Pastor Jim Clarke Pastor Paula McCutcheon

Make It Simple

Pastor Jim

I have learned to be content with whatever I have.
I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty.
In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret
of being well-fed and going hungry,
of having plenty and being in need.
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:11b-31

Life is way too complicated. It is not our fault, the world is complicated. I wonder whether anyone has lived a more complex and convoluted existence as we do now? There is so much to deal with, far more than when people didn’t know much outside of their village. It isn’t our fault but we do make it worse. We take on more, buy more, expect more, want more, and often live as if we are never satisfied. In the face of this I believe God calls us to a life of simplicity.

I think we hear a good deal about living a simple life on the outside: buying less, recycling, leaving a smaller carbon imprint on the world – and if you know me you know that I believe in these things, but there is also simplicity of the heart, and that is something we don’t talk about much.

Simplicity of the heart starts with grace – that we are loved by God. We are loved just as we are, we don’t have to do anything to earn God’s love. John Wesley called this prevenient grace. Simplicity of heart also means wisdom, which is rooted in seeing things from God’s perspective, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and not our own. This means to look at the lilies of the field and the birds of the air; it means not to worry so much, and to trust God’s involvement in all things. This leads to humility. God’s perspective is pretty big, and in light of it we are not the center of things. We are loved, but not entitled. Finally, simplicity of the heart means stewardship, which at its core is acting out our grace, wisdom and humility. It means investing in God’s kin-dom.

Our Stewardship Program this year is entitled Make It Simple. It is a Lutheran resource, but we know that Lutherans are in the web of God too. Making it “simple” does not mean dumbing down the faith; it means encouraging simplicity of the heart. It is about the transformation of our souls and our lives, so that we can be followers of Jesus Christ. The schedule is as follows:

10-4      Following Jesus
10-11    Facing the Truth
10-18    Acting Together
10-25    Sharing Enough.

We encourage all to be present at all of these worship services in order to receive the whole… package. The community needs our presence at this time in its life – and God always does.

Pastor Jim