Get out and vote 2024!!

As a pastor and a preacher, I want to urge all Christians this election season: Get out and vote. I believe it is our duty as citizens of our state and country, but I also believe it’s especially important given the issues represented in this election. Many of these are not strictly “political.” They are moral and spiritual.

According to some studies, there are 90 million Christians who are eligible to vote in this country yet around 40 million of us do not vote and 15 million are not even registered. Over the last few weeks we have made clear that both candidates and political parties do not reflect the Kingdom of God, that is not a reason to neglect voting.

To that in we have decided to provide a voting guide that you can print off and take to the polls with you. This guide has the full ballot for our area including all the issues that we will be voting on. One mistake that I see over and over is that we think we are just voting on president when there is so much more that we will be deciding. Please download this resource and use it for the glory of God.

Be reminded, on Wednesday morning when we all wake up Christ will still be king regardless of who is elected to the White House. Though it’s important that every Christian votes, I believe America’s only hope is not found in whom we elect as president but in a spiritual awakening.

Before culture can experience an awakening, our church needs to experience revival. The future of our country will not be decided by the ballot box, but in the prayer closet. When God sees a problem in a nation, He doesn’t point His finger at the White House, He points it at His house.

Download your 2024 Election guide here!

Doing Church Together

Starting a new church can seem like a blank canvas, where anything is possible, but that reality is far from the truth. The church isn’t a fully customizable “iChurch” catering to personal preferences; it’s a community of believers—messy people, coming together to worship and follow Jesus. This idea is rooted in the early church, as seen in Acts 2:42-47, where the first church plant emerged.

In this passage, the early Christians gathered around God’s Word, shared life together, took communion, and prayed as a community. This was not about individual preferences but about unity in Christ—what I call “WeChurch.”

Gathering around God’s Word unites us despite our differences, centering us on Christ and the gospel. Doing life together means embracing both the joys and the messiness of our fellowship. Sharing meals and taking communion deepen our bonds, reminding us of Christ’s sacrifice and praying together strengthens our communal ties, keeping us aligned with God’s will.

What is the result? The church grows. As we live out God’s Word, share our lives in fellowship, and worship joyfully, we create a witness that draws others to Christ. In WeChurch, we grow together, in faith and in numbers, as we live out the calling of the early church.

Soul Tattoo: The church grows when we live out God’s Word, share our lives in fellowship, and are joyful in worship.

Malachi: A Call to Renew Our Relationship with God

Sunday, we finished finish up the Summer in the Minor Prophets and I hope that you’ve grown to know and love these books of the Bible and spend time in them — finding Jesus — and the joy that’s found only in him.

The Book of Malachi, the last of the Minor Prophets, serves as a crucial bridge between the Old and New Testaments. Delivered around 400 years before Christ, Malachi’s message addressed a spiritual rut that had taken hold of the people of Israel. Though the Temple had been rebuilt and life had returned to some semblance of normalcy, the people—and even the priests—had lost the joy of truly worshiping God.

Malachi’s prophetic words highlight the people’s decline in faithfulness. He condemns the priests for their corrupt practices, the people for their mixed marriages with foreigners, and their neglect in paying tithes and caring for the poor. The book is structured around a series of debates where God makes statements of truth, only for the people to respond with defensive questions, revealing their hardened hearts.

Despite their spiritual backsliding, Malachi emphasizes that God continues to speak, calling His people back to a genuine relationship with Him. This is not merely about religious routine but about restoring the reality of a close, heartfelt connection with God.

Malachi’s message is timeless: God speaks to us, not to condemn, but to correct and guide us back to Him. Our challenge is to listen, to remove the distractions that drown out His voice, and to cultivate a relationship that goes beyond mere religious formality. As Malachi reminds us, God will tell us what we need to hear, but we must be willing to listen.

Soli Deo Gloria

Pastor Jon Nelson

2023 YEAR END LETTER

Dear Soma Family,

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

– Proverbs 19:21

No one really knows how a journey will end as they take the first step. Life is full of unexpected roadblocks, detours, and hidden blessings—and this year has seen all three in abundance. Honestly, how many of your plans made it to the finish line this year? The end of the year is a good time to pull over and consider the road behind us as we prepare to navigate the road ahead. 2023 is ending, and how different this year turned out to be from what we expected when it began.

Though these past months have been tough, I am thankful to God for how he has worked in and through our congregation. We have seen church members work valiantly to keep us connected through worship gatherings services and Gospel Community meals/ study. We have ministered to our community through Affordable Christmas project, serving Lincoln University students, staff and administration while also serving our local elementary school Moreau Heights and in favelas in Brazil. We have also learned to pray together better than ever.

Many people are struggling financially this year, so I do not want to pressure you to give if you are unable — in fact, if you need help, we invite you to contact our Elders to explore ways we might assist you — but if you are in a position to give right now, I encourage you to consider Soma in your year-end giving plans. You can give in-person or online at somajc.org.

These last few years has been hard for our church financially. Many people have given faithfully, and we have been helped by fundraising efforts from our Elders, but we are still running behind our budget. So, any extra amount you might give at this time will be a big help.

More than anything, please continue to uphold our church in your prayers. Post-Covid we have had members of the congregation in a multitude of life stages and as they come to mind, please mention them in prayer to the Lord. These have been difficult times for all of us, and we all need each other’s support. Continue to be expectant and patient as we move into the new year. Join me in seeking God’s face in prayer (more on that in the coming days).

I’m not sure how many of your plans crashed and burned this year. Many of my friends feel like 2023 was a hard year—a year that lacked momentum, even so, plans are different from purpose. Plans involve getting to a desired destination in life—purpose is about destiny. The beautiful thing about God’s providence is that it unites our plans (even the bad ones) to His purpose for us and we know His purpose is to conform us to the image of His Son as He prepares us for an eternity of solid, unending joy (Romans 8:28-30).

While there are many worthwhile ministries to which many of us give, we encourage you to make your local church, the bride of Christ, a priority in your giving. This might be a chance to renew your monthly tithe, or to give a special year-end gift. Those in our church who give generously would all tell you that there is great joy in giving. May you experience his joy and contentment as you give back to God the first fruits of what he has given you!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Jon C. Nelson, on behalf of the elders

Church, Don’t Let Coronavirus Divide You

For church leaders and elder boards everywhere, the last few months have presented a near-constant array of complex challenges related to shepherding a church during the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest complex challenge is perhaps the trickiest yet: how to prudently resume in-person gatherings.

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Maundy Thursday

Holy Thursday, also known as Maundy Thursday, falls on the Thursday before Easter. Maundy Thursday might lie a bit outside your usual Easter traditions. Easter Sunday, Good Friday, and even Ash Wednesday services are more common than Maundy Thursday services. Nevertheless, Maundy Thursday, along with other Holy Week celebrations, is an ancient tradition, practiced by Jesus’ church all the way back to the fifth century.

Maundy Thursday it commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with his disciples and the events of his passion which followed. Often, foot washing is included (John 13:3-17) and, in some churches, at the conclusion of the Service, the stripping of the church may occur in which all textiles, crosses, and images are removed or covered until Easter eve. With the setting of the sun on Holy Thursday, the Easter Triduum begins. Triduum literally means “Three Days” and stretches from sunset on Holy Thursday, through Good Friday, and to sunset on Easter.

The Christian Church continues to celebrate today to prepare us for meeting the resurrected Christ on the third day.

We usually do this by celebrating the passover together each year and breaking our Lenten fast.

By observing the Lord’s Supper together, we identify with the disciples who sat at the table with Jesus and realize together that we, like his disciples, abandoned Jesus to his death. We do this not to beat ourselves up but to recall the depth of our need for God’s mercy and the height of hope on Easter Sunday.

Activity:

Jesus Washes The Feet Of His Friends, John 13:1-17

Get a bowl of water or something big enough to wash their feet with. After the reading the passage, wash each person’s feet. Remind them that those who trust in Jesus to forgive them of their sins will be washed clean and prepared to do works for God.