As we gather and as we go
“Everybody Gets to Play” describes who we are at Liberty Vineyard. It’s part of our Vineyard DNA, where every single person has a valuable contribution to make in the ministry of Jesus. Each week you are invited to jump into what God is doing among us. Take a look and join us in making God’s kingdom visible, as we reimagine how we can together do small things with great love, reaching out to neighbors and nations, for the greater glory of God!
August 25th, 2024
Liberty Vineyard family,
Paul & I have experienced a lot of firsts this year, some of which have been huge blessings and others of which have been heavy burdens. Through it all, God is faithful! One of our very surprising blessings is that we are about to experience is our second first-day-of-spring in 2024 – March 19th in Atlanta and soon September 1st in Australia. Oddly, although it is technically still winter here, the high and low temps currently are almost identical to the summer we left behind last week in Atlanta. If we are a little discombobulated when we wake up, the bird songs remind us where we are. Although seasons come and go and temperatures fluctuate, wherever we go, we are all and always invited to join in the song of creation and the song of saints and angels, the song of worship that brings honor and glory to the God who made all that there is and who is worthy to be praised! As a small taste of that, we can also tune in regularly to songs we sing and songs we bring!
We’ve been continuing our upward journey through the Pilgrimage Psalms. Last Sunday, as Nancy preached on Psalm 121, she both invited and cautioned us to focus and to watch where we’re going. She directed our attention to some of the many ways in which the Lord is our keeper and to some of the many things that God tells us to keep and for which we are responsible: commandments, covenants, the church, gardens, love for God and others, people, paths, prayer, sheep, Sabbath, instruction, freedom from idols and lesser attachments, tongues and lips, alertness, wakefulness, watchfulness, hearts, and faith. (God does God’s part; we each have a vital part to play in the kingdom of God, too!) Nancy highlighted the wisdom of missionary and martyr Jim Elliot: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Nancy reminded us that we cannot lose eternal life in the kingdom of God and drew our attention to God’s beautiful assurance in Psalm 121:8 – “The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore” and encouraged us to pray this beautiful breath prayer whenever we need to, “In my comings and in my goings, keep me, Lord.”
This morning, JR began his sermon on Psalm 122 by pointing out that these psalms of ascent are arranged in triplets in which there is a psalm of trouble, a psalm of trust, and a psalm of triumph. Jim reminded us that when God’s people gather together, God is with us, and we worship him. He invited us to consider what happens before we gather, while we’re gathered, and after we gather. Before we gather, we can cultivate hearts full of anticipation and gratitude, remembering that it is a privilege to be able to go to worship God together. While we’re gathered, many things happen: we celebrate and praise God together, worshiping God brings unity from our diversity in close proximity, we are bathed in Scripture, we enjoy Christian fellowship, we learn from one another, we sit under the authority of God’s word and discern his will and his ways, we confess our sins, we renew our commitment to walk in the right way, and we get to pray for one another. After we’ve gathered, we get to continue the conversation, share a meal together, go home, meet in small groups, and even take naps! In closing, Jim and Patricia gave vision to a new initiative we’re trying out: Pasta in the House. Let Pastor Karen know if you’d like to participate!
Whether we find ourselves in a time of trouble, trust, or triumph; a time of abundance, barely enough, or broke; a time of wholeness, weakness, or what-is-even-going-on?, let us respond to God’s ever-present invitation to come closer even as we gather together in the house of the Lord and we together pray, “Come, Holy Spirit!” There’s always room for more in the kingdom of God, as Shelly reminded us in sharing this beautiful ad.
May the Lord bless us each with the grace and grit we need as we gather and as we go to love and serve the Lord by loving and serving people this week. Reach out when you need to – we’re in this together, dear friends!
With you on the journey,
Pastor Karen
Liberty Vineyard Church
Karen Sculley – (404) 388-0518, karen@srsoln.com
