Pastor's Corner

904 Washington St SE, Olympia, WA 98501

Olympia First Baptist Church

Traditional Worship with Modern Twists | Sunday at 10AM

The Thin Place: Where the Sacred and the Ordinary Collide

Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:23—25

New Revised Standard Version

(Updated Edition)

November 2024

The passage above from Hebrews was the theme verse for this year’s Annual Meeting of the Evergreen Association of American Baptist Churches. 66 churches that defy geographical boundaries, committed to the good news of Jesus Christ and who have chosen to associate with one another in mission and ministry, despite the differences we may have in regards to theology, church practices, ethnicity, etc. Our diversity is seen as a strength, a gift if you will, and something to be celebrated.

When we think of the word provoke, we think about, or at least I do, how we can stir up or rile up someone who thinks differently than I do. We often associate provoking with anger and/or as an excuse for an emotional outburst and/or meltdown. But the writer of Hebrews challenges this type of thinking by flipping the script and asking us to consider how to stir up people in a positive manner and direction through love and good deeds. Love and good deeds. How do we provoke one another to love and good deeds?

We remind ourselves during our times of worship, that each person we encounter was made in the image of God. That each of us, family, friend, stranger, enemy, irritant, bears the image of God, the imago Dei. You and I, we, are made in God’s image. We also need to remind ourselves, as well as each other, that we are enough in God’s eyes. Despite our brokenness and sin, our rough edges and the ways we miss the mark, God still accepts us, pursues us. We are enough. Period. As image bearers of God, who are enough in the eyes of our Creator, Redeemer, and Spirit, we can be healed, forgiven, encouraged, etc., in God’s love. You and I, we, are loved, deeply! And if all of the above is true, then how can we not provoke others by loving them and sowing and doing good for them and on their behalf?

For us here on the corner of 9th and Washington there is so much opportunity for us to provoke others with love and good deeds. Just in case you need reminding:

Table Grace…Ministry with refugee families thru World Relief…Community engagement opportunities like the recent summer block parties, the Lenten Stations of the Cross Window displays, our ongoing porch project. Creating new partnerships with groups like Arrest and Jail Alternatives (AJA) thru Catholic Community Services, Underground Ministries’ One Parish-One Prisoner program, and now Interfaith Works! There is also a working group of mainline protestant churches here in Olympia, the Olympia Commons, who have been gathering once a month for the last 5 months, hearing each other’s stories, finding common ground and values and figuring out how to do cooperative ministry, together, when appropriate. And with each new relationship, each new connection, you never really know what new door will open up for us to step thru and into? Whatever those opportunities may be, I bet that God is already ahead of us, working, planting, preparing, for us, to join God in that good work.

In many ways, we are a spiritual oasis in the midst of the hustle and bustle of our own local version of an urban jungle. Through worship, bible study, small groups of support and ministry and the hospitality we provide for the wider community, we are always, hopefully, provoking one another to love and good deeds!

Jesus says in John 13:34—35:

I give you a new commandment, that you love one an-other. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this every-one will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

Without love, according to the apostle Paul, we are just noisy gongs, clangy cymbals. We are just making noise. So, let us continue to do our best to provoke one another to love and good deeds. Let’s continue to engage our neighborhood, our wider community to love and good deeds! Let us continue to open ourselves up to being surprised by God, in all that we do and/or plan to do and be!

Let us be that spiritual oasis for others during times of want and plenty. May we continue to be a place of hospitality and acceptance for whomever wanders into our space. We are, Olympia First, on the corner of 9th and Washington, where people are welcomed and where they can experience some hope, good news, and community;

As we walk humbly, love completely, live differently!

Blessings and Joy!

Humble over Hype!

Pastor Mark (Rev)