A Season of Saints: “You’ve Arrived”
I a big fan of GPS technology. I use it for mapping my runs, wayfinding on hikes, and, like many of us today, navigating my driving. I’ve become helplessly dependent upon GPS. At the end of October, on my drive to Camp Sumatanga for a clergy gathering (a trip I’ve made more than a few times), I almost got lost because I didn’t have my GPS navigation guiding me. One thing I love about the GPS app on my phone is that feeling of satisfaction when I hear it say, “You’ve arrived.” I have arrived! In one sense of the word, it's true. I have “arrived" at the physical destination set on my GPS. But in the existential sense… not so much. I haven’t arrived. I get distracted. I veer off the course. I worry about the future. I lose patience with my kids. I fail to love like Jesus. I have not “arrived.” I’m still a long way from perfect. And, since Jesus has risen and ascended to the Father, no one on earth today has arrived, either. We will continue to pursue perfection until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet (Phil. 3:12-14; Matt 8:11; 26:29). During this month’s Sunday worship gatherings, we will observe “A Season of Saints.” These four weeks will help us remember that, as Christians, we are all imperfect people, being made perfect by God at work in our lives. We are sinners becoming saints.
May we be open to God’s guidance through the Holy Spirit, our Spiritual GPS. May we all arrive as true disciples of Jesus. Your servant in Christ, Pastor Matt
Our “Season of Saints” worship series will include the following Scripture texts as focal points in worship. Please be in prayer for God to transform our minds, hearts and lives as we gather each Sunday.
November 5 Revelation 7:9-17 All Saints Sunday: Clothing of the Saints
November 12 Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25 Stories of the Saints
November 19 Deuteronomy 8:7-18 Thanksgiving of the Saints
November 26 Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 Christ the King, Shepherd of the Saints
Read more about our United Worship gatherings: http://www.weaverfirstumc.org/worship
