Real Hope: Aligning Our Heart With God'sSample

End Of An Era

I used to manage a site that had a 100-year-old church building at the front. The weekly services had stopped some years ago. A few of the older members of the congregation would continue to meet in the building for prayer, but in time the building became unusable.

I enjoyed taking time out in this beautiful, modest church building to pray and reflect. It was peaceful, the sun shining through the dated stained-glass window featuring a red cross surrounded by frosted orange, the old baptismal font that had splashed many babies over the years, including some of those remaining prayer warriors, the organ with the broken F pedal, the hard wooden pews with faded homemade cushions, the Sunday school room with the out-of-tune piano and a strategically placed rear-vision mirror to keep an eye on the naughty kids, the faded Bible-verse posters, the cassettes of sermons from decades ago, and the old, well-used hymnals and Bibles. This once flourishing little community is no more.

End of an era? No! the generational impact from the faithful who gathered in that little old building has grown exponentially. Many of those naughty kids are now seeing their adult children and grandkids grow stronger in their faith, and some are even running successful Gospel ministries and churches in the local area and beyond.

Perhaps as last year closed you felt as if an era was coming to an end. Hold on to Jesus who is the same yesterday, today and forever. Don’t doubt the ongoing impact of the work He has already done through you, and know that He isn’t finished. That same Jesus has much in store for your future.

Written by AARON WRIGHT