The Road Ahead

I’ve just returned from two weeks of holidays, and everyone is asking; “were your holidays restful?”.  To be honest, the answer is no.  It was hectic and busy and wonderful.  We had many people out to visit us, spent some time with family and I loved every minute of it, every marshmallow smeared, “are we there yet” screamed, loud, dirty, hot minute of it.  I spent what must have been hours asking the kids where their shoes were and just as many hours asking D where the kids were.  It was great, but it wasn’t restful.  The real question is; “was it recharging?”, that answer is yes!  I feel refreshed and recharged and ready for the next season of ministry.

So what does the road ahead look like?  What will this next season of ministry bring?  One answer to that question is that I don’t know.  I am praying and trusting that God will work in our church and because I’m not him, I don’t know exactly what he will do or where he will take us. 

The other answer is that I do know we will follow Him together.  I’ve been at Arrow Lakes Alliance Church for almost 9 months now, and during that time we have all worked hard to re-build and re-discover our foundations – who we are in Christ, where we fit in the story of God, and what we believe as a church.  We have a vision statement that will help to guide us; Growing in Christ, Loving our Neighbours.  We have strong elders that love the Lord and love his people (this is nothing new, our church has been blessed with Godly leaders for years). Now, with those foundations secure, we can move forward, we can now begin to walk the road ahead.  The road ahead is about together, it is about sharing our griefs and our joys, about growing in Christ together, about loving our neighbours together, and more than anything, about coming together as the body of Christ in the unity of the Spirit, through the truth of the Scriptures.

I want to see us worshipping together on Sunday mornings, praying together on Wednesday afternoons, learning together in Small groups during the week, and serving together both inside and outside the church.  I want to see us together.

Together is a big word for me, and it was a big word for early church as well.  They did things together, they met together, and they shared life together.  Paul writes to the Ephesians:

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. ² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all^[1]

            We are to be together, united in the Spirit, bearing with one another in love.  And so we will face the road ahead together, not knowing where it will go, but following the one who does.         Will you join us?