When Sherrie and I relocated to Virginia in 2001 it represented for me my 28th address. As a child my mom and dad moved often. The best I can recall the longest I ever lived anywhere was twenty-two months. Changing homes and schools became routine, often these changes would occur in the middle of a school year, or the middle of summer vacation and with little or no notice. When I finished high school and began my career in the U.S. Air Force things didn’t improve. Many assignments ranged only a year or so each, one assignment lasted only eighty-nine days. Over a twenty year career I lived and worked in several countries in Europe and Asia, several states in the continental U.S. plus assignments in both Hawaii and Alaska. My civilian career hasn’t seen much change in that pattern either as Sherrie and I have lived in many states across the U.S. with Virginia representing my 28th home.
I’ve come to realize in reflection that God was introducing me to change. In fact my life has been a constant series of changes both physically and spiritually – just as Christ intended it. Nothing in today’s world is constant, nor is anything within us – except the God who saves us.
I’m also sure that like myself you’ve thought back to your childhood days and sometimes longed for those “simpler” times when everything seemed constant and unchanging. It’s funny how our minds play tricks on filtering out all of the bad reflections of days gone by. The reality is that if you’ve ever traveled back to past places you’ve lived you quickly discover nothing is constant, everything is always in a state of change.
Yes, change is everywhere. I can still remember driving places using a folded paper map and keeping change in the car so that when I got lost I could pull over and use a pay phone. Buying something you couldn’t get in a store, or because you weren’t near one, was only accomplished through the Sears Catalogue and airline reservations required a reservation and a paper ticket you’d better not lose.
As we face the days ahead I’m asking myself, “what’s my address”? Where am I living, in the past or in the present? As I long for “the good old days” where it was comfortable I quickly realize that had the church stayed in the good old days we’d still be wearing “cloaks” and “sandals” and singing Psalms written by David as the harps and lyres played softly in the background. Can you see our worship starting with the blast of a ram’s horn and unscrolling the papyrus of that Sunday’s Biblical text?
Today I invite you to look around at Southview and see the change that’s already engulfed us. The new faces on visitors, and even the large number of them is a change, the new demographics that surrounds the church is a change from just five years ago. Today we’re surround by lots of young families just getting started raising a family and a ton of young college graduates just starting a career. We have a new praise team, a new leadership team, a new form of governance, called the Elders, lots of new children and young people, new challenges surface everyday as the Lord grows the church at Southview, and for a change, a renewed sense of opportunity and excitement – all are happening at Southview – we even have a new weekend celebration called “New Beginnings”. Anyone can easily see change is sweeping in and engulfing us all.
Christ commands us to be transformed through the renewing of our minds in Romans Chapter 12. It’s a transformation that takes time. It’s a transformation that will change us dramatically. Just as coal is transformed into a diamond, limestone into marble and caterpillars into butterflies we are to be changed, to be transformed into His likeness.
As I face the days ahead I’ve pledge to Him that I’ll keep my address in the present – always living there while striving toward the mark of the high calling of Christ, watching diligently for His second coming. I challenge you to make that same commitment. Let’s keep our eyes fixed on the Cross and go in search of the lost - changing as we go not to conform to this world, but being transformed into the likeness of the very Jesus who died and rose again to give us a hope, a future and eternal blessings. Change is coming to Southview and praise be to the God of Heaven and Earth who’s bringing it.
