Isaiah 42:10-12
Mark 16:14-15, 19-20
Go out and spread the good news into your own backyard. That should be easy enough, right? But how do we decide what our backyard is? Maybe it's not a geographical line, exactly, but rather like ripples that go out from the source. Gunbarrel to Niwot to Longmont and Boulder to Denver to Greeley. And then of course the ripples will drag out from there to the ends of the earth, but here, at home is where we start.
Genesis 2 tells us that God gave us a garden to call home. In the biblical narrative it's called Eden, but for us it's called Gunbarrel, or Niwot, or Erie, or Longmont, or Boulder. Northern Colorado. Genesis says humankind is the caretakers of the garden.
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.
And so we have a great task we were specifically put here to do. Till and keep the garden.
Isaiah sings out in praise to all the earth, saying that the inhabitants and the towns lift up their voices, too, along with all of creation. Giving God praise as one community, townspeople and their surrounding mountains alike.
How do we sing the praises of God and spread the good news in our own backyard today? I read of a church in Southport, CT who has a ministry, a mission, called In Our Own Backyard. They serve as helping hands for a wide variety of projects that they find out about that could use a few extra hands. I am inspired by their purpose. We certainly do many things in our own backyard to, helping organizations like Atwood Housing through EFAA and OUR Center, but the hands-on idea they have is a really good next step. It seems they work alongside the group, organization, family, etc they are helping, working together in mission to help.
It's a great starting point to brainstorm how we would implement such a concept here. Going with what we already have in place and adding the hands-on layer next.
We also have, of course, the ever present need to care for and be involved in the protection of our wonderful natural resources here... our beloved Rocky Mountains, our rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, our open prairie, all in need of our hands-on care.
What would you like to see here at home? How might we work toward a mission of hands on ministry? In what backyards would you like to see us?
Email me at peverhart@niwotumc.org or comment below.
**********
Tonight at 5:30, we will gather near the mountains in Rocky Mountain National Park for an evening vespers service at Moraine Park Amphitheater. We will be up close and in person with God in our creation. Make plans to be with us. If you signed up to go to the picnic beforehand in the carpool, be at the church by 2 pm. Contact the church office at office@niwotumc.org if you need more details.
No comments:
Post a Comment