Greetings!
June is here and it seems our week of summer came in May! I’m sure it will warm up and we will be able to talk about how hot and humid it is! School is out for the summer, graduation open houses are happening all month, and this is the last newsletter article that I will write to you. I have thought a lot about what I would write. Thoughts keep circling in my head. . . So I am trusting that the Spirit will sort them all out and put them into some kind of order that will make sense to you!
In January, I made the decision to read through the Bible this year. I came up with a weekly plan, and for the first month, I did really well. Then February came, and I slowly got behind. When I started my vacation, I sat down every day and read. I am now caught up! I always try to read scripture with the advice that one of seminary professors gave me–to read it as if it was the first time I have opened the book. Every time I read the Bible that way I notice something I had not before. This time as I was reading through Deuteronomy, I read the words, “Be strong and courageous” (Deuteronomy 31:6). So, when I discovered that, I was a bit surprised, I thought it was only in Joshua!
These words we attribute more often to the book of Joshua (1:9), is first used by Moses in Deuteronomy. I was surprised as I continued to read the phrase which appears again in Joshua, 1 & 2 Kings, and 1 & 2 Chronicles. The phrase is used eleven times in the Old Testament. As the old saying goes, “you learn something new every day”!
Since I kept coming across the phrase to be strong and courageous, the words have stuck with me. As the Israelites were going through difficult times, God knew that they would need to be strong and courageous. God knew that there would be many, many obstacles to come, not just establishing themselves in the Promised Land, they also had to adjust to a new leader. Moses first speaks the words to Joshua and God will then repeat them to Joshua. Joshua will share them with the people, so will David and Solomon.
Change is not easy. . . at least not for me. So, I have to tell myself to be strong and courageous, and if you are getting a little anxious about a new pastor, I encourage you to be strong and courageous, your strength is in the Lord. We have shared much in these past four years. We came out of COVID back to in-person worship. We’ve dealt with difficult situations, we hurt when members left, and celebrated new members joining us. We mourned and we laughed. We worked to bring our community churches together to offer the gift of The Journey to Bethlehem to our entire community. Even though it was a cold evening, it was such a wonderful experience! We have celebrated graduates, collected and donated items for the rummage sales, flipped pancakes, grilled weenies for Halloweenie, baked cheesecakes, pies, cookies, and cobblers and auctioned them off! We brought back some things we used to do, and courageously tried some new things. We gathered as a family for crafts during Advent, and soup during Lent.
Being strong and courageous has brought Owosso First United Methodist Church this far, and your continued strength will keep you moving forward as the Body of Christ God created and has called you to be. I have been blessed to be a part of your story, and it has been an honor to serve as your Pastor. So, as I end this last article, I will leave you with Scripture that I pray will guide you as Pastor Sarah leads you into the future, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insights. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Be strong and courageous, trust in God, share the gift of love. You are always in my prayers, and you will always reside in a place in my heart.
God loves you and so do I!
Pastor Mona
The First United Methodist Church of Owosso, Michigan is a Christian church dedicated to reaching the lost and helping the saved move toward spiritual maturity. Join us for service this Sunday at 10:00 am.
