As I was sitting in my chair the other morning reading my devotions I was in complete awe as the sun started to rise in the sky to start a new day and the light started to shine through the leave as their colors change. The beauty of that new day started me to think how each new day has a possibility to try new things and to try and discover how God is moving within me to change and make me into a new person of love and compassion. Through the grace of God we are being made new each and every day.

And day by day our church is also changing and being made new. It makes me think of the leaves on the trees. The trees go through the same cycle each year yet the leaves never seem to be exactly the same color each fall. During the course of the year temperature and the amount of rain plays an important factor that determines to a large extent what the colors of the leaves will be each fall. On Brainard Road last year there was a tree whose colors were a vibrant red. This year I made it a point to go by that tree only to discover that its leaves did not have the exact same colors as last year.

There are many things that affect the life of our church as well. There are changes that occur that we hardly ever notice and there are changes that seem so big that makes us feel as if we want to scream! Change has a way of doing that to us. Yet it should not be a question of just screaming and digging our heels in but rather paying attention and trying to see why the change is occurring and how we can work with the changes to try something that will perhaps cause something new to happen.

On Thursday November 5th I will be attending a workshop on “What If We Rethink Church?” "What If We Rethink Church?" is a denominational emphasis in the United Methodist Church nationwide that tries to help churches notice what is going on in the world around us and respond to needs and changes in meaningful ways. This is a quote from their material.

"What if we rethink church? Not in terms of what it is, but what it could be. What would it look like? What would it feel like? What if all of our churches were vibrant, active places where people wanted to be, not just on Sundays but all week long? What if church were not just a place we go, but something we do? What if we were to go beyond the doors of the church to serve those in the world who are in need? What if we were able to engage the world through our faith? And what if we could offer the world a dramatically new vision of church, a vision that inspires hope, faith and action?.... Rethinking church is about taking action. It is a wake up call reminding us of the many needs of human beings, both in our own backyards and around the world.... In the first century, Jesus' ministry made his world rethink faith beyond the walls and doors of the Temple and synagogues. In the 18th century John Wesley called people to rethink church and make the whole world our parish. Today, we are challenging United Methodist to do the same to rethink the way our church makes contact with the world."

Now, in some ways this is no change at all as this church is already doing some of that mission and outreach in the community and world. We are still the same tree yet our colors are changing.. We are still the same faithful people called Methodist and engage in mission together, but there may be ways we could and should change to be more responsive to needs of our community and our world. Perhaps there is something we could rediscover that will help us to reach more individuals in our community with our witness for Jesus Christ. Maybe, maybe not. At least it is worth thinking about as we struggle to be faithful disciples in a modern world that is constantly changing.