Show Us Your Glory

Sunday morning retuning: Loving Jesus. Growing Together. Serving Our World.  What steps will you take, or rather, where you do sense Jesus is leading you to go to stay one step behind Him in 2013?  You do not want to be the same person a year from now do you?  Please do not look at it like a list of things to do.  Rather, try to see it as a verbal map of how God might be leading you to be more like Him. 

As we round into a New Year, I am sure resolutions are on many of your minds.  Some of you have already gotten off track from the pace you wanted to set.  I pray you will not be discouraged, but rather see this new beginning as a time to recalibrate.

I am thinking about that for us collectively and so my eyes have been mind open these last several weeks for where Jesus might be leading me to lead us.  While reading yesterday, some words jumped off the page at me, and I am believing it was the Holy Spirit that caused them to do so.  Let me explain.

Many of you have heard me pray before a morning service something to this effect.  “Lord, let us each return to our cars later knowing that we have meet with You.”  I have always longed for that to be the mark of what God has led me to do, to create an atmosphere where people can encounter Him.  I have failed many times, but He is gracious AND jealous for his glory. 

As a staff we are reading a book together, seeking God’s insight into how we do church, particularly our Sunday morning worship experience.  The book is Vertical Church, by James McDonald.  I have only read the introduction, but I am excited because it was here that I was reminded of Moses prayer in Exodus 33:18, “Show me Your glory.”  That really resonated with me.  I want to spend some time unpacking that next week, but for now I want to give you something to listen to and a challenge to consider.

Here is a link to a great song that gives voice to this cry of Moses, and connects it with walking with Jesus, think Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-11) Show Me You Glory - Jesus Culture.  I long to look on the face of the One I love, what a great line.

What we really need is the presence of God.  An awareness of His manifest presence in our gatherings is what we need.  It’s what the people who come to worship with us need.  It is what I long for in our services.  So I want to ask you on this Wednesday to join me for this next year in this simple prayer.

“Show Us Your Glory”

If you will, please reply and let me know.  I will add you to a list and pray for you to keep that commitment.  I want to plead with God for His presence.  Will you join me?  If you are not convinced you are ready to commit yet, don’t.  That’s OK.  I will give you another chance next week when I unpack Exodus 33 a bit.

Jesus, show us Your glory.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy