It’s taken me a while to get here. In fact, some days I’m not sure I’m even there yet. The truth is the Spirit has been working on me for quite a while to teach me about God’s people and their place in the church. More than that, he has been working on me for an even longer time to form me into his pastor, to teach me about my place in the church.
This is the way normal thinking goes. Pastors and teachers are called to work in the church. And it’s a noble thing when they are. It is a noble and a high calling from God himself through his church. These are the people called to do the ministry of Jesus. The rest of the church is support staff. They’re the balls boys, the water runners, the clean up crew. We have pictured the work of the church as merely a matter of holding up hands. “Help the pastor and the teachers do their work.” That’s the way we normally think and talk. When we think this way, our goal is to get some warm bodies who can fill some slots so that we can get a little bit more done.
But like I said, the Holy Spirit has been working on me for a little while now and I see that this is not an entirely accurate way of looking at things, nor is it a loving way for me to view you, the dearly loved people of God. You are not just warm bodies to fill a few volunteer slots. You are not just assistants to the pastors or teachers. You are so much more. And we want to show you what this “much more” is over the course of this new series that starts on Sunday, September 11.
We want you to see that you are wholly sufficient and “enough” to be an active, engaged and vital minister and servant within and on behalf of Jesus’ church. We want you to know that each one of you is a stone within this church, just like I am. We’re just stones, but let me tell you this - each stone matters for the stability and health of this holy church that rises up before the Lord. We want you to see how God has shaped you for service in the church and as the church in the world. More than that, we want you to consider the purpose and possibility of your life. Indeed! What does God have in store for you! And, as if that were not enough, God has calls you to leave a legacy by discipling others in the image of Jesus.
God’s been working on me for a while now and I can’t wait to open up God’s truth with you over the course of this series. On the one hand, we may be a congregation of misfits - wondering where we fit, how we belong, and a mostly motley, ragtag crew. But, on the other hand, there is nothing “misfit” about us. We are just the people God longed to gather together at this time and in this place.
Don’t forget that Connect Groups start this Sunday. Sign up here or at the link below.
See you Sunday! Your fellow misfit, Pastor Nate