Revelation 22:13- "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."
James 1:17- Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like the shifting shadows.
God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The message of the Gospel is good news for all people about a savior whose love never wavers. Jesus' grace is consistently abundant! This has not changed in over 2000 years! The only thing that changes with our faith is us. And that can be a blessing. Although God is always the same, I believe that He never leaves us the same. Christ is in the redemption business and business is always good. We are in constant need of redemption. Our salvation is assured when we claim Jesus as Lord, but our daily selves are always in need of His grace. When we walk with Jesus, we are being renewed every day. In other words, God is constant, but He is constantly changing us. God always takes the old, tired, worn aspects of our lives and makes them new. He will never leave us the same!
I think in our churches, we sometimes forget this. What I mean is this...although the message is the same, the way we deliver it must sometimes change to reach the people. We must be open to new ways and methods of communicating the Gospel so that in this world of constant change, people can be changed by Jesus! Change is inevitable, but I pray that the change happens in the hands of Jesus. His change is truly life giving!
I am proud of my church, Mamrleund Lutheran, for being open to the many changes we have begun to implement this fall. Change can be hard in church, but it is in the name of Jesus, and following the lead of the Holy Spirit that we are making changes. And really, if change is in the name of Jesus and led by the Holy Spirit, what have we to fear? If it is of God, we know and trust that it will always turn out great!
So here's to change, not for change's sake, but for the sake of Christ always changing us! Amen.
