This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.

Fany Crosby (1873)

Today’s post is part of the occasional series known as “Rebekah & Derek go to Church.” So this weekend, as we were on the road between Pensacola and Tarboro (NC), we decided to worship with a congregation that represents an exciting and important season in Rebekah’s ministry journey a couple of decades ago.

Eastminster Presbyterian in Columbia South Carolina is one of those flagship churches that has been a strong and influential witness for decades. Rebekah was invited to keynote a faith renewal weekend there in the early 2,000’s and the experience was formative both for the church and for her.

Authentic Good News Vibe:

It was a beautiful moment for Rebekah to walk back into the sanctuary yesterday to see a strong, vibrant, active, still growing congregation overflowing with life – a church so obviously following Jesus and living into the good news story.

The worship space was full (one of three services), the singing was strong, the choir was a step beyond amazing, there were people of all ages including lots of enthusiastic children and the message from the pulpit was equal parts engaging, informing, encouraging and inspiring.

Eastminster’s senior pastor, Rev. Dr. Bradley Smith, used the occasion to share some excerpts from his personal story – that of a young man who took a while to process the idea of following Jesus, but who eventually responded wholeheartedly to the compelling invitation to be reconciled to God and to live as a disciple.

The message particularly resonated with me because – and you know this if you read me on a regular basis – my understanding of the good news comes down to this: First, “Jesus is God’s invitation home.” And then, “Salvation means joining in with God’s work, participating in God’s initiatives of grace, mercy, love, light, healing, justice, peace, reconciliation and encouragement…”

• “Jesus is God’s invitation home.”
• “Salvation means to join in with God’s work, participating in God’s initiatives of grace, mercy, love, light, healing, justice, peace, reconciliation and encouragement…”

Dr. Smith essentially reminded the congregation that we have this opportunity to live in the light and to follow Jesus day by day. “This is my story,” the sermon was titled, “this is my song.”

Jesus as our invitation into authentic life; God as giver, encourager and inspiration; the Holy Spirit as the activating breath of heaven.

So Rebekah and I found ourselves encouraged. We live in a time when too many churches seem to give in to a kind of dull resignation – whereas our experience has always been that of life and light and promise and possibility!

Being at Eastminster reminded us that, yes, we are absolutely correct about the good news story! And we are absolutely correct as to what becomes possible when people believe, and follow Jesus and live as children of light.

“Far beyond all that we could ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).

This is our story, this is our song – DEREK