Beginning Our Journey Through the Beatitudes
/Greetings in the Name of our Lord,
Happy New Year!! Sunday was fantastic… We had to set up extra chairs… again. Thanks to our hospitality team and men’s group for the great breakfast. We used the Wesley Covenant service to guide our worship on New Year’s Eve. This service is a great way to start the new year. For me, John Wesley’s covenant prayer speaks to God’s call on my life. If you could not be there New Year’s Eve, you can still pray this prayer as you read this email.
"I give myself completely to you, God. Assign me to my place in your creation. Let me suffer for you. Give me the work you would have me do. Give me many tasks or have me step aside while you call others. Put me forward or humble me. Give me riches or let me live in poverty. I freely give all that I am and all that I have to you. From this day forward, I will look upon You as my Savior and Redeemer. From this day forward I will look upon You as my Comforter and Guide. O mighty God, you have now become my Covenant Friend. And I, through Your infinite grace, have become Your covenant servant. You are mine and I am Yours. So be it. May this covenant made on earth continue for all eternity. Amen."
I have this prayer on my wall in my office as a constant reminder of my discipleship with Jesus. As I reflect again on John Wesley’s prayer, I am reminded of the words from the prophet Jeremiah. “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future with hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)
God has a plan for each of us. God has a plan for Stonebridge UMC. The past few Sundays have been a great blessing and the reassurance that God has a plan for us… a good plan with hope and opportunity. The work will never be complete, but God will provide the guidance and resources for the task ahead. Join me in following where God is leading, as we strive to be all that God has called us to be:
Let us pray diligently for God’s direction and wisdom.
Let us work for unity in all things.
Let us increase our efforts to reach this community for Christ.
Let us give God all the glory for what is happening here.
I pray that you will join me in looking to God for our future. I believe that together with God, we can accomplish anything. It will never be easy, but the presence and power of the spirit of God is with us.
This Sunday we begin our journey through the Beatitudes. Close examination of these verses reveals a six-step process of becoming a disciple of Jesus. This Sunday we begin with step one by looking at the first two “blessings”. Blessed are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. These first two Beatitudes are about admitting our need for God, letting go of our pride and self-importance. The journey as a disciple begins when we admit our need for God and grieve the self-made mess we have made. Only then can God begin to do God’s work of forgiving our past and showing us the future God has prepared for us.
Tom Landry, coach of the Dallas Cowboys for many years once said, the first game sets the tone for the rest of the season. The same is true of our spiritual lives. Let’s set the tone for 2024 by being in worship the first Sunday of the year.
See you Sunday.
Pastor John Allen