Renovation

If you haven’t already seen what’s going on in the Sanctuary this week, get ready to be surprised! The whole place is being renovated. I got a bit of a tour, and some idea of the many changes that will be taking place.

This should not be too much of a surprise to anybody, as the renovation has long been a part of our building and growth plan. What is a surprise to me is how fast the renovation work is progressing. Another surprise was how much of the work was being financed by gifts and donations given solely for the purpose of renovation. There is a feeling of anticipation and excitement that is truly infectious. Come and experience it for yourself.

Most of us, if we are having friends over, like to spruce up our home. Yet we tend to ignore the wear and tear in our own churches. Often, repairs or renovation only occur when small problems raise themselves up to dire, or catastrophic, levels. We hardly ever see peeling paint, moldy wallpaper, threadbare carpet, or worn-out pews. Visitors, however, see all of that… and more.

Churches speak of their sanctuaries as being “God’s house,” but all too often we let God’s house fall into disrepair. In the Bible, God called people to rebuild his temple, and they did so with the finest materials available. It seems that God still calls a few people to that particular task, even to this day. To renovate is to make like new. I celebrate the fact that soon our sanctuary will be “like new” again, not for us, but to honor God. A new sanctuary will also provide a more welcoming, comfortable, and pleasant environment where visitors, family, and even long-time members can draw closer to God.

More than anybody else, I recognize that you can’t put God in a box. I also remember the words of Jesus when he spoke about the scattered seed. We want to provide as much fertile soil as possible. There should be no place in our church for “hard” or “thorny” ground.

Indeed, there is much fertile ground at Messiah! Over the years I have watched in awe as we have gone from being a “church” to becoming a “campus.” More importantly, we have grown from considering ourselves to be a “congregation” to actually being a “fellowship”… centered in Christ and led by the Holy Spirit. Fertile ground is any place God’s Holy Spirit is actively leading His people.

My prayer is that God continue to stir up His Presence in us, that we stay open to being led by His Spirit, and that we never tire of sharing His Good News with a lost and lonely world.

Your brother in Christ,

Dave