Renewing our Mission

For Meditation

Throughout this month, we’ve been saying that our hope and prayer for the Renew Campaign is that God uses this campaign not only to renew our home, but also to renew our mission. It’s been so exciting to see all the ways God has already done that. When we come together around a big project like this one, it forces us to ask important questions about our common identity, values, and mission. We’ve remembered our deep roots in the past. We’ve been reminded of our call to be a spiritual family and to serve one another in love. We’ve recalled our responsibility to help one another grow more into the image and likeness of Jesus. We’ve been invited into the joy of generosity. God has done so much work in us already over these past weeks to re-commission us in his service for the next chapter of our life together.

This Sunday, we’ll close out our Renew series by looking at Hebrews 10:19-25. This is an inspiring passage in which the writer calls God’s people to re-commit themselves to the most basic elements of their Christian calling: to hold fast to Jesus, to meet with and care for one another, and to extend the love of Christ to the world. Though our times, contexts and cultures change, we never stop doing these basic works of love. Over the next few years, we will go through a lot of change together as we work on our facility and as we grow our church and ministry. But these most basic commitments to love God, love one another, and love the world remain our truest foundations. 

This being Commitment Sunday, please spend some time over the next few days praying about your own commitment to the Renew campaign, and pray for our whole church in this exciting moment. Pray that God meets people with his grace, builds unity among us, brings clarity about decisions, and provides joy in generosity. 

Hebrews 10:19-25

19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.