What now?

Dear Family,



Are we thankful? Are we truly thankful? I am not talking about what we do every year at Thanksgiving, which, at least for me, has become another reason to expand the American waistline. But are we truly, honestly, earnestly thankful? Do we actually take time, in our busy days, to show our Creator thanks? Do our lives reflect a deep sense of gratitude? And what about our church family/church community, can those outside our walls accuse us of being full of thanks? If not, why not?



Again, i am not wanting to descend into a debate about the role of Thanksgiving, which we all celebrate. No i am not wanting to discuss Thanksgiving. Because truth is, other than expanding our waistlines, i wonder if it, more than anything, paves the way for the Christmas shopping season, so even Thanksgiving, in its truest form, has been long lost. Anyway, what about us? What about our lives? Our churches? Have we lost the gift of being thankful?



It seems Jesus knew this would happen, when he addresses those cities that had experienced His power, and they did nothing in response to His miracles. They simply go about business as usual, which incites Jesus to bring down "woes" upon them. I fear this is our future. I fear that we have forgotten, truly forgotten, the miracles that Jesus has performed, already, in our midst, and our short term memories, more like self-serving memories, would rather attach themselves to that which is not Godly: money, wealth, status, arrogance, comfort, unfaith, complacency, apathy, spiritual malaise, etc. You get the picture.



I think, as i look not only at our church community but the entire western church landscape, i sense a deep malaise, and i wonder if Jesus isn't ready to, once again, condemn us with a series of "Woes."



Why? Because we have experienced the miraculous, and yet how have we responded? Are we making the world better? Do we chomp at the bit to get here on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, etc, to worship and honor our God? Are we ready to take up our crosses, no matter what? Is our community closer to the Kingdom of God because we are doing what God calls us to do? My sense, at least in my small understanding of what is of Christ, is that these questions would be answered in the affirmative if we honored Jesus.



So what are we about? Faith? Unfaith? Ministry? Judgment? Healing? Disease? Community? Dysfunction? Restoration? Destruction? Love? Hate? Some of these are of God, some of them are not. Some honor the Christ. Others dishonor Him. And some bear fruit. While the others lead to a fig tree withering away, never to bear fruit again. Which are we? Which do we want to be? The answer holds our future, and it is ours to claim.


The cities that experienced Jesus' miracles just went about business as usual, and Jesus brought some woes to them. What does Jesus have in store for us? It is not too late to invite Him to sit at our table and enjoy the fruits of our ministry, with us. Amen.


Salaam, shalom, peace,

jerry