BRANCHES November 2012

RANCHES
november 2012
Living in Response to God’s Grace
WHAT IT MEANS TO GIVE THANKS
Absence of Choice
EMPOWERING PARENTS

P R E S B Y T E R I A N
JEAN F. LARROUX, III Senior Pastor
MELISSA PATTERSON Executive Assistant
C H U R C H
Adult Ministries
SARAH NIEMITZ Director of Community Development/Assimilation
JAMES PARKER Chief Musician
WILL SPINK Associate Pastor/Shepherding
SHARON DUTCHER Administrative Assistant
Student Ministries
KIM DELCHAMPS Administrative Assistant
NINA ˜ BANTA Director of Children
NANCY McCREIGHT Assistant Director /Children/Nursery
CHAD TOWNSLEY Associate Pastor/High-Life
WINNIE WINFORD Assistant Director/High-Life
Ministry Support
PAT TRAPANE Bookkeeper
JONATHAN BARNETTE Director of Communication
JACKI GIL Graphic Designer
JANICE CROWSON Director of Facilities/Office
LYNDA CLAYDON Facilities
MIKE MARREN Facilities
pastor’s note
Guilt vs. Gratitude
Two months ago I purposed to use the Pastor’s note systematically to help
us tease out “how” the Gospel works and what it means to experience
and express grace. November provides a perfect segue to consider true
thanksgiving as a way of life.
First, let’s make sure we have our theology on straight. As we talk about
obedience, we must start with our depraved hearts. Our motivations for
obedience will never be pure. We will never obey purely out of gratitude.
Jean F. Larroux, III
Our most selfless acts of obedience are stained with the residue of the Fall.
To my fellow perfectionists: our motivations will be pure in heaven, but until then we will still need Jesus
for our failures and twisted motivations.
Secondly, God is holy and cares about motives. He turns his nose at external behavior that is stellar but
internal motivation that is not. Jesus told the Pharisees that they were like “whitewashed tombs” (i.e.
clean on the outside, but full of dead men’s bones on the inside). God isn’t a pragmatist. He doesn’t
say, “I don’t care how you get there, just get there…” That’s not him. He cares more about the heart
motivation of “getting there” than the product being produced.
Third, what motivations typically drive us? In order to see the “right” way to go, we need to see the
wrong way we naturally go. Martin Luther coined the term “meritmonger.” It means someone addicted
to earning merit before God. Will Spink recently painted a picture of God for us as the East German
Judge at the Olympics always looking to deduct two-tenths of a point from our performance. Our
normal motivation in obedience bounces between voiding “deductions” or “meritmongering.” Both
paradigms are faulty and have our glory in mind, not His.
So let’s be honest, we know that we should obey, but we also know that mechanical and obligatory
obedience is wrong. Unfortunately, before we’ve even put one foot in front of the other in actual
obedience, we become aware that the things we should be doing from the heart are far from what we
are actually doing in our hearts! Enter guilt.
BRANCHES
Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Barnette
Designer Jacki Gil
CONTRIBUTORS
Sarah Niemitz
Chad Townsley
Nancy McCreight
Niña Banta
Will Spink
PHOTOS
Sarah Cruze
Kim Delchamps
Corrie Spearing
Jeanette Leggett
David Rigby
cover photo
Photo taken by
Sarah Cruze of
HeyDay 2012.
Guilt presses on our consciences. It wags its disappointed head saying, “After all Jesus has done for
you....and you can’t even... [fill-in-the-blank]. Tsk, tsk, tsk.” It is true that the expression of Grace actually
is supposed to spring from understanding “all Jesus has done for me,” but it is supposed to blossom
from the soil of gratitude, not guilt.
So where are we left? Obedience is good, but our flesh is inclined to obey out of guilt and obligation.
Satan doesn’t have to thwart actual obedience if he can convince you to obey like slaves, not sons.
The real currency of our relationship with God is supposed to be love. The real motivation for our
obedience is supposed to be reciprocal love. God didn’t design us to live out of guilt, but rather out of
gratitude. Obedience is supposed to be a response to grace (i.e. us loving him back), not to avoid the
disappointed, wagging head. So what are we to do?
Here’s my pastoral advice and your Thanksgiving homework: distrust your motives. Let’s say you are
planning to help serve Thanksgiving dinner at the Manna House. Begin the day with a confession of
your impure motives. I promise they are there. When you see them, confess them, and truly remember
“all He did for you.” Go back to the Gospel. Fall into Grace again. Lather, rinse and repent. PAY
ATTENTION HERE: when you see the messiness of your heart don’t tap out in despair, tap in to the
Gospel! He loves you. He loves half-hearted you. He loves mixed-motive you. He is singing over you.
He’s not thrilled about your sin, but he is thrilled with having you as his child! See Him running off the
porch to greet you, the prodigal son! Now imagine that after He loves and embraces you he whispers
in your ear, as you look at that homeless man in the line for Thanksgiving dinner, hear Jesus say, “Love
him, like I love you.” That is gratitude, not guilt.
That is how the Gospel works. That is how it has always worked. That is how Jesus takes sinners from
guilt to gratitude in their obedience. In this life we aren’t completely purged from the guilt that plagues
us; we are regularly plunged into the fountain filled with the blood of Christ instead. That makes us
humble, loving and eager servants, and that is something to be truly thankful for.
1000 Carl T. Jones Drive | Huntsville, Alabama 35802
(256) 882-3085 | www.southwood.org

session update
One of the plans the Session is most excited about is a transition to one
worship service beginning Sunday, December 2. We feel a compelling need
for unity and community in the body of Christ at Southwood right now and
believe this is one way we can facilitate those priorities. We plan to stick with
one service until such a time as God blesses
us with people and we need to make room
for them. At such a time, we would joyfully
return to two worship services.
SUNDAY MORNINGS BEGINNING
DECEMBER 2 ND
Christian Education at 9:00am
Connect at 10:00am
Worship at 10:30am
The plan for the Sunday morning schedule
beginning in December is as follows:
Christian Education (all ages) will begin
at 9:00am. This will allow for 30 minutes
of fellowship and connection between
Christian Education and worship, which will begin at 10:30am. While Sunday
Seminars will continue without adjustment through the end of this year, the
Session continues to contemplate and receive input on a Christian education
model that includes the best of affinity connections and excellent teaching.
We have asked the Christian Education and Shepherding Committees to
work on plans for what teaching and fellowship could look like on Sunday
mornings beginning in January 2013. We would value input and ideas in this
regard from the entire congregation to any elder or any member of one of
these committees.
One of the benefits of having one worship service is that we will be able to
expand the service to include additional elements such as pastoral prayers,
Scripture readings, creeds, confessions, catechisms, and additional singing.
Elements like these have been vital parts of Christian worship through the
ages as well as worship services at Southwood over the years. We are eager
to be able to enrich our worship together by including some of these on a
regular basis. It will be especially sweet to enjoy these elements and the
opportunity to sing some more Christmas
carols as we are all together during our
December worship services this year.
While the Session feels this new schedule is
the best plan for the entire flock right now, we
do understand that any schedule change can
be difficult for some members. As we enter
this new season, we would hope that all our
members would enjoy the opportunity to
worship together as one body and also that you let us know of concerns or
challenges you experience with this change. As always, please speak with
any of your elders, and remember you can contact the entire Session by
e-mailing elders@southwood.org.
In addition to the change in schedule for Sunday mornings, the Session
also wants to keep the congregation informed about some other actions
in the past few weeks. We have received and approved the resignations of
Deacons Curtis Fox and Scott Lynam with prayer for them and their families.
We also appointed a committee (Todd Gandy, Jean Larroux, Skeets Simonis,
and Chad Townsley) to work on plans for elder rotation on the Session.
Finally, we asked Bob Greenman to lead a group to begin developing bylaws
for Southwood.
Can you tie a bow, string some
lights, or hang an ornament?
Join the Flower Buds in the gathering spaces on
Saturday, December 1st from 9:00am-2:00pm as
they decorate the church for Christmas! Children are
welcome, but must remain with their parents at all
times. This will be a great time of fellowship and service,
so join us for a couple of hours or for the whole time!
For more information contact Susan Cooper at
susanbcooper@me.com
november 2012

Thank you to everyone who made
HeyDay 2012 such a success!
november 2012

INFANTS
CHILDREN
by Nancy McCreight
by Niña Banta
Infant baptism reflects a picture of a believer resting in and trusting
We live in a sinful world, and due to the sin of our fathers we are
Jesus the Savior. What can that little baby do to help himself? Nothing.
depraved and sinful even as little children. So how does one raise
They are totally dependent upon another person for care. Just as an
a child to recognize his or her need of God’s grace and love? For
infant rests in his parent’s arms, so must we rest in our Savior, Jesus,
some it is a fine line, between grace and legalism, to teach a child
and His work for us—the finished work of Christ on the cross.
to grow, learn and walk in the way of the Lord. Do we teach our
children to be thankful because God told us so, or because we
Little children usually know they are weak and need someone to care
long to show God our love for him in return? It all goes back to
for them. We desire to show them the One who is strong—Jesus. Isn’t
the HEART! Why must we be thankful? Why must we obey? Why
this what we all truly need and want? To rest in Jesus, who is faithful,
must we serve and love others? My response is, Why Not? God’s
good and STRONG for us. As simple as it may seem, the words of the
grace is SO much bigger than we are. It transforms our hearts
song “Jesus Loves Me” say it all.
from the inside out, and naturally our response leads to gratitude.
Children get it more than we give them credit.
“Jesus loves me, this I know.
For the Bible tells me so.
Next time you’re all sitting together, sharing a meal,
Little ones to Him belong.
try something new. Share something that you’re
They are weak, but HE is STRONG.
thankful for, not out of guilt but out of
YES, Jesus loves me.
gratitude, and then ask your children
For the Bible tells me so.”
one by one to do the same. I think
you’ll see how the Lord will use
I do not think we are ever too old
even your children to express
to outgrow our need for this
grace. And who knows,
Grace
LIVING IN
vital truth. Our children will
maybe you’ll start a new
know the love of Christ first
family tradition.
through their parents, and
then through others in
RESPONSE TO
the Body of Christ, who
God’s
ultimately protects them.
YOUTH
PARENTS
by Winnie Winford
by Chad Townsley
One thing I delight to do is
a student ministry take on
As parents, living in
tell students that I love them.
response to God’s grace
what it means to give thanks
I find that like a parent, I love
means that we never stop
them simply because they are
at every age.
expressing our thankfulness
the beautiful, messy, sinning image
to God for it and our desperate
bearers the Lord put in my life. I don’t
need of it. As we know, grace
love them because they are “good kids” or
does not lead us to license, but to
because they come to a certain number of small
a deeper thankfulness for God’s love
groups or because they are on Crew. I love them
and therefore obedience to him. As parents,
because the Father loves the beautiful, messy, sinning
that is precisely where we need to shepherd our
daughter that I am and he has granted me such a storehouse full of
children—to be thankful, obey, serve and love others
love to express to his children that I can’t help but share it.
during this “thanksgiving season” because our posture before
God never stops being such.
And that is my hope for our students, that they would see the Lord has
filled their bank accounts with so much love and forgiveness that they may
In other words, we don’t obey by thanking God more during
take everyone they encounter to a feast and not overdraft. I hope that they
the third week of November. Rather, as messes in need of his
would not be afraid to forgive the girl at school who drastically wronged
grace, we never stop living with hearts that are ever flowing with
them, that they would not fear telling their small group leader what they did
thankfulness for his love. Showing a grace-based response of
this weekend or what they thought about someone else—because they
thankfulness to our children is therefore a lifestyle, not a seasonal
see their leader as someone who also has a waterfall of Christ’s love being
holiday. In addition, we shepherd our children well when our
poured over.
greatest thankfulness is to the Father for his continual offer of
mercy to us. Ultimately, our children need to see that our need
I pray with this church that our students so experience the love of the one
of Jesus is just as great as theirs. They should see our hearts’
who gave up everything he had so they would be with him, that their hearts
response of deep praise and gratitude to the Father, as well as an
would respond in rejoicing and dance freely to a tune of thanksgiving.
expression of the same kind of grace to those around us.

absence of choice
by Sarah Niemitz
I do not do well with too many choices. My
husband can tell you that faced with a giant
restaurant menu I freeze completely and cannot
decide what to order. I purposefully planned a
wedding in three months to keep the choices
to a minimum—an eight-week time frame cuts
down options significantly! However, despite
my inability to handle too many choices at once,
I often take for granted the many choices I have
the opportunity to make on a regular basis.
One of the subtle and often overlooked aspects
of poverty is the absence of choice. Consider
that within two miles of my house I have five
different grocery stores ranging from economical
to organically-oriented. My neighbor in Terry
Heights does not have a grocery store within a
two-mile radius that carries fresh produce of any
kind—never mind whether it is organic. Sure, my
friend makes choices at her grocery store, but
she has significantly fewer options and almost
all of them are processed foods. You might be
thinking, “She should drive to Kroger where
they do have economical produce and healthier
foods,” but the lack of transportation often rules
that choice out as well.
Grocery stores are one of many examples in
which the materially poor lack the ability to
make many of the choices that the materially
non-poor take for granted. Important choices
concerning neighborhood, educational
opportunities, job opportunities, and banking
institutions are also limited. Many of us make
simple choices that benefit us substantially, such
as choosing between multiple banks for the best
loan rate or choosing a particular neighborhood
because of the excellent school district, never
realizing that these choices are not available to
many people. The materially poor are aware of
their limited choices, and for many it is a source
of great shame and frustration. Nobel Laureate
Amartya Sen wrote, “It is the lack of freedom to
be able to make meaningful choices—to have
the ability to affect one’s situation—that is the
distinguishing feature of poverty.”
Genesis 1-3 suggests that making choices is a
significant way in which human beings reflect
the image of our creator. God creates man in
his image and allows him to name the animals,
commands him to tend the garden, and gives
him the CHOICE to eat from every tree in the
garden! He set boundaries for man’s good, but
God even gave man the choice to be obedient or
disobedient to His commands. Making choices is
something we are designed by God to do as we
reflect his image on earth.
For this reason, one of the most harmful things that
the materially non-poor can do for our materially
poor neighbors is reinforce the absence of choice.
There are lots of wonderful ministries giving
gifts to low-income neighbors at Christmas.
Many of these ministries give free, beautifully
wrapped gifts to parents who register their
children in the program. Each year our friends at
Second Mile Development open Santa’s Secret
Shop at the Neighborhood Store. Here parents
can purchase brand new, unwrapped presents
for about one-third of their retail price. Parents
are also encouraged to volunteer in the store to
earn store credit if they are unable to pay cash. I
asked several shoppers about why they choose
to shop at Santa’s Secret Shop rather than sign
up for another option that gives them presents
for free. Their first answer surprised me; they
would rather pay money for their presents
than sign up for free ones because they have a
CHOICE in what presents their children receive.
They mentioned the feelings of ownership and
pride as well, but the most consistent theme
throughout my conversations was the joy the
parents felt in exercising their ability to choose
presents for their children.
Christmas presents may seem like a small choice,
and not particularly life altering, but I think it is
an important one for us to consider. At Santa’s
Secret Shop parents are treated as image
bearers of God with the distinct ability to choose
what to buy for their children and even how much
to buy. This affirmation counters the debilitating
and dehumanizing effects of the daily inability
to make choices that many of our neighbors
face—offering hope to many in a very simple and
accessible way.
This will be our second year to partner with
Santa’s Secret Shop, and I encourage you to
participate. Take a moment to think about how
meaningful it is to choose the presents you give
your loved ones at Christmas, and consider
giving that simple gift of choice to another
parent this year.
SANTA’S
SECRET
SHOP
wish list
Dora the Explorer: Dolls &
DVD Movies
Legos: Star Wars, Transformers,
superhero
Baby Alive, any variety
V-Tech Educational Toys:
Baby to Young Child
Make-up and hair kits for
girls
Axe bodywash kits for boys
MP3 players for teens
Scooters: Tinkerbell, Tranformers,
Dora the Explorer
Bicycles & Tricycles: up to
26’’ bikes for boys & girls
Auburn & Alabama
apparel
Please bring unwrapped gifts to
Southwood’s sanctuary on Sunday,
November 11th and 18th.
Keep in mind you’ll be buying toys for kids
ages 2-16 years old. Please send batteries
packaged separately.
november 2012

NOVEMBER 25
Thanksgiving Holiday
There will be no
Christian Education on
Sunday, November 25th.
The church office will be closed
November 21-23.
DECEMBER 2
New Sunday Schedule
Beginning December
2nd we will be having
one worship service.
Christian Education at 9am
Connect at 10am
Worship at 10:30am
@southwood.org
How to access small group
questions from the sermon
1
Go
2
3
to southwood.org
Under the rotating banners, find the
current sermon and small group
questions
Click on the questions button
to access the current small
group questions