So I’ve been reading my way through the Harry Potter for the last few months.  Yes, I am one of those people who have seen all the movies but have never read the books beforehand.  Well, that’s not entirely true because I think I read the first one or at least read part way through it.  Anyway, that’s not the point.  I’ve watched the movies up to the most recent one – part one of the seventh book.  And I decided shortly after watching that film that I would try to work my way through the series and finish it before the second half of the movie, the final portion of the book, comes out.  That is my goal.  So far, so good.  I am currently two-thirds through the fifth book and it has been quite a ride.  I’ve been immersed in so much Harry Potter that I make reference to it in every day life.  Just yesterday I was watching a movie (Monsters Inc. – by the way, another fantastic Pixar movie) and I said “Ha, that character reminds me of a frog, and Umbridge looks like a toad.”  - WHOA.  What’s up with that?!  Well, as embarrassing as it is to admit it, that’s been happening frequently ever since I started reading book one.

All that to say, a couple months ago, back when I was on book two or three (I can’t remember now) the LinXus team was asked to lead worship at Presbytery.  And on that night, we arrived early to set up and partake in the dinner put on by the host church.  At that time, I was already fully absorbed into the Harry Potter world and had even brought along the book with me.  It was mealtime and then, to my joy, I noticed that someone else had brought his/her copy of Harry Potter to the meal as well!  I thought, “this is AWESOME!   An elder or minister in our presbytery is reading Harry Potter at the same time as I was!”  But I didn’t find out who this person was until an hour later…

You see, presbytery meetings start out with a small worship time, usually with a song or two and one of the ministers gives a mini-sermon.  Here I am, having sat down after playing a song with the band and eagerly (that’s right, eagerly) listening to the minister preaching.  And it was good – he was talking the book of Revelation.  And then he pulls out Harry Potter!  (“WHOA!” I thought!) and he beings to read an excerpt from the book.  And what excerpt was that, you might ask?  To my shock and horror, I listened to the reading of none other than the ending of the seventh book of the Harry Potter series.  GASP!  (I know, I bet you’re all as horrified as I was.)  No spoiler alert.  Nope.  Nothing.  And in less than three minutes the whole point of my reading through the series was ruined.  All so a minister could make the sermon illustration that sometimes it’s a lot easier to understand what’s going on in the middle/the present when we know the ending to the story, which is what the book of Revelation tells us.  [Side note:  So far, I have found that this is not true when reading fiction/fantasy for leisure!]  But everything has a beginning and an end, and it’s we do in the middle that counts.

Yes, I know it is a bit cliché, and perhaps I’m just cheesy, but I find that this is true for a lot of things in life.  Relationships have beginnings and endings, opportunities have beginnings and endings, chapters of your lives have beginnings and endings.  Your faith journey has a beginning and an ending.

This month, LinXus is focused on “Step Up” (aka the theme of our rally this quarter).  If you remember, LinXus 5 was “Step In” – coming into the Church.  In “Step Up”, we’re looking at what we do in the Church before we “Step Out” into the world.  [Oops, I suppose I should’ve said “spoiler alert” but I don’t think it’s going to ruin anyone’s fiction/fantasy leisure reading so hopefully we’re okay…if not, then sorry!] 

No matter what your background, your faith/life journey has had a beginning, and it’s probably somewhere in the middle at the moment, just like the rest of us.  (If you’re at the end, you’ve probably gone too far and won’t be around to read this.)  So what do you do?  What you do in the present impacts who you will be in the future, just as what you’ve done in the past has contributed to who you are right now.  None of us are perfect, but that doesn’t mean we don’t try.  Try to be what?  Well, if we call ourselves Christians, then the simple answer is trying to be more like Jesus Christ.  Again, a little Christian-y and cliché but it is the simple truth.  That is our common goal.

Part of “Step Up” is learning what it means to be more Christ-like.  Yes, that means praying and reading the Bible in order to figure out who Jesus was when he walked this earth, figuring out who God is in the whole Biblical story, figuring out where we fit in the story, and figuring out how all of this makes sense in light of what’s going on in our lives.  It means being a part of a church community where you can learn from others, serve others, and love and be loved by other people who are basically trying to figure out the same things you and I are.

It doesn’t matter where “so-and-so” is in their faith/life journey, or if you think “that girl” is so much better than you are, or if you think “that guy” is so much worse than you are.  It is your very own and very unique personal walk.  So there is no need to compare, no need to feel like you’re never going to be good enough because, let’s face it – no one is ever going to be good enough, and we all have to start somewhere, and we all need God’s grace and mercy and strength to get us through each day. 

That’s right, it’s not about what we can do on our own, but it’s how much more and better God can do through us when we live Christ-centered lives.  We need to be dependent upon God.  It’s like the passage John 15:1-4 says:

 1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunesso that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

Jesus is the true vine, and we are his people, his branches.  As Christians, we need to stay close to Jesus – he even says so himself – “Remain in me, as I also remain in you”, because life is so much better and fuller when we walk with Jesus.   He promises that we will bear so much more fruit than if we don’t.  Jesus says these words to his disciples when he is close to the end of his life.  He knows he will be leaving them soon, but promises to give them the Holy Spirit so they will not be alone in this world.

The thing is, our actions can make so much more of an impact when we do things with God than without God.  When we do things with the wrong attitude or for the wrong reasons, it can ruin your efforts in the first place.  For example, say your parents ask you to do the dishes.  If you do it begrudgingly or only so that you will be allowed to go onto Facebook afterwards, then things can suffer – the dishes may not get cleaned properly since you’re only doing it half-heartedly and in a hurry (which means you’ll probably have to spend double the time cleaning them again); your parents may be offended with your attitude if you talk back or make any snide comments; and you yourself will not be happy while you’re doing the dishes and even afterwards when you’re updating your status on Facebook on how annoyed you were at your parents for making you do chores.  But if we re-shift our focus to Jesus’ focus – a focus on love and having a servant’s heart – then the results can be super amazing:  you pour your love into scrubbing each plate extra clean (which might not take as long as you think); you’re thankful for having had food in the first place; your parents will love you for showing love to them through this simple act; you’ll probably be in a much better mood knowing you’ve done something good and helpful; and perhaps you won’t even need to update your Facebook status with something mindless and unmeaningful (which is a favour to the world).

We make decisions on how to live our lives all the time, and the decisions we make at school, at home, and when we are with our friends do make a difference in our lives and even the lives of those around us.  So think carefully about how you’re going to live.  You’re at the middle of your life, the middle of your faith journey.  What are you going to do?  And will you make it count?  Even the little things in life can be holy acts that are pleasing to God.  He gives us more opportunities to practice than we realize.  And when we choose to live like Jesus, as a branch attached to the vine, it makes all the difference.

“…Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”                                                                             – Matthew 17:20

My challenge for you this month is to “Step Up”.  Step up to what you were created for and who you were created to be – an image of God.  God is actively pursuing you because he loves you.  So what are you going to do about it?

May God truly bless you and continue to be with you as you continue through the middle of your life journey and your faith journey.  May he continue to shape you more into his own image and use you mightily for his kingdom.

Prayer: “Lord Jesus, I pray that this month, you would show me more of who you are and who you’ve called me to be.  Give me a servant heart like your heart and help me to make decisions that will help further your kingdom.  Sometimes life can be so hard, but I thank you that you know what I’m going through and that you promise to be with me through it all.  Use me for the glory of your kingdom.  Help me to ‘Step Up’.  Amen.”

Cool songs that Elaine recommends for the month:

·      “Use Me” by Shaded Red

·      “When God Ran” by Shaded Red

Peace out homefries,

Elaine

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