I want to begin by thanking everyone who came out last Sunday and affirmed my call to DPC as designated pastor. And, indeed, to everyone who, for more than two years, has welcomed and affirmed my ministry with you –thank you. I know that moving away from the traditional “called and installed” model is not easy, for DPC and me. But I am hopeful that with this decision we can invest in each other even more deeply; that we can move with confidence into new areas of mission, evangelism, worship, study and fellowship; that we can even more fully be the church together and a more vital and relevant presence in our neighborhood and city.
At the November session meeting I’ll present the ruling elders with a comprehensive written document detailing my vision for the future of DPC, and where I believe the session and congregation should focus attention, energy and resources for the next four years. Very quickly after that meeting, I’ll share my vision with the entire worshiping community. My vision and recommendations will be based on the fine work that came out of the New Beginnings process (see below) – which has many excellent proposals and initiatives that have yet to be put into action – along with my personal observations and conversations from the last couple years, and the experience I’ve gained as a fulltime pastor in several ministry contexts.
My vision will be aspirational and challenging (for both of us), but also realistic. DPC has a strong foundation and more than adequate resources to build an even more vibrant community in heart of one of America’s most vibrant cities. When I’m asked to describe where DPC is located, I’ll always say, “On the corner of Church Street and Fifth Avenue.” To that I’ll often add, “We’re about as close to the geographic center of Nashville as you can get.” I believe our centrality can be far more than geographic and I hope to present a strong case for how and why we can be so much more.
As for this Sunday, I’ll be preaching on Luke 17:11-19. This is the story of The Ten Lepers and it’s found only in Luke’s gospel. I’ll suggest reading the story in the New Revised Standard Version because I think that translation gets at the nuances of the Greek better than other versions. It’s also worth pointing out that the Greek word lepros, from which we get the word “leprosy,” does not necessarily refer to that specific ailment we call Hansen’s Disease. Here the Common English Bible version gets it better, using “skin disease.”
We will be singing a fine hymn that is unusual in our hymnal because it’s based entirely on a single story that appears only once in the New Testament and is not a story that’s particularly well-known. It’s #179 in our hymnal and it’s called “Ten Lepers Facing Constant Scorn.” You can hear the melody here (click on play button near the bottom) and read the text here.
Finally, I want to call your attention the many announcements below. There’s a lot of new material since last week!
See you Sunday!
Grace and peace,
Mike