Have you ever exclaimed “You learn something new every day!”? Whether your teenager taught you how to set up your own Facebook profile, or NPR news offered an enlightening insight into a legislative debate, there are opportunities for new learning in our midst every day. The recent landing of the Mars rover Curiosity reminds us that we live in an age of discovery. Technology has equipped us with an opportunity to explore neighboring planets (while watching the live-stream video of this exploration), and to find answers to our many questions with a quick Google search of our iPhones. With so many resources at our fingertips, 24 hours of every day, information is infinitely accessible, and the opportunity to engage in a virtual world to investigate virtually every aspect of our lives is constant.
The practices of our faith affirm that we are called to be a people of discovery. As we trust that God is continually at work in our lives and in the world, we humbly acknowledge that there are always new lessons to learn, new insights to gain, new invitations of the Spirit to discern. These same practices redefine discovery for us, reminding us that our exploration is not limited to that which is new or even to that which is external.
Discovery includes the thoughtful, honest exploration of ancient texts; candid evaluation of history and culture; opportunities for internal, quiet reflection; intentional engagement in community. Discovery includes reading and listening and sharing and acting, praying and helping and worshipping–with a spirit of openness. Learning something new may simply, and radically, mean discovering something that is new to us: a new teaching in a familiar biblical passage; a new awareness to a neighbor’s need; a new aspect of our personal or corporate identity. Embarking on a path of discovery affirms that the God who created us is continually creating new things: around us, within us, through us.
We know that within our church life, September marks a time of new beginnings. As the church school year and regular worship schedule resume, we have an opportunity to enter into a journey of discovery together. This edition of the Reaching Out is full of opportunities for discovery together in study, in worship, in fellowship and in mission. These pages will point you toward the stories of partners on our faith journey: of delegates from our sister church in Malawi, of a missionary from our congregation serving in Bolivia, of the witness of a faith leader in our community sharing God’s word in worship. As you read more about these opportunities, prayerfully consider which experiences will enable you to learn new things on your journey of faith. Join us on this path of discovery so that together we might, with new awareness and intention, “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.”