Living On Purpose
Proverbs 29:18 - “Without a vision my people perish…”
In 1952 a young woman named Florence Chadwick set out to become the first woman to make the 26 mile swim from Catalina Island to the California coast. A team accompanied her in a small boat to protect her from sharks or rescue her if any unforeseen trouble occurred. That also included Florence saying she needed to give up on the attempt.
About fifteen hours into her swim, a dense fog settled in, greatly reducing visibility. A short time later Chadwick told her support team to remove her from the water, aching fatigue overtaking her. What she didn’t realize until she was sitting in the boat was that she was only one mile from her goal. The fog had made the shoreline invisible and that lack of vision made the remaining challenge seem too great to overcome.
One Heart-One Mission
Over the past several weeks at Spanish River Church we’ve been digging into the mission God entrusted to this congregation as we seek to serve Christ together. Every congregation pauses from time to time to check visibility, not only to make sure we are on track, but also to rediscover the grace we need to press ahead. Our vision and mission have to be clear, embraced and celebrated too.
That’s why this coming week is our Commitment Day. We are wrapping up One Heart-One Mission, our SRC Vision series, with a call to the unified humility that acknowledges how desperately we need God’s presence and grace in our lives, empowering us to commit to carrying out his mission in the world.
Commitment Day is an opportunity for us to hear that call, dedicate ourselves to it, confess our need for God’s strength and grace, and celebrate his goodness to us. Please join me on Saturday and Sunday to hear the final message in this series, come to the Lord’s Table, and - on Sunday after the 10 AM service - join in a great church-wide party to rejoice together. There will be plenty of food and so many great activities for the children as well. If you come to worship on Saturday, come back for the party on Sunday at 11.
Intent on One Purpose
When Paul wrote to his beloved friends in Philippi he urged them to be ‘intent on one purpose’ (Phil 2). He knew that a people united in purpose and heart would be a people through whom the Gospel would flourish in the world. These ancient Christians were clearly a people of vision, giving their lives, energy, time, and goods to see the Good News about Jesus spread in their cities and towns and world. They were a people captured by a supreme vision that caused their hearts to rejoice in sacrifice rather than shrink back in fear or cynicism.
‘Vision’ may well be an overused word in our world but it's an important word, a deeply Biblical idea that describes the WHY of the WHAT we give our lives for. Sometimes ‘vision’ may be limited in scope (get through another day), professional (get that promotion), or societal (pass that legislation). Those are vital perspectives, but let me suggest that there’s more to ‘vision’ than meets the eye.
For the Christian, our vision is both larger and more intense: we have a supreme passion and a focused purpose. Our passion is Jesus himself. “ONE THING I have desired”, sang King David. What was it? “To dwell in God’s temple and behold his beauty” (see Psalm 27). Our supreme vision is the Kingdom of God. “Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and his righteousness”, said Jesus. He went on to say that when this FIRST priority is our top priority then all the other distracting substitute priorities will fall into place as they should (Matthew 6:33).
One Heart-One Mission has provided us with a season for vision clarification, for reshaping priorities around the Kingdom of God and the Mission of Jesus that he’s entrusted to SRC. It’s an opportunity to begin to live beyond ourselves, our own needs, and our own chronologies. It’s a chance to be renewed as faithful disciples of Jesus, laying down our lives for the sake of others. Let’s embrace this moment with Gospel hope and joy.
Gaining the Shore
Two months after her failed attempt, Florence Chadwick entered the sea off Catalina a second time and, despite the fog settling in again, she succeeded in her record-setting swim. The vision of the shoreline she carried in heart was greater than the fog that surrounded her. And she didn't stop there. Florence Chadwick went on to become the first woman to swim the English Channel as well - in both directions!
One Heart-One Mission describes what we can see right now, but there’s much more to come. The days and years ahead are surely full of both challenge and fruitfulness, and I can’t wait to discover together with you the beautiful plans the Lord Jesus has for our church. The great Scottish Pastor-Theologian Thomas Chalmers wrote, “Regardless of how large, your vision is too small.” I suspect that’s true, but we will nonetheless ask great things of our great God, the One who has promised to do more than we could ask or imagine.
Regardless of how large, your vision is too small. - Thomas Chalmers