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God’s Leaders are Chosen Read Exodus 3, Mark 1:16–20, and Acts 9:1–9. At our annual meeting this
year it was very impressive to feel the Holy Spirit working as several
members in attendance agreed to take important positions of leadership.
Nicole and Charlie Rothe who recently joined our congregation agreed to serve
as President-elect and Youth Chair, and Rachel Haag and Rhonda Perry (our
singing sisters!) agreed to co-chair Outreach! Tim Dunsirn had accepted the
job of President which means our key leadership positions for 2012 are now
filled. Join me in thanking our newly elected for agreeing to serve our
congregation! None of our newly elected
have said this to me in so many words, but I know I've heard people say,
“I don't know what possesed me to say I'd do this!” Well if
anyone has such thoughts let me reassure you I know what possessed you.
God’s Spirit possessed you! You are the right person at the right time
to do this job. How do I know? Because you
were chosen. That’s what makes leaders in the church, what they all
have in common. They are chosen. God’s leaders have always been chosen.
God’s choosing is constant in the Bible. In every case, those God
sought out to do great things were unready, unqualified, and almost always
reluctant. In every case, God was able to do marvelous, miraculous things
through these chosen ones. Look at Moses, the disciples,
and Paul. They all became leaders. They did nothing less than change the
world for generations—centuries. Those leaders had something else in
common—something our newly elected Council members share with them.
None of them sought the job they were given. Moses was hiding in the
wilderness when God found him and called him. The “simple
Galilean” disciples were living quiet lives as fishermen. And Paul was
in the midst of an active persecution of the followers of Jesus when he was
confronted, chosen, and called to open salvation to all. Reluctant though they were,
each responded to God’s call and each became a perfect tool for
God’s saving action in the world. Whatever task God has set before you
in the church or in God’s world, whatever you feel called to do, God
can do great things through you. Not because you are qualified or especially
trained. Not because you sought the job or seek anything for yourself. But
because the Spirit of God has possessed you, called you,
helped you say “yes,” and will use you to do what God has in mind
for you. Jesus said and continues to say, “You did not choose me but I
chose you. . . .” (John 15:16) Prayer Lord, help us to move into the future you have set for us with
the confidence that comes from knowing that we are your chosen ones. Set us
on fire with the Spirit so that we can climb out of tired ruts, set out on new paths,
and move boldly in witness and service. In the name of the One who chose us
to serve! Amen Pastor Larry Anything
Worth Doing For The Lord Is Worth Counting By now most of you have
received your six month statement of contributions in the mail, I hope you
have or will take the time to open it up and check the amount recorded to see
if it is indeed an accurate record of your financial stewardship. I also hope all of you will take a few
moments to calculate what you're giving as a percentage of total income. Please do not do this in a legalistic way,
as some sort of requirement for your salvation, but rather as an honest way
to assess your own response to God's generous goodness. God gives us all we have, we return only a
portion as a way of saying just how much God's grace matters to us in our
lives. Occasionally someone will
say, “Pastor, I don't use envelopes when I give nor do I write out a
check, I give sincerely from my heart and I don't worry about getting a tax
deduction or any credit for what I give to the Lord. So my statement does not accurately reflect
all that I give.” “Oh really,” I'll say. “So only the Lord knows how much you
give?” “That's absolutely right, Pastor, and
that's the way it should be!” Now if the person doesn't
walk away in a huff, I'll simply say, “I agree that Jesus said that
when we give we should not let our left hand know what our right hand is
doing. In other words, we don't give
to gain any earthly reward or any earthly status or recognition as do those
who always let other folks know they gave this or that, usually saying as
they do, 'Now don't tell anyone, but I gave such and such.' I agree with you! I'm against that sort of giving to impress
others!” “However,” I'll say if I'm
allowed to continue, “do you NOT think it matters to the Lord how much,
if any, you give? And if it does
matter in some small way, then, just perhaps, it's worth counting. Not for the sake of impressing others, but
for the sake of honoring our relationship with the Lord.” I've never been a fan of
the 'bean counters' who will use numbers alone as a way to evaluate how well
a teacher is teaching, how effectively a doctor is caring for her patients,
or how valuable an athlete is to his or her team. Nor do I believe there are metrics for love
or for how much faith we have in God.
Jesus says even a mustard seed amount of faith is enough. Yet, Jesus also preaches this: “Give, and
it will be given to you. A good
measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into
your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get
back.” -
Luke 6:38 Pastor
Larry |
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