Missional Dispatches for December
I have titled my newsletter column -- "Pastor Bob's Missional Dispatches." I know, it's too long, but it works. The newsletter came out today, so I thought I'd share this with you.
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Pastor Bob's Missional Dispatches -- December 2008
Central Woodward Christian Church
Troy, MI
Are you ready to open your gifts? Gifts, you ask? What gifts? Why, your Christmas gifts of course. In just a matter of days, we‟ll gather around trees and mantles and share our gifts with each other. I know that the economy is bad, so the gifts might be a little less extravagant this year. No big ticket items, but that‟s okay, because it‟s the thought that counts – right!
Whatever we may be considering doing in our personal lives, this Advent Christmas season is a reminder of the gracious gifts God has given us. The greatest gift of all, a son in whom the message of grace, love, and mercy has been incarnated, has been given to the world. As Simeon so clearly proclaimed, in a small child, just an infant, God‟s provision of consolation to Israel and the light of revelation to the Gentiles was revealed (Lk. 2:25-35). Where there was darkness there is now light. This is God‟s gift to us – in Christ our lives are made new and the darkness has been driven away.
As a church we are the body of Christ – we are the continuing incarnation of God‟s grace and mission of redemption. Kirk Hadaway puts it this way:
As we bring one year to a close and look forward to a new one, what is God going to do? It‟s important to make plans, but as we look to the future and begin making plans, we must always be aware that kingdom life isn‟t predictable. We don‟t always know what tomorrow will bring. We may be breathing a sigh of relief – we got that pastoral search completed. Now we can relax. But is this the time to relax. It‟s been interesting watching the presidential transition. You‟d think that the President-elect could take a week or so off to rest up from the long and arduous campaign, but that‟s not the case. There‟s just too much to do. Oh, I expect he‟ll take some time off, but that‟s not the point.
What is the point? Well, the point is that God is at work in the world, and we‟ve been called to share in that work. We are called to incarnate the love of God in our neighborhoods and beyond.
So, as we look forward to 2009, let us be prepared for what is to come. I expect that the coming weeks and months will race by, because there‟s so much to do. Once we‟re through Christmas, we‟ll take a quick breath and then get prepared for what is coming. Consider that early in January there‟ll be the Love of Leadership conference, which features General Minister Sharon Watkins. Then, just a month later, we‟ll gather for a congregation-wide retreat where we‟ll explore God‟s gifts and calling and discern together our core values, values that will guide us as we move forward into the future. From there we move on to our Lenten emphasis – Unbinding Your Heart, a six-week intensive experience of exploration, study, and commitment to sharing our faith with others. And that takes us only up to Easter!
Oh, and by the way, in the very near future we will be calling a new minister of music/organist to help lead our worship. I don‟t know when a new person will begin, but it will be fairly soon. By the time this appears, the committee will have interviewed a number of candidates and may even have made a decision. With that in mind, let me take the time to offer my thanks to Jean Schneider for her good work as “guest organist.” I‟m not sure that‟s the best description, after all, Jean has been with us for some time. She brings to us not only excellent musical skills but also a willingness to adapt to any number of changes in format – sometimes even in the middle of a song itself. When she leaves us we will miss her presence and look forward to sharing with her in the future.
So, take hold of God‟s gift of life. Live it fully and boldly before God. As we move toward Christmas make a joyful noise and celebrate God‟s gift life.
Blessings,
Pastor Bob
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Pastor Bob's Missional Dispatches -- December 2008
Central Woodward Christian Church
Troy, MI
Are you ready to open your gifts? Gifts, you ask? What gifts? Why, your Christmas gifts of course. In just a matter of days, we‟ll gather around trees and mantles and share our gifts with each other. I know that the economy is bad, so the gifts might be a little less extravagant this year. No big ticket items, but that‟s okay, because it‟s the thought that counts – right!
Whatever we may be considering doing in our personal lives, this Advent Christmas season is a reminder of the gracious gifts God has given us. The greatest gift of all, a son in whom the message of grace, love, and mercy has been incarnated, has been given to the world. As Simeon so clearly proclaimed, in a small child, just an infant, God‟s provision of consolation to Israel and the light of revelation to the Gentiles was revealed (Lk. 2:25-35). Where there was darkness there is now light. This is God‟s gift to us – in Christ our lives are made new and the darkness has been driven away.
As a church we are the body of Christ – we are the continuing incarnation of God‟s grace and mission of redemption. Kirk Hadaway puts it this way:
The church as incarnational community seeks to embody Christ‟s mission by proclaiming that the Realm of God is here – and by living in it. We are to incarnate, enflesh, and embody Christ and Christ‟s message. To do this, we must grow as his disciples, and in order to grow we must be open to change, to transformation. (C. Kirk Hadaway, Behold I Do a New Thing, Pilgrim Press, 2001, 44.)We are seeing God do a new thing in our midst. This is God‟s gift to us. But it is a gift that we must receive and utilize. This isn‟t the kind of gift that we can unwrap, look over, and then put in the closet.
As we bring one year to a close and look forward to a new one, what is God going to do? It‟s important to make plans, but as we look to the future and begin making plans, we must always be aware that kingdom life isn‟t predictable. We don‟t always know what tomorrow will bring. We may be breathing a sigh of relief – we got that pastoral search completed. Now we can relax. But is this the time to relax. It‟s been interesting watching the presidential transition. You‟d think that the President-elect could take a week or so off to rest up from the long and arduous campaign, but that‟s not the case. There‟s just too much to do. Oh, I expect he‟ll take some time off, but that‟s not the point.
What is the point? Well, the point is that God is at work in the world, and we‟ve been called to share in that work. We are called to incarnate the love of God in our neighborhoods and beyond.
So, as we look forward to 2009, let us be prepared for what is to come. I expect that the coming weeks and months will race by, because there‟s so much to do. Once we‟re through Christmas, we‟ll take a quick breath and then get prepared for what is coming. Consider that early in January there‟ll be the Love of Leadership conference, which features General Minister Sharon Watkins. Then, just a month later, we‟ll gather for a congregation-wide retreat where we‟ll explore God‟s gifts and calling and discern together our core values, values that will guide us as we move forward into the future. From there we move on to our Lenten emphasis – Unbinding Your Heart, a six-week intensive experience of exploration, study, and commitment to sharing our faith with others. And that takes us only up to Easter!
Oh, and by the way, in the very near future we will be calling a new minister of music/organist to help lead our worship. I don‟t know when a new person will begin, but it will be fairly soon. By the time this appears, the committee will have interviewed a number of candidates and may even have made a decision. With that in mind, let me take the time to offer my thanks to Jean Schneider for her good work as “guest organist.” I‟m not sure that‟s the best description, after all, Jean has been with us for some time. She brings to us not only excellent musical skills but also a willingness to adapt to any number of changes in format – sometimes even in the middle of a song itself. When she leaves us we will miss her presence and look forward to sharing with her in the future.
So, take hold of God‟s gift of life. Live it fully and boldly before God. As we move toward Christmas make a joyful noise and celebrate God‟s gift life.
Blessings,
Pastor Bob
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