Dear Church,
The thing about being a preacher is that each and every Monday morning you have to come back to the drawing board relying on the power of the Holy Spirit and your pastoral instincts to craft another Sunday morning sermon. Sometimes you feel like you’ve got a good one ready; other times, you just feel alright about the sermon and pray that the grace of God will do the rest. You don’t really have time to dwell too much on the sermon you just preached. But every once in awhile, something will happen after you preach a sermon that makes you marvel how the Lord can stir within people’s hearts and lives. I thought I would share with you one of those experiences from this past week.
I got both a call and a text from two friends of mine that have been worshipping with us for several months. Travis Stirling actually joined First Reformed Church in November. He’s been bringing with him a friend named Ryan Raclaw. Both guys are maybe a few years younger than me and unlike most Church-goers; they actually prefer to sit in the very first few rows! Travis owns his own lawn and snow maintenance service. Ryan works part time at Jimbo’s while he’s looking for a job in the healthcare field. I’ve gotten to know both of these guys at the gym and have really enjoyed listening to their stories. Both of these guys grew up in the Catholic Church, but by their own admission, admit that being a faithful member of a Church really hasn’t been a part of their story. Their story is really not unlike many stories I hear from friends my own age. Grew up in the Church. Went to college. Drifted from the Church. Always say they will come back to the Church eventually. Faced with the conflict of staying out late and having fun on Saturday nights, while knowing the alarm for Church on Sunday morning is literally ringing in their ears.
Well, this past week I got a call from Travis who was just leaving the Family Christian Bookstore. Literally two minutes later I got a text message from Ryan telling me that he was just leaving the Family Christian Bookstore with Travis. He told me that he really felt convicted after Sunday morning’s sermon about the necessity of reading the Bible to grow in his faith. He was in the Family Christian Bookstore to pick out a new Bible; one that he could understand, one that he could study with, and one that he could bring to Church. I talked with Ryan the next morning and he said he needed help with “what make and model” of the Bible to get! I told him it would be a privilege and honor to get him a Bible and that I’d take care of it. Here these two friends are. Each and every day growing in their faith. Coming to Church on Sunday eager to learn. Realizing the need for God’s love and grace in their lives.
My friends, these are the kind of stories and the kind of lives that God has graciously given us the responsibility to care for. I’m so thankful that we’re not growing numerically simply by sucking up members from other Churches. No, instead the kind of folks that are dawning our doors on Sunday mornings are the kind of people that decide should I go to First Church this morning, or should I sleep in? Stopping by the Family Christian Bookstore to look for a Bible is a small, but important step, daily choosing to serve Christ, rather than serve yourself. The reality is that the vast majority of us have a few dozen Bibles in our homes. We know the stories of King David and can recite in order all the Minor Prophets. But that’s not the reality for a growing number of people at our belovedFirstChurch. And in a lot of ways, doesn’t that make the kind of ministry God has placed before us all the more exciting?! This is life change. We can make a real difference. We’re talking about choices with eternal significance. And they are being made each and every day right before our very eyes.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Matt
