Aroma

Good Wednesday to You, 

Congratulations to our new class of Ruling Elders: Russ Allen, Monica Pipenkotter, Doug Reavie, and Dan Swanson; and our new class of Deacons: Marty Almquist, Michael Dykstra, Anne Grignon, Matthew Heidt, and Jane Reavie. Thank you for responding to the call to lead and serve Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church through this season. "For such a time as this" you were called by God and elected by the congregation. We look forward to supporting you as you "serve the people with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love!"

In our passage on Sunday, I was struck by Paul's instruction to the church in Ephesus (and also us) to "imitate God." The question of possibility rings genuine. Is it even possible to imitate God? If so, how? We cannot imitate God's omnipotence (all-powerful), nor can we imitate God's omniscience (all-knowing), and we certainly cannot imitate God's omnipresence (all-present). These are attributes of God that we as finite beings cannot imitate. So, how then can we "imitate God"?  

Very simply we can imitate God's character; God's truth, God's forgiveness, and God's love. The world is a mess and the very reason we get angry when injustice occurs is because of our "imitating God's Truth." The truth of the matter is everyone is created in the Image of God and has value and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. When someone acts unjustly, we get angry—rightfully so! Paul writes about anger in our passage too. We are told not to sin in our anger—which is a whole other side. Too often our anger is not about injustice that occurs on someone else's behalf, but on ours. When someone mistreats us, we want justice. To the point we act out in anger and sin. In moments like these, it's wise to imitate God's forgiveness. 

Imitating God's forgiveness is not easy. Why should we forgive—especially when we have been wronged? Paul answers that: because "Christ forgave you." God's forgiveness and grace is scandalous. We do not deserve it, but because of God's great love, it is offered as a free gift. Unreal! Having received and experienced God's forgiveness, Paul admonishes us to forgive and "live a life of love." The very character of God that motivates forgiveness is love. We know a powerful definition of love is "to will the good of another." The words we speak, the thoughts we entertain, and the actions we take, motivated by love, bring the very best for another. 

I cannot think of anything better for my life than imitating God. Oscar Wilde is known for popularizing the quote "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery..." That is so true of us. Who else is there worthy of our imitating? If God seems too far, I challenged you to find someone close to you who imitates Jesus—imitate them—as they imitate Jesus. We all draw closer to God doing so. 

As a quick reminder, we will be meeting this Sunday, February 5, for our 15 Minutes of Prayer between services. After the 9:00am service, please join us in the Parish Hall as we praying for the future of Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church. We will pray for our church leadership, for the incoming interim pastor, and for whomever the Lord is calling to lead us next in this season. We will start praying at 10:10am and say "amen" at 10:25!

Blessings, 
Pastor John

If you missed this Sunday’s sermon, click here to listen now!