Seasons of Love, 3

Seasons of Love, sermon continued...

As I mentioned before, if I were to provide you with an exhaustive list of all those people who have influenced my faith journey, we would be here long past lunch, but I do want to share a few of them with you.

I first came to this church as a junior in high school at the invitation of my friend, Lora Traxler.  Because of her, I found the church that God was calling me to be a part of, and I’ve found a church family here.  Rev. Chuck Echols was my teacher in a Bethel teachers’ class, and he told me that I was going to teach.  He didn’t really give me a choice, he just arranged for me to be a substitute Sunday school teacher.  I was scared to death, but I loved it.  From him, I learned that I am a teacher.  I watched Jim Ray serve others through this church.  I don’t serve the way he did, AT ALL, but at least from him, I have an example of what service should be like.  In 2005, Jeff Taylor invited me to preach for Laity Sunday.  Again, I was scared; I actually refused to call it preaching.  I called it “giving a talk.”  From the experience, I learned that God will walk with through whatever God calls me to do.  From the experience, I learned that I can preach, with God’s help.  Steve sponsored me on my Walk to Emmaus, and from that, my life was changed.  When you encounter Christ, face to face, that’s what happens.  Since that time, I have been a part of an Emmaus small group – an accountability group – called a reunion group.  All of the women in that group have encouraged me and prayed for me, but I especially want to mention Theo Tippet.  She was a member of our group, and from her I learned how to live as a faithful Christian through your death.

So, what are we called to do?  Paul says to Timothy in verse 5:  “As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.”  Those are pretty heavy words for something that can bring such joy.  Listen to the same verse from Eugene Peterson’s The Message:  “But you – keep your eye on what you’re doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the message alive; do a thorough job as God’s servant.”

Wow, what a calling.