Remember when....

I have been spending a lot of time in conversation around our worship changes in the last two weeks. God has provided amazing opportunities for many conversations and new levels of understanding. But I have to admit that I got to a place this week where I thought to myself..... we must be CRAZY! How, why did we ever come up with options A & B..... we are insane, this obviously is NOT what is going to make people "happy". And then in the midst of a meeting this week it came to me. Almost one year to Sunday's date many in our church family came together to celebrate the beginning of Asbury's 230th year of ministry. We hosted Bishop Middleton, and for that Sunday, we were one church. We celebrated how God has provided in the past and the new opportunities He is calling us to in the future. We had bells, praise instruments, singers, and it was Worship. There were over 300 of us gathered in the sanctuary to give all the glory and honor to God through our various giftings and musical abilities. 

For weeks after this service our phones rang, emails were sent and conversations had around why we don't do this more often. Many leaders in the church came forward asking, pleading almost begging to have our services changed right then. "We've proven we can do this, and do it well," they said. Why can't we all be together in worship? And so I sit here reflecting on those conversations.  Wondering.... how did we get here? God, where are you leading? And, whatever comes out of the next week, will we all want something different next year?

I am struggling. In many ways I can relate that experience and these last weeks to numerous biblical accounts.  I think of Moses and the Israelites. They wanted to leave Egypt and be free from Pharoh right? Until they faced uncertainty that is..... and then in Exodus 14:10-11, "As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord.  They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?"

Unfortunately one of the accounts that just will not leave my mind is Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey on Palm Sunday and people shouting "Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest". Only to find several days later the same people shouting "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" Maybe that's too far reaching, I don't know.

But I do know that I am a fickle, sinful human. When I get so entrenched in what I want I become worthless to God and worthless to ministry. I have no idea what our worship schedule should look like. I know how many changes would effect children and youth programing and it makes me worry that if we try to please everyone, we may not please anyone or far worse, we may not have anyone left to please.

I don't write any of this to try to convince you to "vote" a certain way. But please, spend some time thinking about the last year, where we've been as a church and where God is calling us to go in the future. PLEASE, spend time on your knees before God, if He does not want option A or B for His church, that He would show us how to do the wonderful things we currently do in different set up. I will be praying for us... and I will come to worship on Sunday with a surrendered heart. Will you join me?

Aimee