November 17, 2022
Dear Central Church,
Yesterday I had the opportunity to enroll both of my boys in the Olathe school system. Luke is going to be a 7th grader at Summit Trail and Paul is going to be a sophomore at Northwest. Both boys will start after Thanksgiving break, meaning they are currently enjoying a 2 week break from school. Needless to say, they are big fans of this move.
As we walked around ONW, it became apparent to me that I was not only enrolling my child in an academic institution but was also connecting him with a story. The walls were decorated with pictures of their mascot, the band room had a plaque dedicated to the memory of a former band leader, and the entrance to the gym proudly displayed the ONW Hall of Fame. Paul wasn’t just going to be a student, he was going to be a Raven! (Hopefully without all the macabre baggage that Edgar Allan Poe has assigned to that species).
When we come to Christ, we are grafted into a story. It begins with Israel, climaxes in the person and work of Jesus Christ, and is told to the world through the Spirit-empowered proclamation of the Church. Salvation is God’s gracious invitation to be part of his grand story of redemption, a narrative that transcends our individual pursuits and enables us to participate in something so much greater than ourselves.
This is the Good News Peter shares with those who have come to Christ:
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:10)
At one point we were part of the World’s story, which really isn’t a story at all. It’s a haphazard, rambling, chaotic, and run-on tale devoid of meaning and purpose. It’s full of selfish characters and pseudo-heroes who promise to help you make meaning of life but end up leaving you feeling used, abused, and abandoned.
“But now…” Peter announces that in Christ a new reality is breaking in! Now, in Christ, you are the people of God! You are part of God’s story, whose hero is Christ and whose narrator is the Holy Spirit!
To say I’m excited to begin our ministry together is an understatement. I know my installation as your pastor will be filled with many things, but I pray that above all, this Sunday would be a chance for us to celebrate the opportunity we have to join together in telling God’s story of salvation to the world and inviting others to be a part of it.
Until He’s Finished,
Pastor Mark
