We are in the third week of our Lenten message series asking the basic question “Why?” “Why am I doing this?” “What am I here for?”
Sometimes it can happen at a party when we don’t know many people or feel out of place, especially if you are an introvert like me. Or we step into a situation and it is not what we thought it was going to be. It probably, maybe definitely happened to you in school. You are sitting in some class or another, thinking, “I will never need this information.”
It’s not really a big deal, unless and until it is a question we begin asking about major areas of our life, like
- our vocation and direction in life
- our jobs and careers
- our friendships and relationships
And it is even bigger deal to know our “why” when it comes to the whole span of our lives.
In the busyness of life, the “why” question usually doesn’t get asked early enough or often enough. We’re just too busy.
But answering the question, “why” is vitally important. It provides purpose and meaning and adds value, it will get us through the difficult times and make the good times far more enjoyable.
The purpose of life is to begin to live in the light of eternity and we do that in five specific ways:
Worship – you were planned for God’s pleasure
Fellowship – you were formed for God’s family
Discipleship – you were created to be like Christ
Ministry – you were shaped to serve God and others
Mission – you were made to bring Christ to the world
Authentically living out these purposes, or even just trying, will grow our character and bear good fruit. So we’re taking the 40 days of Lent and focusing on each purpose, both in our weekend messages in big church and in our small group curriculum (both available on our web site). We’re also inviting everyone to read a chapter a day from Pastor Rick Warren’s book What On Earth Am I Here For? which is the basis for our series.
Over a decade ago we hosted this same program as a parish wide Lenten project, we called it “40 Days of Purpose.” It was, quite literally, transformative for the life of the parish, forming the foundation for our parish renewal and rebuilding and birthing our small groups program. We’re hoping for another bountiful harvest this Lent. Join us.
