There have been so many times this year when I have depended on myself rather than God for evangelization, when I have measured my success as a Youth Minister by how many teens become involved or how great a Lifenight turns out.This weekend, I was feeling dejected about the small number of teens who attended the Lifenight.
I kept asking myself what I was doing wrong, why they weren't coming and what more I could do to bring them to Christ.
Caught up in these thoughts of self pity and hopelessness, God revealed a part of His heart to me through the cross.
What I heard and saw was this;
Who am I to feel sorrow from rejection, when Jesus Christ, hanging upon the cross, suffered so much more rejection than I? Even still as He looks upon His children, despite His immense love and passion for them, they still turn away, and His heart breaks for each soul who does not know Him. I have only given my time for one year to serve Him, whereas He gave His life for those who still do not follow Him. What is my sacrifice in comparison to His? How can I rely on myself to bring others to Him, when He is the one working through me?
A CORE member confirmed this revelation as she led us in praise and worship after the Lifenight. God's words through her reaffirmed my call to be completely abandoned to Him, letting Him work through me, and that if only one soul was brought closer to Him through our ministry, I had accomplished all that He wanted of me.
CREATING THE CHURCH OF TOMORROW
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning,
a step along the way,an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results,
but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers,
not master builders;
ministers not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
Amen.
As we reflect upon Christ's passionate love for us this Holy Week, may we be reminded of His desire to bring His fullness of life to each of our lives and the lives of those we encounter
God bless,
Hannah Bouwman
Team 4
What I heard and saw was this;
Who am I to feel sorrow from rejection, when Jesus Christ, hanging upon the cross, suffered so much more rejection than I? Even still as He looks upon His children, despite His immense love and passion for them, they still turn away, and His heart breaks for each soul who does not know Him. I have only given my time for one year to serve Him, whereas He gave His life for those who still do not follow Him. What is my sacrifice in comparison to His? How can I rely on myself to bring others to Him, when He is the one working through me?
A CORE member confirmed this revelation as she led us in praise and worship after the Lifenight. God's words through her reaffirmed my call to be completely abandoned to Him, letting Him work through me, and that if only one soul was brought closer to Him through our ministry, I had accomplished all that He wanted of me.
A prayer by Archbishop Oscar Romero
It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.
It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction
of the magnificent enterprisethat is God’s work.
Nothing we do is complete,which is a way of saying that the kingdom
always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
of the magnificent enterprisethat is God’s work.
Nothing we do is complete,which is a way of saying that the kingdom
always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the church’s mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promises.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything,and there is a sense of liberation,in realizing that.
This enables us to do something,and to do it very well.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promises.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything,and there is a sense of liberation,in realizing that.
This enables us to do something,and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning,
a step along the way,an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results,
but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers,
not master builders;
ministers not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
Amen.
As we reflect upon Christ's passionate love for us this Holy Week, may we be reminded of His desire to bring His fullness of life to each of our lives and the lives of those we encounter
God bless,
Hannah Bouwman
Team 4
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