This week fall has been in the air. I know the summer is not gone yet and it is sure to have some hot days before it’s last gasp and fall really takes over. It has been much cooler lately, but…
It’s interesting that in the springtime we think of new beginnings as the trees are budding and the grass is starting to grow. The leaves come and the beautiful colors are all over as the flowers come up. It is ironic however that while new beginnings are seen on the earth in the spring, new beginnings for the church come in the fall.
With the new school year comes a new season for the church as people have finished their vacations and church attendance “comes back”. Activities for the church also see a resurgence in attendance. There is a renewed energy and joy as we begin the new program year. We celebrate all the things God is doing in our church and in our lives. As we return from Summer, we renew our commitments and joy. There are beautiful colors in the Spring from all the new growth and the flowers, but if you think of it, there are also brilliant different colors in the fall from the turning of the leaves. Fall in New England is a beautiful place!
I recently had the chimney swept at the parsonage. I don’t think that has been done for a long time. The chimney sweep told me afterward that he got a lot of soot cleaned out of the fireplace flue. I think that is a good illustration for us in this fall season. Time to get back to work with resurgence being the hands and feet of Jesus to those around us! Time to clean out the soot in the fireplace and start a nice fire…time to clean out the soot in our lives, and start a nice fire in our hearts. We need Holy Spirit fire! Please pray for Holy Spirit fire in your own life as well as in the life of the church! As we work together and grow together as the Body of Christ, we need that energy! There are so many ways that we can join together. We join in service, in fellowship, in discipleship, in outreach.
Never forget that the Church is not a building we go to, it’s a family we belong to! The Apostle Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4:1-6:
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Paul reminds us that it’s never one person alone in this life of Christ. We are all of us joined and knit together. And each doing our own part, each of us building and being built up in love. Let’s all clean out the soot and build a nice big fire.
So even for me, as I look over the busy season ahead, I find myself renewed and filled with joy. God has plenty more to do through us. Let’s work even harder together to share God’s love with each other and with the world around us. It’s so good to be your pastor.
In The Lord’s service till the last fish is caught, <><
Pastor Chris
