We churches of the United States have a message of hope for a fearful time. Just as the churches responded to the harshness of early twentieth century industrialization with a prophetic “Social Creed” in 1908, so in our era of globalization we offer a vision of a society that shares more and consumes less, seeks compassion over suspicion and equality over domination, and finds security in joined hands rather than massed arms. Inspired by Isaiah’s vision of a “peaceable kingdom,” we honor the dignity of every person and the intrinsic value of every creature, and pray and work for the day when none “labor in vain, or bear children for calamity” (Isa. 65:23). We do so as disciples of the One who came “that [all] may have life, and have it abundantly” (John ), and stand in solidarity with Christians and with all who strive for justice around the globe.In faith, responding to our Creator, we celebrate the full humanity of each woman, man, and child, all created in the divine image as individuals of infinite worth, by working for:
. Full civil, political, and economic rights for women and men of all races.
. Abolition of forced labor, human trafficking, and the exploitation of children.
. Employment for all, at a family-sustaining living wage, with equal pay for comparable work.
. The rights of workers to organize, and to share in workplace decisions and productivity growth.
. Protection from dangerous working conditions, with time and benefits to enable full family life.
. A system of criminal rehabilitation, based on restorative justice and an end to the death penalty.
In the love incarnate in Jesus, despite the world’s sufferings and evils, we honor the deep connections within our human family and seek to awaken a new spirit of community, by working for:
. Abatement of hunger and poverty, and enactment of policies benefiting the most vulnerable.
. High quality public education for all and universal, affordable, and accessible healthcare.
. An effective program of social security during sickness, disability, and old age.
. Tax and budget policies that reduce disparities between rich and poor, strengthen democracy, and provide greater opportunity for everyone within the common good.
. Just immigration policies that protect family unity, safeguard workers’ rights, require employer accountability, and foster international cooperation.
. Sustainable communities marked by affordable housing, access to good jobs, and public safety.
. Public service as a high vocation, with real limits on the power of private interests in politics.
In hope sustained by the Holy Spirit, we pledge to be peacemakers in the world and stewards of God’s good creation, by working for:
. Adoption of simpler lifestyles for those who have enough; grace over greed in economic life.
. Access for all to clean air and water and healthy food, through wise care of land and technology.
. Sustainable use of earth’s resources, promoting alternative energy sources and public transportation with binding covenants to reduce global warming and protect populations most affected.
. Equitable global trade and aid that protects local economies, cultures, and livelihoods.
. Peacemaking through multilateral diplomacy rather than unilateral force, the abolition of torture, and a strengthening of the United Nations and the rule of international law.
. Nuclear disarmament and redirection of military spending to more peaceful and productive uses.
. Cooperation and dialogue for peace and environmental justice among the world’s religions.
We—individual Christians and churches--commit ourselves to a culture of peace and freedom that embraces non-violence, nurtures character, treasures the environment, and builds community, rooted in a spirituality of inner growth with outward action. We make this commitment together—as members of Christ’s body, led by the one Spirit—trusting in the God who makes all things new.
16When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
18“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
19to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.
I.Mission and Missionaries
There is an urban church in a small Cleveland neighborhood that recently asked the presbytery and the General Assembly Mission Council:
“Please send us a Missionary!”
Perhaps urban churches in distressed neighborhoods need more than what a traditional pastor can offer.A missionary?Why not?While the work of the church goes on in distressed nations around the globe, many of the pressing needs of people are on the HOMELAND – this country -- America, where we find hungry children, homeless families, women and men looking for jobs…..streets where the prevalence of gangs and crime continue to tear at the fabric of community life.
And consider this thought:Perhaps God has already called us – each and every one of us -- to be missionaries in this community!
“Missio” means “to send”…. God has already sent us to be missionaries in this community to “bring good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind;to feed the hungry and provide shelter for the homeless;to let the oppressed go free.”
While core activities of the church revolve around the pillars of worship and education and fellowship, mission is in bringing Christ and God’s compassionate love into the community and world around us.
Simply put, while God feeds our souls through worship as educated servants of God, we are in the end sent by God into this time and place to serve our Lord by serving others.At the end of the day this isn’t your church or my church – this is Christ’s church where we are called to live out the commandment “to love our neighbors as much as we want to be loved ourselves!”
II.
Historically, we’ve done a stellar job in doing Christ’s work in this community.To commit the sin of boasting for a few moments, this is a short list of what we are doing as missionaries:
Summer Magic—programming we do for community children
Debbie Davis is our missionary doing this work as director of this program
Also on this short list:
The East Side Soup Kitchen back in the late 90’s,along with the presence of the Nauseau Health Mobile, Hidden Harvest using our garage as a giant freezer….
Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts have had an active presence in our church
through the years
We are a mission outpost for the
Women of Colors and Mark Neumeyer YouthCenter
And this is not to forget our support for:
Habitat for Humanity-Mother’s Day Offering
Rescue Mission
Millette Center Students who come to clean this Sanctuary
Every Monday morning
Good Neighbor Mission
Emmaus House
Christmas Store
The Two coins a meal offering
Crop Walk and Soupler Bowl of Caring raising funds
For overseas missions and local missions!
Gifts we collect for families at Christmas
And our special offerings:
Peace Offering
One Great Hour of Sharing
Christmas Joy Offering
And part of our church mission budget that goes to support
The mission work of the church around the globe.
The problem with lists like this – lists don’t show the smiles on the faces, relief in the hearts of those who are struggling, changes we are able to make happen in the lives of others because we are Christ’s open and inclusive, loving and caring church.
Granted, some of our help is temporary and short-lived!What we give the neighborhood is limited only because we have become a smaller congregation.We are not as young as we used to be. None the less, we continue to make a significant difference in the lives of people near and far.
Today is World Communion Sunday.We receive a special offering and 25%of that offering remains here to help us maintain our church playground. This fourth pillar essential in doing ministry:MISSION.Mission, is an essential part of our identity as a church.Something we have said repeatedly:Without he work we do in this community through the use of this building, we lose our identity.
It’s not hard to say with conviction:We are a Missional church!
Digging Deeper…….
III.SOCIAL CREED FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
A few years ago I introduced you to an important missional document, the “Social Creed for the Twenty-First Century”.This was back when I first started using “missional” language to describe the work of the church.
There is so much to think about in this creed I decided to give you a copy again – if only to focus on the last paragraph:
“We—individual Christians and churches--commit ourselves to a culture of peace and freedom that embraces non-violence, nurtures character, treasures the environment, and builds community, rooted in a spirituality of inner growth with outward action. We make this commitment together—as members of Christ’s body, led by the one Spirit—trusting in the God who makes all things new.”
Inner growth is always paired with outward action, just as the work of preparing the soil is followed by the planting of seeds.We are planting seeds in this community.Outward action – the small acts of compassion, an anonymous good deed, a letter or note, a donation, a phone call to check in on an acquaintance…..and bigger decisions that have changed the culture of this church…..and this church changing the culture of this street and neighborhood…..what a momentous decision back in the 1970’s when this church decided to stay in this neighborhood…..and using this building to support programming for children in this neighborhood.We’re so blessed not only to have this church – but for the children – a playground and Gym!
What would this street look like without this church?The simple presence of this church sends a message that we care – and yes, God cares for the people in this community.
IV.RISKY BUSINESS
We have learned some valuable lessons along the way as a church discerning God’s will for us in doing Christ’s work in this community.Being a church in a neighborhood like this comes with a certain amount of risk.Missionary work is risky.
One lesson we learned, when we risked some years ago opening our doors to the East Side Soup Kitchen.More recently we opened our doors to the Women of Colors organization and the youth center…..and we learned that we don’t have the capacity or resources to do this work ourselves so we broker these things out for others to do…. work that is consistent in doing mission as a Presbyterian church in this neighborhood.
When preaching sermons like this I am reminded of the quotes found in both the old and new constitutions of the church….A FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLE that reminds me of the risk we have taken in the past as a church….
F-1.0301
The Church is the body of Christ. Christ gives to the Church all the gifts necessary to be his body. The Church strives to demonstrate these gifts in its life as a community in the world (1 Cor. –28):
The Church is to be a community of faith, entrusting itself to God alone, even at the risk of losing its life.”
From the Old Constitution:
G-3.0400
“The Church is called to undertake this mission even at the risk of losing its life, trusting in God alone as the author and giver of life, sharing the gospel, and doing those deeds in the world that point beyond themselves to the new reality in Christ.”(G.3.0400)
We are not just members of this church in passively watching from a distance what is going on in the community.We are missionaries called to be proactive in engaging in ministries of service to others.Mission is in our blood!
Finally, in summarizing this four week series of sermons:
We worship God, the first pillar, in giving glory to God for all blessings received.
We are an informed, educated church. We believe in looking toward scripture and the confessions of the church to guide us in the work we do.
The third pillar is fellowship – our emphasis in doing God’s work together as a community of faith—having some fun in doing God’s work in this community.
Today, we acknowledge that we can’t keep what God has given us bottled up within these sacred walls. We are called to share the good news of the gospel with others.
For truly,
18“The Spirit of the Lord is upon us,
because he has anointed us as Christians
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent us, in the name of our lord, to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
19to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
May God continue to bless us as a missionaries sent from God, through this church, to serve the community and world around us.
Personal: In preparation for fourth sermon in series on the PILLARS of the church -- MISSION
The new constitution of the PCUSA adopted in July of this year has a statement that is close to my heart in pastoring the Warren Avenue Presbyterian Church: This quote is found in both the old and new constitutions:
F-1.0301
The Church is the body of Christ. Christ gives to the Church all the gifts necessary to be his body. The Church strives to demonstrate these gifts in its life as a community in the world (1 Cor. –28):
The Church is to be a community of faith, entrusting itself to God alone, even at the risk of losing its life.”
From the Old Constitution:
“The Church is called to undertake this mission even at the risk of losing its life, trusting in God alone as the author and giver of life, sharing the gospel, and doing those deeds in the world that point beyond themselves to the new reality in Christ.”(G.3.0400)
We are a smaller church in a huge building doing some important work in the community. May God continue to bless us as we move forward -- knowing that in the end we risk losing our life as a congregation. We will never lose our life as members of Christ's Body!
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his;* we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
5 For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures for ever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
Ephesians 4: 1-16
Unity in the Body of Christ
4I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
7 But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8Therefore it is said,
‘When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive;
he gave gifts to his people.’ 9(When it says, ‘He ascended’, what does it mean but that he had also descended* into the lower parts of the earth? 10He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) 11The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. 14We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. 15But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.
I.
Is there joy in your life? Do you feel good about who you are and what you are doing?Whether at work or school or church or in your personal life of activities, are you satisfied with how things are going?Are you having some fun?
Personally:I feel pretty good about how things are going in my life.Entering my 27th year of ministry with you, approaching that scary birthday when I turn 60, I’m feeling really good.I have my fair share of issues….like my hips that aren’t getting any better…..but for the most part feel pretty ‘darn good’
– except for the fact that as I grow older I seem to have become more forgetful!
Feeling good? What I know for sure is we all have our fair share of issues.For many in our church, times are tough. Whether it is the economy or health issues or family/relationship issues, times for many are tough.Life isn’t all that joyful.
As a pastor, what is satisfying for me, personally, is when we can use our resources in the church to get through rough times.
The goal is always searching for that JOY we can find in having a special relationship with our Lord!
What is satisfying to me as pastor is when you call me and share with me what is going on with you. I look forward to getting updates from you as to how things are going.
With all the challenges we face in our lives, with our families, in the community and church there is one thing that lifts me up:YOU!To borrow from the Josh Groban song, YOU RAISE ME UP!
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.
II.
Fellowship in searching for JOY in our relationship with our Lord is the third pillar of essential components in doing ministry as Christ’s church.
-- The first pillar is worship in gathering together to give glory to God who gives us everything including life itself.
-- The second pillar is education is celebrating God giving us minds to know and discern how God wants us to live our lives.
-- The third pillar is fellowship, to borrow from the Westminster Catechism, enjoying God.
What is the chief end of humankind but to “glorify
God and to enjoy God forever!”
Joy in God in fellowship in nurturing a closer relationship with our Lord is an essential part of the life of a Christian.We are born not with frowns our faces.Glowering expressions on our faces are not natural.What comes naturally are beaming smiles and laughter! Having joy in our lives is a fundamental gift given all children of God!
Yet so many in this world don’t have smiles or joy or reasons to be joyful.A fundamental calling for the Christian to nurture finding ways to share in fellowship with others bring a taste of the joy of God to others….regardless where they are in lifes struggles.
III.
Several points in talking about this third pillar, FELLOWSHIP:
First, fellowship in the church is meant to help us nurture and grow in FAITH.To think of growth in faith this way:Fellowship, as one author has said, is like a ‘liquid solution in which we are all suspended so all the nutrients from God can flow in and through us.” In reality we are all already suspended in a solution called the AIR we breathe and the WATER we drink that makes life possible.
The air we breathe as the fellowship of the ‘communion of saints’ are the winds of God flowing in and through us with every breath we take.God’s Spirit is always breathing in and through us helping us grow in faith.
Second, next to growth in faith, fellowship in union with Christ helps motivate us to share our God given gifts with others…..as scripture says about each of us:
“……….that some (of us are) would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.
Third, within the context of fellowship is the sacred work we do in the name of Jesus our Lord – our sacred calling to build up the body of Christ.Thinking about the deacons who will be meeting later this morning, there is something SACRED about fostering a culture of nurture and care and compassion within the church.
Fellowship leads to all the good things we can do to live our lives in the image of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who lived and died and continues to bind us together and build us up….as scripture says --
“mature to the measure of the full statue of Christ.We must not be tossedto and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.
“YOU RAISE ME UP”, as the Apostle Paul says, to integrate into our lives and the lives of those around us…..called…...
….. 2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
As Christ’s church, we can get through anything with smiles on our faces.God is always going to be with us raising us up to be more than we can ever be…..
IV.
We have been blessed and filled with joy in serving Christ as a church for nearly 144 years.Our challenge is to keep on going with smiles on our faces and Christ in our hearts!
We need to continue to grow in Christ through worship, educational programming and fellowship.Next week I will talk about the fourth pillar, mission.But for today, we celebrate basking in the warmth and sense of COMPLETENESS God provides for us in being together…..in worship……doing Christ’s work in the world.
Let’s savor the time we have together.With God in our hearts, let’s never forget those who have special needs.Let’s give special attention to those who may not have smiles on their faces this particular day.
And lastly, let’s not forget take care of ourselves in order to take care of others.
To end with this benediction I wrote for this church some years ago, worth repeating, based on 2 Corinthians 13: 11-13 – a good summary for this message:
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, our savior and friend;
May the love of God, binding us together and building us up;
May the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, knitting us together as a church family;
Be with us until we meet again.Amen.
Amen
Endnote:Some of these thoughts emerged after reading a sermon by Dr. Laird Stuart, retired pastor from the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh and the Calvary Presbyterian Church in San Francisco. The sermon I read was preached at WestminsterSeptember 19, 1982.
31The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband,* says the Lord. 33But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
Matthew
The Beatitudes
5When Jesus* saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
3 ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 ‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely* on my account.
I.Called to Teach
I had not thought about Dr. Marcus Priester for some time.Then, as I was preparing this second sermon in a series on essential components in doing ministry, education, I thought of this man who was my teacher and mentor and friend encouraging me to begin my ministry with a vocational focus in “Christian Education.”My first call was as an Associate Pastor for Education at the First Presbyterian Church of Davenport, Iowa.
Some thirty-five years ago, Marc Priester was one of my professors at McCormick seminary.Marc, who died some years ago, is what I would call a “practical theologian”. He helped his students transition from academics to application in doing ministry.One of my favorite lectures I still remember and use was on the subject of CONFLUENCE…..very Calvinistic, where mind and heart intersect in doing ministry;the confluence of wisdom and knowledge with feelings and emotions in nurturing pastoral relationships that are heart-felt – and informed.
My career path when I graduated from seminary, when I was 26 or 27 years young, was to go to a large urban church of several thousand members and a staff of three ministers.With a focus on education, I think back to this first call and my responsibilities in working with a huge Sunday School of several hundred teachers and students.It is heart-warming to know that a ‘Shepherding program” we initiated 30+ years ago is still in place in that church.Basically, we would recruit “Shepherds” not teachers to work with the children in the church school classes.
“Applied Ministry”? The confluence of mind and heart, learning what it means to be “educated servants of our lord”? Thank you Marc Priester for preparing for me the rigors of real ministry!
Personally:You may remember when the FAITH SINGERS from Omaha were with us this past June, their director, Jim Larrabbee, was one of the members of that youth group….and I am oh so proud of where he has gone professional with his music career!
I.
One of the key points I want to emphasize this morning: “Preachers can’t preach without also teaching God’s Word!”Jesus was both a teacher and preacher. Many of life’s lessons are to be found not only in what is inspirational but also through what we learn.What is the value of a rousing sermon (not that my sermons are all that rousing) unless we are also learning something we can take home with us and apply to our daily lives?
Education, the feeding of the mind and soul, is one of the most important things we can do as a church.Because of an older demographic, our educational program is small.Yet every dime and ounce of energy we invest with our nursery and children is an investment in the future of the church.Our real insurance is the assurance that our children will “pay forward” in doing God’s work in Christ’s name through this church or any church they belong to in the future.
Again, personally, I am so proud of our young people, most of them you see as worship leaders, who are also now serving this church as ordained officers….Matthew and Brandon and Bradford and Virginia and Bethany and Katlyn….all who are the future of the church!
the second pillarnext to sunday worship,is our all seeing ourselves as students – learning from scripture and the confessions of the church about god…..using our knowledge of god to be equpted to do god’s work as jesus’ disciples.
III.Jesus:Master Teacher
Back to Jesus, the master teacher of all teachers!Scripture says today that:
5”When Jesus* saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. (Before the crowds and his disciples) 2Then he began to speak, and he taught them…. “
To get a bit “heady” or “academic” with you, Jesus taught using APHORISMS.Aphorisms are great one-line pithy statements easy to remember.Aphorisms like:
“You are the salt of the earth”
“You are the light of the world”
The golden rule:“Do unto others as you would have them
do unto you
Short and pithy and memorable maxims like the ones we find in today’s scripture, the beatitudes:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
4‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
These aphorisms or short statements from scripture, are not only memorable but also provoke further reflection…..and that’s where teachings of Jesus intersect with inspiration from Jesus the preacher.When Jesus teaches and preaches, what does he want us to remember? What does he want us to believe?How does he want us to use what is learned?
Digging even deeper…..
IV.Education and God’s Wisdom
Marcus Borg, one of my favorite contemporary authors, scholar and theologian – talks about Jesus who not only teaches simple truths but also how to see the world differently – through the eyes not of the world but the eyes of God…. Eyes of faith in Jesus Christ?
One of the most important lessons any of us could learn is this:Jesus calls us to look at the world through his eyes – eyes of faith in him!Jesus calls us to see things differently.
A chart that I found that Marcus Borg uses, illustrates the difference between conventional wisdom and Jesus’ alternative wisdom….how we see things without God, the left hand column, or with God, the right hand column.
A person’s worth is determined by measuring up to social standards
All persons have infinite worth as children of God
Sinners and outcasts are to be avoided and rejected
Everyone is welcome around the table and in the kingdom of God
Identity comes from social tradition
Identity comes from centering in the sacred, from relationship with God.
Strive to be first
The first shall be last….;those who exalt themselves will be emptied….
Preserve one’s own life above all
The path of dying to self and being reborn leads to life abundant.
Fruit of striving is reward
Fruit of centering in God is compassion
Jesus sees things differently because he is from God. God defines who he is and how he is going to live his life.Jesus has the heart of God.He has the mind of God.He wants us to see things differently because he knows differently.
What about us?Do we want to have the heart of God?The mind of God?Do we want to live our lives as God would have us live them?
The question keeps coming up….are we going to center our lives in the world of secular pressures that always seem to be fighting with God?Or are we going to see things differently because we have faith in Jesus the son of God….and we are opening our lives to learn from him how to be more GODLY in mind and heart?
V.
So back to the PILLARS of essential components in doing ministry as Christ’s church?Worship is the first pillar.WE ARE HERE TO WORSHIP AND LISTEN AND LEARN.
Education is the second pillar….hopefully the short, pithy statements from the beatitudes will help us take something with us from our worship….something we can use in centering our lives in God.
Perhaps, also, you can take home with you the challenge to look at the world through the LENS of the eyes of God….not the secular world that tries to blind or mis-direct us…..
Next week I will talk about the third pillar, fellowship – the idea that we need to enjoy what we are doing, together, as Christ’s church….but that’s next week.
Today, the second pillar of EDUCATION:I end paraphrasing Jeremiah:
“Let’s open our hearts and minds for God to write on our hearts God’s sacred truths….for as we are children of God, let’s be God’s people in the world.”
As educated servants of our lord,
“Let’s open our hearts and minds for God to write on our hearts God’s sacred truths….for as we are children of God, let’s be God’s people in the world.”
