Finding Our New Rhythm
God doesn’t typically give us assignments that are convenient or that are comfortable. If that has been your experience, you might want to double check who you’ve been following. When I read the Bible, I find God’s people being stretched beyond themselves. God asked Abraham, Moses, David, Mary, Peter, and Paul to do what none of them were capable of themselves and what none of them signed up for.
In some ways, we all want to get back to “normal.” However, that’s not really an option. We live in a more different world than we ever have. And even though we have the same message, the same Book, and the same address, God is calling Lawndale to do what we’ve never done before . . . make disciples in 2021, a time that is unlike any of us has ever experienced, in a culture that is different, in a community that is different, with a staff and congregation that are different.
Even though we can’t return to “normal,” I’m looking forward to finding a new rhythm. Covid brought many changes. Reopening the church brought changes. The staff had an unusual moment to pray and to seek wisdom in how to move forward. We had our “crisis of belief” and passed it along to you.
With some time to let the new path forward settle, I’m even more convinced we are moving in the right direction. I can’t wait for our first service with “Lawndale together.” One service for one body for our One Great God. With God’s help, we can be the biblical and intergenerational church He’s called us to be.
What’s required of you? Be proactive. Pray, adjust, get to know people that maybe you’ve never met or at least never talked to before. Learn names. Sit somewhere else for the sake of someone else, and count others as better than yourself. I thank God He has called us for this time and for His glory.
It’s a privilege to serve God with you! I’m not sure many churches would be willing to move in a new direction when called upon. But I believed Lawndale would. You have proven over the years that you are willing to sacrifice, give, love each other, reach the community, and invest in the next generation.
Let’s find our new rhythm together and do the work God has given us in the days we have left on earth.
New Series: 1 John: That You May Know You Have Eternal Life
Family devotionals as well as Men’s and Women’s discussion guides will be available for pick up in the lobby soon. You can begin now working on the church-wide memory passage for this 10-week study, 1 John 5:11-13 (ESV).
