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One week into our I Am series, I find myself listening more intentionally whenever I hear those two simple words: I am.
I hear them in conversations with church members, friends, family members, and sometimes even strangers in the grocery store.
I am overwhelmed. I am tired. I am recovering. I am stretched thin. I am holding on. And also: I am grateful. I am growing. I am excited about what's next. I am learning to trust. I am experiencing so much joy. I am…
The more I listen, the more I realize that these everyday "I am" statements are rarely casual. They reveal something deeper about the season we're living through, the burdens we're carrying, the hopes we're nurturing, and the story we're telling ourselves about who we are.
The Gospel of John invites us into a deeper conversation. Throughout the gospel, Jesus declares:
I am the bread of life. I am the light of the world. I am the gate. I am the good shepherd. I am the resurrection and the life. I am the way, the truth, and the life. I am the true vine.
John's gospel is profoundly incarnational. It begins with the astonishing proclamation: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." In Jesus, God's very life takes on flesh and enters the realities of ordinary human experience.
As we listen to Jesus tell us who he is, perhaps we are also being invited to listen more carefully to ourselves. Not merely to evaluate ourselves. Not simply to take inventory of our accomplishments or shortcomings. Rather, to notice. To attend. To discern. To name the realities of our lives before God.
Who am I today? Who am I becoming? What stories am I telling myself about my identity? Which of those stories are rooted in Christ, and which are rooted in fear, anxiety, busyness, disappointment, or expectation?
Last week's I Am poem was an invitation to begin naming those realities. This coming week's Spiritual Gifts Inventory offers another opportunity for discernment, helping us recognize how God has uniquely gifted and shaped us for this season of life and ministry. Neither exercise is about doing more. Both are invitations to deeper awareness, greater clarity, and renewed faithfulness.
As summer gives way to fall, we are entering one of the most important seasons of the church year. Sunday School classes and small groups are beginning again. Ministries are resuming after summer rhythms. Leadership nominations are approaching. Budget conversations will soon be before us. Vision season is on the horizon.
Together, we will be making commitments about how we will devote ourselves in the coming year. Yet before we ask what we will do, perhaps we should spend time asking who God is calling us to be.
What "I am" statements currently define your life? Which ones are life-giving? Which ones need healing? What gifts has God given you for this season? Where is Christ inviting you to deeper commitment? How does who Jesus says he is shape who you understand yourself to be?
As we continue through this series, I encourage you to carry these questions with you. Listen carefully to the words you speak about yourself. Hold them in prayer. Bring them into conversation with the words Jesus speaks about himself.
For as we discover more fully who Christ is, we often begin to discover more fully who we are, and who God is calling us to become.
Loving you and God more each day,
Rev. Virzola Law-Allen
Senior Minister
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