This past month we kicked off the New Year by returning to the book of Acts with our “DNA: The Core of the Local Church” sermon series. At North Summit our values come from the example set for us by the actions and attitudes of the early church. Join us the next two weeks as we wrap up this series by discussing what it looks like to take risk for the sake of the Gospel and our desire to be known for our love for others. Click HERE for previous messages in the series.

Our heart is for everyone to find their place in the body of Christ. Small groups are a primary step to finding your place. For more information on getting connected in a small group, visit the information kiosk on Sunday, or call the church office at 208.263.4818.

Upcoming Events:

Guest Meet & Greet - Sunday, February 7
If you are new here at North Summit Church and have never attended a Guest Meet & Greet, please join us Sunday, February 7th, immediately following the 3rd service in the South Building. Grab a cup of coffee for a casual opportunity to meet elders, pastors, staff and others new to North Summit. Use your Connection Card to RSVP, or call the church office. We hope to see you there!

Summit After School - Ministry Opportunity
Summit After School is expanding to include Tuesday afternoons! In order to do this we need to build our Ministry Partner Team! The Tuesday after school program will be weekly from 1pm to 5pm and includes a homework time/education activity, meal, group game, craft, and a life lesson. We need Ministry Partners to help in various areas including kitchen, craft and game. Please contact Nora Morrison n.morrison@northsummit.com if you would like to volunteer or sign up at the information kiosk in the Connection Hall.

Men’s Breakfast - Saturday, February 13th
North Summit Men are in pursuit of becoming Godly men. One of the ways we do that is by coming together for Men’s Breakfast. Saturday, February 13th you will have the opportunity to connect with other men heading in the same direction and be inspired by a message from one of our Pastors. Join us for the Men’s Breakfast on February 13th with a friend and an appetite. Please RSVP by writing “men’s breakfast” on your connection card or by stopping by the Men’s Ministry table in the Connection Hall or by calling the church office.
 
Valentine’s Day Cookies & Photo Booth - Sunday February 14th
Come celebrate God’s love for us and the love we are to have for others.  Grab your family, friends, or small group and come take a picture against our Valentine’s Day backdrop while enjoying a sugar cookie or two.  Bring your own phone – and feel free to share your pictures on social media!  We’ll see you in the Connection Hall on Sunday morning, February 14th!

Women’s Tables - Friday, February 19th
Ladies, join us on February 19th from 6-8pm as we gather over a meal and discuss topics geared towards sharing life and our faith with others, all in a casual but intentional format. We believe that this simple monthly practice will enable you to connect and build friendships that will eventually develop into discipleship and mentorship relationships. Please sign up by emailing women@northsummit.com or register at the information kiosk in the connection hall by February 14th.

Membership Class - Sunday, February 21st
If you are interested in partnering with us in membership, or if you just want to learn about North Summit Church, join us on Sunday, February 21st from 12:15 -2PM in the South Building.  The membership class is a great opportunity to learn about our vision, mission, methodology, basic Bible teachings, and what we would expect of you as a member. The goal of the class is to provide you with enough information for you to decide if you are ready to commit to the North Summit Church family. Lunch will be provided.  Reservations are required for this class.  You can register at www.northsummit.com/events or check the box on the Connection Card.

Joy.

There is no joy like the joy of discovery.

“I just discovered this new restaurant!”

“I just discovered this new TV show!”

“I just discovered this new band!”

“I just discovered I have extra vacation time!”

“I just discovered I had a wealthy relative who left me millions of dollars in inheritance!”

Joy is quite possibly the deepest, most common motivator of all people in all times. We go to great lengths for joy, for happiness. When you discover something really good, you can’t help but respond. It’s like it draws something out of you. That moment of discovery, that spontaneous split-second flutter of delight in something truly good— that’s joy.

We so often miss our chance at joy because of one thing: fear.

The Christmas story is a story about something truly good, and what happens when we take God at his word, amidst our fears: we discover joy, and that joy draws forth praise.  

Luke 2:8-20

“…there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.”

Shepherds were among the first to hear this good news. There was nothing special about them. They were at work. The setting was mundane. These details are important.

God comes to you where you are. He doesn’t make you dress up. He doesn’t give you an address on the far corner of the world, where He can be found. He finds you. He comes precisely to the place where it seems he is least likely to come.

And when He comes, you know it.

Luke 2:9

“And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.”

There is no doubt when one is in the presence of God. There is an associated condition: fear. God’s glory and man’s fear are correlated.  

We avoid fear like the plague, and for good reason. Who likes to be afraid? But our aversion to fear has an unintended consequence.

Our aversion to fear has deafened us to the message which is only made audible through our fear. We avoid our fear, but in so doing, we miss our joy.

Luke 2:10a

“And the angel said to them, “Fear not…”

Fear, if nothing else, makes us present. It makes us alert to the moment. Like hearing a startling noise when you least expect it. Suddenly, you’re all ears.

We so often try to hide from our fears, or numb ourselves to them, or try and foresee every possible scenario and control every possible variable in order to mitigate our fear. But what if God gives us these fears to make us present, to help us listen?

You see, when we do listen to God amidst our fears, the message is marvelous: fear not.

Luke 2:10b

“…for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

Joy is not only in the fact that we have nothing to fear — joy is in beholding how our best wish, the one wish to rule all wishes, has come true.

Behold! There is good news of which you ought bear witness! When you do, it will be your great joy!

Luke 2:11

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  

Behold! God is here. He has come to save you once and for all. He has come to make good on His promise. The days of evil are numbered. Sorrow will cease. Justice will finally come. Fear will be no more. When you forget, He will remind you. You don’t have to explain yourself. You don’t have to answer for your sins. The decisive word you’ve been waiting to hear your whole life has been spoken.

The great joy of the world is here.

But it looks different than you might expect.

Luke 2:12

“And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

It’s not in a palace.

It’s not flashy, it’s not large.

It’s not in a Macy’s window display.

It’s not in the bigger house or the nicer car.  

It’s not in the empty promise of upward-mobility.

It’s not in the supposed dream-lives of the rich and famous.

It’s not even in your own half-decent attempts to become a better person.

It’s small and easy to miss.

It’s hidden in the most unlikely place.

There, in that manger, lies all the joy you’ve ever dared hope for.

Luke 2:15-16

“When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.

After beholding, the shepherds took a risk. They staked something on this news.

This is where it gets hard for us.

Modern marketing plays to our desire for joy all the time. Our minds are littered with counterfeit promises: “Buy into this trend, this relationship, this career path, this new phone, this political leader, this new method of raising kids… and you will have joy!”

And so we buy in. Time and again we invest too much in too small a promise, and are let down. We spend a fortune with so little return. We get our political leader in office and after a bit, we still feel something is missing. No wonder it’s so hard to hear the goods news. No wonder we are skeptical.

But we need not be skeptical of God. His word will not let us down. His word is “good news of great joy.” It is news concerning an event.

When we stake our lives on this good news, this marvelous discovery, we find great joy. And this joy draws something forth in us: praise.

Luke 2:20

“And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”

Joy always precedes praise. Even with lesser joys, like a good meal, you can’t help but audibly express your delight. “Mmmm! This is delicious!” How much more will this ultimate joy draw forth praise in us?

This Christmas, don’t be afraid to take God at his word right where you are, amidst your fears. Behold this good news and discover your great joy! Take that risk and stake everything on it.

You will not be let down. In your joy, you will be bursting at the seams with praise.

...

Prayer:

God, though I’m afraid, help me take you at your word. Help me discover joy.

Practice:

Make a list of the ways you’ve invested too much in too little. Ask God to help you actively listen to this good news and not to be afraid.

I hope I get a new bike.
I hope my team wins this game.
I hope people like me.
I hope she likes me.
I hope I get into that school.
I hope I get my dream job.
I hope someone will want to marry me.
I hope I get a promotion.
I hope I will have kids one day.
I hope I am a good person.
I hope I will grow out of this habit.
I hope they don’t judge how dirty my house is.

I hope I stop feeling this way.
I hope this isn’t all for nothing.
I hope I won’t be disappointed with my life.
I hope...
I hope...
I hope...

Our lives are mapped by our hopes.

Proverbs 13:12:
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”

We negotiate between heart-sickness and fulfillment our entire lives, don’t we?

As children, we learn that when you hope for something, it can only go one of these two ways. We do everything in our power to avoid heart-sickness and to secure fulfillment.

Consider this: there was once a hopeless people, and God spoke to them through the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 9:6:
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Sounds amazing, but insert 700 years of waiting

Luke 2:12:
“...you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger”

From the time of Isaiah’s prophecy to the time of Jesus’ birth was about 700 years, not to mention from Abraham to Jesus being about 2,000 years.

God makes a promise but doesn’t give a timeline. Sound familiar?

Much of our anxiety comes from our inability to be patient. We mistake “not yet” for “never.” (Cue the heart- sickness!)

1 Peter 1:13b:
“...set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

To hope in God is to be patient with God. It is believing all the facts are not yet in. It is believing the story isn’t done being written. It is believing there is something still yet to be revealed or uncovered. It is believing that, despite the waiting, there will be a child born, who is “true God of true God, Light from Light eternal.”

Hope looks towards Christ — Longing itself fulfilled.

Revelation 22:2b:
“On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”

Our lives are mapped by our hopes. The map is long, but it leads somewhere.

According to John’s vision in Revelation, it leads to a tree of life. Like the Proverb above, our longing will be fulfilled. This hope will not disappoint us.

This holiday season look towards the future promised to you by God by looking at this child, finally arrived. What do you see? Just a baby in a cradle? Or a wooden manger holding Life itself, pointing to the ultimate tree of life?

This is hope.

I hope you see it.

...

Prayer:

Christ be my hope. Help me see You. Help me look.

Practice:
Make a map of your life starting with your earliest hope. Write enough to remember the feeling, but don’t dwell. When you’re finished with your life map end write this:    I hope my longing will be fulfilled in Christ.
Thank God for the ways He is already keeping this promise.

Luke 1:26-28
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”

We’ve all gotten bad gifts. And I don’t mean the “you got me this ugly sweater?” kind of bad gift. I mean the kind of gift that feels more like an expectation in festive wrapping paper. These kinds of gifts are, in fact, no gifts at all. They are transactions, and often, manipulative ones.

Mary has obviously gotten bad gifts before too. Her response is telling.

Luke 1:29
“but she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be”

It’s almost as if Mary is wondering to herself “What kind of gift is this? What do you want from me? What am I missing from this too-good-to-be-true scenario?”

Life teaches us to expect a catch. We wait for our “luck to run out.” We think that at some point the check is going to come, and we’re not going to be able to pay it. We feel the burdensome expectations of life, and, most of the time, we feel like we are barely keeping up. We put expectations on others and are disappointed when they don’t live up to them.

This is life in the transaction.

But God’s love is different. He reminds us, along with Mary, “there’s no catch.”

Luke 1:30
And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

The “favored one” needs reminding that she has “found favor with God.” We all need reminding.

C.S. Lewis in his book “The Four Loves” describes something called gift-love.

Gift-love is the opposite of transaction. Gift-love is the kind of love which neither expects nor requires reciprocation. It is entirely dependent on the giver. With this kind of love, the receiver has only to receive.

This is the kind of love God has for us. The only fitting response to this kind of love is an actively-passive response. It’s a posture of heart bent towards reception. It does not say “I’m going to make this happen,” but simply, “let it be.”

Luke 1:38b
“And Mary said, “Behold, I am a servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word.”

Mary gives herself to God, not out of compulsion, duty or strain — but out of love. The gift-love of God produces love in Mary.

This is the most contested point for all of us transaction-loving-folks (read: everyone).

Gift-love is generative! It generates love! Gift-love produces spontaneously and from the heart that which transaction-love, with all its obsession over tit-for-tat, can only ever fake.  

If you don’t believe me, here’s Mary’s response to the gift-love of God:

Luke 1:46-55
 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

Mary uses some form of “he has done this!” Nine different times in this short vertical focused poem. It’s all about Him and what He has done! When you’re dealing with the God of gift-love, you can’t help but notice the ways He loves. You can’t help but praise. You can’t help but love him.

This Christmas, remember that God’s love is gift-love. Only ever gift-love.

Let it be.

…

Prayer:

Lord, remind me of your gift love. Help me receive. Let it be!

Practice:

Make a list of the ways you feel your relationship with God has been transactional. What are the “be-this-or-else” or “do-this-or-else” habits or ways of thinking that you can confess and repent of?

Once you’ve acknowledged your own transactional-love tendencies, thank God that His love is nothing like yours.

Write out a prayer of praise, a vertical focused prayer, thanking Him for his gift-love.

The Hebrew word for “peace” is the word “shalom.” It means “to be safe, sound, perfect, complete, nothing lacking.” Shalom signifies the presence of well-being and harmony, both within and without. It also signifies the absence of anxiety or stress. Biblically, it is a future-orientated word.

One would think the birth of the prince of “shalom” must have been peaceful.

One would think.

Matthew 1:18-25

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

We know very little about Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. He is a carpenter. He’s a blue-collar artisan who works with his hands. He’s not an academic, not a business man, and not a priest. He’s an “honest day’s work for an honest day’s wage” kind of guy.

When his fiancé gets pregnant (by the Holy Spirit, though he doesn’t know it yet), his response is exemplary. Despite what was most likely deep hurt, he is “unwilling to put her to shame” and decides to deal with the situation quietly, no fuss. He wants to guard her from the shame he knows could come. Joseph is temperate, and he repays what he presumes to be evil with good. In other words, he is a good man.

At this point in the story, he is most definitely not at peace.

Matthew 1:20a

But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.

Joseph is “considering these things” well into the night. Even his dreams are dominated by the situation. He’s mid-stress-dream when an angel shows up, in his dream, with a job.

Matthew 1:20b-25

Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel

Angels figure prominently in the birth story of Jesus. They come in a dazzle of brilliance and are notorious for bringing “good news of great joy!” But for Joseph, while this news is indeed good, the implications for him in the here and now are heavy.

Joseph is to proceed with the marriage. She and her son are very important. Mary is the one of whom the prophet testified. Jesus will save people from their sins. Those are gigantic destinies.

But what about Joseph? Interestingly, there is nothing about his own life, his own impact. It’s as if his legacy is to be bound up in the life of these two: the virgin and her son.

“Don’t be a hero, Joe” — I can imagine his friends saying. “It was just a silly dream.”

Matthew 1:24-25

When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

God commands Joseph to do something, and he intends to do it. Through discomfort, trial, anxiety, challenge and shame (read: non-peace), he will raise the Prince of Peace.

If I were Joseph, I would have a few follow up questions. But Joseph doesn’t ask a thing. He trusts God and obeys.

In fact, of all the characters in the early part of Jesus’ life, Joseph gets the most face-time with heavenly messengers. Repeatedly, angels show up with a difficult job. Repeatedly, Joseph trusts and obeys. See for yourself…

Matthew 2:13-14

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt.

Matthew 2:19-20

But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.” And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.

We try so hard to manage our own impact, our own legacies, our own peace . So much anxiety, so much stress, so little peace comes from trying to conjure something eternally meaningful from fleshly strength. God doesn’t ask us to part the sea, but to walk through it. God doesn’t ask Joseph to explain his marriage and family to the world — he asks Joseph to trust and obey.

Trust and obedience are how we let God make good on His promise. In so doing, as Joseph did, we find peace.

Philippians 3:13-14; 4:7

But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

This Christmas, resolve to entrust your destiny to God, and like Joseph, bind up your legacy with the Prince of Peace.

...

Prayer:

God give me your peace. Help me trust and obey

Practice:

What are the ways you have tried to squeeze eternal significance from fleshly strength?

What are some areas in which God is calling you to trust and obey him, even though it’s difficult?

This week our leadership spent time discussing and praying about our response to the Governor’s state-wide health order and Panhandle Health’s district-wide mask order.

We understand the divisive nature of these conversations and that there are very passionate people on both sides of the current issue. We understand that we need to do our part to help slow the spread of Covid in our community by taking steps to protect the most vulnerable around us and help our local healthcare system from becoming overwhelmed. 

We also believe there is greater danger in not meeting together.  We are committed to doing whatever it takes to make sure that people have an opportunity to attend in-person gatherings on a weekly basis. Corporate worship and fellowship are vital to our physical, spiritual and mental health. 

As we move forward, we will continue to wisely balance these two realities. To do this, we have decided to prioritize our efforts on maintaining in-person Sunday services. After consulting with our ministry teams and ministry partners, we felt it was prudent to step back from the larger social gatherings planned throughout the Christmas season. We will no longer be offering our Christmas Worship Night, Men’s BBQ or Women’s Brunch scheduled for December. We will be offering three (3) Christmas Eve services and ask that you register for these services online so that we can manage capacity to leave room for physical distancing.

Like the tenor of the Governor’s address, we believe we need to lean on personal responsibility and give people the individual liberty to make calls for their own health. We all need to do our part to mitigate transmission and use extra caution when meeting together. We also need to remember that God has called us to love and respect one another and not police one another. As a leadership team, we are personally committed to doing our part to remain healthy for ministry service. We are asking you to do the same. 

While we remain under the current health order:

• We encourage everyone who is sick, vulnerable or concerned to participate in services online.
• We ask everyone to practice physical distancing and good hand hygiene during gatherings. 
• Regarding PHD’s mask mandate, we encourage everyone to wear a face mask when in a “public space” and it is not possible to maintain proper physical distancing. We will leave compliance to this mandate up to the individual. 
• We encourage those who can to consider attending the 8:00am or 11:00am services to make room for better physical distancing at the 9:30am service.
• Starting Sunday, Nov. 29th, we will reserve the balcony for those who desire a place where face masks are required during the 8:00am and 11:00am services.  

As your church leadership, we are committed to never make our decisions out of fear or political pressure. We will respect our governing authorities while we remain obedient to the higher authority of God’s Word. We will strive to make the best decisions for our church and community as we move forward, seeking the Lord’s wisdom in everything. We are privileged to lead such an amazing group of Jesus followers.  We are excited to see how God uses this season to move forward His kingdom!

Earlier today the Governor announced that he is issuing a new statewide Stage 2 public heath order. Under this order churches remain exempt from gathering size restrictions, and are encouraged to remain open while following physical distancing requirements. We are currently discussing what we can do to better facilitate the physical distancing requirements for our services and events. 

This order will not effect our Women’s event scheduled for tomorrow, or Sunday’s services.  Any changes we decide to make will be communicated and take effect the following week. The tenor of Gov. Little’s address was that of personal responsibility and not mandate, asking that we all do our part to slow the spread as many of our hospitals begin to reach capacity. 

In the meantime, let’s continue do our part to protect those around us by:

• Staying home when we are sick and participating in services online.
• Practicing physical distancing and good hygiene during gatherings. 
• Attending the 8:00am or 11:00am services to make room for better physical distancing at the 9:30am service.

Thank you for your prayers and support as we continue to navigate this season together. 

This week Governor Little announced a Stage Three Stay Healthy Order for the state of Idaho. The Governor granted exemption to the gathering restriction of this order for religious activities and worship services. However, we want to share with you our response to this order and how we will continue to navigate future requirements.

Since resuming our gatherings in Stage Three we have based our actions of PHD’s County Risk Assessment Scale. We will continue to use this scale as we move forward to determine our next steps. As of today, Bonner County is currently in the yellow zone as it has been for the past few months. Therefore, we will continue to offer all worship services, events and programming as scheduled. Our staff is working on a game plan for navigating any color change for Bonner County.

We believe, now more that ever, it is important to safely gather together each week and we are committed to continuing in-person worship services. We will keep you informed to any changes through e-mail, social media, and our website. 

As a church family let’s recommit to love one another by:

• Staying home when we are sick and participating in services online.
• Practicing physical distancing and good hygiene.
• Attend the 8:00am or 11:00am services to make room for better physical distancing at the 9:30am service.

God has called each one of you to this church for this season of ministry, thank you for your support and encouragement as we continue to navigate this unique time in our nation’s history. Regardless of the circumstances around us the mission remains the same!

This past Sunday was special at North Summit. We are proud to announce that Pastor Kyle Bostock has stepped into the position of Lead Pastor at North Summit Church. Pastor Steve Brown will continue as one of our teaching pastors as we move forward. We are excited for both Pastor Steve and Pastor Kyle as we enter this new season of ministry. If you missed the announcement please take a moment to watch it HERE.