Wrapping Up and Looking Forward
As you
know by now, my position on First Christian Church’s staff
will be finished at the end of May. Life is pretty busy for
us these days, and looking to the horizon, I could not feel
right about making a commitment to you that I know I
wouldn’t be able to fulfill with excellence.
This
is a move that we – both myself
and the church
leadership – have known was coming for nearly a year now.
Nevertheless, it still gives me cause to reflect on the
past couple of years.
I
can’t begin to thank you for how warmly
you welcomed me
and our family, as
outsiders, into your midst. Many of the
relationships will
continue long after my departure from the staff, and we look
forward to that.
I am
grateful for the insights and growth that has taken place in
my faith through conversations with many of you in your
homes, around a Logos
dinner table, in the hallways of the church, in a small
group, or in church school class. I feel as if I have
received far more and greater blessings from God through you
than I ever could have bestowed on you.
As I
said on Sunday, my hope and prayer is that, as life moves
ever forward, we will all see the Scriptures to be more and
more trust-worthy and reliable, and that we will all gain a
greater and greater appreciation for the unique and
exclusive role that Jesus Christ has played in reconciling
to God. May God, in his mercy, let those be the testimonies
of our lives.
Speaking of the
Scriptures, thank you so much for the English Standard
Version (ESV) Study Bible that I was presented with Sunday.
What a great gift! I’ve already spent considerable time
checking it out and am thrilled to report that it is easily
the best study bible on the market. It even comes with free
access to an online
version, which is very handy if you use the computer.
I will use this bible again
and again. I will preach sermons from it (albeit long
sermons
J).
We’ll do family devotions from it. I’ll lead small groups
and classes and marriage preparation appointments with it.
It’ll always occupy a spot
in my office, wherever my office might be. And
someday after I’ve died, one of my kids will have it.
Through it all, we’ll remember this chapter of our lives and
the lovely people we were blessed to share the journey with
here at First Christian Church.
Three
Summer Studies
Although my
professional relationship with First Christian Church is
coming to a close, we are still planning on being around
some throughout the summer and possibly into the fall.
Specifically, and in addition to, a couple of preaching
dates and a party at our place in June, we’ll be
participating in three monthly summer studies that will take
place in the homes of three First Christian Church
parishioners on the first Wednesday of each summer month at
7 pm.
The
studies are yet to be planned, but will have a “front porch”
or “back patio” feel, and will be aimed at stimulating some
discussion around a biblical principle or some aspect of the
Christian faith. There are more details to come, but please
set aside the Wednesday evenings of June 3, July 1, and
August 5 at 7 pm
– and if the weather’s nice, plan to bring your lawn chair
and a bible.
Thanks for what has been, and
I’m looking forward to what will be! See you around!
Matt ˙
