New Birth, New Life, and New Beginnings by Pastor Kim Montenegro

Greeting Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I write to you as I sit looking out at a simple sample of God’s beautiful splendor, my front yard. The birds are communicating all around me, new life is budding from plants, there is rebirth in the air. It seems as if spring has decided to make all things new again! For new birth, new life, and new beginnings I am truly grateful. Habits, routines, and rituals, can seem to rule our lives, Do you always take the same way to work? Do you eat the same breakfast most days? Doing something familiar and routinely can feel comfortable and allows us to move throughout our day without much thought or reflection. The changing of the seasons can often be a reminder that God is always performing miracles and I am able to witness them if I am willing to break my routine, and stop and look at God’s beauty that surrounds all of us each day. Psalm 104:24-25 reminds us:

How many are your works, LORD!
In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.

Paying attention to God’s splendor isn’t limited to the awe inspiring views of nature. It is also contained in Christian relationship with one another. A few weeks ago we had a new member class and I had the joy of getting to know eleven new people who intend to join our church. Each of these people are a beautiful creation of God, (as you are too)! We spoke with one another about what does it mean to be the body of Christ using 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 as our text. Our challenge as Christians is to find out how each of us are part of the body of Christ and serve accordingly.

Our new members and our Church Council will be using the book StrengthsFinder 2.0 in an attempt to clearly see what our gifts are and how we can serve the church through our gifts and strengths, essentially building the body of Christ. I invite you to join the conversation! I’d like you to prayerfully consider, are you currently using your gifts to serve the church? If not, what are you able to bring to life within our Christian Community? Don’t let your gifts sit dormant in a wintery freeze, allow God’s work to spring forth through your gifts and graces and fully build up the body of Christ.

Blessings to you in this season,

Pastor Kim