Yes, the church calendar has moved from Lent to Easter Season, and the altar colors are now white and gold. For me, Lent was about looking at my faith journey and finding new ways to let God in my heart. That didn’t stop with Easter Sunday. This week, I reflected on what I shared with you during Lent. From all those words, what was the common thread? A God message came to me: “Make room for Me every day so I can feed your soul.”
I thought about some new experiences I had during Lent. I studied The Lord’s Prayer through an online course using the book Pray Like Jesus by Don Underwood. Each day, we meditated on one phrase of the prayer, and I did experience God feeding my soul. What a great way to make room for God and let Him be my daily focus.
The author said the phrase, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven,” is God’s vision and mission for Christians. We were asked how we practice God’s kingdom and will on earth. Then, we wrote a personal mission statement based on how we believe we can fulfill that mission. As I tried to figure out my mission, I had to dig deep, and that took me back to my Spiritual Gifts Inventory. Perhaps you have taken that inventory and even taken it more than once. When sharing the results, great discussions have happened about how we each have different gifts. As Romans 12:4-5 reminds us:
For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.
I struggle with the inventory results each time because Leadership surfaces, and I find myself saying, “No, I would rather fly under the radar than lead.” Then I surrender and accept that God gave me this gift as part of His plan for me. So, I take leadership roles. With humility, I share my mission statement:
My purpose: I will share my faith with others through my God-given gift of leadership.
My passion: I will serve my community’s unhoused sisters and brothers through my gifts and presence.
Reflection: What is your mission as you love and serve your God and love and serve your neighbor?
Living God,
Through the words of the hymn He Lives,
You remind us:
We serve a risen Savior,
We see His hand of mercy,
We know He lives within our hearts.
May we share our faith through our words and actions.
In your beloved Son’s name
Amen.
My pen will rest for a while, but I know you have stories to tell. I encourage you to take a risk like I have and share your faith experiences with the pastors, myself, and the congregation.