Hello travelers, now it's my turn for this step in my journey. On July 1 I will be the pastor of North Bethesda UMC on Old Georgetown Rd. in North Bethesda between the Beltway and Rt. 270.
On the 22nd of June I preached my last sermon at Liberty Grove. It occurs to me and to some others who have suggested it, and it was on my mind as I prepared it, that it might be a good transition sermon, last sermon one church first sermon at the new church. I have some other things I want to say at the new church, but it could certainly be a part of this blog that I am hoping will be helpful to introduce me to my new congregation and church family.
My reference text is Ephesians 4:1-7, & 11-16 for which I will summarize here for your convenience. I suggest when you get a chance to look it up as well. "Accept each other with love, and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together. You are one body and one spirit just as God also called you to one hope. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all who is over all, through all, and in all." Gifts are given.. "some pastors and teachers. His purpose was to equip God's people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God. God's goal is for us to become mature adults - to be fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ...let us grow in every way into Christ, who is the head." (Common English Bible)
The challenge for us and our mission for our spiritual journey is to recognize the differences in each of us as a part of the body of Christ and to love one another, in spite of the differences. This can be done with Christ's Spirit of love in us, not really possible without it. We remember we have one body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God. Thus we have many reasons to consider the connection and the unity within us. I pray for the church behind me and for the church in front of me, for the unity of the calling in Christ.
I spent a large amount time and will continue to do so on the pastor/teacher role that God has called me to, which includes helping each of us to grow in maturity and to reach the goal of Christ like ness. The goal St. Paul says is to reach maturity. Now there is a loaded challenge.
My role in the life of a congregation is to teach and help you discover God's calling upon your life to grow in faith. I can do that by encouraging you to pray, to worship, to love in the fellowship of others, to serve our neighbors, and to study Jesus so we can become mature in him. All that I do is to try to help you to reach the level of faith and practice, that God has in mind. You will discover that in my sermons, the Bible Studies and Sunday School classes that I teach, the articles I write, the books I recommend, my blog, the website resources and links, and new discoveries along the way.
The teachings of scripture encourage us to know, feel, understand, internalize, etc, that each of us have been given a gift, a task or ability, to help the body of Christ, be a witness to the love of God to our world. Each of us have something we need to do, given and determined by God, to show God's love to others. So I teach and preach and maybe even nag... that you grow in your faith in order to do your part in the work of the body. I believe with all my heart, that each of us are a vital component to a healthy body. Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 describe the body and it's parts and work very clearly.
I can get in trouble, imagine that, by being firm on the idea, that you are an very important piece of the puzzle, we need your efforts to make this work. It is very easy, however, to think that it's my job, rather than to think, my job is to prepare you, teach you, lead you to full maturity in Christ, so you can do your job in the church. This may take some getting used to, and that's okay, I can be patient. Besides I am convinced that the spiritual life is more exciting for you when you are doing what God called you to do, when you discover for yourself that God really wants to use you in the grant plan of showing love to our neighbors. I can help with the teaching and preaching that leads to your maturity. It means everyday can be a blessing, a new adventure, a new discovery of what God has in mind for you. Come join in that adventure, I promise it will be a fulfilling one, plus hard work, but a real uplifting ride toward God.
My next few messages, both in preaching and on this blog, will reflect what I call an "Uncommon Lectionary". I borrow the idea of Tom Bandy who encourages us to hear the 52 most important lessons in the Bible to help shape us as we seek to become more faithful disciples. So our adventure on Sunday morning will be to hear those most important stories and lessons so that it might pour maturity into our hearts and minds.
This is going to be an adventure and journey, and I urge you to join us.
Blessings
Pastor Jeff
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