I’m sure it has happened in the past, and I’m absolutely confident it will happen again … I’m absolutely overwhelmed! 

Over the past six weeks or so several leaders and caring church members have asked me about how things are going. I’m especially cognizant that in December I began by THIRD year already as pastor with the people of St. John’s.  So when folks asked me “How are things going,” I was also doing a bit of an assessment of the past couple of years.

Like many of you I spent the month of December feeling completely unprepared and always a little overwhelmed. I was working on plenty of things at the last minute. That Christmas Eve was on a Sunday this year also didn’t help and then I was traveling the last Sunday of the church year. So as we approached the final days of Advent, I was working on Advent services and preparing for EIGHT services before I could “wrap things up” on Thursday, December 21.

Add to the list: Debra and I received the unwelcome gift of viruses that sapped our energy during a week (January 2-5) set aside to do plenty of “catch up.”  And now, because Easter is so early this year, we’re coming into a winter season that is shorter than ever (there are  only five Sundays after Epiphany and the Transfiguration of our Lord is already the weekend of February 11.

I have and will be overwhelmed. I love EVERYTHING I’m doing, but a host of great things is still a HOST of great things.

That’s when it hit me: I am and have been overwhelmed in other ways:

• Every time I turned around another church member was handing me a Christmas Card or gift. Once we get healthy, we’ll head out to enjoy a dinner out (or two). Some of your gifts have been intentionally set aside for a big trip to Germany next fall.
• Every day someone else was asking how they could help or responding positively to my request for help. Several DIY’ers are lowering the cost for repairs and improvements to our school building. The Board of Elders did a fabulous job of helping me host our local pastor’s conference.
• Leaders have been scheduling (and rescheduling) meetings and setting our congregational agenda for the coming months. 

Each of these, of course, pale in comparison to being absolutely overwhelmed by the love of God!  As I’ve shared from the pulpit (and will insist on continually): our living is built on the foundation of God’s love and forgiveness. 

As I was planning for worship I came across a Cory Asbury song we haven’t used since I’ve been pastor, but we will in the coming weeks at our Connect service. Consider the song’s refrain and what it describes (based on large part on the parables from Luke 15):

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

Oh, it chases me down, fights ‘til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine

I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still You give Yourself away

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God