Pastors' Columns
Pastor's Pulse
March 2010
March 2010
“When Jesus went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them. . .” – Matthew 14:14
In Matthew’s Gospel which we have been focusing on since the beginning of Advent Jesus sets high standards for discipleship (Matthew 10:32-39). Yet Matthew also emphasizes Jesus’ compassion. Twice Jesus quotes the famous verse from Hosea, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” (Hosea 6:6, Matthew 9:13, 12:7). Jesus then must be seen as emphasizing a call to discipleship that, while demanding, is still to be seen as an expression of compassion and mercy.
We have been emphasizing the theme of being “missional.” This is a call to remember that mission is at the heart of the gospel. Our primary function in this world is to “make disciples” (Matthew 28:19). All of us are called to a unique mission to accomplish this end. At the same time the task of making disciples belongs to the church as a whole. We do not function as isolated individuals but as members of the one body of Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 12:12).
During this Lenten season we will be dealing with this theme of discipleship in different ways. On Sunday, Mar. 14 we will have the pleasure of having with us the Rev. Chris Walker, a Presbyterian minister who has been a leader in evangelism in both North and South America as well as Europe. Our Wednesday night Lenten services will also continue to deal with the real life demands and opportunities of discipleship.
One of the most exciting recent developments in the life of our church has been the mission outreach that has come from some of our young adults. Liz Rice has spearheaded some recent gatherings of our young adults. Bennett Honeywell is organizing regular trips to Goodwill Rescue Mission in Newark to give them some assistance and Sage Walsh is developing a special concert to raise money for Haiti relief (I’m happy to say that we have already raised almost nine thousand dollars for disaster assistance in Haiti).
We are called by Christ to his mission. This mission gives us the special opportunity to show compassion and mercy as we share the message of new life in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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