I’m not going to lie, it is rare for me to rise before dawn. I hear about sunrises and “ooh and aah” at pictures, but I have not been motivated enough to intentionally set my alarm to experience the sun come over the BC mountains for myself. The potential is there, but I’ve been content with my comfortable morning routine, so why would I change?
Dawn is coming! Will we rise with it?
This year’s Assembly theme is “Rising with the Dawn.” It makes me wonder what it might take for us to rise in this season and be willing to embrace the change God has for each one of us. Hope is on the horizon but how do we plan for the unpredictable journey? And what is our hope in? If I may be blunt, we have relied on formulas and programs for far too long as the Church. It’s time to rely on the Spirit! We have persevered in planning and brainstorming and good ideas; it’s time to persevere in listening to Jesus. We know Proverbs 3:5-6, now is the time to live it. I believe that this is what it will take for us to rise. It will take intentionally listening to, trusting and obeying God.
We don’t have a formula for how to lead well in the midst of a pandemic, but we have full access to a personal God who does.
It would seem that fear is our greatest enemy as we face change. If we listen, what will God ask us to do and how will others react if we do it? I wonder, what would happen if we lingered in Jesus’ love a little longer, listening and letting His perfect love drive out all that fear? What glorious light would break through the darkness? All through Scripture we see the darkness before the dawn. David in the cave of Adullum before taking his place as King. Jesus, crucified before ascending to the right hand of the Father. Unfortunately, we also see examples of people choosing not to enter into the promised land because of fear and unbelief. Let’s not have that be our story!
Let’s be a people, a family of churches, that are known for walking in the Spirit and “Rising with the Dawn.”
This newsletter is jam-packed with stories of people who have been doing just that. Behind each story is a person just like you and me. They heard from Jesus, rose up and trusted Him for the journey. You may notice there is no formula; God is creative and highly relational. He wants to journey with each one of us specifically and intimately in our context. As we read through these stories, may we be inspired to go to Jesus ourselves and ask what it looks like for us to rise with the dawn in this season. Let’s all experience a sunrise, not just hear about it!
“From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised.” Psalm 113:3
Warmly,
Krista Bennett, EMCC Resource Manager
This article is featured in the Spring 2021 edition of The EMCC Together Newsletter.
Download a PDF copy of the newsletter and previous EMCC Together publications here.
