Wow, Let’s see...Almost 90 degrees yesterday. Frost warning on Monday night! 2 days at 88 degrees or above before that. Pretty wild ride weather wise lately. The next “new day” in the weather comes and goes! Two weeks ago, I saw some of our church’s kids we haven’t been able to see through this covid season – they had grown so much!
It’s important to stay on the moment. God is always with us and Jesus reminds us that his Spirit will never leave us. That makes each moment and every occasion sacred; full of the presence of God. Even if it might be a moment or an event of crisis, or loss, or pain. God is with you in that moment – during the distressful event. That’s the promise of God’s steadfastness! God is faithful even when we are faithless, even when we are broken, or scared, or angry, or whatever.
With this truth we can see that God can redeem or overcome or reconcile all the moments in our lives. We need to be present in each moment through each day. Daily commit ourselves to Christ; turn over each decision, each action, each encounter. Find the Divine in all the occasions and opportunities that come your way each day. Being a disciple is a daily (if not moment by moment) choice. “Am I participating in the Cause of Christ in the moment, with this decision”? What is the next right thing I need to do? Which choice is the one that most reflects Grace? What action most leads to or brings forth Justice?
These are some of the questions to focus on and keep in the back of your mind as you move through the day. I have a friend who always asks himself, “Who does this day belong to today? Jesus or me?“ Each day he decides to live the day for Christ! As we move through each day focusing on God’s presence we can discover more beauty in the world and the people around us. We can live into the moments of our lives and find that the events of our days are more gift than obstacle, more blessed that cursed, more vital that drab.
We’re moving into the next season of our lives together as a congregation. As we move into our new normal, what can we add to our worship, our fellowship, our education, our outreach, our hospitality? How do we more encourage, engage, and serve our younger families? In what ways can we nurture, attend to, and serve our elderly members? God is at work in the life of GRUMC! The Holy Spirit is moving through the members of our congregation in powerful, exciting and life changing ways!
Now we’re in the season after the day of Pentecost: the Birth of the Church! What new doors will God’s Spirit be opening for us? What new opportunities and blessings are in store – especially if we’re expectant and watching for the next new thing God is doing even in the next day, next moment of our lives?
Be God’s, Pastor Jim