Outofur
I have named it Outofur. The name comes from Geneis 11:31. There we read that "Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan."
Out of Ur
Let me tell you how I saw the Holy Spirit work this week. It's good to tell our stories of God at work in our lives.
Monday: I read over my preaching text for the coming Sunday: Matthew 22:37-40. It is the text of the summary of the law. The greatest and second commandment upon which all the law and the prophets hang.
Tuesday: Each Tuesday morning, the staff at Sonlight gathers together. We had a wonderful conversation about how to conclude a sermon series on the Ten Commandments in a Spirit-led experiential way. Staff members recommitted to praying for the worship planning process.
Wednesday: Two people walk up to me at my son's baseball game. They each made a fun comment about how long it has taken to get through this preaching series, but lament that it is finished. They say the sermons blessed them and convicted them. One makes a comment, "How do you really know when God is smiling upon you?" We chat a bit, but the question lingers in my mind. Later at night, I read my text again. It occurs to me that God smiles on us when we love Him with our whole being and love others, too. That is when God smiles. Aha - a sermon title.
Thursday: Love is the summary of the commandments and it is our mission statement. How do I tie these two together in a Spirit-led sermon? ...A staff member stops by my office door for less than two minutes around lunch time. She casually mentions an obscure verse in Habakkuk that says "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God." Matthew 22:37 says that the part of loving God that makes Him smile is loving Him with all our mind. Hmm...knowledge...mind...glory...love. She goes on to say that the New Testament kind of picks this up in Corinthians when the apostle Paul speaks to us about spreading the fragrance of the knowledge of God. Before I can chat more about it, she tells me to have a good day, and exits.
Thanks, Lord. I get it. Our task as disciples of Christ is to love God and others by being a fragrant offering of love in our world through worshipping, connecting, and serving.
I know the Holy Spirit is alive and well!