Pay attention

“We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”

Hebrews 2:1

“Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus”

Hebrews 3:1a

I am not one for relying too heavily on a singular verse from the scriptures. In fact I am pretty cautious about this because context is key to understanding the bible.

This fall at Gathering Delco as we dive into the new testament letter, Hebrews, I am aware that the context is dense and complex at times. And within the letter the key ideas are so important. These ideas are what I call, the pastoral voice. They are what the writer of the letter is trying to address to his recipients. And the message of this letter is clearly this: Keep on keeping on. Stay connected to Jesus, and who he said he was. 

I think this message stands the test of time. While the specific ideas or voices that might pull us away today could be different than those facing the first hearers of this letter, the impulse to take our salvation and our faith overall for granted is common. 

So, as we reflect on this letter at Church in the Living Room, I will remind us of these clear reminders to pay attention, and fix out thoughts on Jesus. We are formed by what we focus on, what we take in and who we listen to. Friends, this fall let’s be sure to focus on Jesus and not take his kingdom for granted. And let’s do this together.

JOIN US:

•  Church in the Living Room tomorrow morning at 10:30am, Sunday Oct 19 at the Ross’s.
• Adult Small Group, this TUESDAY, Oct 21 at 7:00pm at the Ross’s.
• Youth Group: we might have an outing planned for next weekend instead of usual meeting, so I’ll be in touch about plans for that.

PRAYER:

Let’s continue to pray for the following:

• A father of 5 recently passed away. Please keep this family in prayer
• A little boy who continues to battle cancer, but is not longer able to receive any medical treatment beyond palliative care. 
• Gathering Delco. Please pray for wisdom and financial provision for our ministry
• Rachel and Doug are getting married TODAY! Please pray for many blessings on their wedding and marriage

ONE MORE THING:

Our board has recently completed our church’s bylaws, which includes things like our governing structure, accountability board for the lead pastor, and theological tenants. We’ll share more soon, but for now I just wanted to you know that this work is complete. I also want to say thank you to my fellow board members Jen and Bill for this work.

God bless you.