From Pastor Bob's desk . . .                                  4/29/10

What’s a Chazown?

Chazown.  Wonderful word.  A word that we all need to get to know better in the church, specifically at Loudonville UMC. 

Chazown is a Hebrew word we find in the book of Proverbs, as God tells us to create a vision for ourselves.  God tells us that we need a purpose, a focus of our attention and direction…  or we are going to find trouble.  “Where there is no vision, the people will perish.”  (Proverbs 29:18)  Chazown is so much more than JUST vision though.  Having God give you your chazown means that you are receiving your specific purpose…  your calling in life.  God makes each of us for a reason…  created for a purpose…   and when we receive our purpose from God, we have our ‘marching orders’- the dream of our lives-  a revelation of what we have been created for- the great vision of how we fit into the big picture.  God tells us that it is VITAL that we have this direction in our lives, even saying that without this chazown we will perish!

Just like individual people, God has created churches for specific purposes, with specific gifts and specific ministries.  Just like people, churches can lose their bearings and lose their way from their purpose in ministry.  Most churches today don’t have any clue what specific ministry they are called to, or what mission they serve!  Let me list an example.

Six years ago- I woke up on a Sunday morning to go serve a church and worship our Lord.  It was Sunday morning!  The ONLY focus of that morning should be 1) worshiping our Lord and 2) welcoming new people into our church- Amen?  DO you know what our main focus was the whole morning?  The absence  of the donuts that were NORMALLY  available during the fellowship hour.  The donuts were gone, and apparently, so was our purpose.  There was complete bedlam!  People arguing.  Open verbal abuse.  Volunteers promising their resignations from committees.  I actually heard one church member say, ‘I don’t know if anyone really even wants us here anymore or not after this.” 

IT’S JUST DONUTS!

Without vision…  without God’s purpose squarely in our sights…  we forget what- or WHO- we are serving.   Without a purpose, we have no point in ‘doing’ church anymore.  The church moves from an active, thriving, LIVING entity- to a social club.  Without God’s vision for our church constantly shaping and focusing our intentions, we focus on the donuts, the church lighting, the temperature of the sanctuary, the aesthetic appeal of the wall colorings…  and everything else, EXCEPT  the Lord our God.  Serving in a church without a vision is like getting pecked to death by a duck.  EVERY little thing is a major catastrophe!  Who would want to worship in that kind of environment?

I’m so glad to serve in a church that realizes it’s purpose.  This community of faith has a dream, and we know it!  We are a serving, thriving FAMILY that has a silent awareness of God’s dream for us.  Our church is coming alive in so many fantastic ways, living in God’s vision for us, but I promise you, there is still more!  I want to direct our church now through a time when we begin to solidify that vision and really draw out our passion.  God has created Loudonville UMC for a very specific purpose, and I want us to let the revelation of that purpose wash over us with the intensity and determination of God’s Holy Spirit.  We are a living church!  Now is our time to show all of Loudonville that this town has a reason to live!

-Pastor Bob