19 January 2009

Upward, Inward, Outward

When we *finally* made it to church yesterday (and the reasons for our absence are another subject entirely) it felt as if we hadn't missed a thing. Wait....no, it felt as if we *had* missed being in the corporate setting in the presence of God. How wonderful it was for me, personally, to sing praises and feel His presence!

The sermon yesterday was given by our senior pastor, Pastor Bill. In our short time at this church, we have heard several different pastors speak, and I have to say that PB is my favorite.

The text was Isaiah chapter six verses one through eight. Isaiah gets a completely fresh perspective on God and His holiness here thanks to some seraphs. Then he starts to see the enormity of his own sin compared to the holiness of God. But he receives cleansing, as we all can and his sins are forgiven and his guilt taken away.

So what is Isaiah's response to the gift he just received? He hears the Lord ask "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" His response is a rousing "Send ME!"

PB's point was this: if we take the time to newly discover every day who God is and what He has done for us, then we will want to, in His power, live the very best life we can. And as a grateful people, then our response should naturally be for us to do what we can so that we show Jesus to the people around us.

For some, that means packing up and moving to another country. For others, it may mean a trip to a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter. Still for others, it just may mean getting to know your neighbor or the grocery store clerk.

So that all should come to know Jesus.

1 comment:

Helen said...

Your blog has really inspired me a lot lately... You got a little shout out on my blog as a result :)