Pastor's Weekly Word

For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified. (1 Corinthians 1:22)

On Sunday we welcomed Steve and Liz Heinzel-Nelson from Villages in Partnership, an agency Canyon Creek partners with to support our struggling brothers and sisters in Malawi, Africa. They shared with us the profound difference between the way we live and the way the people in the villages of Malawi live. It goes something like this. We live in an “on demand” world. They live in a world where they can make no demands. We live in a world we believe we have “mastered”. They live in a world that continues to master them. We look for signs and desire wisdom. They look for God, each and every day. The differences could not be greater.

One of the most inspiring things about the people of Malawi is their faith. They have a faith that seems both ancient and fresh all at the same time, and it is palpable almost everywhere you go. They are not much on demands, even as they watch the little bit of food they have disappear. Knowing that they may not live to see another year, they can still manage a smile, look to the heavens, and sing a song of praise for the gift of God. They share. They celebrate. They are thankful. They do not seek signs or desire wisdom. They do not make demands of God. They proclaim Christ crucified. It is a powerful experience to be with them, and it is a reminder that the “on demand” world we live in is not the answer to all our problems.

This week, may you demand a little less and follow a little more. May you become less accustomed to trying to control your world and more open to the reality of a much larger world, a world that requires faith in order to make it through another season, a world where God is the one in charge