Change is an Opportunity

Change is all around.  One day it is hot; the next day it is cold.  Our bodies, not knowing how to respond, are unsettled, maybe even allergic to all this change.  And, church has changed too, hasn’t it?  Some of you worship at home; some of you, in person.  There are new people attending both.  Your pastor and worship team keep changing our ways to bring you worship.  And, we are doing church differently—no longer do we have the Doxology as an every-week staple, more people are involved in leading worship, and we wear masks (as is required in Los Angeles County).  Some of you are feeling unsettled, maybe even allergic to the changes.

Here’s my mantra for you and me:  with change comes opportunity.

What is the opportunity for you to re-engage your faith, to practice being like Christ, in the world? 

When Jesus walked the earth, he did not stay in one place nor have one kind of ministry.  In fact, he led the movement for change in temple worship.  Maybe one way for you to re-engage is to take hold of change as a way for us to trust God more. 

When Jesus walked the earth, he was more concerned about healing and loving people than he was about creating a home for himself.  Even as we love to decorate our homes and our sanctuary, we want to make sure we spend time connecting, listening, and loving those we are connected to in church and community. 
When Jesus walked the earth, he invited those he met to start a new relationship with God, like he did with the woman at the well and Peter who walked, for a moment, on the water.  We want to be open enough in our love of God to try a new thing, to find life with God, and, in so doing, find our balance even if we are standing on, not water, but the shaky ground. 

Of course, these recommendations are for me as well as for you.  It is an unsettling time for me too.  But then I go back to the mantra…with change comes opportunity… to know God more.  What a wonderful thing! 

 
Love,  Heather