Giving Up the Need to be Right - just a suggestion!

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? - John 14

Lent - Day 6 - Church Rocks!

So you want to give up something for Lent, do you?

Try this- Give up the need to be right!

• Be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 2

Our church rocks way more than just Sundays. This weekend I attended a meeting sponsored by our Visioning Team. The Visioning Team are the group tasked with peering into the future and helping us to prepare the way, as a faith community, so we can be faithful to our mission as a church - rather than always a step or two behind.

It's the logical next step for the "Foundation for the Future" campaign - the 6-year initiative that included calling a second pastor, buying up surrounding property to double our footprint, retiring the debt (all gone!) and competing the current renovations.

So now First Presbyterian of Brandon is looking at radically redesigning the entire campus. Saturday Rebekah and I attended one of many informational home meetings. My friend Bill led the discussion and asked folk to share what the church means to them.

Among many great answers was the following testimony: "I'm blown away by the fact that people with such varied viewpoints understand that those differences of opinion are nowhere near as important as the fact that we love one another..."

Someone else said, "For the first time my husband and I are part of a faith community where I'm sure this is what it means to be the Body of Christ..."

Simply put, we have managed to achieve a practical understanding that what draws us together is God's love for us - unconditionally and without preference - and that the best we can do for the Kingdom of God is to follow Jesus. Our personal agendas and preferences and biases are subordinate to the agenda of accepting, unconditional, motivational love.

So here's the Lent part of today's post. A lot of people talk about what they're "giving up" for Lent. I suggest giving up the need to be right!

Look at the scripture again. Jesus said he was "preparing a place for us." That place is the Kingdom of God. Maybe it's time we rolled up our sleeves and started helping Jesus to build - right here at home in the faith community where we are learning how to love.

"Salvation" means to participate in God's work. God is building faith communities defined by unconditional love, where following Jesus means being the presence of Christ in this world. So, while Jesus is "preparing a place" for us, we can be preparing one for him.

Just a suggestion - DEREK