Dear Family at Christ Community,

     During our worship service this Sunday, we will have the opportunity to hear how the Lord has been good to and through the Sawyers as they serve as missionaries in Kenya. We will also get to come to the Lord’s Table as part of our worship. It will be especially sweet to come to the Table with brothers and sisters whom we support through our prayers and Faith Promise! 

As you prepare to come to the Table, consider these verses from the call to worship we will hear on Sunday:

For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations … Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it. (Psalm 22:28, 30-31)

These verses remind us that we all get to participate in God’s redemptive mission. Like the Sawyers, Christ sends some of us to make disciples of the nations around the world (Matt. 28:19-20). And even if that is not our specific calling, Christ still involves all of us in God’s redemptive mission. Psalm 22 reminds us that the biggest mission field for most of us is the next generation. Whether it is our children, grandchildren, siblings, students, or simply Christians who are newer to the faith, we each have relationships in which we get to participate in God’s redemptive mission to the next generation.

     As you prepare for worship this week, take time to reflect on the opportunities God is giving you to participate in His redemptive mission in Christ for the life of the world. So often the reason that we fail to participate in God’s redemptive mission is that we are afraid, and that fear blinds us to the opportunities God is giving us. We are afraid of doing it wrong or we are afraid that we already messed up too much to get back on track. This is why we must remember that we live as servants of the King who rules over the nations and who sustains us through the ordinary means of grace. As we come to the Table, we get to taste and see the peace we have in God’s presence on account of the person and work of Christ. The bread will remind us that Christ gave His body to pay for all our sins and shortcomings. The cup will remind us that Christ fills us with His Holy Spirit so that we can truly and fruitfully participate in His mission together with Him. Take time this week to ask the Holy Spirit to deepen your rest in God’s peace, to open your eyes to the opportunities you have to participate in the mission, and to prepare you to celebrate God’s faithfulness to His people near and far this Sunday. Perhaps the Lord will show you that many of the places that feel most frustrating, distracting, or discouraging in your life are the very places where God is already involving you in His mission!

Yours in service to the King,
Matt