It is an honor and privilege to be your pastor at St. Paul’s. My wife Kelly and I are looking forward to getting to know each of you in our new journey here at St. Paul’s! St. Paul’s has a long and faithful history of expressing Jesus’ love into the heart of the community. I come to St. Paul’s standing on the shoulders of great pastors who have led you into Jesus’ love in the past. I come with the great anticipation of Jesus building on what He’s already done here at St. Paul’s.
I don’t think it is a coincidence that we start a new year with a new pastor. The new year is a time to look ahead, hope, and dream about what is to come. I love to set New Year’s goals for my spiritual and physical health. This is where we find ourselves at St. Paul’s. We are in a place to look ahead, hope, and dream. As we go into this next season it is important that we find where God is going and follow Him. It is in the Divine that we find all our hopes, dreams, and joy. Exodus 33:14-15 says, “And he(God)said, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ And he(Moses) said to him, ‘If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.’” At St. Paul’s we want to be where God’s presence is. As we journey into this next season it is my hope that we will collectively seek His presence through prayer.
God has placed 7 prayers for St. Paul’s on my heart for us in 2020 and beyond. I will briefly state and describe each prayer here but flesh each one out in the early weeks of 2020 in my sermons on Sunday mornings. It is my hope that you will join me in praying these prayers for St. Paul’s.
- It is my prayer that we give our allegiance to Jesus as Lord. I pray that we as a church give our exclusive allegiance to the one God and one Lord, Jesus, over and against other potential gods of this world we might give allegiance to.
- It is my prayer that we all begin to live in the Resurrection Life around the table Christ has prepared. There is great freedom found in the resurrection life. Jesus reveals that resurrection life many times around a table. I pray we experience the love and freedom shown at the table Christ has prepared in His Kingdom as well as show others that love and freedom in the heart of the community.
- It is my prayer that we all at St. Paul’s are the aroma of Christ through participating in the cruciform life of Christ. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” To participate in the cruciform life of Christ is both to benefit us, which is from God’s mission of freedom, love, redemption, and reconciliation, as well as to be a witness to this great mission by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the community which leads to the spread of Christ, through us becoming faithfully obedient to it.
- It is my prayer that St. Paul’s becomes a faithful family. At St. Paul’s all are welcome to be a part of our family and all, like the story of the Prodigal Son, are welcome home. May we be a people who show not just love, grace, and acceptance in our community, but with each other.
- It is my prayer that we will share in each other’s pain. May we be a church that grieves with each other. May we not be afraid to lament. Life is difficult and we all have pain. May we not avoid the pain but bring it to the light so that Jesus might heal.
- It is my prayer that we will slow down to catch up with God. It is my prayer that we will all seek the heart of God. In this busy world we find God not when we speed up but when we slow down. May we be a people that slows down to connect with the Divine, be trained up in His truths, and sent out into our calling.
- It is my prayer that we will let the little children come unto Jesus. May we all take the role in seeing kids follow Jesus. May we be a church that sacrifices for the next generation. May we be a people that treats children as Jesus did, empowering them to follow, love, and serve Jesus at St. Paul’s.
I’m slowing my heart down to catch up with God in this season as I wait in eager anticipation for what He is going to do. I don’t want to miss what God has planned for us at St. Paul’s. Kelly and I are so grateful we get to serve with you over this next season. May we all take a moment each day in 2020 to pray one of these 7 prayers.
Pastor Matt
Grace and Peace,