October 6th, 2020
By Stephanie Faust
A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many. When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, ‘Come, everything is now ready.’ But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves.” Luke 14:16-18
As I was brainstorming over the last week about the subject of this article, I wanted to find a way to share how I plan to prioritize my faith this fall and lead my life as a Christian especially during this time of pandemic. Pastor Mike Bill supplied a worksheet in early September to help us, so I thought I should take the opportunity and use this tool to “unpack” my priorities and examine some of the steps I can take to prioritize my faith. I would like my priorities to keep me focused on living a life more attentive to Christ. My intent in sharing this is to demonstrate how we now can adjust our lives in a manner that embraces faith, family and work while continuing to set us on the pathway to a life centered on Christ.
I suggest to you that we tend to make things more complicated than they really are. When it comes to priorities, many of us have a check list to accomplish that includes everything from getting lunchmeat on your way home to planning a big bridal shower. We confuse everyday tasks with what is truly important. Never do I want to “excuse” myself, and like the people in the parable above, fail to come to the celebration.
Please know that what you are about to read is my first draft using the “Prioritize Your Faith” worksheet. I have thought and prayed a great deal about what is truly important and how Christ wants me to share in His love. The application of a better intentional strategy to the 6 questions on worship, connecting, giving, serving and where I would like to be in my faith & life at Christmas time seemed to be easier for me only after I discerned my own faith priorities. The more I try to understand the Lord’s plan for me, the more evident it becomes that I have simple priorities with some bullets under each:
I will serve the Lord and love Him wholeheartedly.
I’ll be first to admit that on occasion I am inclined to work a little more than I should. Knowing this about myself, I need to concentrate on the following:
I am truly blessed that I am able to work for St. John’s church. But, even if I didn’t work for the church, my workplace would still be my ministry.
Jesus invites us to share in His grace but today we find ourselves not knowing how because we are isolated and possibly in quarantine. Unfortunately, due to these challenging times, it is becoming very easy to come up with an excuse for denying the invitation of our Lord. Our lives are complicated. The best thing to do is place our concerns in the hands of the Lord and then work this out in your church community, not in isolation. The struggles you have someone else has too. But together, as we pursue God’s word and God moments in our lives, we grow as Kingdom ambassadors. There is great encouragement to be found in that process.
Pray for Christ to show you opportunities to continue growing in faith during these times. The staff at St. John’s wants all of us to be intentional about our faith journey and would love to connect with you. If you have a question, we are here for you. We can show you what groups are available to you whether in person or on zoom. May connecting with staff be one of your responses in helping with your worksheet.
Perchance another response could be connecting or continuing to connect further by being part of the church worship online or in the building. The Family Life Center continues to be a blessing to us where we can practice social distancing while worshiping together. If we get to a point where we are at a capacity that does not allow us to properly social distance, be assured St. John’s will offer a 3rd service time. But right now there is plenty of room to spread out. We are a church seeking to worship God together, wherever we can, as often as possible.
I sincerely hope that somewhere in my written thoughts and ideas, you will find support, comfort, and possibly the motivation to prioritize your faith this fall and make new priority lists committing your life to be an important fulfilling Christ-centered life. I try every day to do the actions I have shared with you, and I assure you that I struggle like anyone else because of this anomalous situation. You are not alone! But we should all promptly respond to the invitation and not allow our struggles or complications to interfere with the celebration. The celebration is the Kingdom of Heaven. It is also any way that you are invited to partake in God’s grace: regular prayer, online or in-person worship services, the book you should read, the Bible study you should join, the ministry talk you should attend on zoom or the act of charity that God wants you to perform. Every way that grace is offered to you is a way in which you are invited to the celebration of God. Do not make excuses. Answer His invitation and enter the celebration.
How is He inviting you? In what way are you being called to partake in God’s grace? How will you prioritize your faith this fall?
Jesus, help us to see the many ways in which You call us to share abundantly in Your life of kindness and compassion. Help us to appreciate the celebration that is ready for us and help us to continually make You the priority in our lives. Lord, we have faith in You.
A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many. When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, ‘Come, everything is now ready.’ But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves.” Luke 14:16-18
As I was brainstorming over the last week about the subject of this article, I wanted to find a way to share how I plan to prioritize my faith this fall and lead my life as a Christian especially during this time of pandemic. Pastor Mike Bill supplied a worksheet in early September to help us, so I thought I should take the opportunity and use this tool to “unpack” my priorities and examine some of the steps I can take to prioritize my faith. I would like my priorities to keep me focused on living a life more attentive to Christ. My intent in sharing this is to demonstrate how we now can adjust our lives in a manner that embraces faith, family and work while continuing to set us on the pathway to a life centered on Christ.
I suggest to you that we tend to make things more complicated than they really are. When it comes to priorities, many of us have a check list to accomplish that includes everything from getting lunchmeat on your way home to planning a big bridal shower. We confuse everyday tasks with what is truly important. Never do I want to “excuse” myself, and like the people in the parable above, fail to come to the celebration.
Please know that what you are about to read is my first draft using the “Prioritize Your Faith” worksheet. I have thought and prayed a great deal about what is truly important and how Christ wants me to share in His love. The application of a better intentional strategy to the 6 questions on worship, connecting, giving, serving and where I would like to be in my faith & life at Christmas time seemed to be easier for me only after I discerned my own faith priorities. The more I try to understand the Lord’s plan for me, the more evident it becomes that I have simple priorities with some bullets under each:
I will serve the Lord and love Him wholeheartedly.
- I will start every day with prayer and thanksgiving, bringing my needs to Jesus.
- I will offer Him what I have.
- I learned early on in my faith journey that it will not just be one time where I will relinquish to God’s will for my life. I must always put His will before my own and do what He tells me to do.
- I will faithfully participate in the life and ministries of our congregation through my presence, gifts, service and witness- mask on & hand sanitizer in tow while social distancing.
- I will exercise detachment. I will let go of any fear and the material things that are in the way of my prayer life, church attendance, tithing, donating my time and my connection with Jesus.
- I will chase joy and not happiness. All happiness must be preceded by joy. All joy is inspired by our Savior! My church helps bring me joy. I will seek out and surrender my heart to Christ with my church family to find joy.
I’ll be first to admit that on occasion I am inclined to work a little more than I should. Knowing this about myself, I need to concentrate on the following:
- Love – Show my husband affection in words, manners and actions as often as possible. Smile. Show my daughter I love her, hug, tell her I love her, provide limits and care enough to be tough.
- Time – My husband and daughter need my time. Put aside the iPhone, get away from the computer, put down the book and spend more time with both of them! Pull out the puzzles and board games. Also, family dinner time should be a priority.
- Teach - My daughter will love God and have strong faith only if my husband and I show her this. She will help others if we do. She will pray if we do. She will only be joyful about attending church if we are. She will read her bible if we do. Teaching her to serve the Lord and give back will help her be a better person. Also learning a good work ethic (accountability, responsibility, and discipline) at a young age is laying the groundwork for her to build upon as an adult. She will learn from our example.
I am truly blessed that I am able to work for St. John’s church. But, even if I didn’t work for the church, my workplace would still be my ministry.
- Stewardship - Am I actively giving back to my church & community? (1 Peter 4:10) says: “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” It is the right thing to do. Get involved, make a difference and contribute; perhaps if I lead, others will follow.
- Humility - C.S. Lewis wrote that the greatest sin is pride and the virtue that opposes pride is humility. Showing humility is an extremely significant trait for Christians. Humility is trusting the work of the Holy Spirit.
- Let others see Christ shining in me exactly where I am as a powerful form of witness that will draw others to want what I have in my life.
- Agape (Greek) - selfless love should drive my daily deeds. It is by acting in a selfless and helpful way towards others and putting their needs before my own that people will truly begin to see Jesus in me. Little acts of unselfish kindness could have an intense impact on others.
Jesus invites us to share in His grace but today we find ourselves not knowing how because we are isolated and possibly in quarantine. Unfortunately, due to these challenging times, it is becoming very easy to come up with an excuse for denying the invitation of our Lord. Our lives are complicated. The best thing to do is place our concerns in the hands of the Lord and then work this out in your church community, not in isolation. The struggles you have someone else has too. But together, as we pursue God’s word and God moments in our lives, we grow as Kingdom ambassadors. There is great encouragement to be found in that process.
Pray for Christ to show you opportunities to continue growing in faith during these times. The staff at St. John’s wants all of us to be intentional about our faith journey and would love to connect with you. If you have a question, we are here for you. We can show you what groups are available to you whether in person or on zoom. May connecting with staff be one of your responses in helping with your worksheet.
Perchance another response could be connecting or continuing to connect further by being part of the church worship online or in the building. The Family Life Center continues to be a blessing to us where we can practice social distancing while worshiping together. If we get to a point where we are at a capacity that does not allow us to properly social distance, be assured St. John’s will offer a 3rd service time. But right now there is plenty of room to spread out. We are a church seeking to worship God together, wherever we can, as often as possible.
I sincerely hope that somewhere in my written thoughts and ideas, you will find support, comfort, and possibly the motivation to prioritize your faith this fall and make new priority lists committing your life to be an important fulfilling Christ-centered life. I try every day to do the actions I have shared with you, and I assure you that I struggle like anyone else because of this anomalous situation. You are not alone! But we should all promptly respond to the invitation and not allow our struggles or complications to interfere with the celebration. The celebration is the Kingdom of Heaven. It is also any way that you are invited to partake in God’s grace: regular prayer, online or in-person worship services, the book you should read, the Bible study you should join, the ministry talk you should attend on zoom or the act of charity that God wants you to perform. Every way that grace is offered to you is a way in which you are invited to the celebration of God. Do not make excuses. Answer His invitation and enter the celebration.
How is He inviting you? In what way are you being called to partake in God’s grace? How will you prioritize your faith this fall?
Jesus, help us to see the many ways in which You call us to share abundantly in Your life of kindness and compassion. Help us to appreciate the celebration that is ready for us and help us to continually make You the priority in our lives. Lord, we have faith in You.
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