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Weekly Update from the Senior Pastor
June 28, 2006
Dear Family and Friends,
Tonight, Wednesday, at 7:00 is our opportunity to have time together, not tightly structured, to talk about our future as a congregation, to dream out loud, to ask questions about our interim transition this fall to the High School, about why building a building takes so long, about what’s ahead in the next calendar year. So join us for some family processing in a few hours.
This Sunday is our Annual Freedom Series (4th of July) message—one of Damascus Road’s great traditions, one that has touched lives around the world. I’ve had great letters in years past from Army officers in Afghanistan and Iraq thanking me for reminding them about why our country matters and what our heritage means.
May I urge you to be in the auditorium for worship before 9:00 a.m. or 11:00 a.m. this Sunday. We are starting the service with a very powerful skit—the speech by Patrick Henry to the Virginia delegation, given in response to Great Britain’s attempt to intimidate the colonials into submission through Britain’s great military might as the world’s super power. Patrick Henry’s response acknowledges they were mighty, then reminds Britain that God is Almighty and at work in America for a great purpose. Don’t miss the skit and the special musical right at the beginning—be here early!
Last Monday evening a great crowd of us waited till 12:30 a.m. for our returning missionaries to clear security and walk into the sea of hugs and shouts, awaiting them at Reagan National. Mission Honduras is a miracle in itself—that 43 comfortable Americans traveled to a 3rd world country and served for ten days—and then returned safely; filled with stories and visions of how God showed up when minds and calendars were cleared to make room for Him. What a great gang. To you 43, remember: Honduras is boot camp. You are NOW back in your mission field! And the God of Copan is the God of Maryland—He never changes.
All through history, whenever God is really up to something, He has this holy delight in calling those He most wants to use in a powerful way toward the unknown, the uncertain. He told Abraham to pack up and leave the comfortable. He plucked Joseph out of a wealthy family and sent him packing to Egypt. Moses was reenlisted into God’s army and sent back to the one place on earth that was most dangerous for him to return to. Daniel had to kiss Jerusalem goodbye and David went from tending sheep to running for his life from a jealous king. But in every story, God was preparing these guys for His big thing in their lives, a role they needed training in trust for.
We’re soon on our way. Out. Forward. Back to the future—literally. Back to the High School classrooms and auditorium where we started, even as our future “light on a hill” rises up to be our inviting center for sending out God’s people and grace. But the interim isn’t going to be treading water time. The living God has people to save, homes to rebuild, godly relationships to form, help to offer and discipleship to deepen. We’ll be in transition but we won’t be tame. We are going to score for Jesus in the realm of sharing His salvation and serving Him as Lord. I’d love to take double the people with us to our new church the day it opens because we never stopped believing that our God is able to do so much more than we ever asked or even imagined. Hope to see you tonight.
Much love,
Richard
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