Look Up in the Chaos
We’re past the midway point of June, which means the year is close to half over! 2020 will certainly be a milestone year for the record books. Isn’t it incredible to think that, after the historic events we’ve faced and continue to deal with as of today, we’ve only gone five-and-a-half months into 2020? It can feel overwhelming when we try to take in everything around us from COVID-19, to George Floyd, to the economy, to sexual identity, to riots and autonomous zones, to social media, to a season of face masks and social distancing . . . and we haven’t yet reached what is bound to be one of the most heated presidential elections our country has ever seen.
It’s quite simply a lot to take in all around us.
Thankfully, though . . . we can look up.
This past Sunday we started a new series entitled “Look Up” in which we are pausing in the midst of chaos to breathe in the words of David in Psalm 103. He writes in verse 1, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!” But why? In our world today, we experience so much suffering and anxiety, why should we bless God and speak well of His goodness? Because of three things: Because of who He is, because He’s got you, and because He’s got this.
Our Heavenly Father is the God who conquered death, grants us eternal life, and promises us resurrection through His Son, Jesus Christ. Our God has us, granting us His benefits through forgiveness, healing, redemption, and satisfaction (Psalm 103:2–5). And lastly, our God works for justice (103:6) and desires that His people do the same (Micah 6:8; Psalm 106:3).
Now is the time, especially in the middle of the flow of the crowd, for us to earnestly seek the ultimate truth that is found consistently in no other place than in God Himself. Let us look upward so that throughout every single day, from morning to night, God’s Word, the gospel of Christ, and the voice of the Holy Spirit can work inward, to align our hearts with His.
If you missed the first session of this series and would like a fuller unpacking of the above, or you would like to rewatch it, you can find it here.
It’s been a joy to have on-campus worship again, to hear the saints singing, and to even preach in front of live people again! Remember, we’re ready for you whenever you feel ready to return. Our on-campus services are at 8:30 and 11:00am at either West U Baptist or Crosspoint Church-Bellaire (with a live Spanish service at 1:30pm at Crosspoint). If you need to watch us online, tune in at 8:30, 9:30, and 11:00am for our English services, 1:30pm for our Spanish service, and 2:00pm for our Chinese service, all on our CityRise YouTube channel.
However you join us, we look forward to seeing you this coming Sunday (Happy Father’s Day, by the way!) for the next session of “Look Up.” I hope you are as encouraged by this series as I am in preparing for it each week. God’s got this, Church Family.
Stay Expectant,
Pastor Roger
PS We still have options available to give blood next week! We are holding our third Blood Drive at Crosspoint to benefit the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center on June 26 and 27. You can easily sign up for a time slot by going to cpoint.org/giveblood. We’ve had great turnouts so far; let’s continue our participation to continue saving lives.
Roger Patterson is the Senior Pastor of the CityRise Network, leading multiple congregations in lifting our city and the world by generously giving the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Roger lives in Houston with his wife Julee, and three children.