Our Mission is Growing Disciples of Jesus Christ

We sometimes talk about a job or career as our “vocation.” In that word you can hear the root of the word “vocal.”

If you’re like me (and I know that everyone is,) you’ve spent a fair amount of time this past month watching the World Cup.

Without even thinking, most of us have conformed to a certain way of living and acting because of the family and cultural contexts around us.

Where do lay people fit-in to the church’s ministry? Let’s hear more from the outline of the faith called the Catechism, from the Book of Common Prayer (starting on page 845).

Jesus said to his disciples “Go!” He only said “wait” for about ten days—telling them to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Do you ask God to fill you with his Holy Spirit? That language is not frequently in our prayers, but perhaps it should be.

Reason and clear thinking has an important place in human history. We might call some cultures “barbaric” if they are led by impulse and violence and the gut feel of the powerful.

I wonder if we’re getting used to bad news. Each day, it seems like the pervasive contempt and pride and sheer blasphemy of the world around us is relentless and stifling.

The mystery and wonder of Holy Week and Easter continues to leave me breathless! We experience all the range of human emotion following Jesus and his disciples.

The worship services of Holy Week take us through the darkness of Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, trial and crucifixion. They are a fitting and important road to the celebration of the resurrection.

One of the Lenten practices to which we are invited is self-denial. That’s a rather counter-cultural practice, isn’t it!

So often, the hard things in life get all the press. Conflicts, disasters, wars, problems all get the headlines and interest.

When I went to college, I didn’t encounter that much opposition to God or belief. But after a while I noticed the way so many people lived their lives oblivious to God, not even thinking about God.

Many of the homes in our area were built in recent decades. For older homes, after a while, major repairs and renovations are often needed.

Happy New Year! I pray that you will grow in God’s grace and in the knowledge and love of the Lord and in the fellowship of God’s people. We all know the cliché about New Year’s resolutions and how they often burn out in the face of our personal inertia.

As Christians, with intentionality, every aspect of our day can be lived in God’s presence and seen through God’s eyes. We sometimes forget about the power of ordinary living.

Living intentionally Christian lives often takes some planning or preparation. On the one hand, being intentionally Christian involves cultivating a mind and heart to love certain values and shy away from things that undermine those values.

Do you think much about the Communion of Saints? The first of November is the Feast of All Saints (giving the name to the night before: All Hallows' Eve, the eve of the feast of all who have been hallowed by God—made holy—made the saints).

In my previous message, I wrote about the things in our culture that we need to turn off to better form and shape our hearts and minds as Christians and to lead intentionally Christian lives. But what should we turn on? What is the positive alternative? With what should we fill our hearts and minds, and how?

What other parts of our lives need “intentionally Christian” attention? Various parts of our culture are favorite targets of blame.