ONLINE SERVICE
I am praying that you all open this email… because I want to invite you to please join us tomorrow, Sunday, March 29, 2020 at 9:30 a.m., for KMCC’s first online service!  Join Dallas, Charity, Kellie (behind the camera) and I as we bring a taste of our traditional KMCC gatherings to you in your living room. It won't be live, but it will feel like it thanks to Dallas's editing skills.  Grab a cup of coffee, snuggle up close to those kids, open your Bibles to Mark 4, and we will worship God together from afar.  It isn’t ideal, in fact, it was more nerve wracking trying to preach to a camera than to all of your wonderful faces, but we are making the most of it.  We will send out an email early tomorrow morning with a link to the service and everything you need for Sunday morning.

MINISTRY OPPORTUNITY:
Lisa Mayes coordinates our children's church and is a frontline worker in the medical field.  She is requesting homemade Facemasks for her outpatient program.  Her program workers spend a great deal of time seeing clients in their homes as well as in the office. They are deemed by Milwaukee County and the State as an essential service, however, they have very few face masks.

If any of you are willing to make masks to help her and her colleagues, she recommends using the Children's Hospital pattern.  Click on this link to get instructions:  https://chw.org/newshub/stories/making-mask-instructions. She asks that the sewer not smoke, use clean material, and use good hygiene before bagging. 

"We need at least 50 masks just to provide 1 for each of the outpatient program workers. We will take more since I know workers will have to launder at the end of every day." - Lisa

IF ANY OF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN SOWING MASKS, please contact Karen Millard, KMCC's secretary, at [email protected] to make arrangements.
 

PRAYER:
There are many times I go to pray, but the words just don’t come.  I don’t know what to say or how to put my feelings into words.  I often turn to the Psalms or some other prayers during these times.  The following prayer is from a book entitled Valley of Vision, Puritan Prayers and Devotions.  Perhaps this prayer captures the heart of a few of you like it did for me. 
 
Peril
Sovereign Commander of the Universe,
I am sadly harassed by doubts, fears, unbelief, in a felt spiritual darkness.
My heart is full of evil surmising’s and disquietude, and I cannot act faith at all.
My heavenly Pilot has disappeared, and I have lost my hold on the Rock of Ages.
I sink in deep mire beneath storms and waves, in horror and distress unutterable.
Help me, O lord, to throw myself absolutely and wholly on thee, for better, for worse, without comfort, and all but hopeless.  
Give me peace of soul, confidence, enlargement of mind, morning joy that comes after night heaviness.
Water my soul richly with divine blessings; grant that I may welcome thy humbling in private so that I might enjoy thee in public.
Give me a mountain top as high as the valley is low.
Thy grace can melt the worst sinners, and I am as vile as he; yet thou hast made me a monument of mercy, a trophy of redeeming power.  In my distress, let me not forget this.
All wise God, thy never-failing providence orders every event, sweetens every fear, reveals evil’s presence lurking in seeming good, brings real good out of seeming evil, makes unsatisfactory what I set my heart upon, to show me what a short-sighted creature I am, and to teach me to live by faith upon thy blessed self.
Out of my sorrow and night give me the name Naphtali – ‘satisfied with favor’ – help me to love thee as a child, and to walk worthy of my heavenly pedigree.

• Valley of Vision, Puritan Prayers and Devotions, Banner of Truth Trust, 1975 p.184-185

I miss you all, and look forward to the time when we can meet in person again.
Peace,
Jason Knapp

~ Sunday, March 29, 2020 ~

Link to KMCC's Service:  Click here.  You can open the YouTube channel early and the service will begin at 9:30 a.m. 

Link to Worship Songs:
The service will begin with some songs, so if you would like to print out the lyrics ahead of time, or bring them up on your split screen so you can sing along, click on the following:
No Longer Slaves
Simplicity
It is Well

Link to Preschool Video with Miss Mollie:  Click here.  You can open the YouTube channel early and the video will begin at 10:30 a.m. 
 
Sermon Outline:
Title: Jesus' Parable of the Soils
Reference: Mark 4:1-20

1) Jesus tells a parable (4:1-9)

2) Jesus explains a parable (4:14-20)

Financial Update
In the absence of a weekly bulletin, here is the financial update.  We are grateful for how God provides through your faithfulness:
 

The elders and staff are grateful for all of you and are praying for a blessed Sunday as you rest in the salvation of Jesus.

Jason Knapp

~ Monday, March 30, 2020 ~

In my journey with Jesus I've gone through a few valleys.  I have learned (the hard way) that following Jesus is counterintuitive.  His truth gently contradicts my natural instincts.  His path never seems to go the way that I thought it would... or that I thought it should.  I tend to look at my circumstances from a sinful, human, limited point of view.  Sin clouds my judgment.  Pride limits my view.  Independence leads me down rabbit trails. Thoughts of vengeance swirl in my mind like a tornado pulling me down into myself.  My spirit contends with God until I accept the reality of my sinfulness, humbly confess my pride, submit to the fact that I am dependent upon him, and allow vengeance to be in the hands of the righteous judge. I follow His lead; He does not follow mine.  I must submit to his path, not blaze my own.

Thankfully, in the end, God lovingly shows me how his ways are always better and his outcomes are alway more lasting, more glorious, and more life-changing than mine would have been.  God is so wise and holy, and at the same time so patient and kind.

A few days ago, I sent a prayer from a little book entitled Valley of Vision.  Here is another prayer from that little book that I think can offer us some much needed perspective during this time of isolation.  
 
The Valley of Vision
Lord, High and Holy, Meek and Lowly,
Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold thy glory.
Let me learn by paradox.
            That the way down is the way up,
            That to be low is to be high,
            That the broken heart is the healed heart,
            That the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
             That the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
             That to have nothing is to possess all,
             That to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
             That to give is to receive,
             That the valley is the place of vision.
Lord, let me find thy light in my darkness, thy life in my death, thy joy in my sorrow, thy grace in my sin, thy riches in my poverty, thy glory in my valley.

• Valley of Vision, Puritan Prayers and Devotions, Banner of Truth Trust, 1975

It was a blessing to see so many log in to our online service and preschool yesterday.  Thank you!  My hope and prayer is that God uses this time in our lives to soften our hearts so that we remain fertile soil from which his word can produce exponential fruit.  If you happened to miss the service, simply click here.  And click here for the link to the preschool lesson with Miss Mollie.

Grace and Peace,
Jason Knapp

~ Tuesday, March 31, 2020 ~

Last summer I took a retreat with a handful of other pastors.  We backpacked into the wilderness of the Bitterroot Mountains in Montana and spent 4 days in seclusion and solitude.  It was while I sat on the shore of a beautiful high-altitude lake hearing nothing but silence, that I read this:
 
“It is in solitude that we discover that being is more important than having, and that we are worth more than the result of our efforts.  In solitude we discover that our life is not a possession to be defended, but a gift to be shared.” – Out of Solitude, Henri J.M. Nouwen, Ave Maria Press, 1974, p.26
 
We are worth more than the result of our efforts.  Man, in our culture of efficiency, productivity, and ingenuity this statement can seem false.  Our whole economy, our businesses, our social contacts are all focused on what people are able to accomplish – and if we want to be honest with ourselves… what they can accomplish for us.  We grade people.  We use people.   
 
God has a different view of us.  We have value to him simply because he created us, and we are the object of his love.  His love is not based on the results of our efforts, but on the fact that we bear his image.  In times of solitude, when we cannot work for there is no work to do, God gets the opportunity to impress this truth upon our hearts.
 
When we come to grasp the significance, dignity, and freedom in being loved, NOT for what we do, but for who we are, we will live differently.  As we read above, our life is not a possession to be defended, but a gift to be shared.  When we understand that God loves us for who we are and that we do not need to manufacture a product or heal every person or fix every problem to be worthy of his love, the pressure is off.  We don’t try to hoard every second and make the most of every moment, spinning our wheels to produce in order to please and manipulate our Father, or in order to gather and accumulate wealth and security.  We can begin to share our time and our treasures and our talents because, in doing so, we are dispensing the free and generous loving heart of God.
 
May this time of solitude remind you of what is true.  May it free you up to be generous with the life God has given you.  Life is a gift that grows as it is shared with others.
 
“But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43-45 ESV)

PRAYER REQUESTS:
If you have prayer requests that you would like included on the traditional Thursday Prayer email, please send them to our Secretary, Karen Millard, at [email protected].  

INFORMATION:
In light of President Trump's extension of the Stay at Home, this Thursday's email from KMCC will have information for you regarding our plans for Good Friday, Easter, and KMCC's 25th Anniversary.  So be sure to check your emails daily so you can stay up to date.

Grace and Peace,
Jason Knapp

~ Wednesday, April 1, 2020 ~

I picture a stone and plaster house, a fire in the corner both warming the house and cooking the food, a rough hewn table in the center of the room around which are rugs and pillows for reclining.

~ Friday, April 3, 2020 ~

Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t just fix all our problems… like, right now?  Have you asked Jesus to give you answers and direction (because you need it immediately) only to hear silence as an answer?  Have you cried out in frustration wondering how long you must endure an almost unbearably difficult situation?  And all you hear is crickets?  While on a retreat in the wilderness of the Bitterroot Mountains last summer, I was again asking God those questions.  I have asked those questions of God many times in my life.  His response, this time, came in the form of this quote:
 
“When we honestly ask ourselves which persons in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving much advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a gentle and tender hand.  The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not-knowing, not-curing, not-healing, and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is the friend who cares.” – Out of Solitude, Henri J.M. Nouwen, Ave Maria Press, 1974, p.38
 
What we need most, is not for Jesus to answer our every question, or fix our situation or heal our disease or give us a way out of our predicament; what we need most is his presence.  It is the same for a lost, panicking, and dying world: what they need most is to have a relationship with Jesus.  He is a friend who stays with us in our hour of grief and in our time of loneliness and confusion.  Unfortunately, so many of us get disillusioned with him because we want what he can give us, but we do not want him.  We want him to fix it.  We want him to give us the answer.  We want him to heal us.  But we don’t want his presence.
 
We all know that silence from God in the midst of our suffering isn’t easy.  Even Jesus wished for another way: “And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:35-36 ESV).  The most agonizing part of the cross, for Jesus, was when God’s presence was removed for a time, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  Yet, Jesus endured the cross and the silence of God, so that we could experience the presence of God in the midst of our suffering.  Jesus does not relieve us of suffering and silence, but he is with us during it.  All along, Jesus says to us, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
 
Jesus is present with people who are suffering or lonely or confused most tangibly when we, as his followers, are present with them.  We don’t need to try to fix the situation, we don’t need to give advice, we don’t need to try to convert them.  We just simply and genuinely care for them by being present to embody the love of Jesus.  It is through simple acts of kindness: listening, sitting in silence, sharing a cup of tea, praying, or telling a story that a lost world will experience the love of Jesus.  
 
“God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.” Rom 2:4

Peace,
Jason Knapp

~ Saturday, April 4, 2020 ~

As you prepare your hearts for Holy Week and for tomorrow's online gathering, make this prayer the meditation of your heart:

THE DEEPS
Lord Jesus, 
Give me a deeper repentance,
a horror of sin, a dread of its approach.
Help me chastely to flee it,
and jealously to resolve that my heart shall be thine alone.

Give me a deeper trust,
that I may lose myself to find myself in thee,
the ground of my rest, the spring of my being.

Give me a deeper knowledge of thyself
as Savior, Master, Lord, and King.

Give me a deeper power in private prayer, 
more sweetness in thy Word,
more steadfast grip on its truth.

Give me deeper holiness in speech, thought, action, 
and let me not seek moral virtue apart from thee.

Plough deep in me, great Lord, heavenly Husbandman,
that my being may be a tilled field,
the roots of grace spreading far and wide,
until thou alone art seen in me,
thy beauty golden like summer harvest,
thy fruitfulness as autumn plenty.

I have no Master but thee,
no law but thy will,
no delight but thyself,
no wealth but that thou givest,
no good but that thou blessest,
no peace but that thou bestowest.
I am nothing but that thou makest me,
I have nothing but that I receive from thee,
I can be nothing but that grace adorns me.

Quarry me deep, dear Lord,
and then fill me to overflowing with living water.

• Valley of Vision, Puritan Prayers and Devotions, Banner of Truth Trust, 1975

May our eyes be on Jesus,
Jason Knapp

~ Monday, April 6, 2020 ~

When we experience physical pain, it is our body telling us that something is not right.  Something is out of joint, something foreign has invaded it.  Pain grabs our attention.  We do what we can to address the problem.  We pray, we seek medical help, we adjust our activities.  

CS Lewis, in his book The Problem of Pain, makes this profound statement, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”  

God uses pain to grab our attention.  Through it, he tells us that things are not right; not as they should be.  Sin, wealth, pleasure, and pride distract us from him.  Pain brings us back to what is important.  We pray, we seek help, we adjust our activities.

God, in the person of Jesus, experienced excruciating pain himself.  But, His pain was endured for the sake of grabbing OUR attention.  Through his pain, he shouted to the world, “Look!  I love you THIS much!”  

The prophet Isaiah wrote 4 “Servant Songs” describing the servant of the Lord.  One song describes what the servant endured. It is found in Isaiah 52-53.  Here is a portion:

His appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

• Isaiah 52:14 & 53:3-6 (ESV)

If that doesn’t say, “I love you”, I am not sure what does.  Jesus experienced pain as a result of our sin.  Let that grab your attention; let it move you to pray.  Give it opportunity to shape your activities.  Take time today and the rest of this Holy Week to thank Jesus that he suffered for us so that we could experience his love and forgiveness.
 
By the Mercy of God,
Jason Knapp

~ Tuesday, April 7, 2020 ~

During this Tuesday of Holy Week, I encourage you to spend a few moments reflecting upon the death of Jesus, our Savior.  Please allow these passages to guide your thoughts.

The one who took the weight of the sins of the world upon himself said, “My father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me”.  

Psalm 22 (portions)
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
All who see me mock me;
they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
“He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.
For dogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet—
I can count all my bones—
they stare and gloat over me;
they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots."

Luke 23:33-35 - "And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, 'He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!'"

Luke 23:44-46 - It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last."

1 Peter 2:24 - "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed."

Click on the following link to continue reflecting upon the death of Jesus through this beautiful song:  
Well Done Good and Faithful – Andrew Peterson

Grateful for His death,
Jason Knapp

~ Wednesday, April 8, 2020 ~ 

God’s ways can often seem to us like they are harsh, unsympathetic, uncompassionate, complacent, heartless.  From our limited perspective, we just can’t understand the extent of what God is doing.  

The Psalmist asked the question:
Ps 10 “Why, O Lord, do you stand afar off?  Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?"
Ps 74 “O God, why do you cast us off forever?  Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?”
 
The prophet Habakkuk asked a raw and emotional question:
Hab 1:2 “O Lord, how long shall I cry for help and you will not hear?  Why do you make me see iniquity and why do you idly look at wrong?”
 
Even Jesus asked a raw and emotional question while he was on the cross.  He suffered an unjust execution at the hands of evil men; and cried out in anguish as darkness covered the land, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
 
This year, as we commemorate Holy Week and look forward to resurrection Sunday, we are three weeks into the social distancing.  None of us are sure when it will be over.  And even if it is over, we know things won’t go back to the way they were.  We watch people suffer at the hands of illness, at the hands of injustice, because of poor decisions, because there are shortages, because of evil, and we wonder, “God, why?  Why does it seem like you don’t hear us?  How long?  Where are you?”
 
It is ok to say that you do not understand God.  To question him.  An honest question from a heart of humility is good.  We are to pour our hearts out to him.  But we cross a line when we begin to critique God; to say that he doesn’t know what he is doing.  A humble question reveals a heart of faith and trust… admitting weakness and acknowledging doubt that it can hang on any longer.  A critiquing question reveals an accusing heart and lack of faith.  We either trust in God or we trust in ourselves.  
 
If things seem bleak right now, go to the Father!  Admit your weakness, acknowledge your fear.  And trust Him!  He is worthy of it.  HE IS THE GOD WHO RAISES FROM THE DEAD!
 
Ps 62:5-8 
For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah
 
Ps 40:1-3
I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord.

Trusting Him,
Jason Knapp

~ Thursday, April 10, 2020 ~

Loving humility.  Humble love.  It characterized everything that Jesus did.  Jesus knew what he came to earth to do.  Jesus knew the power that he had.  In his last hour before he lovingly sacrificed all that he had for the sake of his disciples (and us), he was not concerned with them understanding the great act of love that he was about to perform.  Instead, he sets it all aside and picked up some water and humbly and lovingly did something only a slave would do:

John 13:1, 3-5, - Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.  Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. “
 
What kind of person does that?  Furthermore, what kind of master, lord, king, or god does that?  What kind of a leader stoops down to humbly wash the feet of the ones who are to follow him, obey him, worship him?  A leader tells people what to do.  A master commands obedience.  A God deserves worship.  God does not dirty his hands with foot-washing water, does he?  The story continues:
 
John 13:12-17 - When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”
 
Jesus, our God and our Savior, humbly and lovingly served the ones who were to be serving Him.  That is the type of God He is... He does dirty His hands in foot-washing water.  He is meek and He is merciful.  He asked us to follow His example.  To serve those around us.  Loving humility.  Humble love. 

As we head into this important time of year, what might it look like for you to demonstrate loving humility to those closest to you?  With what action could you humbly love and serve your neighbor?
 

Father, 
Form our character to be like Jesus’ character.  May we live lives of loving humility as we serve those you have put in our paths.  Like you, may we humbly love our families, our friends, our church, our neighbors... even our enemies.  Strengthen us to 'wash the feet' of those around us.  May they see the light of Jesus shine from our lives; and may they hear the good news of Jesus spoken from our lips, may they know the love of Jesus through our actions.  
Amen.

Have a blessed Maundy Thursday,
Jason Knapp

~ Friday, April 10, 2020 ~

On this Good Friday, I am reminded of Jesus final words on the cross. His words give us a vision of the incredible heart of God.  Gracious, loving, merciful, compassionate, and righteous.
 
Long ago, Moses and the Israelites heard God proclaim his character: “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…” Exodus 34:6-7.  
In Jesus, we see God’s character revealed:
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”  
 
In Isaiah's Servant Song, we read of God’s eternal plan for all mankind through the work of the Suffering Servant, "Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him... when his soul makes an offering for guilt... the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities." Isaiah 53:10-11
In Jesus, we see God’s loving plan accomplished:
“It is finished”
 
In Paul’s letter to the Romans, we read of the hope available to everyone who puts their faith in Jesus.  “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 8:38-39 
In Jesus, we see this hope exemplified as he passed from life into death.  
“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit”
 
May God’s character and the accomplishing of his plan in Jesus fill you with hope and peace.  Nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus!
 
I encourage you to join us this evening at 6:00 p.m. as we gather online for our Good Friday service.  We will be remembering the Lord's Supper together at the beginning of the service, so please have some bread and juice ready.  This evening's message is entitled “Jesus Rested”.  Click here to log-in.

Have a blessed Good Friday,
Jason Knapp