SUNDAY SERVICES:

Last week, standing in the rain, I watched a young man work mightily to instill the basic skills and commitments of world-class soccer players   into the rain-soaked heads of eight small children. They were all much more excited about playing in the rain. Much more excited than the  line of parents waiting for practice to come to its soggy end. Soccer practice is new to me. Watching practice is new to me. There is much to learn.

As writer Dan Heath  asks:
“How did practice get squeezed out of our lives? Certainly the need hasn’t disappeared. …The enemies of practice are  pride and fear and self-satisfaction. To practice requires humility. It forces us to admit we don’t know everything. It forces us to submit to feedback  from people who can teach us….To practice isn’t to declare, I’m bad. To practice is to declare, I can be better."

How does this relate to our Fall Church-wide study? Twice a year, we ask all of our parish to sync up for 6 weeks. To focus, as a parish, on a particular theme or message. To help us catch a common vision, to build some shared vocabulary and share in a common experience.

This is a great chance to jump back in if your summer carried you far and away. To join in if you are new to our parish and would like to become more connected. To renew old friendships or make new ones.

In His Presence will walk us down 6 paths to draw closer to God. Mission, Ministry, Worship, Word, Prayer all by the power of the Holy Spirit. The teachers and interviewees are people you know. The soundtrack was recorded by our own worship team.

And that leads us back to the issue of practice. Coach John Wooden once warned coaches that “Bustling bodies making noise can be deceptive.” Activity alone doesn’t guarantee progress.

This Sunday, we will see how Jeremiah’s land deal, the rich man’s request and Timothy’s commission point us to a fundamental truth about the life of every disciple, and a key to moving deeper in our relationship with God.  There is much to learn, even when it is raining. See you Sunday.

grace and certain hope,
Christopher+