These words of Isaiah carry both excitement and anticipation.  The word was out about something special worth knowing about.  Such is the case here at the Neighborhood Church as we find ourselves in the midst of the fall season.  I am sensing that even with everything going on during the pandemic, this is proving to be a good time for us as a family of faith.  We are taking incremental steps toward a more active participation in our communal life together.  We won’t regain normalcy in one fell swoop – but bit by bit and step by step we can find our way into the future God is calling us to share and celebrate.

In his book, The Mature Mind, Harry Overstreet writes, “For the things we may have lost, we need to go home again.” Whether we are traversing this fall for the first time at the church or the fiftieth, whether we have been away traveling or watching our services virtually or been at the church every Sunday – we can all share in the process of finding fullness and wholeness as part of the Neighborhood Church.  We often speak of this place we love as our church home, and so it is.  Going home figuratively, spiritually, or physically can be a good thing if it connects us with our roots, our faith, our God and one another.

These past weeks have provided that grounding for me personally - and I hope you have found ways in recent times to regain the things you may have lost as well as discover new things God is offering in the unfolding of your life.  Isaiah’s words again fit our situation:

“Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their
  strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk
and not faint.”

                                                                                                Isaiah 40:31

I believe the next chapter in the Neighborhood Church’s life will be very exciting indeed!  So, having received the word, come and add your enthusiasm to our life together in the seasons ahead.  And as you do, perhaps you will (re)discover a deep truth of our faith, that in the giving of self is also the gaining of self.

And May God Bless The Neighborhood Church in the Process…

Rev. Dr. David D. Young
Senior Minister

This piece originally appeared in The Wave on October 13, 2021.