Dear St. Matthew's Church Family, In the first sermon of our current series about Jonah, I talked about how God calls people like you to participate in God's life-changing and world-transforming work. I said - and I firmly believe - that everyone is called and given gifts to serve God in the world. I also said that being reluctant to answer God's call is a nearly universal phenomenon. Even if we don't try to run away like Jonah, many of us are hesitant to unconditionally say "yes" to God. The Good News is that we can try to run (from God) but we can't hide (from God.) God doesn't give up on us, and as we discover in the second chapter of Jonah, God sometimes uses extraordinary means to get us to the place where we will respond. I hope you've given some thought to God's call in your life and are willing to say "yes." Whether you are being called to help with the hypothermia shelter (see below), go on a mission trip, help lead children's ministry programs, mentor kids at Weyanoke Elementary School, sing in a choir, or share the Good News with a friend or neighbor, God can and will bless your commitment, and use the gifts you've been given to transform the world. After all, I believe that God is more concerned with our willingness than our readiness. If you and I wait until we have everything figured out, we're never going to take the first (or next) step. Over the past two weeks, multiple events have inspired (or was it challenged?) me to remember my own call to ministry and my sense of my God-given mission. (I told part of my call story in last week's sermon, including my reluctance to listen to God and my desire to run away. An audio recording of the sermon is available on the church's website.) But, in addition to being called to serve in pastoral ministry, I strongly believe that my mission in life is to fully experience and trust the life-changing power of God's grace and to help others experience and trust the life-changing power of God's grace in their own lives. For many people, the idea of grace - the unmerited love and favor of God - is hard to comprehend. It's one thing to believe that we are saved by grace so that we can experience eternal life with God. It's another thing to trust the power of God's grace in our daily lives, in our relationship with God and with others. For me it's a constant challenge to look for signs of grace in the church and in the world, because it's often so much easier to focus on what's wrong than it is to look for, and pay attention to, signs of what's good: what God is doing all around us. As much as we sometimes long to see evidence of God's vengeance and judgment, I believe that it's God's grace that has the power to change the world. I am aware that it is hard to comprehend how God's love and grace changes anything, but that's why answering God's call and following Jesus is such an amazing adventure of discovery. Hypothermia Shelter - February 17-24One of the best ways to experience the life-changing power of God's grace is by sharing God's grace and helping others. The upcoming hypothermia prevention shelter is a great opportunity to do both. Our week to host the shelter is February 17-24. Hosting the shelter is a significant project and your participation is needed. There are still several evening and overnight shifts that need to be staffed by members of our church family. If you have not done so already, please sign-up and plan to help. Prayer for General ConferenceOver the past couple of years, I've been writing about the upcoming called session of the General Conference of The United Methodist Church. This is the body within the global UMC that makes decisions and speaks for the entire denomination. The General Conference will meet in St. Louis, February 23-26, for the purpose of addressing conflict within the Church on matters related to human sexuality. You can find much more information, including the names and contact information of Virginia's General Conference delegates at www.vaumc.org/GC2019. Please take note of announcements about a Prayer Vigil for General Conference from 9:00am through 5:00pm on Friday February 22 and the sign-up link to pray for General Conference every hour while it is in session. Sunday WorshipOn Sunday morning (February 10) we will continue our sermon series, A Reluctant Servant: Lessons from the Life of Jonah. It's a great story with many valuable lessons. The second message in the sermon is based on the second chapter of Jonah and is titled, Praying in the Belly of the Fish and is based on Jonah 2:1-10 and Luke 5:15-16. Worship Schedule SurveyFinally, I want to thank everyone who has completed the survey asking for information about worship at St. Matthew's. Earlier in the week, we had received feedback from more than 260 members of the church family. We'd like to hear from everyone over the age of 12 and there is still time to share your thoughts. Please remember that no decisions have been made and that a faithful group of church members are leading this effort to consider options that will allow everyone to attend Sunday School and their preferred style of worship. Here is the link to the online version of the survey. There is more information about the survey including contact information in the Wednesday announcement email. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday. In Christ,  |