back in the pulpit

this past sunday, i was back in the pulpit for the first time since the final worship service of the bridge. our church is in the middle of a message series on the book of james, entitled 'world changing faith.' you can hear the message here.

it has been an amazing thing to be back at lighthouse for what i believe is a special move of the Holy Spirit. this is an affluent, mostly college-educated suburban church -- a recipe for self-absorption and complacency -- but God is growing the hearts of his people in compassion and commitment for the needy, vulnerable, and oppressed, both locally and around the world. the church invited richard stearns (world vision president) to come and speak last week and took time that sunday to purchase and assemble 500 AIDS caregiver kits. people are also taking a more active interest in serving the poor in our local community, notably through jubilee reach center. many are reading the hole in our gospel, and wrestling with the broader vision of the good news Jesus came to proclaim. smaller groupings of lighthouse folks have been attending forums and workshops to better understand global issues like human trafficking, the social impact of AIDS, and extreme poverty -- and what a gospel response might look like. and the church is also putting its money where its mouth is, giving generously to disaster relief in southeast asia and committing a large sum of money (over $200,000) to the needs of the poor in this new fiscal year. all of this is in addition to the church's commitment to more 'direct' proclamation missions, both in sponsoring full-time missionaries and in sending teams (this past summer to japan and the slums of kenya).

the movement is not yet in full bloom, but the buds are definitely visible. it may be a cloud the size of a man's hand, but we pray that the rain will finally come!

***

thy kingdom come
thy will be done
on earth
as it is in heaven
matthew 6:10