Ordinary Time Worship Series for June & July: MISSION
Next Sunday we will embark on a seven-week worship series that developed from one word I hear multiple times with various meanings. That word is “mission.” Sometimes we use it as a noun to refer to an ideal or purpose, such as “our church’s mission.” We use it as an adjective to describe going somewhere with the intent of spreading the gospel, like our “mission trip” to Haiti later this year. It is the capitalized name of a ministry in our community, “The Mission,” that provides services like Celebrate Recovery. We add an “s” to it and talk about a desire to “do more missions.”
Like so many words used over and over in the church, it’s easy for us to lose sight of what “mission” means for us as disciples of Jesus.
Did you know that The United Methodist Church devotes multiple pages in The 2016 Book of Discipline to describing our mission as a Church? Here is one powerful statement from that description:
The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world by proclaiming the good news of God’s grace and by exemplifying Jesus’ command to love God and neighbor, thus seeking the fulfillment of God’s reign and realm in the world.
Over the next seven weeks, I invite you to read, re-read, and meditate upon this statement. Pray not only for our congregation but also for The United Methodist Church as we seek to live into this calling. I look forward to exploring MISSION with you as we live into Jesus’ great commission!
all good things to each of you,
Pastor Darian
Lectionary Texts for Sunday, June 17, 2018
1 Samuel 15:34-16:13
Psalm 20
2 Corinthians 5:6-10, 14-17
Mark 4:26-34