An update for those of you in Georgia, especially my Redeemer Family:
Tonight is one of those nights when I come home rejoicing over the fellowship of believers! What but a common faith in Jesus could so draw a diverse people to one another, lead them to open their hearts to utter strangers, confess their sins to one another, enter onto honest discussion together, be humble enough to be counseled, pray for one another? Truly, God is present where two or more are gathered.
I prayed for a church community that would be my family as Redeemer was (and still is across the distance!) and I found it. I went to Mars Hill - West Seattle for the first time with a friend from high school. Now this alone shows God’s sovereignty in my life: She is the only person I can think of that I knew in high school that I still am friends with today (apart from family). She was a senior when I was a freshman at Seattle Christian. She brought me in and introduced me and together with everyone I met made me feel truly welcomed and loved. The service structure and style was very different for me, but this church, unlike the others I’d visited answered a need I’d been praying about: they take communion weekly. By the time I left there, I knew I’d found my new church home.
I was so convinced of this that I actually went to a community group that week. If you know me at all you know it practically takes an act of God for me to take those first few steps, but here I was willingly, excitedly jumping in with both feet! I don’t think they knew quite what to do with me when I said I’d been to MH once. They welcomed me, knew my name when I came to church the next Sunday, and listened to my story (the whole long Georgia saga version) and seemed to truly be excited about me being there.
Fast forward two weeks and we’re back to tonight. It was a different configuration of people there tonight, and as I looked around and saw two other brand new people visiting for the first time I saw again what a vibrant, living church this is. Then the leader was led to say that we are commanded in scripture to confess our sins to one another, and that this will draw us closer together and in repentance, draw us nearer to our Lord. He wasn’t suggesting we all bare our souls, but he did say that this was something that has made Mars Hill prosper and grow the way it has: that new Christians can come right into a group and know that across the board we are sinners saved by grace and that’s what holds us together and gives us love for one another: only by grace. (Hmmm...sounding familiar, RPC peeps?)
We went around the room to introduce ourselves and many of us revealed areas of sin we’re struggling against. Tom, our leader, both drilled down on it, to truly reveal why and put it into perspective of how we view God as well as lovingly exhorting us to meditate on the cross, repent and draw closer to Christ. What a beautiful way to get to know others in the body, by sharing our weakness and communally drawing nearer to Christ in encouragement and under exhortation.
We talked about God’s sovereignty, and what we TRULY believe He is Sovereign (a subject that has more and more led me to worship and joy and seeing His faithful Sovereign hands in our world). What an amazing topic of conversation to spurn us to faith and belief and JOY! What joy knowing HE is in control always.
So with that, I will bring this epistle to a close. I hope you are encouraged. I know that I am, knowing that God sovereignly drew me to Mars Hill. Now the challenge is to live out the Gospel accordingly.
Oh, one last closing thought on which I will ponder more and likely blog about at a point in the near future. We also discussed the sermon and spent time working out what it looks like to truly live out CHRIST and the Gospel in each of our workplaces (and homes/lives). Think of concrete examples large and small...are you convicted by your lack of living for Christ? I am. So my prayer this week (and beyond) is that I will put aside the selfishness that plagues me like a millstone around my neck, dragging me down and keeping me from pursuing Christ as I ought; and putting Him first, choosing joy, how will I work and interact differently in my relationships both in and outside of work? How will Christ shine through me dimly as through a dirty mirror?
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