The Pastor’s Corner
“That year they ate of the produce of Canaan.” Joshua 5:12
Green Shoot!
My philodendron is completely bare! I forgot to water it for weeks on end. When I finally noticed and gave it a drink, I overwatered it. Before long, each deep green leaf turned yellow, then brown, and fell off. Seeing it now, you might think it’s dead.
Our souls may be equally barren at this point. Perhaps they were parched by the lack of opportunities to gather and pray, sing, hear the Scriptures read and proclaimed, and greet one another when in-person worship was cancelled in January. Or maybe the flood of trials and sorrows, difficulties and pain of the year that just ended (or the new one beginning) has simply overwhelmed us? Whatever the reason, if our hope is sucked dry, we may feel spiritually dead.
But, as you know, we are not the first to struggle in the wilderness! And although we do not know the future in detail, we know the One who has made great promises to us as He guides us there.
The Israelites were at the end of their weary wanderings when the promise of Canaan came into view. There would be no more roving tents, poisonous snakes, warring enemies, nor any howling desert winds. They had come to the “land flowing with milk and honey” (Ex. 3:8) and were able to eat the grain already growing there!
Will this be the case for you and me this year? Will we rest in Christ’s love, have perfect peace in Him, and sing His praises – regardless of our circumstances? As God promised through the prophet Jeremiah: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jer. 29: 13). Three small group opportunities to seek and find God during Lent are described in the pages of this newsletter. Why not join one of the groups?
As a church, we can utilize a process our Administrative Council developed in 2020 called, “An Intentional Discipleship Plan” or IDP. This is a list of steps we can take to grow as a congregation. It identifies specific ways we can become even more welcoming, nurturing, missional, generous, and mature in our faith. You can view the entire IDP by visiting the page on this website that displays it.
Looking closely at my philodendron, I see a tiny, green shoot sprouting at the base of one tendril! It gives me hope that the entire plant will one day thrive again. And it reminds me that faith and hope can turn a desert into the Lord’s garden.
Let’s feed on Jesus and thereby eat the fruit of the Promised Land this year!
In His love, Val