“And
we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed
into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is
the Spirit.”
(2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV)
I was in a meeting the other day
when the subject of mission and vision statements came up. In that context, I had the occasion to
reflect on our own vision statement that is printed every week at the top left
hand side of our bulletins: “Changing Lives Through the Power of Jesus
Christ”. One of the threads of
conversation that went around the room was how many of the people in any given
church can recite their vision statement, or tell someone what it means. One of the keys to be able to do that is for
that statement to be concise enough for it to be remembered, and kept in front
of those that are guided by it.
When held to that standard, I
believe our vision statement works well.
I do wonder, though, if we are familiar with this reappearing line in
our bulletin, and if it truly guides anything, let alone everything that we do
as a congregation. I was not here as
pastor when the statement was developed, but I can imagine that perhaps this verse
from 2 Corinthians 3 may have been part of the inspiration for it, or another
passage like it, but the statement has strong biblical support.
I would be interested in talking
with anyone who was involved in the process of developing that statement as to
what Scriptures prompted this statement, and what conversations went into
producing the final product. Don’t get
me wrong, I love the statement, and do not wish to change it, but I want to
help us as a congregation live in to this powerful goal.
Truly, the evidence of a person’s
relationship with Christ is a changed life.
Paul also wrote in a later chapter in 2 Corinthians, “Therefore, if
anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has
come!” In Romans, Paul writes about our
very nature being changed so that we are no longer slaves to sin, but become
bondservants of Jesus Christ, so transformation is at the heart of what needs
to be taking place in all of us here at Mt. Pleasant, as none of us are
finished products as of yet.
I would invite you to join me in
prayerfully asking God to help us see how He is calling us to be a part of His
work, to be “Changing Lives Through the Power of Jesus Christ”. If our best days are still ahead of us, and I
believe that they very well may be, how will we live into this statement?
By
His Grace Alone,
Pastor
Bruce Jacobsen
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