Hi everyone,
I’m back from holidays! And it’s good to be back. As quick as these holidays go for many of us and as much as we might dread going back to work or school after them, I find that once we get back into routine, things just feel more secure and fresh. And while “routine” and “fresh” don’t seem like congruent terms, in terms of ministry they totally can be.
See since before I went on holidays, there were a few ideas floating around on things that can be different. Honestly I was a little apprehensive to try them out… because… well… change can be scary. But while I was away, I guess I felt a surge of confidence to try. I felt convicted that even if it doesn’t work out, at least the effort was made and we’ll never have to second guess.
So you’ll notice that instead of links to the readings for next week, I’ve posted a video of me reading them. This hopefully will help people hear God’s Word better as its read to them instead of reading it themselves. And if you have thoughts on the readings as you hear them, I encourage you to drop them into the comments either on this page or on YouTube. I will be opening this up to my colleagues as well, just to see if we can get some weekly discussion going on these texts.
Also, for the first time in a long time, we’ll be joining another congregation for worship next week. This is something that has been on the backs of our minds for some time, but the ball finally got rolling this past summer. More details on that can be found in our announcements page. And they will join us for worship at a later date.
I’m thankful for these ideas and actually moving them forward. I’m thankful for our very supportive council in what we do as a church. I’m thankful for our God who strengthens us to do and act and live out our faith, even when in ways we are unsure of.
God is good.
Here are the readings for next week:
I see God granting confidence in these texts. God reminds God’s people that we are not alone in our endeavours, we aren’t left to our own vices, we aren’t expected to just do everything ourselves.
Rather, we’ve given a community of support. We are strengthened by the Spirit. And we are given the grace to know that even if whatever we try is unsuccessful, we continue to be defined by God’s love that welcomes us all into God’s kingdom.
So we can see God in places we don’t expect. We can see value in people that might surprise us. We can find strength and confidence in ways that we never thought of before.
And that is God in our lives… working, lifting us up, and breathing healing and new life into us.
Thanks be to God! Have a great week, everyone!
Photo by Shane Rounce on Unsplash