Sharing your faith
Hello friends!
I am excited about this new sermon series ahead of us! As we journey through this book study together, I know that it will require time and effort for all of us. Not only will we need to spend time reading every day but the reading itself will ask something of us: to not allow our faith to be something that we put on the back burner but rather something that we attend to every single day.
On Sunday you’ll get a reading plan (if you haven’t had a chance to order the book yet, follow the link below) so that we are literally on the same page as a congregation.
This Sunday we are actually going to start with the fifth chapter of the Walk. The reason why is simple: every week when I preach I listen to the Holy Spirit that all of us who follow Jesus carry. And every week I usually feel a tug or a pull to go in a certain direction. Over the last several weeks I have been feeling a push towards talking about being a church of connection.
We are such a friendly church with a wide open door. So many people have come and have known that they are safe, heard, and loved by the God of the Universe. But we have a problem: our back door is wide open as well. Too often I have seen people come in, get the warm greeting we can give and then they slowly disappear. They don’t have that mooring to someone and they think they can disappear.
The fifth chapter of the walk is about sharing our faith.
Sharing our faith is not about walking up to strangers and trying to convince them to change religion.
For us? I want us to see sharing our faith as our chance to make sure someone else feels you want them along for this journey with Jesus.
That you are in fact sharing your faith with them as you grow. Making sure no one feels like they could disappear. Not with you around.
Instead of a street corner preacher, I want you to think of a kindergarten class. When our kids play together in the nursery, I will see them making sure everyone is gathered around the toys and everyone is able to play together. Kids, better than anyone, make sure that others know that they are wanted and needed in the space they find themselves in.
When you talk to someone in worship or someone in your life and you make sure that they know that you care that they are included in your faith, they won’t be able to slip out our backdoor. They will know that you want them there.
Alright, that’s enough from me today. I am ready and excited for what’s ahead. I’ll see you on Sunday. It will be so much better with you there.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Michael
