WEEK ONE: WELCOME HOME SUNDAY

What is the one thing you would most like to change about the place where you live?

Growing up in the Hagerstown area, I so often heard people comment about how bad this area is. I’ve heard things like, “the people here are so backward,” thinking that our area can never progress or grow. I’ve heard that everyone here is just a hick or a country bumpkin, that racism is rampant and that it will never change, and the list go on and on. Maybe you have even thought or said some of those types of things. The reality is, there is probably some truth in every statement… but none of them are absolute or completely true all of the time.  Every place has its problems, and unfortunately we too often focus on those problems instead of wondering what we can do to help change them for the better.

Nehemiah had gotten news that the city he had grown up in (Jerusalem) was devastated and destroyed. This understandably upset him. He was in captivity to a foreign power and didn’t have the ability to just go back and do something about the situation at home. But instead of focusing on what he couldn’t change, he decided to do what he could. He asked for permission to go back and rebuild Jerusalem.

What if we, instead of criticizing and complaining, took on the mindset of Nehemiah about the city we live in? What if instead of just seeing the massive problem, we set our mind to do what we can to see the change that we want to happen in our communities? This requires a heart shift, and that shift can only happen when we allow God to change our thinking. We should have a burden for our city or community, but that burden must become one that is fueled by God—fueled to see the community not just change but be transformed by the power of God and his Holy Spirit moving on the people. Only God has the power to heal our cities, but we can do our part to help it along.

Jeremiah 29:7 states, “And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.” (NLT) Begin by praying! Ask God to heal your community. Ask him to change the way you think about your city and your neighbors. Confess the sins and ask forgiveness for the part you have played in that. Then take action to do what you can to see your city changed for the glory of God. Let God show you what you should do. Let God develop a burden in you to see your community transformed by his power, but then commit to doing your part to see that transformation complete.