Giving Ourselves

I have an admission to make. A part of me is unsatisfied in writing to you week by week. Don’t get me wrong, I actually really love writing to you as this is a good avenue for communication on important issues, and there is opportunity to share things I am thinking about in a different format, but there are limitations, too. Zach Eswine, in his book Sensing Jesus: Life and Ministry as a Human Being notes this as well by saying, “Twitter, Facebook, virtual conferencing—these allow us the illusion of being somewhere other than where we are. Positively we have a voice in places otherwise absent to us. But we type on our keyboards while sitting in a chair where we are—the local knowledge and work of the day in our place awaiting our presence. The danger here is that it allows us to give our gifts without giving ourselves.” You see, unlike Jesus, I am not omnipresent. And while we are connecting in some way right now as you read this, there are limitations to the ministry potential of this interaction.

Right now are some of you feeling this is kind of a strange Friday letter? However, I note this as a way of contrast to say how grateful I am Christ Church is officially adding three men to our session (board of elders) this Sunday. Sean Doran and Bryan Burke will be installed as ruling elders, while Bryant McGee will be installed as an Associate Pastor for Christ Church. Three more elders means that in significant ways, as elders, we will be able to give more of ourselves to you and to the service of the church.

Our worship on Sunday will focus around these installations. We will be taking a break from parables to hear a word from Paul to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:9-18) that has much to say about caring for each other in general, and in particular, about the care needed in the service of the church.

So, I will keep writing and hopefully you will keep reading, only may we give more of ourselves to each other day by day!

As always — Grace,

Andrew