How do we move into the future? Do we lurch unsteadily? Do we “rush in where angels fear to tread?” Do we tiptoe carefully? Do we “back in?” Do we even go there? Do we walk boldly and with confidence?
At this point in the life of Faith Lutheran Church, Clive IA, we have little choice but to move forward into our future. But how we get there just might be a demonstration of how much we trust the Holy Spirit.
There are some obvious signs of moving into our future:
- a more-or-less final draft of a Revised Constitution soon will be unveiled;
- a Ministry Site Profile is on its way to completion and soon will be in our hands and in the hands of the bishop;
- staff already are planning for next fall, the de facto beginning of the program year, and have laid out the calendar through December;
- council members and other leaders are discussing seriously what the shape of Faith’s ministry should like in the future.
My observation in all of these activities is that there certainly is an excitement about our future; there is, of course, a bit of apprehension, but nevertheless there is a confident anticipation about the future; there is little, if any, “shrinking back” from the prospect of having to make changes as we move into the future.
And that is important. In the book of Revelation, Jesus tells John near the end of the book that His words are “trustworthy and true,” that He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end of everything. We have little reason to hesitate as look toward tomorrow from today. We have the promise of Jesus that He will be with us “until the close of the age.” We have the assurance that the Holy Spirit continues to lead us. We have the ancient promise to Abraham and Sarah that God blesses all nations of the world, and we are part of that world.
But we are not there yet. Our transition time is a time to plan, to reflect, to remember and to dream. Without this time we very well could rush into the future without thinking about it; or we might decide on a whim to not go there. Without this time, we would not be able to contemplate our future direction, to plan our ministry, to discern our vision and purpose, or to dream about possibilities for ministry and service.
I encourage all of us, then, to enter into tomorrow with boldness and confidence. I encourage all of us to think critically about our mission and vision, and how we can as a community of faith proclaim, grow in and live the faith tomorrow. I encourage all of us to recommit ourselves to this community of believers, and to recommit ourselves to the world-wide Body of Christ, the community of Saints, the fellowship of believers.
Finally I urge all of us to give thanks and pray for our congregation’s leaders – council, boards, committees, ministry teams, staff, and particularly for the call committee.
The Spirit enables not only to “not stop thinking about tomorrow,” but actually move there with all the confidence in the world.
