I can’t believe that we begin our fifth year together this month. It has been wonderful to journey with all of you these four years. I have had the pleasure and honor of knowing all of you and those who have moved on, both those who have gone elsewhere here on earth and those who have gone home to our Heavenly Father. There are always times of stress in ministry and times of great joy.

We have done some good things together, with God’s guidance and help.

I look forward to good things coming out of our time together on July 28. (I wrote this before the meeting, so this is a leap of faith). However I believe when the people of God come together with intentionality to work together with God and one another, things beyond our wildest dreams can happen.

Those who were at the Administrative Council meeting, may remember that I read the beginning of the story of Gideon from Judges 6:11-12; Now the angel of the LORD came and sat under the oak at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites. 12 The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, “The LORD is with you, you mighty warrior.” This is amazing. Here is the young man, Gideon, thrashing wheat in a pit, hiding from the occupiers of the nation of Israel and an angel greets him as a “mighty warrior.” I’m sure you remember how Gideon, following God’s instructions, took three hundred men and defeated the combined armies of their enemies that numbered over one hundred thirty five thousand men (120,000 and 15,000 plus the ones that fled). So God saw something in Gideon and called him to do great things. To Gideon’s credit, he answered God’s call and followed God’s instructions. Today, God calls each of us to come and be a part of God’s Kingdom. We don’t know what we will achieve if only we answer God’s call and follow God’s instructions.

There is much work to be done. Working with God does not give us a free ride and we have to do our part. Gideon and his men actually had to confront the enemy. The victory came only after a long chase of the routed armies and near exhaustion for Gideon and his men. If we journey with God, it will be the same for us. We will have to do our part; we will have to keep going when we are tired, and out of ideas. We can go in faith that we will be the winners. In fact, as Christians, we are already victorious over sin and death. That is the true promise of scripture. Oh yes we will die; oh yes we have to face the consequences of sin in the world, even some we commit; but we are winners because Jesus Christ has broken the power of sin and death by his resurrection.

So let us come together and go forward in faith that we can overcome the problems we face, not with a sword and spear but with the message of God’s love for all people. Come let’s go God is calling us!

Pastor Roland