Someone Beat Us Here

Writing this week's message has been extremely challenging for me, for there is so much I want to say.  Of all the things on my mind, however, there is one in particular that you need to pay special attention to, for you have played a major role in making it happen.

The past two weeks of our congregation's life have been the best two yet, not because of any statistical measurement (although that is definitely a factor to be celebrated) but because there have been times I cannot hear myself or others that I am speaking to before, between, and after services.

I am having difficulty hearing because of the sounds of the faithful people of God gathering to share in each others lives.  To hear all the chatter in our gathering area is one of the greatest sounds to a pastor's ears because of the joy that is emanating from these discussions.  The smiles on your faces, the warmth of your smiles, the firmness of your handshakes, the tenderness of your hugs - that, dear friends, is at the core of who we have been made to be in Christ our Lord.

This Sunday, as we continue our journey through our sacred vows of membership and how living out those vows takes us to the heart of God's grace at work in our lives, I want to invite you to dream dreams.  

Let's look at who God is calling us to be.

Let's look at what God is calling us to do.

Let's look at how God wants to make that happen.

Let's look at being courageous enough to realize that God is not going to call us to do something that God has not or will not equip us for completely.

Let's look at being people who understand that 100% of what we have and 100% of who we are is not a result of our doing, but God's grace.

Let's look at asking ourselves why God has been so generous and faithful to us, even as we have allowed ourselves to be selfish and narcissistic, thinking the answers are found from within, and not from beyond.

As you go into the rest of the week, be encouraged by the fact that you are because God's grace went before you, and it is God's grace that will take you through whatever is going on now, and it is God's grace that will lead us all - individually and as a church - into the future.

See you Soon!
Lamar