Tuesday June 5th, 2018 Hosea 2:14-20
I will now allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. From there I will give her her vineyards, and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. (verses 14-15)
The church is dying. This statement has been tossed around a lot lately in church and wider communities. It comes from those who are connected, loosely connected or not at all connected to church life. For the faithful of church communities, it feels like we are in a wilderness, trying to shed light on the opposite truth. We are not a dying church; we are a church with a living gospel. Maybe this wilderness time we are experiencing, is renewing our message of hope for the world.
We are learning to measure success in the church not by attendance or finances, but by the ministry we share with our wider communities, in the ways we engage the world around us, in the relationships we build with one another. We are not a dying church, we are a renewing and reforming church, a church that was relevant long before us and will continue to be relevant long after us, exploring new ways to live out the gospel message. Our door of hope is that God is constant and faithful to God’s creation, from the beginning of time until eternal time.
Infinite God, guide us on our journey through wilderness times, with your promise of hope for new life. Amen. — TLR
Contributed by Hope in the Wilderness
The church is dying. This statement has been tossed around a lot lately in church and wider communities. It comes from those who are connected, loosely connected or not at all connected to church life. For the faithful of church communities, it feels like we are in a wilderness, trying to shed light on the opposite truth. We are not a dying church; we are a church with a living gospel. Maybe this wilderness time we are experiencing, is renewing our message of hope for the world.
We are learning to measure success in the church not by attendance or finances, but by the ministry we share with our wider communities, in the ways we engage the world around us, in the relationships we build with one another. We are not a dying church, we are a renewing and reforming church, a church that was relevant long before us and will continue to be relevant long after us, exploring new ways to live out the gospel message. Our door of hope is that God is constant and faithful to God's creation, from the beginning of time until eternal time.
