You never end up on top of a mountain by accident. You might be able to if it were a skydiving mess up, but other than that, you will probably not just end up there. In fact, it is always entirely the opposite. To reach the top of a mountain there are so many things that are to be done. There is physical training, there is equipment that you have to have. There is the research into the route or the trail you will take. On many mountains you have to go with a group or a guide, and when you get to the top you plant your flag.
Planting a flag may be old school, or discouraged now since we are all being environmentally conscious, but doing something when you get to the top seems important. I know that at the tops of some mountains there is a log book and a pen, so that you can sign in, and see who else has been there. But if you do not prepare you won’t get there, and if you don’t take your flag, (or a pen) you will have nothing to say you made it.
The goals identified in Vision 2020 are the mountains that we are striving for. These are the places God is calling us to climb to. They are not the only places we will go, because in each instance there is a distance from where we are to the top. Yet they are the goals , they are the targets. We have to go into training, we have to get the right equipment, we even have to plan our route, and we will have to strive to make it.
This week we will talk about the 5th Mountaintop: Fellowship. It might seem like the easiest one since we are starting off in a pretty good place. But sometimes what seems easiest ends up being the hardest. In this instance, it is about intimacy, vulnerability, authenticity, and our willingness to go there. Come be ready to be challenged to a greater fellowship.
See you at church.
Pastor Chris
