FINDING THINGS STORED AWAY

It is the time of the year when Janie and I will start “de-decorating” our home. I have loved the Christmas decorations, all the Nativity scenes, and especially the Christmas Tree with all of the lights. But for us, it is time to put them away. So, this Friday and Saturday we will start packing the decorations and start putting them away.

Now, there is a hidden bonus in this “storing things away chore”. Every now and then, we come across something that has been “missing” only to find it was not missing. It was only resting safely where we last put it! When you find something that has been missing, it is like getting a gift.

I hope these next five weeks will find us excitedly finding some spiritual gifts, some spiritual disciplines, that have been stored away for a while. Let’s discover them together as we unpack some of these gifts. It could very well be that for you, these gifts, these spiritual disciplines have never gone missing. I really do believe many of our church family and friends practice these spiritual habits on a regular basis. For others, it may require dusting off a little and finding a place in our lives for these missing treasures. Some may have forgotten what the Bible says about some of these disciplines and habits. For the next five weeks, let’s celebrate them together. These gifts of spiritual disciplines help us strengthen our inner man and outer lives. Perhaps they can help reshape us back into a deeper maturity to live the life of abundance Jesus’ spoke of in John 10:10! There are inward disciplines like prayer and Bible reading and mediation. There are also outward disciplines like rest, sabbath, solitude and service. The end result we are aiming for is to bring us closer to God and to one another.

A popular TV add as the questions: “What is in your wallet?” I modify the question to ask : “What is in your stored away box?” Let’s take some things out and see. Let’s start with Prayer. As we finish up the PRAY CHARLESTON 24/7/365, let’s see how we can continue praying for Charleston. Someone said “to pray is to change”. OK, then let’s make 2026 about prayer…and about change!

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom