November 10, 2022
Dear Central Church,
Lauren and I are wrapping up a busy week of packing and making final preparations for our move. It’s been filled with the drudgery of tasks to complete, but also with the sweet interruptions of friends stopping by to say goodbye. The Lord has used this entire experience to remind us of the value of spiritual friendship. We may never make the Forbes list of wealthiest people, but if wealth was measured by quantity and quality of relationships, we are rich beyond our wildest imaginations.
I know enough of your history to know that healthy and authentic relationships are in the DNA of Central Church. I am thankful to be coming to such a healthy and life-giving people. It is a culture that I hope to steward well, as the Snodgrass family is grafted into the Central Church story.
The challenge for any church with this kind of culture is to be intentional about creating visible and accessible entry points for those who are seeking authentic, healing, and life-giving relationships. They are present in our community and in our sphere’s of relational influence, and I believe Central Church is a faithful and effective instrument that God can use to draw them to himself. Peter envisions the Church becoming that kind of people when he reminds them of who they are:
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9)
If the priest is that person who stands between God and the people, connecting them to the divine, how are we a royal priesthood to the people of our community? How are we connecting them to God’s plan and purpose for their lives. I pray that in the days ahead we discover new and faithful expressions of what it means to be God’s royal priesthood for the people of our community.
This is just a reminder to pick up Samantha Chambo’s devotional, Let Us Adore Him. This resource will be our guide through the Advent season, as we prepare our hearts to receive the gift of God’s one and only Son. In this email, you’ll see ways that you can purchase this devotional. Be sure to get them soon as the first reading begins on the first Sunday of Advent, November 27.
We officially closed on both of our homes today! Praise the Lord! Thank you again for praying for this to go smoothly! As of today, our stuff is loaded, and we anticipate being moved into our home in Olathe on November 14. I look forward to seeing you in worship on November 20. I believe God is doing something new at Central Church, and I’m honored to be a part of it.
Until He’s Finished,
