April 3, 2025

Dear Central Church,

Have you been to the World War I museum lately? When we moved here in 2022, we had a list of “Kansas City” things to do, and it’s one of only a few things we haven’t done yet. Our family loves history, so I’m a little shocked we’ve done the Lenexa Chili Cook-off before the WWI Museum, but that's how life goes sometimes.

Historians remind us that World War I was marked by “trench warfare,” where opposing armies were “entrenched” on opposite sides of a battlefield. For most of the war those trench lines moved very little, but a lot of people died in the area between the trenches known as “no man’s land.”

My friend works for a ministry that focuses on resourcing vulnerable women and children in urban areas. He once described his work as dragging a piano into the middle of “no man’s land” and playing a melody so sweet that people decide to stop shooting at one another and listen to his song.

What a great image for the mission of the church! The church exists for one reason: to clearly and courageously play the song of Jesus so that people stop whatever they’re doing to listen.

Perhaps you’re troubled by whatever leads the headlines. Maybe the weight of living in a bitterly divided world feels overwhelmingly burdensome. It’s in these times that the Lord reminds me of our mission. It’s to amplify the message of Jesus with clarity, purpose, and action. Sometimes, this will feel as crazy as dragging a piano into no man’s land, but the cross of Jesus reminds us that God’s ways are hardly conventional.

One of the ways we’re going to amplify the message of Jesus this Sunday is by highlighting our partnership with Joy Meadows. This ministry provides families with community support, housing, and resources so children impacted by foster care can find stability, healing, and joy. Before the sermon, you’ll hear a testimony from a local foster mom who has been impacted by one of our Central Church “Community Care” teams. To learn more about Central’s ministry to foster families, check out this section of today’s Loop.

Joy Meadows is one of several ministry partners that enable us to live out our core value of “Purposeful Mission: putting God’s love in action.” Let’s keep playing this song of Jesus together so that the world knows there’s a better way to live!

Until He’s Finished,
Pastor Mark