Week 4 – Memorial Road Church of Christ

Greetings. I guess I have to change the title of my blog to 52 Churches in “however long that takes!” For the one or two of you actually reading this, I woke up last Sunday extremely sick. I didn’t figure this into my plan. My lesson last week was to quit worrying about things I cannot control. Humm, I wonder how many times I have tried and failed to learn that lesson. So, enough of that. Let’s move on to week 4.
We attended Memorial Road Church of Christ. We have never attended this congregation, although we know many people who do. It was certainly familiar territory in terms of worship style and order. They have two services and about 2400 members. A large congregation by most people’s way of thinking. This week, the lessons to be learned here were all in the sermon. Even though this is only the middle of January, the year 2010 so far has been filled to the brim with stress. We have found ourselves dealing with one problem after another and focusing completely on our own drama. It has crossed my mind, frequently, that I don’t think I have the energy, emotional or otherwise, to keep this project going. I think this morning God said hold on; let me remind you of some things. When we turn our attention away from “life” and towards God, we find comfort and hope. The question in the face of trials is not “what is the purpose of this” but “what is MY purpose in this.” God wants us to receive His comfort so we can come alongside others and provide hope and comfort. This means I have to look beyond myself. Coming alongside others in their time of need is the best distraction I know of to my own problems. I would really like to be the kind of person that faces trials with joy and perseverance. That’s a fantastic goal, not always easy to live though. If we didn’t know better, we would have thought this preacher had been watching us and said, “I know exactly what they need to hear.” The mission now, is to actually live out the lesson.