Celebrating What God Has Done

After calling attention to Laura Mallary this morning as the service began, imagine my embarrassment to realize that I totally forgot to have her come and share her testimony of how she had seen God at work though our prayer ministry during this years Impact Week.  This is Laura's third year to painstakingly type all of the requests into a usable format for people to use in prayer and service projects.  The rest of my sermon reflection today will be from some notes Laura made telling about her week.

This is the third year that I've been helping Jeremy and Donna out in the office during Impact week, compiling prayer and service lists, scheduling service projects, and fielding Impact week related phone calls. I know that God has many purposes at work in our Impact week activities, some that we see and some that we will never know. There are two very clear messages that I can see him communicating with the Clear Lake community through our visits, service, prayers, and events.
The first is that God loves them. So many times I've spoken with local residents who say that our visit or offer of service came just as they needed it most. One lady told me that she had become despondent over her situation, but when our kids prayed with her about it on her front porch, she began to have hope and faith again that things would work out. I've spoken with an elderly lady whose husband was in the hospital and didn't know how she was going to find time to get her yardwork done. Our service allowed her to be with her husband during his illness without worrying about mowing grass or trimming hedges.
The second is a message about his people. So many people have been believed Satan's lies telling them that "church people" are somehow different than they, or that they somehow aren't worthy of our notice. The visits, service, prayers, and events that happen during Impact week have a tremendous influence on the perception of God's people in our community. God's people are not simply those who gather at 938 El Dorado at appointed times, but are the people who visit their homes every summer to pray for them, serve them, and invite them to join us for special events. We are the people who laugh and talk with them at Movie in the Park, the ones who help them out with needs around their homes, and the ones who pray for the things that are on their minds. Rather than thinking of Clear Lake Church of Christ as "church people," I believe that we are showing them the likeness of Christ as HIS people. God is changing how people perceive Him and His church through our ACTIONS, rather than our WORDS.
One last thing, if anyone hasn't participated in this effort during the years that we've been doing it. I would encourage them make plans NOW to participate in some way next year. You can't imagine the encouragement and blessings that Impact Week will bring until you do it. It's amazing how God is able to bless and renew our spirits, even as we pour out His Spirit across our community.