As I read Isaiah 44 this morning, I am moved by the joy in verse 23:
"Skies, sing for joy, because the Lord did great things!
Earth, shout for joy, even in your deepest parts!
Sing, you mountains, with thanks to God.
Sing, too, you trees in the the forest!
The saved the people of Jacob!
He showed his glory when he saved Israel."
How do we show the joy for all the things God has done for us in our daily lives? In my own life, I am so thankful God brought me to Faith and put me in a place where it is safe to explore my faith and raise my daughter to have her own relationship with God. In a community like ours I am blessed to be surrounded by people who love and serve God, every day. Its so amazing to me because the joy of the great things God is doing shows everywhere at our church, whether its in the choir, or Sunday School, during Lent at the Soup and Sacrament, or even planning for the direction of the church. As I think back to the all the praying I did about what church we would attend, I am so thankful God chose Faith for us and even more joyful for the great things God is doing here!
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We are so blessed to have you and all of the new members. I once heard JOY as an acronym for life, a way to prioritize your energy and attention:
ReplyDelete1. Jesus, the Word made flesh
2. Others, the least of these
3. You
What if we all had our priorities straight? Would we experience more joy in life?
As I thought about God's purpose for us, a couple verses from yesterday reminded me of the identity we find in our baptisms:
"I've called your name. You're mine."
"Return to me, every last one who bears my name, whom I created for my glory."
Our purpose is God's glory..."Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
In preparation for tomorrow, I read over "the rules" about how to write purpose statements and guiding principles. I liked the last and the first best:
1. They don't have to reflect current reality, but should cast a vision for the ideal of how we ought to live as a church in relationship to God.
2. They need to be based in Scripture.
So many more people at Faith are reading the Bible and discovering God's purpose for us in its fullness.
My favorite verse from today: "Take it seriously that you're my servant. I made you, shaped you."
Continue to shape us, Lord, in your image. Amen.