“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”
Matthew 28:18-20
Dear HBIC Family,
Years ago, I met Sally Snyder at the Joshua House. She was living in a community she had largely helped build, sustain, and serve. She had some great ministry partners like Naed from the Catholic Worker House. Eventually, I learned that Sally was even commissioned by her home congregation, HBIC. What was most impressive to me about Sally was her humility, the grace with which she served youth and their families, and her deep love for our people and our city. She was such a blessing to so many of us.
At the time of meeting Sally, I had just committed to living in a community of young adults who had all recently moved to Harrisburg, with the intention of living and working in the city. Our goal was simply to be a light where we were. Our hope was that bringing our lights together would allow God to shine through us and in us. Our prayer was that our community, fellowship, and commitment to God and our city would make a difference. Having saints like Sally doing this work so well was such a blessing to all of us.
Before returning to heaven to go and prepare it for us, Jesus reminded us that all who believe in him have been sent in his name by our Father into our world. We are empowered and guided by the Holy Spirit. We are blessed and sustained by our community of faith all around us. For the people to whom we have been sent, we must go and make disciples of Jesus Christ, we must teach what God has taught us, and we must obey and invite them to submit to Jesus as Lord and Savior. This work is Jesus’ commission to all of us.
For some of us, this mission leads us beyond Harrisburg and across this world. While we are all on mission for the kingdom, some of us are missionaries called to very different places with much the same work of making disciples of Jesus. This Sunday, we as a church and community will come together to celebrate Missions Sunday. We will celebrate our call as a church and denomination to go to our world. We will honor our local and global workers. And we will rejoice at the work God is doing, while making room for the work that’s yet to come.
I am very excited that John and Esther Spurrier, BIC World Missions global workers in Zambia, will be with us to share the morning’s message, A Long Obedience in the Same Location. The Spurriers’ inspiration and challenge growing out of their decades of service at Macha Hospital and in the Macha community is going to be a blessing to all of us.
Each year on Missions Sunday, we take a special Missions Offering, which is used primarily to provide a love gift to all of the missionaries sent out from our church, with a small portion given to BIC World Missions. Our Offering Goal for this year is $10,000 or more. It will take many gifts, both large and small, to reach this goal. Each of us is encouraged to ask God for direction in what we are to share in order to support and bless our missionaries this year. You can give your Missions Offering in person at our services on Sunday, or you can give online or mail a check to the church (marked for Missions Offering) anytime between now and the first Sunday in November. Last year, God moved and our community responded by raising $13,778.53 for the Missions Offering. Sisters and brothers, I pray we can lovingly surpass that total this year!!
To prepare for this week’s services, I would like to invite you to read and reflect on Matthew 28, but especially verses 16-20. As you reflect, I would like to ask you to focus on the following questions:
Where has God called you?
To whom has God sent you?
How are you making disciples of Jesus Christ?
What is one commitment you can make today to shine your light brighter?
Sisters and brothers, our Lord Jesus has tasked us with the work of making disciples. We are blessed to do this work locally and globally. Praise God, for the Holy Spirit lives inside of us individually and as the Body of Christ. Praise God, for our Lord Jesus promises to be with us always. Praise God, for our Father’s kingdom is coming on earth as it is in heaven!
Love in Christ,
Pastor Hank