A Season of Revitalization
September 6, 2023
“For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” Zephaniah 3:17
Last week I read Zephaniah 3:17 in my Bible app, and it brought me great joy. First, because it’s from the book of Zephaniah. Say “Zephaniah” aloud a few times; it’s fun to say! And it may have been a month or twelve since you’ve read this book. If you’re like me, sometimes I can forget about the smaller books in the Bible. Even scholars call Zephaniah one of the twelve “minor prophets.”
The second reason I felt joy in this verse from Zephaniah is the tremendous encouragement in this “minor” book. The book’s theme is a warning and call to repentance for Judah, but it concludes by foreshadowing the time of God’s redemption of those who do. I’d invite you to read all of chapter three.
That story of redemption is unfolding in our church. It’s not the same circumstance or to the same level as the people of Judah, but there’s no doubt God is bringing a season of revitalization into Leeds First Methodist Church and its people. “He (is taking) delight in you with gladness.”
On-Ramp and God’s Work
In August, we initiated our Fall On-Ramp to the paths of Worship, Grow, Serve, and Reach. And Praise God, these paths to purpose are teeming with more and more folks! Here are some of the numbers:
Our average weekly worship attendance is 148, a 16% year-to-date increase over 2022. By the way, 2022 was 11% higher than the same period in 2021. During August this year, 90 adults and youth took the On-Ramp to grow or serve. That’s over 70% of our average weekly attendance of adults and youth! God is doing a great work here! And one of my favorite numbers is 17—that’s how many new folks took the On-Ramp to grow or serve for their first time here in our church!
Have you ever heard people say 20% of a group do 80% of the work? In fact, our church leaders told me that when I first arrived, but praise God that’s not the case at Leeds FMC today! In Matthew and Luke, Jesus said, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” (Luke 10:2)
I have prayed that prayer. You likely have prayed that prayer. And God is answering it in our midst! Let’s individually and collectively lift our praises to God for equipping more people for this great harvest through Leeds First Methodist Church.
September Series
In September, I’ve entitled our sermon series On Earth as in Heaven. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus asked God for his kingdom to come soon and his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Living like heaven on earth can feel like a contradiction in a fallen world, but followers of Jesus join God’s mission to live in a way that models God’s character and brings the light of Jesus to this age.
This series looks at some of the character traits that bring heaven, bit by bit, to a fallen world. This Sunday we continue with part 2: HOLY Living. Make plans to attend and invite a friend; they’ll be glad you did.