If you attend our weekly prayer group, you’ll know that one thing I always ask of participants is “how is it with your soul”. It’s an old question born out of the Wesleyan class meetings.
It’s an important question, particularly as we move from 2019 to 2020. As our nation continues to engage in divisive politics, and our denomination continues to argue over who is included and who is left standing outside the doors of our beloved community, it is important to ask, how is it with your soul?
As you continue to make and edit your New Year’s resolutions, please be sure to attend to the care of your soul. Commit to attending church more regularly, find a spiritual practice that feeds your spirit, and share your faith with someone.
Another good question to consider as the New Year begins is “where do you find your joy”? As I meet with people, both inside and outside the church, I sense that we have become a nation burdened with sorrow, grief, and perhaps worst of all, a sense of simmering resentment and anger. How do we as people of God’s great light share that light to illumine the path for others?
During Advent we light the pink candle of Joy, but it seems that light quickly goes out, and we return to that sense of joyless dis-ease again. I hope that in 2020 we find ways both as a congregation and individually to cultivate more joy in our lives.
Finally, my New Year’s prayer is that we become an invitational community, that we commit to inviting someone to join in our community each week. Studies have shown that one of the proven ways for churches to grow is when congregants start inviting people to attend. It’s a daunting task, I know, but I encourage you to pray each week that God will lead you to someone who needs our community.
One way to build community is to participate in our first book study of the year, Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging,by Sebastian Junger. The study is led by Mark Dellner and will be held on Wednesday evenings. This is study that you can invite someone to join.
May God richly bless you as move fully into 2020