As we enter the season of Thanksgiving, I began to brainstorm what I wanted to write about for the newsletter. I started listing everything that God has provided in my life and wanted to remind everyone to be thankful for everything they have, but as quick as I started to list out my blessings, God reminded me that our church family has always shown thanksgiving for what God has provided. I could feel him challenging me to get deeper with my message.
Being active and volunteering for this church whether it has been running sound, helping in the nursery, attending a meeting, helping with God, Girls, and Grace, the church picnic, the church Christmas dinner, VBS, the list could go on and on. There has always been a form of thanksgiving shown for my work serving the Lord, my church, and this community we call Home. So, I quickly pivoted my brainstorming session and changed the title of my write up to “Embracing the Autumn season and reminding ourselves Change can be Beautiful.”
No one is a stranger to change; some love it, some not so much. However, the reality is, our church has been experiencing and embracing change for some time. And I must say, we have done a beautiful job navigating the “new normal”. The first verse I came upon when reading down over my Bible about guidance and understanding, comes from Psalm 119:105. The verse says, “Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path”. Reading this verse, I am reminded that God’s Word is a source of guidance and direction (the light). Amongst our darkest days, we need to remind ourselves of this simple task, just turn the light on. Reflecting how far we have come as a church family, our God has been so good to us. He has never changed, His Word has never changed, His promise to us has never changed. He is our light on our path that we are all walking. The beauty of change is
that our God and His Word are always with us through the change, whether it is a loss of a family member or friend, hard days at work or at home, stress with the upcoming holiday hustle and bustle, any battle you are facing internally or physically, we are drawn back to this verse in Psalm that God is the light, He is our lamp on our feet to get us through whatever speed bump comes up in our path. As a congregation, we are experiencing a loss of a beloved Pastor, Friend, Husband, Brother, Uncle, and Father. However, Pastor Wayne would not have wanted his church family to stop at this “speed bump” on our path. He would want us to lean on God’s Word as a lamp for our feet. He would want us to use God as our light on this new path of direction our church is navigating.
In Proverbs 3:5-6, the Bible says “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; but in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths”. Trust in the LORD, and if we trust in the LORD that He will direct our path to better His kingdom. Why are we scared of change? My challenge for my church family and friends of the congregation is to challenge yourself in this next season of your life. If you have been thinking of lending a helping hand in the community, volunteering in the church, serving your neighbor, taking a new job, trying a new hobby, DO IT. Instead of fearing change, embrace the change, allow God’s Word to be the lamp at your feet, and the light on your new path. As a church family looking for a pastor, I challenge everyone to lean on each other and help others navigate God’s Word to help light the path for them. Keep in mind we don’t all have it figured out, but together with God’s Word as our GPS, how can we get lost or fail? When we get over our fears and step out of our own way, it is then when God’s work really starts to shine. Through this season of thanksgiving, allow God to use you as lamps for those who do not know Him. Let us come together illuminating the path for others to find and love God, just as we do.
God Bless,
Chelsea Webber, Chair of Christian Ed
