Time to Engage
It’s fall and normally the time when we transition from a summer of being disengaged from our regular programs to starting the school year again. It’s normally a time of reengaging in those things that we are committed to do through the year. This fall, though, we are not just returning from a summer away, but from a year and a half of adjustments and disruptions from the ongoing pandemic. We want to do what we can to protect the health of others, especially those who are vulnerable. At the same time there is a need to be engaged in whatever ways we can be.
As we do make our way back, it is good to take stock of where we are at. Like going back to the gym and finding we are out of shape, there can be spiritual atrophy if we have gotten away from habits and routines that kept us spiritually healthy. We have learned to adjust and accommodate by doing more at home through our devices. That has, in some ways, become the new normal. So what does it mean now to engage in the life of the church?
The Need to Engage
To be engaged is more than just being present or attending an event. To be engaged implies that we are interacting with others in productive ways and fulfilling our part in something that is bigger than ourselves. A gear can be spinning around but unless it is engaged to work in coordination with other gears it really is missing out on its purpose. When gears are engaged together amazing work can be accomplished.
Made to Belong
We were made to belong with others in community. The Church is like a body. There are many parts, but they all need and belong to each other (Romans 12:5). When the parts are connected and working together, the body lives, moves, and can do great things. Where parts are separated or not working together, the body is impaired and may die. Being engaged in the life of the church then is not so much about just being present or online, but whether or not our lives are connected, engaged and working together toward a common end.
Finding Ways to Engage
During our focus on “Engage” we will be reviewing the mission of our church to enfold, equip, invest and invite. With this worship and prayer is at the center. We will explore simple practical ways to engage together. To engage in the life of the church means coming to see how our life fits into the mission God has given us and joining hands with others in living it out. This is not just about what we do on Sunday morning within the building we sometimes call “church.” Engaging is more about what we are doing during the week in our homes, work places, and communities. It requires conversations beyond those we have standing in the foyer so that our mutual efforts may touch the lives of those outside our building.
There has never been a more important time to stay engaged in the church than right now. It is vital for our own spiritual health and for the life of the church that we stay engaged with God and others in living out the life he has called us to live. It is needed for the good of our community
