Sunday, November 9, 2008

waking up and settling in

Hello all, sorry for the long break between posts. I have to admit, I've gotten a bit preoccupied with trivial fluff lately, and let myself get a bit lazy about a lot of things. We went to church tonight, and heard a fantastic message about "The Rich Fool", (see for yourself, Luke 12:13-21), about a man who came to Jesus and the first thing out of his mouth was not "what's this whole free gift of eternal life thing?" or "what's the deal with your forgiving people of their sins no matter what?", but "My brother got more of the inheritance than me, tell him to give me my share!". Hmmm, your one chance with JESUS, God incarnate, and the guy totally blew it. Now, of course, Jesus didn't rebuke the guy straight out, but loved him enough to tell him a story that basically boils down to the fact that whenever we "store up" for ourselves treasures on earth, and neglect loving God, serving God, serving people that is the epitome of foolishness. I have begun to go down this road, the road of comfort, the road of selfishness and apathy, and how much else can I store up in this world? Our church is sending a small group of dedicated families to start a new church in downtown Bellevue, a very posh section of town in the midst of 1.5 million people who do not know the incredibly good news that not only is Jesus real, but that his free gift of grace, God's love and forgiveness is alive and well and waiting for them. Its interesting to think of this area as being a mission field, a mission field not among the poorest of the poor, but perhaps the richest of the rich, people who think they are Christian because they celebrate Christmas and Easter, or that they are going to heaven because they are "good people" and they believe in God and they are doing their best, and what else is there? People lulled by their comfort into thinking their lives are under control. I am lulled by my own comfort, but I am waking up again. Thank goodness he never lets me wander too far, or I would surely be lost by now.

So, I'm settling into the comforts of Fall, family and the upcoming holidays, and waking up to a new work God is doing in our church, in our community, and in my heart. Some comforts are such gifts. Others, such a stumbling block!

If you are wondering what I'm talking about, or think I'm getting all Jesus Freaky, you know, it just is what it is. Truth with a capital T.

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