(KIS is short for "Keep It Simple.")
We make choices, then those choices make us. This is true for us as individuals, families, and as a church. Paul described to the Corinthians the choices he made as we came to live with them and preach the gospel message:
You'll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God's master stroke, I didn't try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did—Jesus crucified. I was unsure of how to go about this, and felt totally inadequate—I was scared to death, if you want the truth of it— and so nothing I said could have impressed you or anyone else. But the Message came through anyway. God's Spirit and God's power did it, which made it clear that your life of faith is a response to God's power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5 the Message)
I’ve learned over the years that if I can’t explain who we are and what we’re doing at St. Andrew in a few short sentences that are plain and easy to understand, then I don’t know what we’re doing. We might be doing a lot of things, but if somehow who we are doesn’t connect with what we’re supposed to be doing, we’re in trouble. We then need to align our energies and resources with the clear, straightforward reasons we exist as a church. For me, we exist as both a community and place where people…
Connect with God…Grow in Community…Serve the world.
These are the three plays we must run in order to fulfill our purpose and calling as followers of Jesus.
This Sunday I’m looking at how we connect with God ourselves, and our mission to help others connect with God. I’ve always thought of us as a John 3:16 church, recognizing that God so loved this world he sent Jesus as our savior. These days I’m also thinking of us as a Luke 15 church. Luke gathered three stories together, all about the love of God seeking out those who are lost, and welcoming home those who have wandered off and ended up lost. First, there was the shepherd who left the ninety-nine sheep in the pen to go look for the one who was lost. When that one sheep was found, Jesus said there was a celebration. Second, there was the story of the woman who had lost one of her ten precious coins. She turned her house upside down looking for it. When she found it, she invited her friends over for a party. Finally, there was the prodigal father who went against every social convention to welcome his wayward son home from his debauched wandering. This story also ended up with a party, but it was a party the eldest son refused to attend.
St. Andrew was named St. Andrew because the founders wanted their church to be a church that brought people to Jesus. Both times Andrew is singled out for attention in the gospels, he was bringing someone to Jesus. The first time it was his brother Simon, and the second time it was the little boy with his lunch of fishes and loaves. The hope was that forty-eight years after St. Andrew Presbyterian Church was formed, we’d be bringing people to Jesus so they could connect with Him in a new and profound way.
The question is, are we accomplishing that simple goal? I’ll tell you a lot of churches say they are, but the evidence will be real people who are connecting with a real God who is producing real changes, not fancy slogans and programs. Too many churches talk about reaching out, but in fact they exist for their own benefit. They’re most concerned about ninety-nine sheep in the pews, and not the one who is wandering lost “out there.” My read of the parables is if we want to be with Jesus, we’ll not just hang around the corral, but follow him “out there” so we connect with the people God loves.
Now for the other pieces of news on my desk…
From Dawne and the Youth Team: Thank you to everyone for making this year's Carwash a big success! From parent volunteers, youth leaders, Jr. high and Sr. high youth to everyone who donated money, we raised $1,570 for Caravan!
If you’re interested in being baptized, Pentecost Sunday June 12th would be a great time to “take the plunge of faith.” Let us know in the office if this would be of interest to those of you who have never been baptized.
With that…you really do know what I know…
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