From the Pastor
A writer reflected and shared the following; “A new year stands on my doorstep ready to enter my life’s journey. Something in me welcomes this visitor, the hope of bountiful blessings, the joy of new beginnings, the freshness of unclaimed surprises.”
As individuals and as a church family, we have been both fortunate and blessed at the closing of last year to have shared ministry and worship with Bellevue Christian Church.
It has been a great and grand opportunity for us to see, sense, feel and really, really reflect on changing our church, to offer and open ourselves to others for the kingdom of God. Actually having the very real charge of welcoming those who once were strangers into our church family, and they becoming cared for, and concern new members! So it needs to be asked, how are we doing?.
This is so important for us going forward, because if we are to put in place plans and actions for the next fifty years, we’re going to have to welcome new people into not just our midst, but in the very life and fiber of this congregation. The life and teachings of Christ Jesus provides us some direction for how we should approach being open and welcoming to the stranger.
Remember as a young child, Jesus’ parents fled to Egypt where they too were strangers, this they did for his safety, as an adult recall these words of Christ Jesus our LORD and Savior: “Then the king will say to those who are righteous, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in…Then the righteous will answer him. ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry…or thirsty…or when did we see you a stranger and invite you in?”
Again in the OT there is an admonishment of how people of faith are to act towards those they do not know. “Do not mistreat or oppose a stranger, for you were once strangers in Egypt.”(Exodus 22: 21) So the question to be asked is “Are we living out our faith sincerely and genuinely, are we reflections of Christ Jesus and his teaching and ways?”
In some very key “church institutional ways and means” we have seen and experienced some improvements, and they are to be celebrated, but more and better things await us. Our numbers in worship are trending up, our level of giving has seen improvements, our number of members has moved up ever so slightly. Again these are all good markers, but a closer detailed examination may reveal factors that inform us we still have much work to do, to both increase and make permanent transformative life experiences for our church family members, and others.
So I now close with the writer’s thoughts I open with. “A new year stands on my doorstep. With fragile caution I move to open the door for its entrance. My heart leaps with surprise, joy jumps in my eyes. For there besides this brand new year stands God with outstretched hand! God smiles and gently asks of me; “Can we walk this year together?”
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