The Gathering

In the style and heart of the letter to Ephesus found in Revelation 2:1-7.

To the Gathering:

These are my words and wonderings.  They are mine alone, though I hope they catch Jesus’ heart.

He alone is the ruler of this church.  I hope you realize this.  I hope I always remember this.  He holds us in his all-powerful hand.  And we exist at his pleasure.  He sustains us and holds us, and in a moment he could shut our doors forever.

I know how hard you have been working.  I am amazed by the renewal in perspective and hope that has firmly rooted deep inside all of us.  I am delighted by the perseverance toward the goals we have set before us.  I see the good you have done…

Working to clean up the neighborhood around Kirby Avenue Church of God.
Raising thousands of dollars and walking in the bitter cold for the Muncie Mission     through Walk a Mile.
Feeding the homeless at Christian Ministries.
Uprooting the weeds from the ground and children’s lives at Motivate Our Minds.
Greeting, leading groups, making coffee, setting up chairs…

The list goes on and on.

And yet, I wonder.  Why?  Why do you, and I do, all these things.  Is is out of the momentum of doing?  Or is it out of the wellspring of our love?

I wonder for you.  For me.  For all of us.

I think it is time for a pause.  Not a long one, trust me.  Just for a moment.  Just long enough to allow ourselves the time we need to look deep inside.  To ask the hard questions:

Why are we working so hard?
Have we lost our First love?  Have we become heartless?

If so we must repent.  We must turn from our legalistic work back to love.

Then, and only then, can you and I grasp hold of our greatest desire.

With all my love,

Joshua