First, I want to express my deep gratitude to each of you for your prayers and support during my recent mountain retreat. The time away was both productive and renewing, and I returned Thursday feeling refreshed and eager to share what’s on the horizon for our church in 2025. I spent a lot of time praying and planning worship themes that will help us spend a year with Jesus, letting Jesus speak and transform us. But before I dive into those details, I’ll be vetting these ideas with our staff and leaders as we discern together how God is leading us. We’ll make any necessary adjustments to ensure that our direction is aligned with where the Spirit seems to be leading us.
Now, let’s talk about mountains for a moment. What is it about mountains that have such a renewing quality, and why do they seem to connect us with the divine? Is it being several thousand feet closer to heaven? Maybe it’s the thinner air that opens up our minds, the quiet that helps us truly listen, or perhaps the distraction-free environment that allows us to focus on what really matters. I ask these questions because Jesus eemed to have a habit of heading up the mountain quite a bit.
Throughout the Gospels, we find Jesus climbing mountains for prayer and divine encounters. He ascended a mountain to deliver the Sermon on the Mount, one of his most profound teachings. Jesus went up a mountain to pray alone after feeding the 5,000, seeking solitude and communion with the Father. On another occasion, he took Peter, James, and John up a high mountain where he was transfigured before them, revealing his divine glory. And let’s not forget that after Jesus’ resurrection, he met his disciples on a mountain in Galilee, where he gave them the Great Commission. These mountain moments were not just about the physical ascent but about connecting with God in a profound way.
My time away wasn’t just helpful for planning sermons and worship; it also sparked renewed ideas and vision for how we can become a more vital and younger congregation. As we gear up for our big anniversary celebration, I’ll be preaching on some of these topics, but I’ll also use this blog space to share and cast some of that vision. I believe that we can increase our vitality and reach more people by making shifts that make young people a priority, cultivating greater empathy with those we long to reach, become an even more welcoming church family, strengthening and forging new relastionships in community, focus on Jesus-centered teaching, and developing leaders who span all age groups. But more on that later.
Once again, I want to thank you all for your prayerful support. A special thank you to Pastor Becky for stepping into the pulpit and Pastor Mary Gay for providing care while I was away. And I can’t forget our incredible staff, who work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly. Your dedication made this time away possible, and I’m so grateful for each one of you.
With deep gratitude,
