04-25-23

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
​April 25, 2023
There are days in ministry when I envy Jesus wandering the hillsides and small towns with a small group of followers. No buildings; no power surges that wreak havoc on elevators and AC units; no workers’ comp insurance; no bank fees for depositing money into the bank, etc. Church is a lot more complicated today, yet despite my complaints about the hassles and costs of doing business, there are extraordinary benefits to having buildings and staff. And Cypress Creek Christian Church, and the Community Center model, open these buildings to so many groups and organizations that would not otherwise be able to do the work they do. The physical buildings are instruments of God. And the staff and the Leadership Team (I’m excluding myself from these comments) are quite exceptional in what they do and the lives they impact. So much of ministry, by its very nature, is not seen by the larger congregation. Yet people’s lives are being touched by the Gospel, and those who have felt injured for whatever reason are experiencing the Spirit’s capacity to mend. In light of all this, I think about the words from I Peter 4, "Open your homes to each other without complaining. And serve each other according to the gift each person has received, as good managers of God’s diverse gifts." So much of what we do is about managing the gifts with which we’ve been entrusted.

O Giver of All Good Gifts, provide me with a heart made available to the gifts you are seeking to bestow, and then give me the courage to put forth those gifts for the work of healing and wholeness. Amen.