Today’s speech from Joshua is a reaffirmation of God as
center and guide of the life of a people.
One of the distinctives of the Bible is that people were much more
communally oriented. A leader would
affirm the intent for all the people in matters of spiritual direction. Joshua 24:15, claims, “As for me and my
house, we will serve the Lord.”
This is a statement of belonging and identity as well as
“service.” In our world belonging and
identity are grey areas to many.
Anxiety, loss, aimlessness, and emptiness result from a lack of grounding
in a “tribe.”On the 4th of July we had over 800 people on our grounds, about 500 of which were able to get into our sanctuary to see the excellent Festival Choir and Melbourne Municipal Band concert. As the crowd was filtering in and a buzz was in the air, I met a person in grief who I had been praying for. She shared some about her day and said, “You are my people.”
What a blessing and what a responsibility, to be “my people”
for one another!
As a church, we have chosen to follow Jesus Christ. In the coming months we will explore what
that means and sharpen our vision and recommit to God our future. As we do so, my prayer is that we deepen
relationships among the body, that we lovingly meet the needs of all who enter
here, and that we glimpse the future God would have us travel and do it well…
together.
I am glad to say with the person I met on the 4th
of July, “You are my people!” I trust
you, identify with you, and belong with you in the bond of the Spirit.
Blessings,
Tim
