For Such A Time as This – April 7, 2021 – Brandon Grady

To the Good Folk of the Palmyra Church of the Brethren,
 
Joys and Concerns
If you have a joy or concern you would like us to share and pray about, please call, text, or email it to me.  If you would like it included in our Sunday Worship sharing and prayer time, please share it with Pastor Bill that week by Thursday evening. 
 
See this Saturday’s “Weekly Update” email for any new prayer concerns.
 
Thank You:
To all who call others to check in on them and to share our emails and devotions.
 
Today’s Devotion:
“Compelling Vision” is our denomination's effort to identify a shared vision that will foster unity in the midst of great diversity and dividing differences.  A thirteen session Bible Study has been developed to undergird this statement.  Congregations are asked to use this resource in preparation for the adoption of this statement at Annual Conference this summer.  Beginning this week, we will use the scripture, reflection and sending parts of the Bible Study in our weekly devotion email.  These studies will benefit us not only as part of the Church of the Brethren, but also as partners in a congregation that is actively discerning our mission and emerging ministry options. 
 
Click here to register for the district coordinated Zoom Bible Study.

Shalom,
Dennis

Compelling Visions Statement
Together, as the Church of the Brethren, we will passionately live and share the radical transformation and holistic peace of Jesus Christ through relationship-based neighborhood engagement. To move us forward, we will develop a culture of calling and equipping disciples who are innovative, adaptable, and fearless.
 
Session 1 – Our Vision, God’s Vision
 
Scriptures

Philippians 2:1-5
If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
 
Luke 4:14-21
Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
   because he has anointed me
     to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
   and recovery of sight to the blind,
     to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’

Reflection – Brandon Grady
What is vision? Why is it important for the faith community to have vision? As we begin to think about these questions, Paul and Jesus remind us of the importance of having unity, purpose, and passion as we journey with God.
 
In Paul’s and Jesus’ day, people struggled to understand each other. Major questions of future survival and direction persisted. Concerns over one’s place and that of the faith community’s role in the current society were very much present. And yet, these two Spirit-led individuals still came and ministered, calling their audiences to bond together and reach out to one another in the love and joy of the Lord.
 
In the times in which we’re living, shouldn’t we want to adopt the same mentality in our local churches and our beloved denomination as sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus? As we continue his work, shouldn’t we form our vision having his mind, his attitude, and his joy in our hearts? It seems such a simple concept, but it is not easy. We all have different ideas of who Jesus is and what Jesus means to us. So did the original hearers of Paul and Jesus. They were followers, yet they still needed the reminder to keep going where Jesus led them.
 
So is our joy in Christ complete? I attend Annual Conference year after year. I have friends with many theological understandings. I have the blessing of deep connections with family and friends in my own life. I love them all. I appreciate them all. And when I lose those connections, well frankly, something is missing.
 
In my mind, Paul is calling the Philippians not to miss opportunities to bond together and think of others first. As a denomination, our vision will be missing something if everyone is not coming along. We must heed Paul’s call not to miss opportunities to be together and serve others. Let us encourage one another in love, compassion, mercy, and complete joy in Christ in our lives and our churches!
 
In Luke 4, Jesus goes back to Galilee early in his ministry and spreads the good news in various synagogues. Then a special reunion happens at Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown. To the attendees, Jesus says that he is anointed to bring good news to the poor and sent by God to release captives, give sight to the blind, and free the oppressed. Jesus tells them they are tasked with that same mission. They are to work together to fulfill the vision of equality, freedom, justice, and love for all.
 
Jesus challenged and changed not only those in his hometown but so many others in his ministry. He fed the multitude on a hill with a boy’s lunch and turned water into wine for a wedding feast. He changed the hearts of the thirsty Samaritan woman at the well and the skeptical but curious tax collector, Zacchaeus. He showed compassion for Mary and Martha as they sought the best way to serve him.
 
In our vision, we must have the mind, the attitude, and the joy of Jesus. We must seek to be unified in our call to serve and reach others. We must have a purpose and passion for welcoming more and more sheep to Christ, all while not assuming that anyone who disagrees with us is automatically a goat. We are simply urged to answer the call from Jesus to his disciples to go into the world and preach the gospel to every nation. Let us do so with complete joy in our hearts and with our eyes fixed on Jesus! Our best vision is his vision!
 
Sending
We are Christ’s ambassadors in this time. Are we joyfully ready to be vessels for change? Are we open to seeing everyone as a child of God who, even if it’s hard to see it, offers a ray of Christ’s light? No matter whether others say Christ and the church are dying, let us vow to live the reality that he’s alive, he’s shining, he’s always guiding us! Let us leave shining his light in our hearts, in our homes, in our churches, with our neighbors, with strangers, with everyone we meet. When people are around us, may they see Jesus reflecting in our faces, forming our attitudes, and captured in our open minds. To God be the glory in Jesus’ name. Amen!