services of worship

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One of the enormous challenges we face as Christians is to simultaneously live in a culture that demands we act primarily in our own self-interest and live out our call from Jesus the Christ to live into the kindom of God. Those two missions are diametrically opposed. And to make matters worse, we really can’t abandon either life; the life of the world or the life following Christ.

Our daily task then, is to figure out how to live in both realms at the same time. I don’t know about you, but for me, this paradox creates some amount of anxiety. As I was pondering these competing allegiances in our lives, I ran across this devotion from Henri J. M. Nouwen. His observations are critically important if we desire to live out our calling from Jesus, in a world calling differently. Here are his words:

 Jesus’ response to our worry-filled lives is quite different. He asks us to shift the point of gravity, to relocate the center of our attention, to change our priorities. Jesus wants us to move from the “many things” to the “one necessary thing.” It is important for us to realize that Jesus in no way wants us to leave our many-faceted world. Rather, he wants us to live in it, but firmly rooted in the center of all things. Jesus does not speak about a change of activities, a change of contacts, or even a change of pace. He speaks about a change of heart. This change of heart makes everything different, even while everything appears to remain the same. This is the meaning of “Set your hearts on his kingdom first . . . and all these other things will be given you as well.” What counts is where our hearts are. When we worry, we have our hearts in the wrong place. Jesus asks us to move our hearts to the center, where all other things fall into place.

A change of heart. I like that. As we get into the full swing of the New Year, we could all work on a change of heart. May it be so in your life.    

See you Sunday!

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Kelly