Follow“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin.” (Zechariah 4:10, NLT)
I am relatively new to Elim. I was not here with you through your multiple leadership transitions, the extended interim period, or the dark days at the start of this coronavirus pandemic. Every local church has its seasons. It sounds like Elim’s last season was all about stasis and survival. The image I have picked up on is not of a body on life support, but of a body that suffered trauma and was put into a medically induced coma so that it might heal, recover, and prepare for its next chapter of living.
Yet the joy of my journey with you all thus far has been to witness signs of life returning to this body, to see our collective chest rising and falling as the breath of God’s Spirit rushes into us and races back out through us.
There is much to celebrate. It warmed my missionary heart to drag our baptismal out of storage and scrub it clean of cobwebs and spider nests, readying it for use. Since that time, God’s rescuing Spirit has done His work among us. Four souls have been buried with Christ into the waters of baptism and raised to walk in newness of life, declaring before family and friends their devotion to Jesus. These four—Jake, Lily, Emmy, Violet—are the maturing children of this church, proof that God’s faithfulness extends from generation to generation. Yet Christ’s heart grows bigger still. He reminds us, “I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also” (John 10:16, ESV). Therefore it is thrilling to report that this coming Sunday we will be baptizing and celebrating our first adult convert since Easter. Jesus, through His death and resurrection, has defeated the powers of evil, sin, and death and is making all things new, even us—even Shirley, our new baby sister in the faith!
It says in Psalm 117, “Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!” I love the imperative nature of this psalm. You must praise Him. Stop what you are doing, the psalmist sings, and rejoice in who God is and what He is accomplishing in your midst. It is a call to celebrate, an invitation—in the words of Adele Ahlberg Calhoun—“to take joyful, passionate pleasure in God and the radically glorious nature of God’s people, Word, world, and purposes . . . delighting in the all the attentions and never-changing presence of the Trinity” (Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, p. 26).
I am not saying Elim has arrived, but I am inviting you to celebrate. This is a rhythm for which we were created. Don’t despise small beginnings. Don’t look past these early sprouts. The Lord rejoices to see the work begin. We should as well. Jesus is breathing his life into us once again. Let’s mark the moment. Let’s lift up our gratitude and engage in actions that orient our hearts toward worship, thanksgiving, and praise.
In this season of newness at Elim, what is it that you are celebrating?
Here are just a few things for which I find myself praising God since Easter:
- I keep hearing reports of Elimites who are living as Jesus’s witnesses in their communities, hosting barbecues, water fights, strawberry shortcake parties, and more for the express purpose of building relationships and deepening connections with neighbors who do yet know Jesus.
- Newcomers are again walking through our doors, investigating Jesus and what life in God’s family is all about.
- After a beautiful season of family worship complete with worship bags, Hula-Hoops, and kids’ moments, Kids’ Ministry has returned on Sunday mornings and God has raised up our own Beth White as Elim’s new Kids’ Ministry Director.
- I am celebrating the three new families we have welcomed into membership and the others we’ve seen return after a time away.
- I am grateful for the many tireless and faithful volunteers who have mowed the lawns, weeded the playground, prepared meals, welcomed guests, led us in worship, ran and troubleshot our technology, and gotten back into the rhythm of loving children in the name of Jesus.
- Personally, I have been deeply blessed by rich times of bonding with other men through our softball team and Thursday-night study through the Gospel of John.