Dearly beloved of God:
A couple of weeks ago the top half of a 65 foot maple tree broke off in our back yard. The top was quite bushy so there were many smaller limbs and branches to cut off. Armed with my trusty chain saw, I jumped right in. A while later, I had all the useable firewood cut and stacked, and all the branches were in a huge pile. I mean, the pile was about 8 feet high and 15 feet in diameter. At that point I was stymied, and not just by the size of the pile. I had no clear-cut idea as to where to put the branches, and so in my mind the project grew in complexity. The grass needed mowing and there was this big brush pile in the middle of the yard. Do you know what I did? I mowed the grass - all around the pile.
This past Monday, my dear wife said, "We really need to move that brush pile." Now don't think that she was nagging me because the next words out of her mouth were, "...and I'll help you." That was all I needed. Together, We picked a spot on the other side of the dog fence, towards the woods. Together, We cleared a path to it and began, one branch at a time. Some of the branches were too big to throw over the fence, so We either broke or cut them into smaller pieces. One branch at a time. In about 10 minutes, there was a noticeable difference in the size of the pile. 40 minutes later it was all gone, with none of the mess left in sight. This success spurred Us on to tackle a couple of other yard projects that had been begging attention for months.
Later that day, through some of the television events, we were taken back we were taken back 5 years to September 11, 2001. Not only were the events of that day destructive, deadly and devastating, but they left behind one massive cleanup project. One documentary we watched was called "Miracle in Stairway B." It told of 14 survivors who were rescued from underneath tons rubble, just hours after the collapse of the towers. What a daunting task that must have been. Where do you begin? One tangled I beam at a time. How do you do it? Only with a team of dedicated workers.
Suddenly I began to see a clear application to our church. God has given so much to and for His church, and His expectations are so high. None of us is here by accident and each of us was created to fulfill certain purposes. But we find ourselves so far removed from living purpose driven lives. The church is far from being without spot or wrinkle. Praise God, we don't have to go it alone.There is the fact that none of us was mean to fulfill those purposes alone; it is better that they be done together. It's a team effort. And praise God for the promise that we will never be left alone or forsaken. The Holy Spirit has been sent to be our comforter, teacher, empowerer. Yes, I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength; but even better is We can do all things through Christ Who gives Us strength.
And how do We do it. Isaiah 28:10 (NIV)
10 For it is: Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there."
And Romans 1:17 (NKJV)
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."
Rick Warren, in his book "The Purpose Driven Church" states, "Making the leap from a purpose statement to purpose-driven actions requires leadership that is totally committed to the process. The application of your purposes will require months, maybe even years of praying, planning, preparing, and experimenting. Take it slow. Focus on progress, not perfection." We have made progress, one step at a time; here a little, there a little. 40 Days of Community looks like it will help us take a big step, as we come together to deepen the sense of community within our church family, while reaching out to the community around our church family.
September 19th offers an opportunity for us to experience ministry better together. For 15 years we have had a ministry at Living Word Fellowship known as the Hospitality Ministry. Over the years this became a "catch-all" ministry, driven to a large extent by the "whatever-it-takes" of its long time leader. In the past year, two others have assumed leadership of this ministry, but for various reasons, there was not a permanent fit. I believe God has been dealing with us to get our ministries more in line with our purposes.
On September 19th, anyone interested in the ministry life of Living Word Fellowship is invited to a meeting at 7:00 PM, where we will deconstruct the Hospitality Ministry. Whatever Hospitality did that has to do with our corporate worship experience will now be taken over by the Worship Arts Department. We will be reforming two new ministries aimed at furthering the purposes of Fellowship (assimilation, membership, fellowship gatherings) and Service (helps, meeting the needs of church members). Finally, since Hospitality was responsible for some of those great couples gatherings, we will be looking for a couple to take up that cause (much like we have leaders now for youth, men's and women's ministries.) A plan will be presented that has room for all different levels of commitment and spiritual maturity. Therefore, the invitation to attend is extended to everyone. And I look forward to seeing you this Sunday as we continue the 40 Day journey "Reaching Out Together" with special guest, Mat Samuelson from UCONN Intervarsity Christian Fellowship.
May all of you experience the disappearance of big obstacles, here a little, there a little.
Yours for His Purposes,
Pastor Les
