I hope all of those phrases have meaning for you. We certainly understand New Year – it happens annually. We will be forced to remember the year has changed to 2012 when we date checks and other documents (i.e., Sunday bulletins).
New Beginnings are often celebrated with the practice of making resolutions for the new year. We assess what needs to change in our lives and we then attempt to make plans and promises to do things differently to accomplish our goals. I hope you have had a better success rate with resolutions than I have. But, I did read a wise statement several years ago that stated something to the effect that even though the percentage of those successfully fulfilling their New Year’s resolution is small, it is exceedingly higher than those who do nothing at all.
The New Story phrase for WHBC is important. This is connected to our visioning effort – Pursuing Missional Faithfulness. We have been involved in this process for over two years, dating back to the fall of 2009. In January, we are going to hear more about Walnut Hill’s Story and our response to the questions with which we began, “Who does God want us to be” and “What does God want us to do.” The answer to these two questions is exciting. Pay close attention to the January calendar and in particular, plan to share in worship on January 8th as “Our Story” will begin to unfold.
In case you are thinking – why is this visioning and story thing so important – let me share some personal thoughts. The church in North America exists in a challenging situation. The church is no longer in a position of privilege or prominence. Traditional churches are in decline and, whether you believe it or not, will not and cannot return to the old rules of effective ministry of the 1950’s. It is a different day.
What can we do to embrace a future we believe is God’s future for Walnut Hills? Listen to the New Story with a prayerful heart. The power of the Story is that it allows us to glimpse the possibility of what can be and, as we embrace the Story, we embrace a future and a direction that is God’s future and God’s direction for Walnut Hills.
What can you do to prepare? Pray! Pray for God’s Spirit to move in our midst and give us eyes to see and ears to hear. Pray that we will affirm and celebrate our history without clinging to it so we might adapt and change where needed. Pray that we will have a biblical understanding of what it means to be a church on mission and that we will have the faith and courage to align our lives with God’s purposes for us. Pray we will see the future as an unprecedented opportunity and that, by the power of God’s Spirit, we will have the imagination and faith to seize this moment.
This is an exciting opportunity. We began this journey using the phrase “pursuing missional faithfulness”. God’s call for us to live missionally as individuals and as the church means God wants to change us and change the world through us. It is a journey – so don’t confuse the story (direction, possibilities) with the planning process (details, dates, events). We start where we are and move forward as God readies us and leads us. We move, we learn, we grow. That is what journey means and that is the power of God’s Story for us.
Happy New Year! Happy New Beginnings! Happy New Story – God’s Story as we journey with God!
See you Sunday if not before, Tony
