June 19, 2020
Dear Prairie Avenue Family,
Being present again within our building next Sunday at 9 am will probably give us a wide-range of emotions and response. While it will not be "business as usual," it will be starting to get back towards many of the usual roles and routines of Sunday morning at Prairie Avenue Christian Church. My first suggestion is to make sure you have fully dressed for the occasion, including proper pants, since we have become accustomed to our worship service being a private on-screen only experience. I cannot wait to see how many different masks we now wear in life.
I will have more details and preparation notes to give to you next week, including whether the weather will be pleasant enough to be in our garage or in Fellowship Hall.
The next two Sundays are anniversaries. This Sunday, June 21, marks the 5th anniversary of becoming your Senior pastor. Of course, I have been with you since 2007, serving as the first associate pastor since the 1980s. Serving as shepherd of the flock for this season has been both an honor and pleasure. I thank you for your patience, gentleness, constructive criticism, guidance, and love throughout my time with you. When I began serving, Patrick was just turning 4 years old. Now he is about to enter his senior year at Eisenhower High School. It still seems only like yesterday that the shortest pastoral search committee in Prairie Avenue history did its work and extended calling me as the 15th pastor.
June 28 marks the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the Education Wing, now officially the James Van Lear Education Wing. Many remember seeing the education wing project as young children or adults, and the enthusiasm and energy of our congregation completing a two-stage program of facility development, first the current sanctuary in 1951-53, then the education addition in 1968-1970. We are still awaiting confirmation of the much anticipated solar generation upgrade work to begin at our facilities. When it is completed, we will be the first solar-powered congregation in Decatur, if not Macon County.
In ways large and small, Prairie Avenue has made its witness, mission, and vision of God's redemption and love a reality. As I reflect on the first five years of my tenure with you, I am honored to serve, blessed to be loved, and grateful for being able to be part of your faith journey and story. We have new chapters to write, and I trust the author of all things to guide and direct us into what we are being called to become as we approach our 100th anniversary in 2024.
Adopt-A-Street: Saturday, June 20, 9 am:
We will resume our Adopt-A-Street clean up of East Prairie & East Main Tomorrow. Please observe COVID-19 precautions. Litter-getting equipment provided.
Worship This Weekend
We continue our summer series
Family Reunion: Lessons from Genesis.
This Saturday at 5 pm worship-online, or Sunday at 9 am on Facebook Live, we will examine the story of Abraham and Sarah abandoning Hagar and Ishmael to a likely fate of death in the desert of Paran. Hagar was Sarah's slave, and at Sarah's suggestion, became Abraham's surrogate to produce an heir, Ishmael (God Hears). Sarah thought this was a handy shortcut in the descendant provisioning, until Sarah produces a child for Abraham, Isaac. Now having an older half-brother in the midst of her newborn (but now weened) soon is just too much! Better to get rid of the whole story than to have to negotiate heir rights (since Abraham's estate would not be evenly divided between Ishmael and Isaac, tradition expected a double portion to the eldest, in this case, Ishmael).
God does remarkable things in the story. Oddly, God does not condemn Sarah's treacherous behavior or stop Abraham from giving the smallest of provisions for one of his own sons. On the brink of death, God will hear the cries of not Hagar, but Ishmael, and keep the promise to provide Ishmael a portion of his rightful inheritance as Abraham's son.
Our shortcuts often fall short of God's purposes or plan. God hears those we have chosen to abandon or forget being part of our family. Redemption is provided to those we would prefer to exclude from hope.
See you in worship (online!) this weekend!
