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Did you remember that you have amnesia?
Last Sunday night at our Seneca Creek Family Fiesta (a.k.a. Annual Meeting) we heard a mash-up of stories from around Seneca Creek over the last year.
- There was the story of a high school student who discovered faith and life in Christ while facing her own struggles.
- There was the story of a mom sharing her faith with a friend struggling with addiction, and helping this friend become a follower of Jesus.
- There was the story of a special needs child being drawn into worship in powerful ways.
- There was the story of isolated, disconnected people finding genuine community in a diverse church family.
The stories could have gone on all night. Here’s why they matter.
Because we’re all afflicted with amnesia.
We can forget faster than the weather can change. And when we start forgetting God’s faithful work in and through us, we start to lose our faith. I don’t mean we stop believing that there is a God. I mean we stop believing that God is able to provide what is needed as we follow his plan for our life.
- We forget that God can provide the resources for a bold step of faith.
- We forget that God can provide the strength for a long and arduous task.
- We forget that God can provide the courage for a scary act of obedience.
- We forget that God can provide the encouragement during times of darkness.
- And we forget that God can lead others to a life of faith in Jesus through our words and actions.
I’m reminded of a scene in King David’s life, long before he was the king. He was itching to fight Goliath and recapture the honor that rightfully belonged to God. When King Saul asked him why he, a mere teenage boy, thought he could take on the might Goliath, Dave remembered. He remembered how God had delivered him from every situation that had already occurred. He was ready and willing to on the giant Goliath based solely on the faithfulness of God in his past. Listen to how he says it:
The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.” 1 Samuel 17:37
When we remember, then it’s easy to get up and walk out God’s calling for our lives. So my encouragement to you is to take a few minutes today to remember God’s faithfulness to you. And then, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”
-Pastor Mark
We need a “like” button
In the world of Facebook, you can “like” someone’s picture, update, status, or whatever. The more people who click on your “like” button, the better you feel about yourself. But what if we all had a literal “like” button?
What if you could just randomly walk through the room and hit people’s “like” button? Think of what a Seneca Creek Sunday worship gathering may look like. Hundreds of people walk in with the cares of the world on their shoulders. They walk in knowing they’ve blown it this week. They walk in wondering if the horrible things others have said about them are really true. And then…they walk out with the full awareness that they are “liked” by those who know them…and even those who don’t! They walk out encouraged! I mean, seriously, who DOESN’T like to be liked?
What’s interesting is that Jesus’ instructions to his followers were to “love one another.” And as Jean Vanier put it, “love reveals the beauty of another person to themselves.” Do you remember the last time someone revealed something beautiful about you TO you? I’m guessing that you remember it very well indeed. You’ll probably never forget it, right?
If you think that gathering on Sunday is just about listening to me preach, or rockin’ with the music, you’ve missed a big part. If you slide in after we start, and slip out before we finish, you’ve been robbed! Part of the value of gathering together is to “reveal the beauty of others” to themselves. It sounds like, “You know what I really appreciate about you…” Our gatherings are about conversations that result in hitting someone’s “like” button. That means yours. And that means the other person’s.
Maybe the writer of Hebrews was thinking about Facebook when he wrote,
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Heb. 10:24
So this week, when you step into the facility at 13 Firstfield, see how many “like” buttons you can press before you leave. And see if you don’t end up encouraged and ready to take on the week!
-Pastor Mark
P.S. There’s a “like” button at the bottom of this post…in case you were wondering. 🙂
Living in faith, hope and Love 