Welcome to the Journey!
We believe that each person here represents a unique and special story of a life with God, unfolding and growing over time and through experience, so we welcome the opportunity to connect more deeply with you while we explore what it means to follow Jesus here at Cedar Ridge. We want to support your faith as a journey that will take you through your whole life and beyond. It is our hope that we can help you take the next steps – the ones that are right for you – in getting connected to opportunities to grow, serve and join with others in community.
Our TOur Journey of Hope: Following the Dangerous Way of Jesus
Please read the following important information to help orient you to the series and prepare you to engage fully with the workbook material and the personal activities, as you focus on following the way of Jesus.
Introduction
Our Journey of Hope: Following the Dangerous Way of Jesus will help you explore through the vision, values and philosophy that Cedar Ridge Community Church holds as a Christ-centered community. What kinds of things make us the community we are? What are our distinctives? What is important to us and why? What is not so important? Where have we been in our past, where are we currently, and how do we want to move toward our future? How do all of these things shape us as a community, and what part does each of us play in becoming all God dreams for us to be?
Throughout its history, Cedar Ridge has always sought to be a people simply following Jesus and loving others in His Name. The concept of following Jesus is simple, but it is, at times, far from easy, and sometimes can feel downright dangerous – hence the title of this workbook. We need the presence of the Living Spirit of God at work in us and in our relationships with others to support, uphold and help to guide us on the way. It is our hope that this material will inspire and challenge us all to follow hard after Jesus with everything we have, even into uncomfortable or “dangerous” territory.
Overview
The series consists of five chapters of reading and reflection. We expect that the content may challenge some commonly held paradigms for how we do church, what it means to be a Christian, how we approach the Bible, etc and maybe even some theological beliefs. Our hope is that each of us will be open to these challenges and that we will face them with honesty, love and respect. As we listen to the Holy Sprit and reflect on the materials, this can be a wonderful opportunity for growth. In light of the questions and concerns some of the content might raise, please feel free to share openly with the pastoral staff, who will be available to dialogue, answer questions and discuss concerns.
Make a personal commitment
Please commit to yourself now that you will make space in your life and devote adequate time to prayerfully reading and seeking good understanding of the content. It may mean giving up a favorite weekly TV show or skipping the morning newspaper. We believe the sacrifice will be worth it, and will deeply enhance your experience of the Journey. We also suggest journaling as you read, and making note of any questions, anything that you find confusing, anything you find enlightening or inspiring for your future reference or to discuss with the pastoral staff, as needed.
Let’s pray together that the love of the Holy Spirit, that dispels discord and confusion and brings a Spirit of unity to Christ’s people, would be powerfully at work in our individual hearts and minds, and in our gathered church community. This may prove to be exciting and full of wonder, and at times challenging, but we trust in Jesus guiding us through every step, and in His abiding love and presence with us as we continue to explore the terrain of a dynamic, loving community.
We pray that through engaging with this material you will grow in your relationship with God, and that our community would be infused with the generous, life-giving Spirit of Christ, and that the “life to the full” that Jesus promised would abound in our midst and among all who would choose to give their very lives away and follow hard after Him.
Seeking to grow with you as we travel together on this Journey,
The Cedar Ridge Community Church Pastors and Staff
Chapter 1: Daring to Dream of Heaven on Earth
Welcome and Introduction
Read each chapter through prayerfully and use a journal to record your reflections on the materials. You might want to write down those things that are especially meaningful for you. Jot down any questions or concerns that come up for you to share at the discussion times with the pastors.
Purpose
The purpose of this lesson is to:
· To describe our past as a community (our history)
· To help us imagine our future (our vision)
· To explain what we mean by discipleship
Our Journey: The History of Cedar Ridge
One Sunday morning, eleven friends, mostly in their twenties, gathered in a living room in a little house not far from the University of Maryland. The group consisted of men and women from nearly eleven Christian backgrounds – Catholic, Protestant, non-charismatic, charismatic, denominational, nondenominational. They shared a common desire – to become an exciting, effective church that would welcome and embrace spiritual seekers of all kinds – Christians from many traditions and those who had no-prior experience or knowledge of Christianity. It was April 1982.
Several weeks before, Brian McLaren, a college English instructor, had called an old friend, Bill Duncan, to see if Bill had an interest in helping launch this new venture, and they, along with their spouses, Grace and Shobha, decided to call the new church “Community Church.” Soon there were twenty people, then thirty. Some families from those early days are still actively involved in the church today. Eventually Brian was asked to lead the church as its full-time pastor.
The church grew over the next 15 years, moving from place to place to accommodate its increasing size, until in 1996, after an outpouring of sacrificial giving, Cedar Ridge became owners of a beautiful 63-acre historic property in Burtonsville, Maryland.
At about the same time, Brian McLaren began writing books, and soon became an increasingly significant participant in networks of emerging leaders and churches around the world. Seeking to use his unique gifts as an influential thinker, writer and speaker, Brian left pastoral ministry to respond to his call to the public arena full-time. After a prayerful and extensive search for a new Senior Pastor, the Cedar Ridge community appointed Matthew Dyer as Senior Pastor, to whom Brian passed the baton of leadership in January 2006. Matthew had been a pastor in the Vineyard denomination of churches since 1995 in both the US and UK (his native country).
At the time of this transition of pastoral leadership, Cedar Ridge had grown to include several hundred people and was supporting many activities, ministries and programs that were difficult to sustain in terms of resources and staff, and there was an increasing recognition that a central, unifying focus was needed. Seeking greater clarity and purpose for the future, yet desiring at the same time to maintain its underlying values and beliefs, the people of Cedar Ridge engaged together in an intense year of “re-envisioning the church.” This time was both difficult and rewarding. It meant profound change as old systems and programs were released to make way for something new and also provided opportunity for personal transformation as participants engaged in discernment, fasting, sacrifice and prayer.
Through this extensive process that included church-wide discussion and collaboration, a clear, comprehensive vision was formed and in September 2007 our church community embarked on its quest to serve God, one another and the world in a unique and focused way. Interestingly the vision process led us back to our roots and the earliest dreams for our community: To become a people simply devoted to following Jesus and loving people in His name.
Since then, we have been devoted to pursuing this vision together. As a community, we've sought to define more clearly what this vision looks like in several key areas, such as discipleship groups, our property/the farm, children and youth, and global engagement. Several of the appendices highlight our vision and goals for these particular elements. Church leaders also engage in strategic planning each year, seeking to prayerfully determine particular ways Cedar Ridge can live out this vision more fully.
Reflection
Take some time to reflect on how you became a part of Cedar Ridge, and when. This is a part of our community’s story so take some time to describe it. You may want to record your reflections in the space below, or in your journal.
Our Vision
Our vision is expressed in the statement below, but it is important to realize that a vision only becomes real if it inspires us to embrace it and live it out. Words on a page are powerless in and of themselves but if they inspire us to live differently, they can change the world. Our vision statement is more poetic than corporate with the hope that it will capture our imaginations with a beautiful dream of the future.
Cedar Ridge is a community of hope and transformation dedicated to following Jesus.
Imagine a community that dares to dream of heaven on earth; a community where everyone is accepted and respected and their journey cherished, regardless of their background, beliefs or place in society; where everyone looks out for the concerns of others and no one is alone. Imagine a community of peace and safety where it’s possible to shelter from the frenzied pace of life, in order to slow down and explore the mystery and meaning of our existence; where we can take time to address the roots of our anxieties and pain; a place of hope where we can find help and healing and the power to change, no matter how desperate our situation. Imagine a community of people devoted to following Jesus together, learning to live like Him and helping one another grow in their relationship with God; where we are gradually transformed to become better people: better friends, better family members, better workers, better neighbors; becoming people who enjoy life to the full and who can also deal with adversity well, learning to grow through failure and suffering. Imagine that community scattered throughout the region around Washington, Baltimore and beyond working as agents of love, peace and hope wherever they are; serving our neighbors, caring for the poor, helping the oppressed. Imagine a community of people who live simply and ethically, who share their land and resources with their neighbors; a community that treasures the earth and reaches out beyond global, cultural and political barriers to offer friendship and practical support.
Imagine a community of people who make the world a better place.
Reflection Questions
Take some time to reflect on the following questions. You may want to record your reflections in your notebook.
1. How does the vision make you feel?
2. What do you like about the vision?
3. What don’t you like about the vision?
4. What is most challenging for you about this vision?
Discipleship
At the heart of our vision is the concept of following Jesus. We call this discipleship; pursuing Jesus and his way with our whole beings.
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else.”
Luke 12:31 (New Living Translation)
We live in a beautiful world. Even though we realize that life is hard and that the world can be a difficult and painful place, we also have great hope that a different way of life is possible. Jesus came teaching about a different way of life that He called the Kingdom of God. It’s a way of life where we love our enemies, where we forgive those who have hurt us, where generosity is more important than wealth, where kindness is more important than being right, where the weak and poor are put first, where it’s better to give than receive and where leading is about serving. It’s a counterintuitive way, which is not always obvious at first. But as we follow Jesus we slowly wake up to the health and vitality of this new way and as His apprentices we become more like Him. In this way the Kingdom comes: both in us as we are transformed personally and in the world around us as we live differently. Jesus and the way of life He brings can heal our world. Jesus taught us to seek and pray for this “heaven on earth,” to have great hope and earnestly pursue this transformation.
"Anyone who intends to come with Me has to let Me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow Me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, My way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?”
Matthew 16:24 (The Message)
Discipleship is the means by which we surrender our lives to the way of Jesus and His Kingdom. We see discipleship as the foundation, the core, the motivation for everything we do. We are unapologetically committed to following Jesus and, as His apprentices, we look to His life, His teaching and His presence with us now for the transformation that needs to take place in our lives. This transformation is an ongoing process of change where we become better people: better friends, better partners, better parents, better workers, better neighbors. We want to become a community of people who are evidently growing in the art of living life well; people who live responsibly and ethically, looking out for others and caring for the environment – a community of people who are becoming more like Jesus. This kind of transformation is an internal one as we surrender ourselves to Christ and learn from Him, and, if authentic, will result in tangible change in the way we live our lives.