Ministry Update 9-12-08

This week's devotion by Jay McKenney

The man in the mirror

We are probably all past the age of classic monster nightmares. Not much really scares us in the moment anymore like it did when we were young children. I bet though, if today when you were looking in the mirror the reflection began to do its own thing, you’d freak out. I know I would probably scream like a school girl.

But, that never happens in real life. If we move to one side of the mirror, the reflection does the same thing, every time, without fail.

That analogy lies at the heart of what we are striving to be as a ministry this year. If I stand on the platform Sunday and sing about God being the most important thing in my life; if I express my desperation for Him, and then that is the only conversation I have with Him until next Sunday at 9:05 or 11:05 a.m.; it is as unnatural as my reflection doing its own thing in the mirror. And, it will freak people out and drive them away from Christ.

So… we choose to be “real”. We are longing for the reality of who we are in Christ, to play out in real time, in real life. I’m not talking about perfection; I’m just talking about being genuine. Whether or not you serve in choir, serve in media, or serve by playing a guitar; wherever you serve, isn’t the goal to experience Christ in life and bring that to your role? Isn’t the goal that whatever we do, wherever we are, we live from a heart that lines up with everything we are professing?

We sing lines like “Falling on my knees in worship, giving all I am to seek Your face, Lord all I am is Yours.” Or, “Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine, O what a foretaste of glory divine.” I want lines like that to mean something on Tuesday morning and to remind us that we are still seeking His face and reveling in the fact of our assurance as Christ’s creation.

How do we do this? We do it together, we do it humbly, and we do it covered in God’s grace and love. We do it knowing that being real is sometimes scary and vulnerable, but it is also filled with freedom and hope.

There are many practical applications this year we are working on to help reinforce and broadcast to our community the message that we are choosing to be real. But those practical applications have to be built on a foundation of our lives beginning to line up with the truth of who we are as new creations in Christ.

I want to help in my role at Sunset, in any way possible, to see this develop more in our ministry in the coming year. And really, we need to help each other. We can do this by being honest with one another and by seeking to love and exhort and encourage one another in the faith as we live the quest to be real. The truth is it’s really the first part of the sentence we started last year, “So they will know Him”; because when we are real, we begin to reflect Christ who lives within us. That’s the man in the mirror we all long to be.

“We choose to be real, so they will know Him.”


Love to sing?
You’re welcome to sing with a worship choir on Sunday, September 21st, for THE eleventh hour. You’ll also need to come for a rehearsal at 8:30pm, Wed, Sept 17th on the platform. If you’re interested and would like to sing, please contact Jill Hofer jillhofer@sunsetpres.org.

Yes… They Are Alive!
The trees in the sanctuary which are the centerpiece of our set design for Pastor Ron's series "Growing Wise" are for sale on a first come, first served basis for $50 each.

We will be lovingly caring for them throughout the sermon series and then they will be available to take home following the services October 5th and during the day October 6th. If you are interested in tagging a tree to take home, please contact janetfraser@sunsetpres.org.

Upcoming Events List
If you have questions about any of these events, please contact Dan Larson at danlarson@sunsetpres.org.

September 20 – ESL Registration & classes start
September 27 – WIRED – equipping and encouraging all small group leaders to youth and adults October 12 – Annual Meeting (6:30pm)
October 23 – Sanctus Real in Concert
October 24 – Family Unity Night (FUN)
October 25 – Parent Seminar (put on by Student Ministry)

Upcoming Service Sept 21st
Pastor Ron teaching
Worship Leader:
9a Jill Hofer, choir, orchestra
11a Tyler Braun
vocal team, praise band