For many years the people of Israel prayed for a savior who would draw them back towards God, and restore their nation. They studied prophecy about this coming savior so that they would be able to know when he comes, and celebrate his arrival. And yet, Jesus comes into the world without notice, leads three years of ministry, mostly without notice from the very people studying so they would not miss him.
It is our 25th anniversary! 25 years ago God planted a church here with a heart to be a Christian community who worships a God who can provide stability in a world that feels like it is always on the move. And on a day like today we can and will name ways that God has been at work in the last 25 years, and look ahead to where God is leading us in this next season. We also know as churches that an easy rut to slide into is to only celebrate numbers. How many came to that program, how much money, how many baptisms. And while we want to name that every single person who comes here can be a life that God changes, God isn’t leading us into this next season to just be numbers. He is leading us to be transformed.
Faith asks that we trust in that which we cannot always see, and to believe in a God who can do things. So perhaps naturally, we will have questions, we will doubt, there will be things that we wonder about. And sometimes it can feel like if we have questions something is not right, or we are not trusting enough, and yet God invites our questions, God invites our honesty, our reflections, our wonderings.
Can you believe that guy? You know, the one who is always posting that political stuff, the one who is always saying bad stuff about co-workers, that neighbor who doesn’t cut their lawn? Scripture doesn’t shy away from the brokenness of this world, and the people in it. Instead scripture paints a picture of what a transformed life looks like in this broken world, as yourself a broken person.