What Is Our Mission?

What is our mission? It's a question many of us ask throughout our lives. We wonder about career trajectories. We wonder about relationships. We wonder about retirement plans. In it all, we often ask the question: What am I supposed to be doing? What does God want me to do? What is the mission that God has for me?

As churches, we often ask the same questions. We work hard to attract people to our community with programs and gatherings, with games nights and potlucks to the point where the real mission of the church is hidden, lost even, in the busyness of running the church. We sometimes lose touch with why we are here, why we gather, why we worship together.

The book of Mark describes a similar crossroad early in Jesus ministry, a time that confused the disciples. Mark shows clearly that Jesus was holding his mission, his Father's will, in front of him and would not waiver from it.

Join us this Sunday as we wonder together about keeping ourselves on mission as Christ followers and as Christian congregations. 

Come and Follow

Early in his ministry, Jesus gathers a group of followers, a group of disciples. Last week, from John's gospel, we watched a Nathanael joins this group. Mark has a little different perspective as he describes Jesus calling four fishermen to join him.

It's important to recognize that these men, these fishermen, were not biblical scholars, they were not civic leaders, they were not even from a place that had any power in the politics of their country or of the world. They were ordinary people, from an ordinary place who ended up seeing and doing extraordinary things because they answered the call to follow.

This week, we will spend time with this account of Jesus ministry to wonder just what it means for us and our following, our discipleship, our place in the bringing of the kingdom of God to our community and our world.

Come and See

This week the lectionary reading takes us to the Gospel of John and the growth of Jesus' little band of disciples. We meet Nathanael a man who grudgingly responds to Philip's invitation to come and see. His scepticism turns to amazement as Jesus tells him about himself without ever having met him before.

Meeting Jesus has that effect on people, all they need is an invitation to "come and see". Philip gets his friend in front of Jesus, but Jesus does the work of convincing Nathanael that he is indeed the promised Messiah.

Join us as we spend some time thinking about what the call to extend the invitation to "come and see" means for us in our world.