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Archived 10/04: A Message From the Pastor
Rev. Alice Ann Bonham
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From the Pastor's Desk --
"What's God going to say to my questions? I'm
braced for the worst. I'll climb to the lookout tower and
scan the horizon. I'll wait to see what God says, how
he'll answer my complaint. And then God answered: Write
this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters
so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a
witness pointing to what's coming. It aches for the
coming - it can hardly wait! And it doesn't lie. If it
seems slow in coming, wait. It's on its way. It will come
right on time." (Habakkuk 2:1-3 The Message)
I hope these words are at least somewhat familiar. These are the same words with which I started my article in June. This time they come from Eugene Peterson's "The Message." Often, Peterson's use of modern English brings something to my attention in a way that nothing else does. I was particularly struck by the phrase, "I'm braced for the worst." That phrase seems to sum up many of the conversations I've had over the last three years with folks from the congregation. There is a wariness of our future because of the troubles of the past. In many ways we seem to be "braced for the worst." When I have a conversation of this sort, I remember how good God is all the time. From the very beginning of time God has been blessing His creation and His children. Noah and his family were saved from the flood. Abraham and Sarah were blessed with Isaac who became the father of many. It was a blessing that passed from generation to generation. The prophets continued to share the message of being blessed to bless others. And then the greatest blessing of all, Jesus, came to show us just how much God loved us. I'm convinced we know how much God has blessed us here in Ridley Park. We have grown strong in our ability to care for one another. We have a strong worship and prayer life. We have truly experienced God's blessings. What we haven't figured out is how to take the blessings we've received and truly share them outside of our church family. That's what we need to work on. God is holding a vision for us. It's a vision that will let God reveal Himself, through us, in this community right now. What we have to do is figure out what that vision is and how we will apply it in our lives and the lives of the congregation and community. To that end, I have asked Mary Lou to again include a page from the Project 6:15 workbook. This page has several verses of scripture and then a place to make notes. The Project 6:15 Team is working on what this vision might be too and would like your help. The way to help is by reading these verses, but don't read just those verses. Read several verses before and after and keep in mind the understanding that God has blessed us and we are to be blessing to others. Then pray and ask God to help you to understand His vision for us. When you've done all that, then write down what you've experienced, and return the paper to the church office. The 6:15 Team will take all that you do, combine it with what everyone else does and, God willing, will be able to determine God's vision for us. To do this well, the Team needs your help. I am grateful that God has given us this task. It focuses us on God and our purpose in God's plan. We have work to do here in Ridley Park and it's time to figure just exactly what it is. It's time to put the worst of our past away and move onto the future that God is holding for us. Let us step out in faith and determine how to be a blessing to others as God has blessed us. In Christ's great love, Pastor Alice Ann |
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