What do I want my Saturday to look like?

Last week we celebrated the life of a great friend and member at Mt. Calvary.  Wanda Wrice was one of those ladies in whom you were able to observe a quiet and yet defined faith.  To the outside world she looked like a perfect women of faith.  She was patient and loving to others.  She was thoughtful in her words.  She patiently stood by her family, praying they would stay in faith.  And when I met with her in the hospital her motivation to get better was so she could attend Bible study with me.  While that was flattering, that was how Wanda was motivated.  We know, of course, that Jesus was the only one who was perfect, and we all face sin and challenges.  But we also know that as we grow in faith and God’s Word, He shapes us spirituality by sanctification through the Holy Spirit.  At moments in our lives we are all seen by the outside world as perfect people of faith.  But we know that in our quiet moments we battle with sins, pains, and struggles.  So in this series we begin to ask ourselves tough questions.  The question is, If I had the perfect Saturday, the moment when no one was looking, what would I want it to look like?  How do I want to appear?

           

Let’s not fool ourselves.   All disciples of Christ go home at night and think through the days’ mistakes, and what they want Saturday or tomorrow to look like.  Every phase in life offers us a chance to grow in faith and trust in Jesus.  It also gives us an opportunity to see sin more violently in our lives.  This series opens up the books on our stories, and allows us to think more deeply about what our Saturdays look like.

           

When I was a teenager my Dad, who was out of work at the time, took three years to read the Bible.  While this was commendable, and he certainly grew in faith, this was confusing to a young man studying to become a pastor.  I have to admit I wondered if God ever would want me to do that?  And that is exactly why I bring it up.  We could go to the extreme and decide that on Saturdays I should read the Bible all day. But that would limit the potential pieces of the discipleship model, which encourage us to love others and grow in relationships.  This is not a simple question.  This  requires deep thought and focus.  My prayer over the next several weeks is that we open up our lives and ask those questions.  That is why this is a four week series and not a stand-alone Sunday topic.  Before we can ever begin to reshape our behavior, we must first look at the law and our sin.  It is in that clear mirror that we see the places where we are missing the mark.  And while there are days or hours or moments that we don’t want to examine; when we finally do, we find the areas where we need restoration, reform and love from Jesus. This week we ask the question, What do I want Saturday to look like?