–Galatians 5:13-14
Free at last! Welcome to the season of graduations! When I was young, I always thought it would make more sense for the new year to begin in June, right when we gradu-ated from one grade into another. Spring is the season of new beginnings, after all! Now we speak of the school year and the calendar year, just to make things extra confusing.
Nonetheless, it is nice to have two annual reminders that there is always new life in Christ! The world is always spinning and changing, and we are invited to grow and change with it. As some of us prepare to leave certain stages and phases in our lives and look for-ward with excitement and/or anxiety to what comes next, let us remember the freedom we have. I don’t mean the freedom of summer vacation, or of leaving school behind, but the freedom that has always been available to us in Jesus. We can choose to use our freedom in two ways: to pursue our own pleasures and whims, or to do as Paul recommends, “serve one another humbly in love.”
How can we use our gifts and skills, our mind’s intelligence, our heart’s compassion, to serve the world? Now is as good a time as any to ask yourself and pray about that ques-tion. Freedom is a dangerous, though beautiful, thing. We can decide for ourselves, but we can also choose wrong.
Choose right. Choose to love. And no matter where your freedom takes you, know that God is with you always. He always has been, he always will be…
“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.‟ –Numbers 6:24-26
Grace and peace, Pastor Andy
What Makes a Dad
God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the sages,
The power of the eagle’s flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was
complete,
And so, He called it ...Dad.
