“Jump nine times to the left!”

While there were so many great moments in last weekend’s service at Mariners MV, it is those words I’ll remember most vividly. Our guest from Kenya, Kanjii, challenged me to think differently about worship than I ever have. As we sang last weekend, it was wildly participatory, unashamedly celebratory, and fun. We sang and we worshipped. God was evident in a way normally inaccessible for the “rhythmically challenged” among us.

During the third week of the Christian? series, Doug called us to release the “act” of being a Christian and to embrace the “actions” of being a disciple.  It is such an encouragement that so many of you are taking that idea seriously. People are signing up in droves to be a part of the Be Fearless campaign serve projects we initiated two weeks ago. If you’re still looking for a way to serve, check out howtobefearless.org/serve.

Now, as we turn to this coming weekend, we’ll confront one of the most significant obstacles to God-at-work in the world. It will be a great weekend to bring friends who are tired of the church, longing for a new message, and perhaps relate to this quote from Steve Jobs: “The juice goes out of Christianity when it becomes too based on faith rather than on living like Jesus or seeing the world as Jesus saw it”.

Excited about what God is doing in our midst,

Jeff

I’m not sure how to put into words what happened at the MV campus last weekend. The church was bound together in a common bond of uncommon generosity. Throughout the course of this week, people were still finding ways to participate: signing up to volunteer, contributing financially to the 50 projects, and sharing stories of God’s abundance. So many of you commented to me, as I stood by the door, that there was a fresh kind of electricity — a buzz of God-at-work among us. Maybe, for some of us, we got our first glimpse of what it means to be more than merely a believer in the truths about Jesus. This past weekend at Mariners MV, we lived out the generosity of Jesus together as a group of His followers.

Last week we looked at the idea that while the term “Christian” was an imposed title on the followers of Jesus, the disciples embraced a phrase that spoke to the very core of their identity: followers of the way. T‪his peculiar way was marked, among other things, by a shocking dedication to the needs of the people among them AND to those that clearly did not belong to the group of disciples. Jesus referred to these people (both insiders and outsiders) as “neighbors” in need of our attention and love.

As a community, we gave to projects that will never directly benefit us. And yet, somehow all of us felt as though, in the outpouring of unselfishness, it was us who received an abundance. Because of your overwhelming response, we’re going to give those of you who weren’t able to make it last weekend, or who still would like to contribute, another chance to join in what God is doing this weekend at Mariners MV.

This week, we’ll continue in our Christian? series as Doug Fields will challenge us to continue reframing what it means to belong to Jesus as disciples, apprentices, and “followers of the way.”

Looking forward to another great weekend at MV,

Jeff

As we started our “Christian?” series this past week, we got such a great response. I’m so encouraged by the questions that so many of you have about Jesus. I love that Mariners Church Mission Viejo is a community of people willing to wrestle with truly meaningful questions about faith and life. Even more so, I love that so many of you are willing to include your friends and neighbors (who also have questions about faith) in that same journey.

The way Jesus talked about and advocated for the poor is a powerful and magnetic force for people who are curious about faith. Even the most hardened skeptics are drawn to Jesus’ compassion for the people living in the margins of society. This week, “Outreach Weekend”, we’ll take a look at some of what it means to join Jesus in his work among the poor. Jesus is beautifully made apparent when his people (his followers) take seriously what it means to serve and bless the poor among us.

Looking forward to seeing you this weekend,

Jeff

What a weekend to celebrate! In so many different ways, the resurrection of Jesus and the life the church community were clearly on display. Saturday night’s Peep Roast was a blast. My kids charred and ate more marshmallow Peeps than should be legal. Standing around a tiny Sterno fire pit roasting sugar-coated Peeps, people found a great way to initiate conversations and connect with each other.

I was so excited to have brought some friends of ours to Easter at Mariners MV. They were overwhelmed by the life, enthusiasm, and sense of family that you helped to create. I could sense the excitement in so many of you who introduced to me the people you had invited. The campus was alive with community and joy.

Over the course of the weekend, from Good Friday to Easter Sunday, nearly 4,000 people made Mariners Mission Viejo their home for Easter. Thanks to all the volunteers who helped to make it all possible.

And now, as we look forward to our next series, CHRISTIAN?, we anticipate more of the same kind of invitational and inclusive energy that helped to make Easter so memorable. During this series, we get to directly address the questions people have about Jesus. People are curious. This is a great series to bring not only people who are investigating the claims of Jesus, but who might also be confused by His followers. Additionally, this next series will serve as far more than a reminder of our faith. For many of us, we’ve unknowingly absorbed a few habits, misconceptions, and labels that might not have been intended for Jesus’ followers. It is going to be a terrific series.

I can’t wait to see you this weekend,

Jeff

As we move toward Good Friday, we come face-to-face with the reality of the cross of Jesus. We confront the disquieting truth of our own sin. We witness the incredibly high cost of our freedom. We wonder how this day could ever come to be known as “Good.” At our Good Friday services, we’ll get a chance to release the captivity of our sin to Jesus, participate in communion, and acknowledge that what was accomplished on the cross was the surprising and ironic victory of God.

The culmination of victory on the cross isn’t only that Jesus died; it is that He also rose again, conquering death itself. In rising from the grave, Jesus embodied the hope that our own lives can be resurrected, begun anew. Easter services at Mission Viejo will be a time to celebrate that new life is possible in Jesus.

If you call Mariners “home” and you’d like to join the over 200 volunteers serving this Easter, there are still 25 spots available. Here’s how to make the most of the Easter services: Bring a friend to join us on Saturday night at 5pm (14th Annual Peep Roast to follow on the patio). Then, come and serve with us on Sunday morning.

I’m looking forward to being together this weekend,

Jeff