John 10:3 – The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 

We are the sheep of Jesus’ pasture.  He calls each of us out by our name.  Just as we each have a different name, so we each have a different calling toward carrying out the mission of Christ.  We all have to listen for our name and our calling.

About a year ago, I spoke to the church during a meeting and said that we are all part of one body and that body is Christ our Lord and Savior and that we each have different responsibility to that body, me included.  On that night I said that when I think, say, or hear, “someone should” I would ask Jesus if I am that someone and do the things that He calls me to do no matter how scary or how far outside of my comfort zone they may be.  When Isaiah heard the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send?” he didn’t say, “someone should go;” he said, “Here am I Lord, send me.”

So, Jesus called my name and called me to be the lay-pastor of our church during this time of rest and transition.  His word will be my guide.  1 Peter 5:2-3 tells me,  “² Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; ³ not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.”(NIV)

That is what I do now – come before you eager to serve no matter how far outside my comfort zone that may be, because I am willing not because I have to.  The only thing that I ask is that you be willing to serve right beside me.  That doesn’t mean that I want you to be preaching in the pulpit; it means that I want you to figure out what God is calling you to do and to do it.  For some people that might be as simple as coming to worship.  For others it might be volunteering to host a Bible study.  For others it might be making phone calls to people who have moved away.  For others it might increasing a pledge. You are the only one who knows exactly what God is calling you to do so listen carefully to that still small voice. Sometimes even a smile, a note, or a hug is all that is needed to make the world brighter for someone else.

There have already been people stepping forward to help in several areas.  A stewardship campaign is underway thanks to the drive of a few people.  Some have volunteered to follow my example and keep in touch with some of our friends that are unable to attend the worship service.  People stepped forward to organize a community supper in October and many others helped after a long hiatus and are volunteering to help at the next one in November.  People have been forthcoming in writing down their favorite hymns so that I can include them in our worship service.  Yes, the Lord has been calling us and we have been answering.

As we approach the season of Thanksgiving, I give thanks for each of you and all that you do. 2 Corinthians 4:15 says, “All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.”  May we be full of thanksgiving and grace that overflows to the glory of God as we move through this adventure.  I’m looking forward to making this journey with you.  With the help of our Lord, it should be a magnificent trek.

With Much Grace and Thanksgiving,

— Sunnie

^““14As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.  ¹⁵My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long – though I know not how to relate them all.” (Psalm 71 NIV)

As we come into the Advent season, we enter a season of hope.  Just as a pregnant couple wait for their baby and hope for its future, we wait and hope as well.  We don’t really wait for the arrival of a baby; He was born more than 2000 years ago.  We hope for our future in Him.  Waiting is difficult; I don’t think that I have ever met anyone who enjoys waiting.  We have such busy lives that waiting seems to be a waste of time.  Waiting in traffic, waiting in line at the grocery store, waiting for an appointment, waiting for the kids to come home, waiting for a diagnosis, waiting for dinner to be ready – we do a lot of waiting.

Sometimes when we are waiting we are so focused on our dislike of waiting that we miss opportunities.  When waiting in a line we can look around and see the many faces of Jesus around us.  When we are waiting in traffic, we can take time to focus on thankfulness by creating a gratitude list.  When waiting for a diagnosis, we can focus on prayer and the Will of God and know that He will be with us no matter what the outcome.

The great thing about Advent is that it gives us a reason to slow down and focus on the hope of our faith.  God makes so many promises to us and we know that He will make good on them.  That is what hope is.  Hope is not a wish, hope is the light at the end of the tunnel that keeps us moving forward even when we feel frustrated or downtrodden.  As long as we have the promises of God, the promise of the Spirit within us, we have hope.  We hope for a time when Jesus will reclaim us all and we will live as one with Him.

Sometimes, as the Psalmist wrote, we don’t know how to express the hope that we have. How can we demonstrate that we have hope while we wait?  By following the two greatest commands: ³⁰Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ ³¹The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12, NIV).  If we use our times of waiting to find ways to follow these commands, our hope will be evident and our waiting will realize that hope.

May God shower you with blessings as you wait and hope in this Advent season.

— Sunnie