Moving Forward Together
Think for a minute about a transitional time in your life: maybe you were graduating or getting married or changing jobs. Was it stressful, exciting, or maybe some of both? I think we’re at a point like that here at Manchester as we transition into a slightly different way of viewing and doing ministry together. Is it stressful? Yes. But is it also exciting? Absolutely!
During the sermon time this morning, we’ll take a look at Colossians 4 and reflect on the many different people the Apostle Paul mentions as he concludes that letter. Some of the names will be familiar to those of you who’ve been studying the Bible for a long time, while other names may be completely new to many of us. And it’s not really important for you to remember the names anyway. What is important is for us to realize what Paul is doing in the first place.
Paul was good at a lot of things. He was a preacher at heart and a church planter with a lot of pastoral skills to boot, but he was also wise enough to know that the day would come when he wouldn’t be around anymore. When that day came, he wanted to be sure that the churches he loved were in good hands.
I hope those of us who’ve led and served the congregation at Manchester for a long time realize the same thing and take the same steps Paul did to ensure the church thrives well beyond our years here. The church, if healthy, has to constantly be producing new servants, new leaders, and new pathways into ministry for the next generation. Otherwise, the church just slowly rots and decays, and none of us want that. I hope you’ll listen carefully today, find a way to apply the lesson to your life and ministry, and keep praying for the church as we move forward together in this new year.
Moving Forward Together, January 22, 2023
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