“Jesus said to
him, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money
to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When
the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many
possessions.” (Matthew 19:21-22)
Many
of us want to experience the significance of blessing others, but feel trapped
by past decisions, and misled by a society that bombards us with messages about
the need to “have more” and “have better.”
The good news is that Jesus offers us a way to defy this pull and break
free from the culture of “more”!
To
equip us for this task, during the month of October, McKendree UMC will be
celebrating a church wide stewardship journey called “Defying Gravity.”
Each Sunday, we’ll explore aspects regarding the “gravity” of the cultural
obsession with “more” and “better,” and examine Jesus’ remedy for “defying”
it: a generous life. We’ll learn what the Bible says that is, why
it brings people joy, and why it can be so hard to experience.
There
will also be exercises and challenges to help us all to consider how to
actually achieve it through a proper understanding of, and relationship with,
money and possessions. One of these
opportunities will be a community-wide Clothing Drive October 13-20 — please
mark your calendar now and start setting aside your gently-used clothing that
you can donate. It will all culminate
with a Celebration Sunday on October 27.
I
pray that you’ll join me and your fellow sisters and brothers in Christ during
the month of October as we explore what it means to “Defy Gravity” and reach
the potential that’s within each of us to become the people and church that God
wants us to be! For more information,
visit www.mckendreeumc.org/defying-gravity. Remember, God
loves you and I do, too!
