At the start of Annual Conference every year, there is a hymn that is sung to mark the beginning of the conference gathering:
And are we yet alive,
and see each other’s face?
Glory and thanks to Jesus give
for his almighty grace!
Let us take up the cross
till we the crown obtain,
and gladly reckon all things loss
so we may Jesus gain.
I love the words to this hymn! Yet it poses an interesting question: are we yet alive? Perhaps a follow up question might be, what does it look like for a Christian to be alive in Christ? What does it look like for a church to be alive as we see each other’s face? These are questions we should ask ourselves as we think about our faith in Christ and the future of our church.
First, let me say that I do not believe the Royston First United Methodist Church is dead. There are some amazing things we see God doing through our church, and I am excited about what God is doing in Royston. But I also believe God continues to wake us up and breathe life into us when we might start to fall asleep on our mission. I know that I have experienced moments this summer when I was alive, but maybe taking a spiritual nap. In those moments, God found a way to wake me up and remind me of the amazing love of Jesus Christ. Perhaps God is trying to wake you up…maybe God is trying to wake all of us up to the mission of “making disciples of Jesus who make disciples of Jesus.”
Let’s take up the cross and continue our mission until we have obtained the crown. God is doing amazing things in Royston, and God is doing amazing things in your life. Wake up so you don’t miss it!
Have a great weekend and I look forward to being with you on Sunday morning at 8:45 and 11:00!
Blessings,
Matt
P.S. Don’t forget to bring school supplies for our collection for STARS (Supplies To Assist Regional Students). The items are due back by July 31, but I want to encourage you to bring them this Sunday. We will have a time of prayer and blessing over the supplies before they are distributed to local schools in our community.
Royston First United Methodist Church 