We are now in the season of Lent. A time of returning to our Lord. Return, in the word itself is about movement,
turning back toward God. In this past
week, as I prepared for Ash Wednesday and for this season looking forward, I
realized how I have let life get in the way, gradually turning me from
God. I’m not the only one, if you were
honest as well, you could point to some things.
Now, granted, my “job” gives me opportunity to tend to some things, but
even my job can get in the way of my relationship with God.
As we enter into this season, I want to reflect publically
on the discipleship practices and where I see myself.
Worship—getting to worship is a no brainer, it comes with
the call. However, I admit that I love
worship. Most of the time I really sense
the power and love of God and the community in worship. Preparing for the sermon is so different from
preaching, and I know that the Holy Spirit is at work. And I love the music, all of it. I get goose bumps when we sing songs and I
see people moving, clapping, closing their eyes. I can’t believe I have the opportunity to
help lead worship with such praise and thankfulness.
Giving—This has been a journey for me. One of the things that moving toward tithing
has done for me is to get my own financial house in order. My dad was a stickler against credit card
use, but honestly I got in the habit again in seminary—sometimes it was the
only way to pay for something. Now if I
use it, I pay it off—no more wasting money on interest. And I have found that when I put God first in
my checkbook, everything else seems to work.
It did take some discipline.
Years ago I gave up some cable in order to pay off some bills. I wait to get things that I can’t pay
for. It’s about choices. I know in my younger years, I would take
money from what I planned to give to the church for things I wanted. I speak for myself, I never had enough
money. Now I live with a plan, and the
plan is God first. And it seems to me
with God first, everything else falls in line, or at least my priorities
do! I live within my means!
Prayer—This goes in cycles for me. Public and communal prayer is a given. My own prayer life seems to come and go. I recently purchased a new journal and I
write in it each night before bed. I
write down who and what I’m praying for, and I pray. I may write down something that struck me in
my reading of Scripture that day and pray that as well. I also go back to previous days to review my
prayers and write any updates. This has
been helpful to me.
Study Scripture—Again, this comes with the territory. However as a pastor, I need to be aware that
I too am a disciple, first and foremost a disciple. So I generally read something not related to
the sermon or Bible study I’m preparing.
Sometimes I read an entire book of the Bible over some days, other times
I read the text assigned for the day (and write the blog). I enjoy the times with Ascension when we are
discussing, I learn so much from you.
Invite—I love this part, but it is hard. Again, as a pastor, I think people expect me
to invite people. When people discover I’m
a pastor, they will either run for the hills or want to talk more about
it. I will invited waitresses,
bartenders, anyone to join us for worship or something we are doing. I also invited members of Ascension to join
us for worship. One of my favorite hymns
is “I Love to Tell the Story”. I love
the two verses—I love to tell the story for some have never heard and then I
love to tell the story for those who know it best. The struggle with me inviting is that some
feel it is my job. I genuinely want you
to worship, not because of my job, but because I love Jesus.
Encourage—Paul writes to the church of Ephesus to encourage
one another. I am so thankful for the
work disciples at Ascension are doing. I
give thanks for those who venture into waters unknown. I try to encourage, but honestly, I could do
better with this. I confess sometimes I
just feel like I need to get things done.
Serve—This is a passion.
I love to share the gospel without words. Whether it is with Ascension at the food
pantry or the Back to School Fair, I love meeting people where they are and
helping them move from there. The
Neighborhood House has a special place in my heart. I wish I could do more, and as I’ve admitted
before, I have been taken by my generousity.
However, my intern supervisor told me something I will always remember—I
would rather be guilty of giving to someone who didn’t need it than to not give
to someone who did. I do my best.
As we go through this season, I encourage you to look at
your disciplines as a disciple. Where is
it that you could focus some attention on.
It isn’t about getting a better grade or being a better disciple than
someone else. Each one of these
practices has led me into a deeper relationship with God and with God’s
people. I know I am “closer” than I was
in my younger years. I can never out
give God, out serve God, out love God.
But because of God’s love, giving and serving, I can respond. I choose to respond.
Thank you for letting me serve with you as pastor.
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