From the Pastor's Pen

Dear friends, 

I feel a sense of accomplishment today.  Some of you may be aware that we are currently building a whole new website for our church through the Outreach Team.  It’s a big job with lots of writing assignments, pictures to select, and some videos to create.  Anyway I have several writing assignments, but also have had two videos to film for the new website.  Thank goodness, Andy will edit the finished product and add his video magic.  But in the meantime, filming these videos is not a small task.  First I had to find and remember how to use all of my video equipment which was scattered around my home and my office.  Then I had to find suitable locations, clothes, lighting, etc.  It has taken most of the day to film these two rather brief videos, but it’s done!  I feel a sense of accomplishment!

My work at the church is usually only partially done.  I may write and preach a sermon, but there is usually another one to do the following week which is all part of the larger goal of developing faith in God’s people – a task that is never done.  I may teach a Bible study.  I may even teach an entire book of the Bible which feels like a completed work, except that God’s people in our church are always hungry for more.  That’s a good thing, but it means the work is never done.  Even those videos I made today will likely need to be redone in another year when they are out of date.  God’s work, it seems, is never done.  It’s a good thing it is mostly joyful work.

I began to wonder today how God feels about his work in teaching us to be like his son and calling us to greater faithfulness.  We are certainly all a work in progress, aren’t we?  Sometimes we have stretch of faithfulness only to be distracted with other things until we have almost forgotten about our beloved Father in heaven.  I wonder if God gets frustrated.  Hmm….   I am reminded of a favorite verse in the letter to the Philippians:  “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  (Phil.1: 6)  It would appear that if God does get weary of molding and shaping his sometimes faithful, sometimes faithless children,  God is certainly committed for the long haul.  God’s work in us will be completed.  We will be finished.  That is an accomplishment I look forward to.

Peace,

Pr. Sally