“Self-help” resolutions are things that are easily broken. Yet, we make resolutions at the beginning of a new year. I propose some resolutions for faithful people to make as 2017 begins. Here they are. LET US RESOLVE TO….
– practice random acts of kindness to people we have already written off
– demonstrate the spirit of care by actually walking about the Sanctuary and speaking to people we know and to peo-ple we do not know
– to not talk about other people’s children, but to work instead to improve your own
– to love your church as much as your college or university and to visit your church even during football season
– to find a Sunday School class to join. Everyone needs Sunday School and Christian Education so we do not have to rely on our own ideas and directions for living
– to tithe and be cheerful in our giving…it is Biblical
– to pray for people rather than about people
– to surrender judgment of people because God is the only judge and never seeks assistance with judgments
– to talk about what our church “does do” rather than what it “doesn’t do”
– to overcome anger and recognize how silly it compels us to be. Anger is self-centered too often and we need to get over ourselves
– to understand that evangelism and mission are not items on our agenda…they are our agenda
– to see our glasses half full rather than half empty
– to bring our Bibles to church and be familiar with them. Do not let your Bible simply sit in a corner of your home and gather dust
– to trust that God can do all things including erase sin and grant us freedom from ourselves
Such resolutions can help us be better disciples…a better church. Most of us who intend to “lose weight” or “give up vices” will not have much luck because food is great and the temptations of vice are fun. No one ever surrenders to temptation because it’s bad. It’s fun to many and we easily “slip” into its clutches.
I have been in most every Sunday School class by this time and I have listened as you have shared feelings about our church. I have come to now what our strengths and weaknesses are. I have come to know something of the Spirit that resides in our church. I see how we care for one another and lift each other up. But I have also observed that we are capable of seeing our glass half-empty rather than half full. I know we all have dreams for First Church and most of them right now center around getting stronger as a church. Together, we can make that happen.
This year’s theme is going to be “What Kind of Church Would We Be If Every Member Was Just Like Me?” It is an important question that must be answered. The vitality of our congregation must be under constant scrutiny. It will point us in the proper directions for evangelism and witness and our work we do in this portion of God’s vineyard.
Ken