By Ben Disney
“I wish that I knew what I know now when I was younger.” Lyrics from “Oh La La” by Rod Stewart
“Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.” Khalil Gibran
“Hope is the thing with feathers / That perches in the soul. / And sings the tune / Without the words, / and never stops at all.” Emily Dickinson
“I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” Acts 2:17
What a remarkable journey! This Sunday marks the first anniversary of our time together in the new facilities. One year ago we invited the people of Arborlawn to share their hopes, dreams, and prayers for our church and community. Many of you took the time to write down your deepest prayers for this church, earnestly seeking God’s guidance on how we could be faithful to our calling to be the Body of Christ in this world. The cards were collected and placed in a wooden box that has remained on the altar since the very first worship service.
This coming Sunday we’ll open the box and look again at the hopes, dreams, and prayers of our congregation. Once again we’ll revisit what we believed, hoped, and envisioned would happen as we stood on the precipice of a new frontier just one year ago. We’ll open the box we filled one year ago when we opened our doors to the community and our hearts to God.
So this Sunday we’re going to do something physically impossible. We’re going to step back in time, so that we can be fully present in the moment, in order to move forward together into the future God has waiting for us. I know it’s confusing. It’s hard to imagine why anyone would want to intentionally move back and forth, from the past, to the present, and then to the future. It’s exhausting work. But for those of us hoping to run into God, it’s important to look in places where God has been, find out where God is now, and keep searching for where God will most likely be in the future. If you think it’s impossible to be in three places at once, you’re right. That particular trick is reserved for God. Our task is to keep looking in every direction and to lean into life with a genuine sense of faith and hope. Eventually, if we do it long enough and well enough, it will start to feel like we keep bumping into God no matter if we’re coming or going. When that happens, a church comes to life.
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