Good morning, everyone,
Last week, for some reason, I seemed to be anticipating some superseding news that would delay part #2 of the Lord’s Prayer. And so it has come to pass.
Pastor Peter Smith, the senior minister of FCCH, is retiring. This decision is the culmination of much prayer on his and Carol’s part, so I am convinced it is the right decision. Nevertheless, it puts our church, by definition, at a crossroads. I am hard-pressed to think of a more consequential change in the life of any church.
So how should we approach handling this change? There’s going to be a lot of work to do by a lot of people, but I know in my heart that one activity has to be the background of every step we take–prayer. To borrow from a future part #2 email on the Lord’s Prayer:
“…thy will be done on earth…” [Matthew 6:10b]
We must pray for, and then accept, the will of God. So how do we determine what the will of God is? Here is where the Holy Spirit gets to shine. I hope He’s rested up, because He’s going to get quite the workout in the coming months! Many of us, I fear, have been guilty of underutilizing the POWER of the Spirit:
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” [Ephesians 3:16]
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;,” [Acts 1:8a]
Not possibly receive power, or might receive power, but WILL receive power. So buckle up, put your tray in the full, upright position, and prepare yourself for a powerful journey. To paraphrase what one of our Deacons stated minutes after Pastor Smith’s announcement -“God has already chosen our next pastor–we just have to have faith.”
Blessings,
Keith