Today was a special Sunday for me. A day that I will remember as a corner turned, or a new chapter that begins in my life. This Sunday I became a member of Lovers Lane United Methodist Church. Part of a family of God that truly loves people into a relationship with Jesus Christ. It has been a long road of prayer and seeking God's will in my life that has brought me to this point. But I know in my heart, this is where God wants me to make myself available to His service, and I am humbled for the opportunity to serve with such loving people.
The message today was given to us by Pastor Shante'. So what I write today are from the notes I took from her sermon, and some are direct quotes from the Pastor. I knew in the first few minutes of her preaching, I would be blogging today. What an important message to me, as a new member of this church, and a great message to all of us that are Christ followers. Pastor Shante' has been preaching on the passage in Revelation 21 the last two
weeks. God is speaking to John about making all things new at the end of the world as we know it.
Revelation 21:3-5 says "I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, God's home is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever." And the One sitting on the throne said, "Look, I am making everything new!" And then He said to me, "Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true."
There were some old pieces of stained glass at the church that was put on display in our sanctuary today. They had been broken, dirty and put in a storage room until this week. These pieces were taken by someone who cleaned them up, polished them, restored their original beauty, and then put them on display with lights shining behind them to make them even more beautiful. Pastor Shante' was quick to point out to us that our God does not throw us away when we are broken and beat up like a piece of junk. She said that when broken and beat up junk is put in the hands of someone with a vision, it can be renewed and restored.
We see ourselves as useless, but God see's ourselves as "priceless".
The next passage of scripture we read was I Corinthians 12:12. It reads, "The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ." As we walked into the sanctuary this morning, we were all given a puzzle piece. Just one. At this point in the sermon, the Pastor asked us to get out our puzzle pieces and look at them- to compare them to the person's sitting next to us. No two puzzle pieces were/are alike..... the same is true in the body of Christ. Each one of us is different. Different in circumstances, different stories of our lives..... However, each one of us is needed as a puzzle piece to create the "whole picture"- the picture of God's love. Every piece of the puzzle is important and is needed.
I have heard many people say in my life that they can believe in God and not go to church, and not have to be involved in any small group or ministry. Pastor Shante' made a great modern illustration for this: how can you say you are part of the body of Christ as a believer but not be involved in some way. It's like saying you are a Mav's basketball player but you never play in any of the games.... you don't know any of the other team members..... you never come to practice.... you don't know the coach..... so how is it that you are actually a part of the Mav's team?
We are called to do "life together". We can do so much more together than we can alone. Everyone has a place in this puzzle, and every piece is important to show the world the picture of the Love of Christ. Sometimes the pieces have to be moved around to get the right fit, and that's ok..... The important thing is to be like minded in the renewal and restoration that God has for us and let God's dream define us, and not ours.
I am so thankful to be a "piece" of the puzzle in the body of Christ. I take my puzzle piece today and will put it somewhere to remind me that I am important in the completion of the picture of God's love and salvation to the world.
Do you need to be renewed? Do you need to be restored from your brokeness? Take the broken pieces of your life to Jesus. Ask Him to put you back together, and to help you moving forward. Put Him in charge of your worries and sorrows and allow Him to give you rest.
Father, I ask that you deliver those that are depressed, that are burnt out, that feel that they have no one to turn to. They have you Lord, but they will only know that if someone tells them - if someone reaches out and helps them. God, show your followers the importance of a family as a body of believers. Help them know that many can do what one may not can do, and that old broken pieces put together with other broken pieces becomes a beautiful piece with Your renewal and restoration for our lives.
Teach us Lord, that being a piece of the puzzle means You need us in the game-rappin' with the other players- practicing for the big games- and listening to the Coach. Thank you for your Son as I ask these things in His name.
Amen.
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