Last week I had the privilege of officiating a celebration of life for my uncle Sonny. He was 97 years old when he passed. He and my Aunt Rogene have been married 76 years. As we celebrate his life I began to reflect on the things that he had seen and experienced in his lifetime. He lived through the depression, World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He watched radio transition to television transition to personal computers. He went from a phone system where you talked to a live operator who would manually connect you to your party, to carrying a phone in his pocket that had more computing power than what was available to NASA when they put the first man into space.
We live in a world that is marked by continuous change. Culture changes. Technology changes. Styles change (thank God for that but we'd all still be wearing bell bottoms and corduroy.) Even the way we do church changes. In my lifetime there have been significant changes in worship style, music, church architecture and church programs. What was once very effective is no longer reaching the lost. What made sense a generation or two ago no longer seems to fit today.
The simple reality is that change is all around us. But there are a few things that do not change. First, God does not change. Scripture says that he is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is still on the throne. He still loves us unconditionally. And He still desires a relationship with us.
The second thing that has not changed is the need. With all that has changed around us, with all the advancements of the last 100 years, our world is still filled with broken and hurting people in need of hope. We are all still sinners in need of a savior. Jesus said two thousand years ago “the fields are ripe for the harvest.” There were, and still are, people all around us in need of the forgiveness and grace that comes through Christ.
And the third thing that has not changed is the mission of the church. Because God still loves people, and because people are still hurting and lost, the mission of the church remains the same. It is to share the hope of Christ in a world of lost people. Methodology may change. Technology may change. But the underlying mission always remains the same. We are called to share Jesus in whatever ways we can to each new generation.
I thank God for the mission He has given us and I look forward to us fulfilling it together in every way possible. Have a great week.
Love you all,
Pastor Steve