Reflections from Pastor Kim
This year seems to be taking wing to get us to the end quickly! I, for one, have come to appreciate the moments when we have time to rest and enjoy the people and places around me. However, fall is not the best time to just let things "be," is it? There's the harvest race against the seasons, preparations to homes, vehicles, and equipment for the upcoming winter, not to mention getting back in the groove after summer schedules that often look completely different than the other three seasons of the year. What we all know to be true is that each season brings change, some celebrated some, well, some, not so much. Yet, we know the inevitable steps of each season and prepare ourselves for the best and the hardest parts of each.
I will make them and the region around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season, they shall be showers of blessing. Ezekiel 34:36 NRSV
God is offering a covenant of peace with God's people. The surrounding scripture is quite descriptive and you can almost visualize God's blessings raining down. I wonder if the folks who are hearing these words from the prophet's lips understand that they are part of the blessing? Do they realize the seasons will still change and there still might be grief in their midst? Is there an understanding that God walks with them in all seasons? I wonder if we truly realize this? Do we realize that when God has called us to a place or into a season, that God does indeed walk with us? That even when things don't move as fast as we want or we get stuck in a rut or we surge ahead too early, we cannot shake the presence of God?
We are in a season of "what's next" at Oakland UMC. We have some ideas, we know it might be a bit bumpy as we step into the next season; that we may need to be flexible or not only proclaim grace, but carry out grace. There might be some "new" things, some "old" things and things that look "different" in the midst of the season(s) to come. No matter what comes next, God walks with us! There "shall be showers of blessings," in the midst of what is to come. We might not all agree on what color a wall should be, what floor covering to use, or how big the offices are to be, but as Children of God, we know that in the midst of our challenges, opportunities, and joy, God is beside us, closer than the air we breathe.
I share these thoughts not to strike fear in the hearts of all, but instead to prepare us for the seasons to come. We know the following things to be true: we are loved by God, change brings joy and yet is frustrating at times, and together we will move forward. Today's big "C" Church looks different than in the not so distant past. Folks aren't as engaged, volunteers are harder to bring on board, everyone is busy and an atmosphere of energy is harder to create. However, in the midst of those truths stands us! We know that together we can do amazing things, because we have past evidence. We know that together we are better because we have seen the fruits of this, and we do not underestimate the power being in community with each other brings.
Above all things, regardless of the season, we must remember our mission to Offer Christ, Accompany Each Other on the Journey, and Kindle a Life of Faith, so that all might know the love and to experience the showers of blessings from our always present God. Might all our seasons at OUMC be lived out for God's glory!
We are in a season of "what's next" at Oakland UMC. We have some ideas, we know it might be a bit bumpy as we step into the next season; that we may need to be flexible or not only proclaim grace, but carry out grace. There might be some "new" things, some "old" things and things that look "different" in the midst of the season(s) to come. No matter what comes next, God walks with us! There "shall be showers of blessings," in the midst of what is to come. We might not all agree on what color a wall should be, what floor covering to use, or how big the offices are to be, but as Children of God, we know that in the midst of our challenges, opportunities, and joy, God is beside us, closer than the air we breathe.
I share these thoughts not to strike fear in the hearts of all, but instead to prepare us for the seasons to come. We know the following things to be true: we are loved by God, change brings joy and yet is frustrating at times, and together we will move forward. Today's big "C" Church looks different than in the not so distant past. Folks aren't as engaged, volunteers are harder to bring on board, everyone is busy and an atmosphere of energy is harder to create. However, in the midst of those truths stands us! We know that together we can do amazing things, because we have past evidence. We know that together we are better because we have seen the fruits of this, and we do not underestimate the power being in community with each other brings.
Above all things, regardless of the season, we must remember our mission to Offer Christ, Accompany Each Other on the Journey, and Kindle a Life of Faith, so that all might know the love and to experience the showers of blessings from our always present God. Might all our seasons at OUMC be lived out for God's glory!
Be blessed, be a blessing and take someone with you on the journey!
Pastor Kim
Pastor Kim
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