Dag Hammarskjöld was the second Secretary-General in the history of the United Nations. President John F. Kennedy called him, “the greatest statesman of our century.” After a fatal plane crash on the way to peace talks in the Congo, Hammarskjöld’s personal journal was found in his home with the wish for it to be published if found helpful. Markings has since become something of a modern classic in devotional literature. In his own words, it contains, “my negotiations with myself—and with God.” I have a green covered copy with a few pages dog-eared for occasional reflection. One of those pages has an entry that gets to the point of what I tried to say yesterday in my sermon on the Kingdom of God. Hammarskjöld offers this prayer:

Hallowed be Thy name,
—not mine,
Thy kingdom come,
—not mine,
Thy will be done,
—not mine,
Give us peace with Thee
Peace with men
Peace with ourselves,
And free us from all fear.

Praying the Lord’s prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) puts us in the appropriate posture for living in God’s Kingdom even now. By praying, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done,” we are telling God in part that we desire to submit our own kingdom/will to his. It makes me happy that a politician as influential as Dag Hammarskjöld wanted to submit his relatively powerful kingdom to the bigger and better Kingdom of God. For my own sake—and more importantly for the sake of those I’m responsible for—I want to do the same. Let’s make this prayer of the statesmen Dag Hammarskjöld our own this week. “Thy kingdom come, not mine!”

If you missed yesterday’s service but would like to watch or listen, you can go to Facebook or Youtube.

Josiah Brown
Cell: 405-240-6680
Church Office: 405-258-0722
Email: josiahbrown@chandlerfriendschurch.com

Our quiz teams did a great job last weekend at their first ever quiz meet at Northridge Friends Church in Wichita. If you see one of these kids, tell them “nice work!” The very next quiz meet will be hosted right here by Chandler Friends Church on February 3rd.

Missionaries Visiting This Week

A. and M. A (names censored for security) will be joining us in worship this Sunday (January 14th). A. and M. are familiar faces to us, as they have been with EFM (Evangelical Friends Mission, our missions sending agency) for many years now. Here’s how you can be involved:

  1. Join us Sunday at 11:00am as we hear about their ministry. We will not be live-streaming because of the nature of their ministry in a country that does not always appreciate Christian evangelism and church planting.
  2. Stay after the service for lunch with the missionaries in the Fellowship Hall. If you would like to bring a soup, bread, or dessert to help make this happen, please contact Outreach Board Chairman, Angie Sherman (405-258-6304‬).
  3. Plan to support A. & M. A either through prayer or financial giving. We will take up a “love offering” this Sunday in order to show our love and support for them and what they’re doing in their country. These are  great and faithful people. I hope you will support them through this one-time love offering, consistent prayer, or even regularly scheduled giving—if you feel so led after hearing about their work this Sunday.

Coming Soon

  1. Dr. Kevin Mortimer will be joining us on January 28th for a workshop called, “The Theological Underpinnings of the Quaker Distinctives.” Dr. Mortimer teaches at Barclay College, where he has taught for many years. He will present to us after the service for about an hour and a half. Lunch provided.
  2. Chandler Friends is hosting the second Junior High Bible Quiz Meet of the year on February 3rd. Specific times and needs are forthcoming. Put this one on your calendar; hosting quiz is “all hands on deck!” Bible Quiz is the best thing going for Junior Highers, so make sure to come out and support or help however you can.
  3. I will begin a Sunday night book study over Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense by N.T. Wright in February. The study will run for eight weeks, covering some of the essential building blocks of Christian belief and practice. We will meet from 6-7pm at Todd and Debbie Brown’s house. All are welcome!