Jan 15, 2025
Who is God calling us to be now?
What is God calling us to do now?
Over the coming months, you will hear me ask these questions with regularity. I hope that you will ask them, too. They are not meant to be rhetorical. When I ask them, and when you ask them, I hope that you and others take the time to sit with them and to answer them. I hope that you will take the time to share your answers with me and with one another.
These questions guide a process of spiritual discernment designed by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship called Dawnings. The process is a story based approach which holds these questions throughout. Over the course of the next few months, we will have times to gather and to share with one another how we hear, feel, see, think, sense, discern the answers to these questions. But please don’t feel like you can only consider these questions at appointed times.
Any time you walk through the doors of the church, whenever you drive by, when you see a post on social media, as you receive emails from the church, or talk with fellow congregation members, pause for just a moment and think on these questions. Often, it is only when we take the time to ask questions, that we find answers.
As this new year dawns, and as we look to the future of our congregation, let’s hold these questions together, anticipating that God is calling us and that we have the capacity to respond.
Dec 29, 2024
The period of time in which we presently find ourselves might be the most feelingest time of the year. Thanksgiving is the most traveled weekend in our nation. The days around Christmas are marked by feelings of joy and wonder (and maybe exhaustion for the parents of little humans with big expectations). But this season of holidays also has a way of accentuating grief and loss – particularly when it is the first season or holiday following a significant change to our traditions.
Part of our responsibility as a community of faith is to be community to and with one another. This, of course, means that we have a twofold awareness as we remember and journey through these seasons. On the one hand, we are sensitive to the feelings of people in our community, remembering Paul’s admonition in I Corinthians 12, “if one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.” So we come together to celebrate, we sit together in silent vigil, we make space for the exhausted, we pull up an extra chair for a meal, we call someone whom we haven’t seen in a while.
But there is another side of our awareness too. If we are to be a community (in the words of Stanley Hauerwas) capable of absorbing one another’s grief, then just as we might extend an extra effort to help, we must open ourselves and our pain to be absorbed by our community. We must allow ourselves to be embraced, trusting that when we do so, in some almost illogical way, our pain strengthens our community.
As we continue our Advent journey, and as that journey gives way to Christmastide, let’s open our hearts and our feelings to our community, trusting that in our joy, in our grief, and in all the feelings in between, we more authentically embody the Kingdom of God.
Nov 9, 2024
Breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.
This time of year has the capacity to make us feel as though we are being pulled along as though decisions concerning our time and activities have been made for us, leaving us only to show up and move on to the next event. This year, the hurricane and response combined with the election have increased the pressure on our time and consciousness.
In times like these, it can be important to remember that we need to breathe – not that we can survive if we do not. However, there is something about just taking a moment to concentrate on our breathing that helps to refocus our ability to be intentional with our breathing. And if we can be intentional with our breathing, we can be intentional with decisions around our time. And if we can be intentional with decisions about our time, then we can be intentional with our daily comings and goings.
“Be still, and know that I am God!” writes the Psalmist. Be still. Be. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.
When the world around you begins (or continues) to push for more of your time, to pressure you to act, to consume your consciousness, take a moment to breathe. Focus on your breathing. Think on these words from Psalm 46. Be still before God.
Breathe and choose to be intentional with your time, with your energy, with your life.
Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.
Oct 6, 2024
This is always a fun and festive time for our church and community. We hope you’ll bring friends, family, and neighbors to celebrate!
Want to help? Here’s what we need…
TRUNKS: It’s our goal to have 20 trunks this year. Decorate your trunk and hand out candy!
Game runners: Volunteer to run a game and hand out prizes!
Candy: Drop off your candy donations in the bins by the covered
entrance or in the foyer.
Volunteers: It’s always helpful to have extra hands during the event.
Volunteer to greet guests, refill trunks with candy, take pictures, etc!
Contact Bethany or anyone on the Children and Youth Team with your
questions!
Oct 6, 2024
“Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and
unto God the things that are God’s.”
These familiar words from Jesus were first spoken in
response to a question about paying taxes. But they seem
a good reminder to keep us grounded in the month of
October. Though it may be hard to imagine, October is
set to be marked by even more political advertising and reporting than we
have yet seen, all leading to election day.
And this is where Jesus’ comment regarding what is Caesar’s and what is
God’s can help us. We can consider our resources (finances, time, energy,
effort) and how we might appropriately render unto Caesar and God that
which belongs to each. We might also consider how our political
engagement fits in – up to and including our votes.
However, as we consider our faith, we do not need to render it to the
coming election, no matter how many commercials, billboards, yard signs,
and bumper stickers might try to convince us otherwise.
That is not to say that the coming election is not important. It is. And we
should give it its due. Yet, no candidate on the ballot is our God. And this I
think is the point of how Jesus responded to those asking about taxes.
Yes, taxes and elections are important. Give them the attention and energy
they deserve. They are also not all that is important. In the month ahead,
let’s be mindful of our attention, our time, our energy, and our resources.
Let’s try to ensure that in all these things, and in all the others, we render
unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and render unto God the things that
are God’s.
Sep 1, 2024