This weekend we are celebrating the 34th anniversary of our church, with all 5 campuses and our Spanish congregation gathering together in South Barrington. What a thrill to be united in worship, giving thanks for the outrageous faithfulness and mercy of our great God. I am one of those who knows just how unlikely a group the founders of this church were for God to use, and how many grievous errors and sins we have committed along the way. God chose to sustain us in spite of ourselves, as He so mercifully does.
On the very same weekend that Willow Creek was launched, the phenomenon known as Saturday Night Live also began. I don't know why I find that so interesting, but I do. That show has influenced my generation and those that have followed in significant ways. When we come to eternity, I wonder how we will look at the kingdom of God and its impact from 1975 until the present - in what ways have Christians influenced the culture and acted as transforming agents for the cause of Christ? Measuring the ways in which the arts, and specifically a television show, have influenced people is a tricky business. Surely the attitudes of many toward Sarah Palin were highly affected by the comedy offered up by Tina Fey and company. Perhaps it will not be until we celebrate God's goodness in heaven that we will more clearly see how Christ followers in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries impacted their generation through our worship, our service to the poor, our love for the lost. In the meantime, we are called to persevere for the sake of the kingdom, one day and one life at a time. I count it a tremendous privilege to be counted among my brothers and sisters in the church of Jesus Christ, worldwide, who seek to be a light blazing (or at least flickering) in the darkness...
Congratulations to you and the Willow Family for 34 years of ministry. The innovation displayed by such a group of faithful leaders has been so inspirational. By the grace of God may you have 34 more years.
Posted by: Aaron | October 13, 2009 at 02:58 PM
Aaron,
thank you so much for your kind words...
Nancy
Posted by: Nancy Beach | October 13, 2009 at 06:11 PM