| The Church God Calls Us to Be - article by Joel Hempel Fast approaching are the three Sundays when we Discern God’s Will for GLC. On September 7, 14, and 21, we will enter a prayer and Bible study process that will seek to discern God’s will for our future. You say you have some thoughts about the direction we need to take? Your thoughts are important, but not most important. More than anything, we want to listen to what God has to say in His Word. As a way to begin reflecting on God’s will for his church – not just ours, but the church as a whole, here’s a quote from the book, Vanishing Grace by Philip Yancey1: A pastor friend of mine did a series of sermons on the phrase ‘one another.’ He found twenty-nine uses of that word in the New Testament, which, taken together, show what a true community would look like. They include the following: Love one another Forgive one another Pray for one another Bear one another’s burdens Be devoted to one another Regard one another as more important than yourself Do not speak against one another Do not judge one another Show tolerance for one another Be kind to one another Speak truth to one another Build up one another Comfort one another Care for one another Stimulate one another to love and good deeds I wonder how different the church would look to a watching world, not to mention how different history would look, if Christians everywhere followed that model. In part, the list you just read is the ideal for the church as we seek to be the body of Christ. Of course, there is also the instruction Scripture gives for reaching out with the Gospel to a broken and hurting world. But none of the reaching in or reaching out can be accomplished without the Spirit of God, who is our Hope and Help. Whether you are a member of GLC2 or some other church, we are dependent on God’s mercy and forgiveness. For whatever direction the Spirit leads us, we will make many mistakes along the way. But by his grace, we will succeed if we keep our eyes on Jesus and his leadership. Christ be my leader by night as by day; Safe through the darkness, for He is the way. Gladly I follow, my future His care, Darkness is daylight when Jesus is there.3
1. Vanishing Grace, Philip Yancy, pages 107-108. 2. Glendale Lutheran Church 3. Christ Be My Leader, Lutheran Service Book, 861, Concordia Publishing Company. | 
