Message from the Pastor

“…Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually…” (Psalm 105:4)

            There are times when it seems as though God’s presence and strength are everywhere to be seen and heard.  The past few months of my life have been such a time.  In November and December, I prayed almost daily for God to show me the way that you and I ought to go as a community of God’s people.  I asked God, “Have I done everything you called me to MBPPC to do?  I don’t want to overstay my welcome.  I don’t want to make my ministry about being comfortable and complacent, but about being faithful.”

            From that time forward, God’s presence and strength seemed to come into my consciousness like waves washing steadily onto the shore.  I heard God say, “It is not time.  And you will not have to watch alone for the time when your ministry at MBPPC is fulfilled.  They will see it when you see it.”  That reminded me of my service at First Presbyterian Church in Plymouth, Michigan.  When it was time, a few church members who knew me well said things like, “It seems as though you have outgrown the position of Associate Pastor.”  When I asked one member whose judgment I trusted, he said, “Lee, it’s time.  You have done a great job.  But it’s time.”  And that felt right.

            What I have heard God saying since last December is that now is the time for MBPPC to build up its leadership with men and women of strong faith, dedicated to the call to “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually.”  God has blessed this congregation with powerful ministry in the form of worship, music, and shared stories that build relationships grounded in faith in Jesus Christ.  But we fall short on a confident claim to these gifts, and a clear way of equipping people to exercise and benefit from them consistently. 

            To continue the wave imagery, it is as if we have discovered that we are being carried along by a good and powerful wave that can take us very far.  But we have barely begun to learn how to swim with that wave and master its full power.  And so, we enroll more and more people into membership.  We draw new visitors to worship every week.  We begin to see the purpose and value of mentoring children and youth, of traveling to places such as Guatemala to live the Gospel.  But we are only beginning to sense the responsibility to nurture these new people’s faith in Christ and share our lives richly.  We are only beginning to see how the Christian faith is a great blessing to children living in an increasingly complex and challenging world.  We just now taste how building relationship in Christ with people who do not have the material wealth we have unleashes blessings, justice, and peace in all directions.

            Twice in the past week, I have felt God point out a clear step for us to take.  Two people I have listened to described coming to MBPPC from faith traditions in which many hours of worship and study were expected by every member of the community.  And these members literally had to account for their hours to the church leaders.  I thought about how hard it has been to get members of MBPPC to participate in Bible study, and how the bar is now so low – one hour a week, with no homework and no need to commit to coming the next week.

            Today, as I was praying, God pushed me to see that this low commitment to reading the Word is not because people at MBPPC don’t have time.  It’s not because you don’t understand what’s being asked.  It’s because it is a scary thing truly to “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually.”  It’s much easier to keep things a bit superficial; to attend worship and contribute a bit of time or money to the cause. 

            I am not trying to shame anyone by saying this.  I myself know that God is as much terrifying and wonderful.  As with any relationship, we struggle with the tension between intimacy and control.  We fear the prospect that too much of us will be beholden to the commitment.

            And so, during these weeks of August, including my vacation time, I am praying for us all:

            “Loving God, we bring to you our fear of seeking you and your strength in ways that might compromise our own strength, our own wills, our time, our comfort.  Lift this fear from us.  Encourage us to risk giving just a little of ourselves to you who, in Christ, have given all for our sake.  Set us free to live into the abundance you have prepared, not counting the costs.  Unleash in us your strength, your steadfast love, that we might seek your presence continually and joyfully.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.