Humble Ourselves and Pray
February 4th, 2007
Gerry Doerksen
Text:
2 Chronicles 7:14
Good morning!
If my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways
Then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.
(2nd Chronicles 7:14 )
This Old Testament passage has been important to me since my Bible School days. I think I like it so much because, for me, it gets to the heart of the Gospel. And, I believe it might just tell us about the attributes of a good leader, and a good Board.
So this morning I’d like to explore this passage a little more deeply and, at the same time, share some of my thinking and ideas on the direction for the year ahead.
King Solomon has recently completed the building of the Temple … a magnificent edifice … architecturally stunning by all accounts. In 2nd Chronicles, Chapter 6, Solomon offers a remarkable prayer to God to mark the opening of the Temple. Then, following that dedication service, God appears to Solomon and responds to him with these words:
If my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face…
I see some ideas and themes here. Ideas like humility, being God’s people, and prayer. Let’s talk about these a bit.
Humility is an attitude – a lifestyle that God is looking for in God’s people, and in me. Humility carries with it a certain softness that smoothes the rough edges of arrogance, affluence and abrasiveness. It is meant for the individual Christian as well as the congregation, I believe.
So in this spirit of humility let me first thank you, the congregation, for your trust in me as chair of the Board for the upcoming year. I take this responsibility seriously … but I can’t do it on my own. I need God’s wisdom and strength, and yours too. So I ask for your support and prayers throughout the coming year.
Special thanks goes to John Lobach for taking me under his wing and helping me to understand the various issues and way of doing things here at TUMC. Thank you, John.
I would also like to thank the outgoing board members for their gracious support this past year. And, of course, I must thank my wife for being with me every step of the way.
As a Board, we want to be accessible and show humility in all that we say and do. To this end we will endeavour to operate in an open and transparent manner. We will post the minutes for all to read, both on the bulletin board in our lobby, and also in the Place of Meeting newsletter. Please feel free to approach me, or any board member, and seek my attention on issues that are important to you. With your support and prayers, we will do our best in accomplishing the work of the church on your behalf.
God, the omnipotent Creator, says:
If my people who are called by my name…
Am I … are we … God’s people? Mennonite Church Canada had the theme “God’s People Now” for 2006, so the answer must be yes. I believe that the community of faith to which you and I belong — TUMC, Mennonite, Anabaptist, whatever you wish to call us – is special to God today! How thrilling is that! As God’s people we are special, but by no means are we exclusive! Unique in our Anabaptist distinctives … perhaps … but exclusive … NEVER!
We are a wonderfully diverse congregation. This is something to celebrate! We are set in an urban environment, in the 21st century. What then does it mean to “do church” in this setting? One of my goals for the Board this year is to somehow make time for discussing questions on deeper issues and future direction. Questions like: Does our worship reflect our current diversity as well as it might? Do our structures and committees and procedures reflect this diversity, and allow for the full participation of everyone who might wish to get involved? Where do we see ourselves in 2, 5 or 10 years?
Here at TUMC it is quite natural that we often do things together in subgroups – like the youth, or seniors, or young adults. A personal goal for the year is to approach many of our subgroups and get to know them just a little better. I particularly enjoy being an usher, as it allows me to greet everyone, including newcomers, on Sunday mornings. Let’s make a special effort to welcome newcomers to our church, and befriend them. They strengthen and enrich us, and are quite possibly our future!
God, the Ancient of Days, says:
If my people … pray and seek my face …
Each of us knows that prayer is essential to our Christian walk and spiritual growth. But it’s also what the church community is to do. Someone has said:
You don’t pray for the work of the Church;
Prayer IS the work of the Church”
I agree!
Let’s surround every facet of our church with prayer. This includes our Board as well. We need to be a church Board that prays… earnestly seeking God’s will and direction for the future. And you need to be earnestly praying for us too. Will you do that?
Are we a church that loves to read the Scriptures? We come from an historical tradition of reading the Bible for ourselves. We are Biblicists! I think it’s wonderful that our worship leaders, speakers, and pastors include a wide variety of Bible readings. Thank you fo
r helping us to seek God’s face. Let’s encourage each other to continue delving into the truths found in God’s Holy book.
Then …God says: Then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.
Here it is, finally, the heart of the gospel. Forgiveness and healing for you and me!
All I need do is walk with God, talk with God, learn of God, make choices instructed by God … and then … God will hear … and forgive … and heal.
What a wonderful message of assurance for each of us today as we begin this new church year together! Amen!