Like a River Glorious

When I was serving a church in Indianapolis, I had a colleague who was a bit more adventurous than I am and consequently would often take the scenic route for about any drive that he could. Where I would drive straight from Indianapolis to Chicago, Mark would instead wander around through the countryside, taking it all in. (I’ve never quite understood why he wanted to take in northern Indiana. Southern Indiana is beautiful but northern? It’s just flat. There are lots of cornfields. In the winter, it’s acres upon acres of corn stubble. With all love and respect to the Hoosiers I know, corn stubble is just not attractive.) Anyhow, in one of his meandering drives he happened on a sight that intrigued and attracted him. He and his wife saw in the distance a pretty ramshackle building that was obviously a church. (Which I suppose is the advantage of living in a flat state - you see things a long way off.) Mark was intrigued so they drove a little closer. As they approached the building, they saw the church had one of those signs out front that can be changed to read different things. This particular church had used their moveable letters to announce the name of the church and Mark said that was what caught his attention. Outside this rundown little building was a marquee that read, The Church of New Beginnings. It was the name that intrigued him. He started wondering what a church that really offered new beginnings looked like.
But that’s exactly what we claim each week, that we can begin again.