Seeing God in “them”
Happy 5th of July to you, church family, and I hope you are enjoying a day of rest and celebration on this Independence Day holiday!
Speaking of rest and relaxation, after an incredibly long and difficult year (for all of us), Pastor Bryan and Tami are taking a much-needed vacation this month. So I'm excited for the opportunity to write about our upcoming sermon series starting this Sunday. The title of the series is Seeing God in "Them." Through it, we will explore how biblical characters had their faith stretched and grown by seeing God at work in places and people they didn't expect. We'll also look at how our faith can be stretched and deepened by letting God do the same with us. You might even get to hear a few stories of how God has done this in me through my various mission travels and some rather interesting people in my own backyard. Oh…and the youth under our very own Hillspring roof will have a thing or two to share with us as well.
To get started with what we will talk about, here's a personal, practical example of how God has used others to grow and stretch me in a much-needed way.
When I was in Togo several weeks ago, I was invited to teach for several days at an international missionary training institute. This institute was created by West Africans to teach their pastors and young missionaries how to reach beyond their tribal borders. They practice it practically, as the current enrollment includes participants from five different countries and multiple tribes. As one of the first Westerners to teach there, the group was politely curious to talk with me about colonialism and Christianity. We had a lovely and emotional conversation about which aspects of the Christian faith brought to Africa from the West were cultural and unnecessary and which were essential. We discussed whether the pipe organs in their churches were important to worship or if they should ditch them in favor of drums. We talked about the impact of Western dress; what aspects of it were spiritually important. For instance, they wanted to know if women could wear pants because they had been told they absolutely couldn't! The conversation culminated in collectively pondering what Christianity might look like in their tribes if the West had given them only Jesus and not imposed our culture on them, as well.
I left those days of teaching wrestling with how much of my Christian practices and habits have more to do with my culture and what I'm familiar with than what is essentially Jesus. This wrestling seems particularly relevant and strangely freeing, given all the transitions the last year has forced on every aspect of our church life. I think we are all trying to figure out what it means to humbly follow Jesus through the transitions Covid brought. How to move our personal faith and Christian practices forward into what's ahead.
What is incredibly encouraging to me is how we repeatedly see this wrestling and these conversations throughout the Bible. This is nothing new!
Whether we're reading about Abraham interacting with foreign kings, Peter being called by the Spirit to go to Cornelius's house, or the Jerusalem Council debating which Jewish traditions were essential for Gentile Christians to adopt, there is this constant tension throughout Scripture over what is essential and central for serving God and following Jesus. What does it mean to be God's people and faithfully follow him? How do we help others to find genuine faith but not overburden them? What is beyond the bounds of "okay," and what differences don't really matter? The biblical characters wrestled with these questions then, and we certainly do today. I would argue that these questions that are at the root of the tension between the generations in our churches lie at the heart of all the different denominations that dot our streets. These questions will ultimately guide our conversations as we rebuild, reform, and move forward as Christians after Covid.
And, just as we see in the Bible, when these conversations happen because God has pushed us by showing us his work in "them," it has great value for our faith. We need to see God in "them" to grow our faith in him!
Please come with us over the next few weeks as we look at biblical and personal stories talking about what it means to be God's people. How conversations and experiences with others can help us focus on what really matters and, ultimately, see how God stretches and grows his followers by bringing them into situations different from their norm.
It's going to be a fun and timely series. Hopefully, we'll see you next Sunday as we begin Seeing God in "Them."
God bless and, wherever you are, stay on mission!
Pastor Trevor Owen
Just a guy and Pastor of Spiritual Formation at our church. Oh… and if you do have ministry needs this month or after, please don't hesitate to reach out to me or the other pastoral staff! 😊
"Want to talk? I'll buy you coffee!"
Pastor of Spiritual Formation at Hillspring Church
1153 Gage Blvd, Kennewick, WA 99352
503.910.4909 (cell) ― 509.627.1109 (church)
