Prayer: A Liturgy of Rejoicing

Although there is so much to rejoice in together, we chose a handful of truths and stories from our community that cause us to remember characteristics of God. We celebrated with this call-and-response liturgy, led by Kira Lang from our Storytelling team.

Leader:
For the colors, climate, mountains, and meadows of our state all declaring the handiwork of God, for the rain this summer, and the opportunity to see the bounty of flowers and plants in our backyards.

Congregation:
We rejoice in God’s delight in beauty!

Leader:
For the many groups at Park Church that focus on loving and sharing the Gospel with their communities:

For the numerous volunteer leaders at Park Kids, Park Students, and Park College who enthusiastically give to the next generation, bearing the image of God in love.

For the 16 people this spring who joined Alpha—a safe space to discuss what it means to follow Jesus—wherein two made decisions to follow Him. For the GCs and individuals who supported Alpha though providing meals and more.

For the consistency and support MomLife has provided in serving the moms of our church and our neighborhoods, and for the selfless and passionate moms who have made MomLife happen.

Congregation:
We rejoice in God’s pursuit of people He loves through volunteer leaders in our community!

Leader:
Because, after many years of prayer and faithful work, last Sunday the Bartol family celebrated the first gathering their long-dreamt church plant in Olomouc, in the Czech Republic, which is the only country in Europe where the majority of people identify as non-religious.

Congregation:
We rejoice in God’s pursuit of people He loves through missionaries abroad!

Leader:
Because a member of our congregation who came to know Jesus several years ago has now had the opportunity and support systems to walk with his brother as he’s turned from drug addiction, causing a chain reaction in their family.

Congregation:
We rejoice in God’s rescuing love, both for this family and for each of us who are in Christ!

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Prayer: How Do You Pause? Why Do You Pause?

On Sunday, August 13, we began a mini-series on prayer. Although there is no “right” way to structure a prayer time, we’re using the helpful acrostic P.R.A.Y. (Pray, Rejoice, Ask, Yield) as a sort of framework throughout the series. Our first stop is “pause”—the act of creating space to give attention to the presence of God.

Before we discussed this practice in service, we asked you how and/or why you choose to pause. Special thanks to Steve Vanderheide for his videography!
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Park Students Mission Recap 2023

On Sunday, April 23, we shared a video recap of Park Students’ mission trip in March. If you missed it, click above to watch! To learn more about what we’re doing in Park Students and to get involved, you can click here.
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World Vision Impact Update: 2022

On Sunday, February 19, Dave Wagner from World Vision gave us a fun update on our impact in 2022 through Chosen and Team World Vision. If you missed that, use the video above! To keep up with World Vision’s ongoing work in Morungatuny, Uganda, bookmark this page. To sponsor another child or sign up to be chosen for the first time, you can get started here.
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Lent & Holy Week Artwork 2023

Our artwork for this Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter is adapted from a 2021 series by Noel Shiveley for Park Church (also including Advent and Christmas Eve).

About the Artist

Noel Shiveley was born in Pasadena, CA. He first started sharing his graphic design work on Instagram in 2012 under @noeltheartist. His account has become a favorite to many, using graphic design to blend fun social commentary, Gospel snippets, random illustrations, and his professional portfolio. This is how we found him for this project! Noel lives with his wife Bethany in Colorado Springs where he serves as Worship Director for YWAM Colorado Springs.

What does the artwork mean?

In each piece, a wide “landscape” is pictured. From the outside edges in, rolling hills, jagged deserts, or the ethereal cosmos center a symbolic item and a celestial body. The symbols each focus on life as it is traditionally considered in its liturgical season. For example, Ash Wednesday depicts ashes blown from a censer (life as temporary, fleeting; Psalm 90:3, 10), while Palm Sunday shows a budding tree in front of a gate cracked open (new life imminently coming; Mark 13:28).

What has changed for 2023?

To see Noel’s artwork in a new way, we’re applying a traditional liturgical color and a contrasting thematic color to each of the landscapes. For example, the traditional color for the season of Lent is purple, and a common reminder from the season is that “All are from the dust, and to dust all return” (Ecclesiastes 3:20).

Current 2023 Pieces

Ash Wednesday

Palm Sunday

Good Friday

Easter

2021 Pieces

Palm Sunday

Good Friday

Easter

Advent

Christmas Eve

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Women’s Faith & Work Seminar

This event happened on Tuesday, January 31, 2023

An evening of teaching and discussion with the Denver Institute for Faith and Work, a longstanding partner of Park Church.

Nearly half of our waking hours are spent on our vocations; our work inside and outside the home. Whether leading in an office, stewarding retirement, raising children, or working odd jobs, our vocations occupy considerable mental energy and are often key factors in how major life decisions are influenced and made. What’s more, God has designed and placed us in the world He created, charging us to cultivate it and make it fruitful so that it reflects Him and works to tangibly loves others.

Let us press in with intentionality toward the beauty and breadth of everyday mission in our work.

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Prayer & Support for the Zeller Family

Dear Park Church Family,

As brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, we are called to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2) and to follow the example of our Lord and Savior in the sacrificial love and care for those around us (Ephesians 5:1-2). We have an opportunity to do just that with Peter and Jessi Zeller and their young son, Declan. Jessi has recently been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. At the same time, she also learned that she is pregnant. While we can celebrate and rejoice with the Zellers about the new life being formed, it is also true that a pregnancy can often complicate the treatment for lymphoma. The good news is that their doctor believes she may be able to go well into her second trimester before Jessi’s treatment is necessary. Still, the challenges they have before them are monumental, and their need is great.

Our first action, of course, is to pray fervently for miraculous healing. God is certainly able to do so, and we can pray confidently that He will hear us. How this fits into His plan is beyond us, though, and if He chooses to allow the Zellers to go through this trial, then we can pray for many other things: wisdom for the doctors treating Jessi; that the disease would not progress throughout the full term of Jessi’s pregnancy and that there would be no harm to the baby; for physical, emotional, and spiritual strength; for God to draw the Zellers close to Him and give them the comfort that only He can, and that throughout everything in this ordeal His name would be glorified.

There will be the obvious need for meals, for housecleaning, childcare for Declan, etc. Last, but not least, is the financial strain the next year will place on the family’s financial resources. Please see their GoFundMe page for the opportunity to provide some assistance in that way.

Finally, what is so very important in lending our support and efforts to help is a graceful and thoughtful sensitivity to their need for some privacy and the space to maintain some semblance of normalcy in their individual and family lives. It would be easy for us to overwhelm them with our generosity and care. We want to love them the best way we can, and part of that means respecting, and making room for, the emotional roller-coaster they will be riding.

If you would be willing to help out in one of the ways listed above or have any questions, please contact neil@parkchurch.org, who will coordinate volunteer efforts. And please be patient; the logistics of all the various needs will be complex. Some will require attention in the not-too-distant future, but many needs will come at a later time. This will be a long and sustained effort, and we will all be trying to figure out how to do it best. By the grace of God, we will be able to love and care well for the Zellers in every respect.

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21).

Your fellow servant in Christ,

Brent Summers
On behalf of the Elders of Park Church

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Advent Devotional Guide: Week Three

The Second Coming & Holiness

In our third week of Advent, we are focusing on how the second coming of Christ frames and motivates our pursuit of holiness. In His first advent, Christ graciously freed us from penalty of sin. When He comes again, we can be confident that He will complete the work that He began in us. Between these two advents, we are called to progressively become the kind of people that He has designed us to be, delivered us to be, and destined us to be.

“The emotionally mature person is not the one with a starved, deprived existence, but rather one that reaches out and embraces and furthers all that is good – everything that is good. And that’s a long list. You can start just with simple beauty. It’s very hard to be grumpy when you’re looking at a beautiful rose–try it. It’s turning to what is good that fills out the life of the emotionally and spiritually mature person. As you step into spiritual maturity, you step into the wonderful world of God so rich with good things that we won’t have enough time to concentrate on them.

This is, in the classic language of the church, holiness, sanctification. I have to acknowledge that the way many people present holiness and sanctification is a very pinched view of life. It’s very starved, because they have not been encouraged to turn themselves loose into the fullness of God’s presence and all that is good for them to invest their lives in.””
(Dallas Willard, Heart and Soul Conference, 2012)

Questions for Discussion

Discuss with others, with your Gospel Community, or by reflecting in your journal.

  1. Re-read Titus 2:1-14. Which of these characteristics of holiness stand out to you the most? Are any of them uncomfortable, new, or challenging? How do these standards of holiness compare to the world’s standards of what a good person does?
  2. What is our role in helping others grow towards holiness? What is one practical way you can model to your neighbors God’s holiness?
  3. What hope does Jesus give in His second coming in regards to holiness?

Prayer Invitations

  • Individually, with your co-workers, or with your household, pray the the Lord’s Prayer 1–3 times a day (morning, noon, and night):

    “Our Father in heaven,
    hallowed be your name.
    Your kingdom come,
    your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
    Give us this day our daily bread,
    and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
    And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.
    (From Matthew 6:9–13)

    • Additional questions as you meditate on the Lord’s Prayer this week:

    1. Let Your Kingdom come and Your will be done: Where do I need to see the values of God’s Kingdom and His will for my life transform my current heart, attitudes, and behaviors? Pray that God would transform you to be who He designed you to be, who He delivered you to be, and who He has destined you to be.
    2. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: Where are you tempted (whether by the evil one, your own flesh, or the influence of the world) to turn from God’s design for your life? Where are you pursuing a vision for life that leads you away from the holiness of God? Pray that God would help you turn from these temptations and deliver you from evil so that you could more fully pursue His presence and purposes in your life.
  • Weekly prayer continues on Wednesdays through December 21: 12pm in the Gallery at the church building. Whether or not you join us, consider fasting from breakfast and/or lunch. New to fasting? Here are some thoughts.

A song for the week

“God in Us” (Park Church Music, John Petterson)

Additional Resources

“Live No Lies”, John Mark Comer

See Book

The Bible Project on Holiness

Watch Video
in Advent 2022 Weekly Devotional Series • Blog

Advent: Christ Will Come Again—Artwork

Artwork is another way for us to imagine the realities of Christ’s kingdom. When art works as devotion—training us to see with the eyes of faith in new ways—it can grow our imagination, even in the theological sense. Our Advent Series this year is focused on the Second Coming of Christ. As shared on our Advent page, though now often neglected or misunderstood, the promise of Jesus’ return remains vital.

My name is JD, and I work as Director of Communication and Art at Park Church. As I considered supporting this series visually, the biggest felt need I identified was a cultural lack of imagination around the Second Coming. This isn’t to say that the ideas that come into our minds when we hear “The Second Coming” are boring, but probably just too infrequent! The “lack of imagination” I’m describing is simply a lack of imagining.

In response, I created three pieces for the series by “compositing” several photos from a handful of international photographers and artists, each credited below. I’m excited to explain these to you! I pray your imagination is put to work both as you view these and as you consider to daydream with me about the return of Jesus Christ.

Banners:

Left Banner:

Imagining the moment of His return, a dark horizon is shown with dawn approaching. A few city lights are visible, and something like lightning crosses over everything. This references Jesus’ words about how well we’re going to know it when He returns! (Matthew 24:27) While some parts of the landscape pictured show city lights, much of the earth’s surface is dark. One way to “read” this contrast is as an illustration of Jesus’ parable in Matthew 25: wise and foolish members of a bridal party with some keeping watch at all hours to meet the bridegroom.

The aerial landscape photo is from Daniel Olah, taken over Istanbul, Turkey. The “lightning” image is a photograph of ice on a lake near Miass, Russia, taken by Daniil Silantev.

Right Banner:

Imagining just a sliver of the grandiose New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:9–27), tall white buildings with unrealistically tall chapel-like windows are shown, covered in either a) some kind of glory cloud (Hebrews 12:18–24), or b) some kind of bridal veil (Revelation 21:2).

The photo of the buildings (actual earth buildings!) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is by Bady Abbas. The veil/cloud image comes from an aerial photo of an Arctic iceberg, taken by the incredible Annie Spratt.

Central Image:

Perhaps conveying more tension than glory, a condensation-laden mirror is shown sitting on a sturdy sprig of baby’s breath. Over the top is a fiery glare to suggest some of the weight of 2 Peter 3. A few things are intended to be communicated here: First, we are encouraged in 1 Corinthians 13:9–12 that “now we see as in a mirror dimly, but then face to face…”. Second, Romans 8:19 teaches us that the “the whole creation waits…” Here a strong-enough member of creation—the sprig of flowers, is shown holding the weight of this unclear image. Third, and maybe too overtly, the flowers shown are literally “baby’s breath.” This is the only nod to the first coming of Christ, an astounding cosmic moment when God took a first breath.

Lastly, though much smaller than a tree, the plant shown resembles the shape and branches of a much larger tree. Three meanings can be extracted here if you’re willing! First, Jesus tells us that the kingdom is like a mustard seed planted (Matthew 13:31–32). This Jesus embodied, coming first as a humble Servant to be literally planted in the ground, growing a great kingdom of Servants in the Church age, and later coming back bodily as the only authority—King of the Kingdom final. In the shape of this sprig of baby’s breath, shown under the weight of the age, a full tree is promised in a way. Secondly, one of our greatest hopes is a restoration of access to the the tree of life (Genesis 3:22, Revelation 22:2) and the mystery of immortality. Thirdly, and with much less theological effort, a better vision for a Christmas tree is proposed. Please forgive that.

The baby’s breath is an adapted photo, also by Annie Spratt. The glare is from a photo by Ruan Richard Rodrigues. The condensation is from a photo by Aaron Jean.

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Advent Devotional Guide: Week Two

The Second Coming and Hope

Two realities are set before us—present suffering and future glory. Biblical Christianity never asks us to minimize the reality of brokenness and heartache in this life. Indeed, the whole creation groans harmoniously with us in a chorus of aching for restoration. We are free to be honest. But then we are called to consider what awaits us with the return of Christ. In His coming our experience as children of God is fully realized. All things will be made new by the light of His presence—from to greatest societal sin to the most personal pain. As we hold this future state in our minds, pining in the Spirit for its fullness, the glory of our returning Savior helps us have hopeful context for our current weariness. Come quickly Lord Jesus!

In the meantime, Jesus, may we see You and what You’re about in our daily moments.

“A Christian views the suffering of this life in a larger, world-transcending context that, while not alleviating its present intensity, transcends it with the confines expectation that suffering is not the final word.”
(Douglas Moo)

“Weighted in the scales of true and lasting values, the sufferings endured in this life are light indeed compared with the splendor for the life to come—a life undisturbed by anything hostile or hurtful.”
(Charles Hodge)

Questions for Discussion

Discuss with others, with your Gospel Community, or by reflecting in your journal.

  1. Where are areas you feel your soul groaning, inwardly awaiting for Christ to make things right? (Hardship, injustice, broken relationships, personal struggles, etc). What are honest ways to lean into these groans that both embrace real pain and the equally real redeeming promise of Jesus?
  2. In this Sunday’s sermon, Neil mentioned a number of things the new creation will usher in: “only peace, only kindness, only fruit, only rest, only excitement.” We experience some of these things here on earth, but not in their full, redeemed glory. Isn’t that exciting? There is more to peace, more to goodness, more to joy than we can possibly imagine here and now. What are redeemed things you long to experience in full? Is this hard to imagine?

Weekly Prayer Invitations

  • Individually, with your co-workers, or with your household, pray the the Lord’s Prayer 1–3 times a day (morning, noon, and night):

    “Our Father in heaven,
    hallowed be your name.
    Your kingdom come,
    your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
    Give us this day our daily bread,
    and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
    And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.
    (From Matthew 6:9–13)

  • Join us for weekly prayer on Wednesdays, December 30–December 21, at 12pm in the Gallery at the church building. Consider also fasting from breakfast and/or lunch. New to fasting? Here are some thoughts.

A song for the week

The Gates (Young Oceans, from “Advent“)

Additional Resources

Prayer by Ray Ortlund:

O Father, a new heavens, a new earth, a new humanity—how wide is the scope of Your Gospel! It does not offer me a private religious preference. It leads me into the secrets of the universe. I affirm Your plan for all things. I submit myself to Your will for my particular life, including the hardships You have ordained for me. Lead me into the brilliant glory just ahead, where my tears will be wiped away forever, where the sorrows of this life will be only a fading memory, swallowed up in a heavenly ocean of pure delight. O God, I long to be lifted up out of time, out of this present age, out of my sins, to be with You forever. Keep my heart ablaze for You, dear Lord, until You take me home. In the holy name of Christ. Amen.

Prayer by Anselm (1033–1109):

I pray, O God, that I may know You, that I may love You, so that I may rejoice in You. And if I cannot do this to the full in this life, at least let me go forward from day to day until that joy comes to fullness. Let the knowledge of You go forward in me here, and there let it be made full. Let love for You increase, and there let it be full, so that here my joy may be great in hope and there it may be full in reality. O Lord, through Your Son, You command us—rather, You counsel us—to ask, and You promise that we shall receive, that our joy may be full. O Lord, I ask what You counsel through our wonderful Counselor. Let me receive what You promise through Your truth, that my joy may be full. Meanwhile, let my mind meditate upon it, let my tongue speak of it. Let my heart love it, let my tongue discourse upon it. Let my soul hunger for it, let my flesh thirst for it, let my whole being desire it, until I enter into the joy of my Lord, who is the triune and one God, blessed forever. Amen.

Advent: Christ Will Come Again—Artwork

Artwork is another way for us to imagine the realities of Christ’s kingdom. When art works as devotion—training us to see with the eyes of faith in new ways—it can grow our imagination, even in the theological sense. To learn more about our artwork for this Advent series, use the button below.

Advent Artwork Explanation
in Advent 2022 Weekly Devotional Series • Blog