But nothing, not even my life, is more important than my completing my mission. This is nothing other than the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus: to testify about the good news of God’s grace. – Acts 20:24
So this was fun. Here’s a short 18-second video but without sound (deliberately); I think it deserves a caption.
Essentially this is what happens when you have an announcement to make in church and your wife is the preacher!
My announcement – “Minute for Mission” – was, essentially, “I know y’all are not used to doing Sunday school in the summer, but if anyone wants to attend a class I will be teaching two five-week sessions. The first – on discipleship – will run every Sunday in June; I will lead my second class – focused on personal pilgrimage – from July 28-Aug 25.”
Worship has been moved up to 10:00 for the summer, so my class will begin at 9:00.
I’m breaking with 150 years of tradition, so I expect probably somewhere around five people – and that would be okay. But my prayer is that we have so many show up that we need to change the location.
Likewise with just a three-week break while we’re away, the men’s Bible study will continue every Tuesday morning (but I believe the men have always met year long).
Doing Life Together!
In my own experience, I feel like my relationship to the church is that of “doing life together,” and of being a community that is defined by our corporate identity as followers of Jesus. To that end, the key words are encouragement, support, and accountability. Not so we can get our Sunday school attendance card punched and a gold star for showing up, but because devotion and learning and “Being the Body of Christ” is what makes life so full and rich and beautiful.
And as for worship… well, coming together to praise God and to be inspired by great preaching every Sunday morning is the most foundational practice of Christian life – as essential as the air we breath and the water we drink.
So, if you’re anywhere in the vicinity, I look forward to seeing you – both in worship at 10:00 and in my class at 9:00!
Bring your own Bible, and your coffee too – DEREK