"Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today my friends -- so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'"
~ Martin Luther King Jr., August 28, 1963
On a Monday which celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I thought quite a bit about the power of a dream to change reality, and I thought a lot about the power of a dream to inspire hope in place of despair, faith in the place of doubt. And while the exploits of a small town church with a small town pastor won't compare favorably to the impact that Dr. King had on the landscape of American history, this day made me think about my hopes and dreams for New Life.
I've spent more time than usual in the past couple of weeks hoping and dreaming, which in my context means that I've spent a lot of time talking out loud to God about my hopes and dreams for our church. We have a word for that, but I find that, as with most words, that word has become so tamed and domesticated and infused with our own meanings for it that it's hard to see it for what it is. It's called "prayer". I've been praying quite a bit for the hopes and dreams that God has placed in my heart to come true for New Life.
As I've prayed I've repeatedly come back to a bedrock, fundamental place in my dreams for our church. As with any dream, it seems pretty impossible, but that won't stop me from praying it, and it won't stop me from saying it out loud here even as I reflect on yesterday at New Life. For years and years I have heard that New England is the graveyard of pastors, the place where good men go to have their passion die. For too long I've been lulled to sleep by those voices that have said that nothing great could or would happen here again.
But something is stirring in my heart again, and here's how I would articulate it: I want New Life to be the church that changes what our community thinks about Jesus and his church.
I know we live in an area filled with skeptics towards the church, towards Christianity, towards Evangelical Christianity in particular, and by implication, skeptical towards the claims of Jesus. I just happen to believe that God can use a church like ours to reach out to the skeptics, the cynics, the people who have given up on church, and the people who have never thought much about giving church a try.
The more I look around at the people who are showing up on a Sunday, the more convinced I am that this is who we are - that we are well-positioned to stand in that gap and welcome them to join us. I met so many people just yesterday who find themselves in that position, and I know there are so many more like them in our community just waiting to find the place where they can express their questions, their doubts, their fears, and still hear a message of hope and faith that would move them one step closer towards a life-changing relationship with Jesus.
That's a dream I'll give my life for; and one I hope you'll join me in dreaming, praying, and serving to make possible!
Pastor Keith - This past Sunday night I attended a prayer meeting at our church to pray for our community within a 2-1/2 mile radius from our church. Our church bought all the address lists within this radius and we as a church prayed for every name on the lists which came to a total of over 22,000 people. Over 300 people showed up to pray. My wife and I had about 75 people on our list and we prayed for all of them, praying in faith for different things. I was amazed how our prayers were different for each person even though we didn't know them. The church's goal was that all these people would have a personal encounter with Jesus and therefore their lives would be changed forever. We prayed outloud because I believe there is power in prayer when we proclaim God's word for our lives and the lives of others. It's one thing to think it, it's a totally different thing when we speak it. I am always so encouraged by your weekly reflections and just thought I would share this to hopefully encourage you. God bless you Pastor Keith, I love your heart!!!
Posted by: Mark Cornell | January 17, 2012 at 07:38 AM