There is a lot I don’t know about the history of the church. I didn’t grow up in church. I didn’t go to Bible college. I haven’t spent the time I maybe should outside of church actually looking at where the Restoration movement began, why it began, or what it meant for the world. But, there was a part of Tom’s sermon on Sunday that really stuck out to me. At the very end, he was talking about the men that we counted as faithful and read a long list of names. Then, he talked about how some of those names were people in his family-and how their faithfulness then is what led him to be who he is.
Isn’t that the same thing we’re called to now? Faithfulness. Enduring Faithfulness. Joshua 24:14 says, “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness.” What we do now will shape the future of not just Sherwood Oaks, but our city, our state, and our world. When it all seems overwhelming, it’s the enduring faithfulness of this generation, of this church, of this people, that will keep God’s word spreading and His story being told. Who we are today will affect the future in ways we cannot yet understand. Maybe someday, generations from now, someone will stand before the Sherwood Oaks faithful and read another list of names – of men and women who were faithful to Him when the world felt upside down – and how, because of those names, because of your faithfulness, God is still being glorified.