Devotional 11-18-16

New Beginnings

Colossians 1:11-20   (CEB)
... by being strengthened through his glorious might so that you endure everything and have patience; ¹² and by giving thanks with joy to the Father. He made it so you could take part in the inheritance, in light granted to God’s holy people. ¹³ He rescued us from the control of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. ¹⁴ He set us free through the Son and forgave our sins.

Hymn about Christ’s work
¹⁵  The Son is the image of the invisible God,
        the one who is first over all creation,
¹⁶  Because all things were created by him:
        both in the heavens and on the earth,
        the things that are visible and the things that are invisible.
            Whether they are thrones or powers,
            or rulers or authorities,
        all things were created through him and for him.
¹⁷  He existed before all things,
        and all things are held together in him.
¹⁸ He is the head of the body, the church,
who is the beginning,
        the one who is firstborn from among the dead
        so that he might occupy the first place in everything.
¹⁹  Because all the fullness of God was pleased to live in him,
²⁰         and he reconciled all things to himself through him—
        whether things on earth or in the heavens.
            He brought peace through the blood of his cross.

This is a time of new beginnings for our church, you the church, at Johnson Memorial UMC.  Eleven months, Dec. 27, 2015, many received a message that the church building had been struck by a fire.  Although the fire was quickly contained with minimal structural damage, blackness filled the whole building with soot.  We all felt some sort of blackness that day.  Where would we worship, how long before we could get into our beautiful sanctuary or even use the building on a daily basis?  Our prayers were answered and we, the church, were able to have function and worship the following week in JM.

The restorations have taken months but through the glory of God we celebrated our new beginning this past Sunday.

I don’t know how you heard the first choir anthem this week, “For the Beauty of the Earth”, but I heard a choir of angels descending but upon JM.  Wrapping us, the church, in Glory and letting us know that it is a time of new beginnings for us, the church, at JM.  Not only a revised space but with new leadership, by Rev. Deane and a revival in our mission to the community, not only in JM, but to all those around JM.

As in Col 1:13 He rescued us from the control of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.  And verse 20 “and he reconciled all things to himself through him— whether things on earth or in the heavens.  He brought peace through the blood of his cross.”

We are reconciled to Jesus Christ to be the church for all!

This is a time of new beginnings at Johnson Memorial United Methodist Church.  A time to LOOK FORWARD and not back.

God Bless all in moving forward together as the CHURCH!!!
Fred Herr