Celebratory Thoughts

  • Mike Rydman
  • Dec 18, 2007

Celebratory Thoughts

 

It's no secret I tend to be a "half-empty glass" kind of person. My evaluative mind consistently leans toward the "what hasn't been done yet" or the "what isn't working" side of my life and ministry. Rarely do I stop to consider the person of Jesus as can be seen in changed lives and circumstances.

 

Having said this, I am in a strange place at present. I find myself celebrating what God has done and is doing in the people around me. Maybe it's the holiday times that mark the end of the calendar year that cause me to be more reflective. Maybe it's my aversion to the business of Christmas, both the buying and the scheduling that draw me to seek the simple yet profound reasons for Christmas in the first place. Or maybe, God has been telling me to stop for a moment and witness His work.

 

I am witnessing and I am celebrating. I am celebrating how Jesus Christ is making Himself evident in presence and power through changed people. I am celebrating my God because I am celebrating His people who have become more intentional in their mission. Some examples from recent days give fuel to the party.

 

Our Women's Ministry scheduled their annual cookie exchange, but this year with a twist; the cookies (20 dozen by the way) were created and then delivered to our Sunday hosts at North Middle School. Because it was my privilege to be the delivery guy I got to enjoy their reaction and their gratitude. One office lady told me, "No one ever does nice things for our school. You are the first!" I had no sooner brought in the third and fourth platters of cookies when that same lady sent out an APB email to the school staff announcing the arrival of cookies when highly motivated adults came streaming into the school office. My assumption is there were entire classrooms of students left unattended while their teachers went on cookie detail.

 

My own small group took on the challenge of giving Christmas to a couple of families just north of us. In short order we each adopted a child and purchased needed clothing and toys, while the two single moms were given gift cards for Christmas dinner and other wanted items. When asked afterward, one of our group members said "it felt good, and it felt right" to have given what we did. There is, perhaps, a "sweet spot" in being obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and our small group hit that spot; it did feel right.

 

One of our church members is a corrections officer at the County Jail. Evidently, he is a different sort of guard. One day last week one of the inmates asked him, "So what is this ‘salvation" thing all about, anyway?" it's my guess the follow up conversations have been priceless.

 

Our church has been blessed with talented musicians in recent months. We celebrate the fact that several of these same musicians want to continue to participate in worship with us on Sunday mornings, beyond it just being another "gig." This is all because we have a worship leader who is intentional and relational in his recruiting.

 

Something else I celebrate here in the last days of 2007. God has been very intentional with me. He has driven me deep into His Word. He has reminded me, in lots of creative ways that He, alone is sovereign. And He has shown me that He is doing some incredible things in our church, and in our city, and asks me only to get involved in what He is already doing. He is teaching Deb and me to be more intentional, even in our own neighborhood, and rewarding us with much joy in doing so. We are making friends amongst our neighbors, and can hardly wait for this next year to see how these friendships can grow.

 

And whether I am in a "half-empty" or "half-full' state of mind I cannot do anything but celebrate the birth of Jesus, my Lord and Savior. God was more than intentional in sending Jesus to this earth so we could see what God is like, to see the fulfillment of His long-intended plan to redeem the saints and all of Creation, and to witness through the words of Scripture the power of life over death.

 

As we are created to be the "Imago Dei," the image-bearers of God, I have come to realize this past year that we are called to be intentional in our mission, and to celebrate the blessed results that come from intentional mission. It is this Christmas that God has called me to celebrate His intentional mission to me, and to us. Praise God for His marvelous works among us!