Ordinary Moments with Sacred Possibility
Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember?
- Jesus (Mark 8:18)
Friends,
It’s amazing how often two people can look at the same thing but see something different. Maybe it’s the light; maybe it’s their eyes; or is it differences in what they expect to see?
We believe we are called by God to connect those distant from Christ, community, and compassion by building bridges. We believe these bridges are constructed as we worship, sing, pray, cry, lament, eat, laugh and serve together.
What we believe shines new light on seemingly ordinary moments. At University we expect to see God show up.
To some, it might look like kids joking around on the basketball court, but we see the holy ground where God pursues the hearts of the young men and women of our community.
Others might see a family deciding to offer themselves and their home to a child in the foster care system, but we see the compassion of God invading our world.
What appears to be a simple cup of coffee or a normal conversation on a Sunday morning is in fact an opportunity for prodigals to come home, the lost to be found, and people to say yes to a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Jesus asks the question above in response to the disciples’ mumbling about a lack of bread. He had just fed thousands of people with seven loaves and a few fish. To them it looked like a couple of loaves and fish, however Jesus revealed it to be a feast for thousands. Jesus challenges us to see the world as He does, to catch a glimpse of God’s renewing and reclaiming work, believing Jesus converts our imaginations and changes how we see, hear and even remember.
So, to some it may look like a tax deduction or simply cash, a check or a stock transfer, but we see year-end giving to University as filling ordinary moments with sacred possibility.
I am asking that if God has blessed you this year, if University has been a blessing in your life and if you believe in what God is doing in our community, then be courageously generous in investing in the mission and ministry of this church. We rely on a strong year-end as December giving can account for over 15% of our annual receipts.
It has been an amazing year, and I am so very grateful for the humbling opportunity to serve alongside the people of this great church. Thank you for your continued generosity to the mission and ministry of University and may your Christmas be filled with the joy and power of God’s saving grace.
In Advent Hope,
Pastor Ben
To contribute to our Year-End, Christmas offering, you can follow the link here. Please designate your gift as Christmas Offering.