Have You Found God Yet?

My message this Sunday is entitled, "Seekers" . . . and is based upon that pericope in Luke which contains the Lord's Prayer and the Lord's admonition that we should ask, seek, and knock if we are to discover the will and leading of God.

I'm pondering this message deeply this week because I know many congregations that have been built around the idea of offering "seeker" worship services--the idea being that there is a group of people who are seeking and another group of people who have "found" what they are seeking (and are then by definition no longer seekers but true Christians).

I don't see this distinction in the gospel, however.  Jesus told his disciples to "seek first the kingdom of God"...but the Greek verb form here would better be translated, "continue to seek the kingdom" or "never stop seeking the kingdom."

Now here is the spin.  The essence of faith is seeking!  It is not finding. 

Jesus made it clear that when we pray the Lord's Prayer, we are seeking God, the one who is higher and greater than we are . . . seeking the kingdom on earth as it exists in heaven.  When we pray, we are asking.  We are seeking God through our continued knocking, our continuing persistence and attention toward the things of God . . . even that, and especially that, which we do not understand.

We are always seekers.  If we are found, it is God who has found us . . . not us who have found God.

We are always seekers.  

Kind of like that line in the U-2 song:  "I still haven't found what I'm looking for."  

Are you still seeking first the kingdom?  If so, Jesus said all the rest will follow after, not the other way around.
~Pastor Todd 

Summer Breeze

Summer's at Calvary are as busy, or busier, than many other times of the year.  Vacation Bible School, Theatre for Christ, and then subsequently planning for the September Fish Fry are three of the largest events/ministries through the year.  So . . . never a dull moment.

Obviously, it takes many hands and hearts to create a church of size and impact, and we want to send kudos out to the many who helped with:

Vacation Bible School . . . and the hundreds of children who graced our halls and lawns.

Theatre for Christ . . . and the hundreds of people, mostly guests, who found joy and togetherness, as well as the cast and crew, in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.

The Fish Fry planning team . . . and the new faces and excitement and energy found in creating this annual event.

And also our Prayer Warriors . . . who pray without ceasing.

Our Funeral Dinner Teams . . . who provide for the needs of those grieving.

The Calvary Learning Academy . . . and the gift of new playground equipment and the hard work of mulching a playground.

Our Calvary Staff . . . who are so motivated, gifted, excited, and capable in their ministry.

And thanks to the congregation, too . . . for generosity, prayers, thoughtfulness and joy in the journey. 

I hope the summer breezes can carry us along into another spectacular Hoosier Fall and the many other life changes we will experience in ministry together.

~Pastor Todd

On the Set

Sunday morning was a new adventure for me, as I actually preached my sermon standing behind Lucy's Psychiatric Booth (The Doctor is "In") from our Theatre for Christ set of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown.  (In case you don't yet have your ticket, get one!!  Can be ordered online from the Calvary web site.) Show times are:  Friday 7 p.m., Saturday 7 p.m. and Sunday @ 2:30 p.m.

After my sermon Sunday, two people gave me a nickel.  (Remember:  Lucy charges 5 cents for her services.)

Several other individuals did tell me that, while they didn't have a nickel, my sermon was worth more than 5 cents, and one dear lady said that while my sermon wasn't psychological in nature, it did stir some thoughts and helped her to see a few things more clearly.  (How, only God can tell.)

I hope you appreciate Calvary's many gifts in this direction. We did have some spectacular music, with soloists singing "You Raise Me Up" and "Deep River" and, of course, two selections from You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown to boot. As I have pointed out in several sermons of late, we are one of those few congregations that continues to get younger with each passing year.  We have children who offer their gifts of song, and who are eager to go on mission trips.  And with so many of our teens returning from Mountain Top and Soup's On this summer, there is a spirit of excitement and energy in their testimonies and their faith.  And I also note that some of our senior members went out of their way today to pick up neighbors and bring them to church . . . including one dear woman who had recently moved to the area but cannot drive because she is blind.  She received communion on Sunday (by our United Methodist invitation) and was deeply moved by Christ's presence and warmth.  And as far as first time guests go, another woman told me after church:  "We just moved to Brownsburg, and leaving this morning I know this is where I belong."

So . . . let's continue to make Calvary a people of open hearts and open doors.  We always have guests.  We always have people to welcome.  And one of Calvary's gifts is warmth.  

Didn't John Wesley say something about a warm heart and staying in love with God?  Sort of makes sense now that I think about it.