.gif)
September: Back to School! For children across the country and their parents, September represents a transition in life that goes well beyond the weather. And with that transition often come doubts and concerns. Parents schedule sports physicals, study school supply lists, and fill out form after form after form. Their children have other things to think about: “Am I ready for this grade?” “What if I can’t find my classroom?” “I hope so and so is not in my class.” But often the top concern is: “Will my teacher be nice?” “Will he/she like me?”
We at Windsor Chapel are entering a time of transition as well. Under the leadership of Pastor Jame, we are looking to grow as a body of Christ and reach those in our community who need to hear the Gospel. We need to pray and seek the Lord; we also need to come together and use our gifts as the coordinated limbs and organs of a body. With all of this, it is easy to have questions, doubts, and concerns. And just like students returning to school, we can worry about meeting expectations and having to work with difficult people. But the one thing we do not need to worry about is our Teacher….
Our Teacher is also our Creator, Lord, Savior, Redeemer, Friend, and our Good Shepherd. He loves us and delights in us! Since He has created us with the gifts we need to accomplish the good works for which He has created us, we need not worry about having what it takes to do what He calls us to do. And as His Holy Spirit does His work in us and among us, we can look forward to becoming increasingly coordinated as we learn to work together to further the Gospel.
Manifesting Christ to our neighbors is a challenge to be sure. It requires faith, obedience, and perseverance. We will need to encourage one another and sometimes admonish and gracefully confront one another. But following the Lord and His undershepherd, Pastor Jame, is not something we have to do. It is something we get to do: As we participate in the Lord’s work, we get to witness and experience the power of God in our lives and the lives of others. And the blessing doesn’t stop there. As we walk through this transition in faith, we will become better able and better equipped to face all the challenges we encounter in this world. And this experience gives us an even stronger witness that can encourage continuing church growth. And the cycle continues as our participation in strengthening the body equips us for continued and expanding good works….
Welcome, September!
