|
Grace and Peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
School will begin for many this coming week. That officially means that summer is coming to an end. As sad as that may be for those who love all that is done during the hotter months, there are also some who are glad to get back to order and structure. It is certainly a transition that we all feel as families come back from vacations and we figure out how to get back into our normal routine for Sunday morning. One thing continues to come to mind as I try to prepare for these same changes; Purpose. This idea of purpose has been swirling around my head, let me explain.
Our church has been taking a journey through the prophets this past summer. We have been looking at the truths that God chose to speak through the prophets and what that means for the church today. As many of you know, the prophets are not the most "uplifting" books but they are full of truth. We wrap up this journey by spending two weeks in Jeremiah. While Jeremiah is traditionally called the weeping prophet, not all is doom and gloom. Jeremiah 1:4-10 says this:
4 Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, 5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." 6 Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy." 7 But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a boy'; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD." 9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the LORD said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."
The macro aspect of God that we can gather from this unique calling of Jeremiah is that God is purposeful. The creation story demonstrates this characteristic, we see it in Torah, and it is ever present in the death, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord. We do not serve a god of chaos. God is purposeful. This means that we should also strive to be purposeful in the things we do. I know that since Covid churches have been asking what is necessary and what can be cut loose. Being focused on our purpose helps clear the clutter and guides us when we reach these moments of transition and have to ask ourselves what needs to be changed.
So as you prepare for worship this Sunday and the transition from summer to fall, from vacations to textbooks, I pray that God may bring us all back to the purpose of the church as we all seek to be bears of God's kingdom.
In service to Christ,
Rev. Benjamin Beck
Pastor, Alma Naz
|
