One of the things I remind the folks at church is to pay attention to what it is that God is doing, in and around us. For if we don't open our eyes, we for sure will not see the work of God in our midst. About six weeks ago I preached a sermon on God-incidences that came about because of what God was doing in the lives of some people I know - a member of the church, a peer of mine in the UMC, and a relative of mine going through some difficulty. The first situation led to meeting a need in the lives of young adults in the church. So, as a result I sent out an invite to many of our "young adults" (mid twenties to thirty somethings) to come to our house to talk about some "God stuff". I was overwhelmed by the response.
Last night 16 persons showed up at the house to lift up some issues that they were facing as young parents, teachers, husbands, wives, workers, etc. The joy of it was just being in a non-threatening environment, talking openly about some struggles, looking to Scripture for some guidance, and praying for God to guide and lead through His Spirit. (And yes, we had a snack or two accompanied by some laughter). It was a great evening. What also is exciting is that there are another 8-10 persons who wanted to participate but could not attend because of some other commitments. How cool is that?
God is doing some awesome stuff. But we must pay attention, must open our eyes and look around and then join Him in what He is doing. For those of you in our contemporary service, we were bursting at the seams on Sunday. What does this mean for us as a church? What is God doing and how are we to respond? I trust we are ready to do whatever is being asked of us as we continue to grow and move forward in the faith.
As far as the new young adult group, I am very excited about where God is leading you and am even more excited that ML and I can be a part of your journey. We will join you as we strive to be intentional about "seeking first the kingdom of God" (See Amy's Nelson's blog).
Yes, it's great to "look around". But once we have "looked", let us "act" upon that which we have seen. Rock on!
