I'm a sports lover. Since I began reading the newspaper as a kid, I have followed my favorite teams and even my dreaded rivals in order to have the most up-to-date information. On more than one occasion, my daughter Maryneal has teased me for reading about a game that I had just watched on TV with her.
As of late, I've noticed how often the sports pundits muse about a program that they no longer view as relevant. The Miami Hurricanes' football team was dished last week by sports writers and alumni as being irrelevant and perhaps never being relevant again. What a terrible fate to lose your relevance.
Our pastor's Sunday school class has been engaging Philip Yancey's material, Vanishing Grace. In his own way, Yancey is addressing the question of why the Christian faith is viewed by so many people as being irrelevant in our day and time. Yesterday, Yancey walked us through stories of how the good news transforms individuals, communities, and societies in relevant ways.
Following the class, I shared an afternoon of fly fishing with Joe Araoz, Sam and Pat Brasher and a fellow named Frederick from Peachtree Presbyterian Church. This was our inaugural Fishing for Missions that Joe has developed. It was perfect weather for trout fishing, a light rain, and nobody got skunked. We all caught fish!
More importantly, we experienced the good news in relevant ways. No I'm not referring to catching the trout! Rather, we all know the power of giving back; when we share what God has given us, the Lord uses our gifts to strengthen the kingdom. We grew together in our Christian faith through our fellowship, we shared the good news with the owners of Fern Valley, Marty and Glad, who were our gracious hosts and half of our fishing fee was directly deposited to our JCPC mission fund. These funds will help share the good news when our mission team goes to the DR or another location next year. With each cast, catching a fish became irrelevant. Sharing in God's good news is always relevant!
Prayer for Today
Help us to share your good news, Most Gracious God. Help us to be open to the day to day encounters in which you call us to share the gospel, so that our witness will be powerful, profound and life-changing. In Christ name, we pray. Amen.
