“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24
Today, I’m thinking about this phrase, “let them deny themselves…” To be a disciple, to follow Jesus suggests that life is to be lived for something that’s bigger and more important than any individual personal want or need. This is the vision of the “kingdom of heaven” that Jesus returns to over and over in Matthew’s Gospel story.
Tomorrow, the members of Prince of Peace’s Congregation Council will gather in a “mini-retreat” to orient its newest members and refresh those returning to the work that will be before us in the coming months. At the outset, we’ll be reviewing the mission, vision, and values that define who we are and what we are to be about. It’s the council’s primary responsibility to hold the church and all we do accountable to these guiding directives.
This is our mission:
“We are claimed, gathered, and sent to build the Church and love the World.”
This is our vision:
“Our vision is for a vibrant community that seeks a transformational relationship with God, our neighbors, and one another, while responding authentically, creatively, and justly to the most compelling needs of our community.”
These are our values:
- We welcome all of God’s children through open doors to be in RELATIONSHIP with one another and with God in ever deepening ways.
- We respond with GENEROSITY to the world, reflecting the abundance of God’s love present in our lives and made available to all.
- CARING for each other, our neighbors and all of God’s creation as we are inspired to offer genuine compassion and love.
- We nurture the FAITH given to each of us, listening for how God’s story informs our own and practicing our response.
- We are always LEARNING, remaining curious about God’s ever-changing world and our place within it.
These are thoughtful and inspiring words, and they speak of how we are to respond to the good news of God’s love for us. Following Jesus’ charge, it will be important for our Council, as a collective to forego any individual want or need. Their work is to be served on behalf of the kingdom of heaven, at least this corner of it known as Prince of Peace in Roseville, Minnesota. May God make plain the path before us.
May God’s hope embrace you today. – Pastor Peter
Let us pray…
Almighty God, your Holy Spirit equips the church with a rich variety of gifts. Grant that we may use them to bear witness to Christ in lives that are built on faith and love. Make us ready to live the gospel and eager to do your will, so that we may share with all your church in the joys of eternal life; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
ELW “Praying at Meetings” © 2023 Augsburg Fortress