What are we going to do?

As the year came to an end the numbers on our attendance board were declining so someone sincerely concerned for our congregation asked, "What are we going to do?"

"All we can do is to be faithful," I replied.

The prophet Habakkuk watched the world around him spiral downward. He questioned God and felt as if God had turned a deaf ear to his prayers. Yet while Habakkuk was discouraged and distraught he declared:

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights." Habakkuk 3:17-19

The oldest of the elders in a church in Tennessee where Thomas served had a saying that might be appropriate for us to consider at this time. When the church seemed to hit a wall and the elders were wondering about the future of the congregation, he would simply say:

"We start from where we are,
with what we've got, and go from here."

As the leadership of that congregation adopted his attitude, the small inner-city church that looked like it was dying became a revived and thriving congregation!

The Lord calls us to be faithful disciples, to demonstrate our commitment to the Lord with our worship and devotion, to demonstrate God's grace in our relationships within the church and then, together, empowered by our faith and the Holy Spirit, begin to touch our community with God's love in practical ways. In other words, to start from where we are, with what we've got, and go from here. All we can do is be faithful.

Our challenge for 2011 is to renew our commitment to the Lord with regular attendance at the communion table each week, faithfully bringing our tithe to the Lord, willingly giving of our time, talent, and treasure.

All we can do is be faithful.