More Worth - Less Work
Grace to you and peace.
We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
1st Thessalonians 1:2
Recently I have had more than a few conversations with folks at Memorial and in other institutions and places that all have a similar resonance: there is so much to do, and I am so tired. Maybe that resonates with you too. Especially as we begin this Stewardship campaign with the title “Rooted in Abundance”, I wanted to make sure that you all knew one very important thing:
You are enough.
I echo Paul’s words from the beginning of his letter to the Thessalonians: I always give thanks to God for all of you, and mention you in my prayers. We live in a world where we are constantly judged by what we produce. What we have. What we make. In God’s Kingdom however, the economics are very different. Our value, Your value, to the Church is only and exclusively the love you carry in heart, and the meaning you make with your soul. That’s it. That is the list. We have all we need right here to be a vibrant, active, and thriving community of faith. It already exists, in our hearts, souls and minds. You are worth it. You are worthy of God’s love just by being you.
And yes, I do realize that this is a lesson that I need to remind myself of too. It is okay to slow down. To do less. To just be. Because we have so much, just as we are.
There will be a lot of talk over the next few weeks about budgets, and needs, and strategies, and pledges - some necessary for the running of this church and some no doubt expressions of our collective anxiety - but keep in mind that at its root we are talking about the fruit of our collective faith. What you are able to offer out of love for God and in support of Christ’s mission is exactly what this place needs, no more and no less.
So I will end this little letter the same way Paul begins his — I I’ve thanks to God for each and everyone one of you at Memorial and I mention you in my prayers, constantly remembering your faithfulness, your joy, and your hope.
See you in Church