This Week's Update

Greetings in Christ! 

I missed y’all this weekend! It was good to celebrate a wedding with family and two lovely people. And I loved the last two days at the conference for First Call pastors and mentors. However, I missed the life of the church around here: worship, fellowship, service, relationships, the whole gamut. 

There is progress being made in the sanctuary! We’re not there yet, but we’re close. The contractor met with council last week to give us a more complete picture of the vision and timeline, so all of the leadership is in the loop at this point.

Weekly Notes
+      Congregational Meeting – November 16th
+      Installation Service – November 23rd at 3pm


Devotional

I missed preaching on one of my favorite texts last week, which is Amos 5:18-24. Yep, the one that says the day of the Lord is darkness, not light. Why do I love this passage so much? Because it ends with an incredible description of God’s Kingdom, brimming with baptismal imagery. Amos declares, “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

The day of the Lord is that day when God’s kingdom is finally fulfilled, when we live not by faith, but by sight. On that day, justice will crash like a waterfall, and righteousness will be as steady as the New River.

The day of the Lord is darkness for those who forego justice for selfishness, who abandon righteousness for sinfulness. Of course that day would seem dark for those people if justice is as loud as Niagara Falls, if righteousness permeates our very pores. For those who can’t stand the Kingdom of God, the day of the Lord will seem dark, even though the brightest light of all will rule: Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. Of course, we hope and pray that our witness might turn those people toward the work of the Kingdom, and to embrace the true light of God. 

So, then, let our lives roar with justice. Let our lives roll on with righteousness. Let us help to show the One True Light to the world, so that the day of the Lord might be bright for all people.