Dear Trinity Family and Friends,

I’m excited to share with you today about the second message in our sermon series, “Why Trinity.” Last Sunday we learned about our purpose, considering Esther’s role at a very specific moment in history to accomplish a very specific work of God. This week we will talk about growth as part of our participation here at Trinity United Methodist Church.

Along with our continuing look at Ephesians 4:7-16, we will also utilize Psalm 1 (the very first psalm out of one-hundred and fifty!). The first three verses of the Bible’s longest book begin with some great timeless wisdom for all human lives: avoid the path of the wicked and love the path of our God! This seems like simplistic advice at first, until we get to verse three - where the psalmist gives us an image of a great tree rooted deep in the soil, receiving nourishment over and over again. Our very lives may resemble this great tree, as we are rooted deep in the soil of our faith and replenished time and time again by the gathering of God’s people, the singing of hymns of faith, and the collective study of God’s word as a part of the Trinity family.

This week’s theme is on growth. The dictionary defines “growth” as the process of increasing. So what does this have to do with our faith? Well, if we are satisfied with our current level of faith and our current level of discipleship, and make no commitment to increase our faith, then we aren’t really engaging in the “process of increasing” our faith, are we? Growth is a very common word, but that does not mean that growth is easy. We must be very intentional in our faith: taking note of how faithful we are today, making plans for tangible steps towards a future increase of our faith, and then following through on what we planned to do. Growth will not happen accidentally.

I want to leave you with the three following questions to consider, either in your personal study, to discuss with your family members at home or to raise in your Sunday school classes or small groups:

1. Have I recently been tempted by “wicked advice”? How was I able to recognize it for what it was, and resist?
2. Maybe I recite God’s instructions day and night - but maybe not! How can I make the beautiful words of scripture a more regular piece of my day? 
3. Think about someone who helped you to grow in your faith journey. Praise God for them, and ask God to send someone into your life that you might pour faith into that other person in turn.

I hope to see you in person this Sunday at our 9 am traditional service or the 10:30 am contemporary service, or to see that you’ve worshipped with us online. May God richly bless you as we grow in Christ together!

In Christ,

Pastor Dale