Do you ever wonder if your Christian faith is really going anywhere? Too often I fear that I and perhaps you are just going through the motions, checking the boxes (worship attendance, daily devotions, and little else. Jesus hopes for more out of us, of course. Deciding, responding, turning, engaging. Trust me – I know too well about spiritual laziness. We need each other to check out our faith temperature. If we’re luke-warm, I can only sadly imagine the look of displeasure on our Savior’s face, or at least a sad shaking of the head. We are not actively engaged in moving the movement forward. We rest comfortably, complacently, unless we hear urgent pleas for increased giving and volunteers. I for one am tired of this pattern defining us. Now I know this daily blog ought to be uplifting and comforting, but the mission of God and how I hear it speaking will not allow for that. We have Jesus’ authority and backing. We ought not to fear! When we humbly consider, as we will from mid-February through the end of March, what our freedom as Christians cost the Son of Man, I believe and hope that our faith temperature will rise. We return to the Lord our God, who is gracious and merciful. Our complacency is a detriment to the kingdom of God. Harsh words for a simple, “harmless” innocuous little blog!

We are full of immense potential and possibility. As 2021 unfolds, I challenge us to re-think the “scorecard.” I submit that our God cares far more about lives touched through the saving message of the Gospel than He does about worship attendance and budgets. I hope to see us “old birds” gain traction with the “young fledglings” as we inquire about their lives, faith, and spirituality. “Church” will be passed on, but we might brace ourselves for change. “CHANGE?!?” Leaning into the kingdom of God should excite us! Such movements begin at the grass roots level. It will be a long process over time that leads to fundamental church institutional change at the upper levels. We should live into Christ without specters of “cancel culture”, political turmoil and decaying structures.

God can change us, move us from inertia, lead us to make changes in the scorecard. Repent, turn, respond. We should do this, but we should want to do it. We are invited into the collaborative effort of re-presenting the kingdom of God. Never doubt that His sustaining, unconditional love never leaves or forsakes us, even if we feel we are letting Him down. In time, and with slow and steady feet to our prayers, Our faith will finally be going somewhere.

Pastor Art