Wasted Evangelism
  • Wasted Blog
  • Wasted Engaged
    • Wasted Evangelism in Action
  • Wasted Evangelism, the Book & more
    • Wasted Evangelism, the Book
    • Lay Commentary on Philippians >
      • Destroying Private Cities Sample Chapter
    • Wasted Evangelism Resources & Links
    • Samples from Wasted Evangelism
  • Learning Wasted Local
    • Wasted Hill Blog
    • CPC in The Hill NewsLetter Updates >
      • Past Newsletter Links
    • FY22 Church Bulletins & Order of Service
    • Hill Sermons & Teaching >
      • Gospel of Luke Sermon Series
      • Mostly Romans & FYs 20-21 Bulletins
      • 2018 Summer: In the Father's House
      • At the Table Series
      • Church and Liturgy
      • Book of Judges
      • Gospel of Matthew Series
      • 1 Peter Series
  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Contact
Picture

It seems to always come back to food: our church life, ministry, and outreach

4/17/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
A year ago I preached on Isaiah 58 at Christ Presbyterian Church in The Hill and, then, the following week, I had the privilege of bringing this same massage to the CPC church plant in Fairfield/Bridgeport.

We--at CPC in The Hill--are continually surprised (not really) that we seem to continually come back around to food, the subject of eating in messages (they're all over the Bible), in the very thing that the NT teaches was at the center of the church's gathering--a meal. I think it is pretty clear that God designed us to meet Him in the sharing of food.

It is interesting that the biblical concept of Sabbath is also actually linked to food as well.

Someone recently asked me if I could drop a dime on the spot in the Hill . . . for CPC in The Hill to find a more permanent home (or own building). . . I'd find it dropped on a spot we can turn into our place of worship AND a place of food (a cafe, inviting the "tax collector and sinners" to a meal, meals and worship, BBQs).

"God, we need a place to set ourselves as CPC in The Hill where we can focus on food, eating . . . "


But for now, its sidewalk meals and BBQs and BBQs in the Park . . .


It is interesting that the prodigal son parable is most often preached without the center (the climax of each), the focus Jesus gives it, and of which Luke sets it in within the narrative. It is interesting that the ONE-in-THREE parable stories of Luke 15 is centered in celebrating at a meal. The parable-trio is given because the poor, marginalized, unclean, uneducated (the socially non-elite) were "eating" with Jesus and the established Temple leadership had problems with that (cf. Luke 15:1-2). Just prior to the parable of the Three Lost Things (again Luke 15), we read about the Great Banquet where the poor and marginalized are invited (Luke 14). We need to follow the whole thread that Luke sets before us (much more openly as we interpret his parables of the Three Lost Things). The three parables were given to judge the accusers (that's what parables do bytheway). Each parable ends with feasting. My goodness, how can we not see the importance of this cultural and literary (i.e., Luke's) context!

And it doesn't surprise us that "food" is right there in the Isaiah 58 Sabbath text:

"Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house . . ."
​(Isaiah 58:7a).

Picture
This is the privilege, scope, and responsibility of Sabbath pleasure. What are you doing--what is the church doing--so that others may find rest? To find God?  Today, as we do every Wednesday evening during the summer, that is, bring a grill into our nearby Hill park and put on a feast of hot dogs and hamburgers and salads and fruit and desert for whoever is in the park.

Our 1st evening of the 2019 season of In His Midst Park BBQ Ministry >> Check it out


Please consider supporting the ministry of Christ Presbyterian Church in The Hill. Our church plant and ministry in the Hill is dependent on the kind and generous financial support from outside the Hill. Although it is our goal to be self-sufficient, at present (and perhaps for a longer time than most would prefer) our congregation reflects the demographics of the neighborhood and, thus, will be dependent on outside support for some time. Please consider supporting us with a one time donation or join us as a financial partner in ministry. 

​You may donate 
online through our website or send a donation to our anchor church (CPC New Haven) @ 135 Whitney Ave, New Haven, CT 06510 (checks are to be made out to Christ Presbyterian Church or simply CPC; and, in the memo please indicate Hill/CA). For more information or to receive our Hill News Updates, please contact me, Pastor Chip, through this email address: [email protected].
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Wasted Blogger, Chip M. Anderson

    I am the pastor and church planter for Christ Presbyterian Church in The Hill; a flawed practitioner of Wasted Evangelism. I am learning about Wasted Evangelism through my experience in The Hill and through the good people of CPC in The Hill.

    Archives

    April 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    April 2023
    November 2020
    September 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    October 2015
    September 2015

    Categories

    All
    2019 Park BBQ
    2020 Summer Park BBQ
    Acts 15
    Amos 9
    Broken Lives
    Christian Commitment
    Christ Presbyterian Church In The Hill
    Church
    Church Planting
    CPC In The Community
    CPC In The Hill
    CPC In The Hill Carlisle Street
    CT
    Discipleship
    Discipleship Tool Kit
    Elders
    Evangelism
    Freegrance Fundraiser
    Gospel
    Holy Kiss
    Homeless
    Homelessness
    Hospitality
    In His Midst
    Isaiah 66
    Leadership
    Men
    Ministry To The Poor
    Neighborhood Ministry
    New Haven
    Non-ordinary Church
    Open Air Preaching
    Park Ministry
    Park Preaching
    Park Sermon
    Personal
    Podcasts
    Reaching Men With The Gospel
    Reconciliation
    Resource-Lacking Communities
    Romans 16
    Saturday Church
    Sidewalk Breakfast
    Sidewalk Church
    Sidewalk Church Service
    Street Preaching
    Strong And Weak Ties
    Summer Park BBQ
    The Hill
    Urban Teens
    Urban Youth Workers Institute
    Videos
    Wasted Evangelism In Action

    RSS Feed

Pages

Wasted Blog
Engagement
Books & Resources

More Pages

About
The Book
CZ

Even More Pages

Contact
Learning Local in The Hill
Terms of Use
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Wasted Blog
  • Wasted Engaged
    • Wasted Evangelism in Action
  • Wasted Evangelism, the Book & more
    • Wasted Evangelism, the Book
    • Lay Commentary on Philippians >
      • Destroying Private Cities Sample Chapter
    • Wasted Evangelism Resources & Links
    • Samples from Wasted Evangelism
  • Learning Wasted Local
    • Wasted Hill Blog
    • CPC in The Hill NewsLetter Updates >
      • Past Newsletter Links
    • FY22 Church Bulletins & Order of Service
    • Hill Sermons & Teaching >
      • Gospel of Luke Sermon Series
      • Mostly Romans & FYs 20-21 Bulletins
      • 2018 Summer: In the Father's House
      • At the Table Series
      • Church and Liturgy
      • Book of Judges
      • Gospel of Matthew Series
      • 1 Peter Series
  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Contact