Midweek meditation from Pastor Dave September 4, 2024

Just as school has started back up for our students and teachers, September is the time of the year when small group studies usually start back up around the church. We have several opportunities for you to “be transformed by the renewing of your minds,” as the Apostle Paul put it, “so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).

First of all, we are blessed this month to host Rev. Dr. Jim and Kathy Reiter, who are spiritual directors from Texas. They will present a free session defining and describing spiritual formation at our Wednesday night dinner on September 11 at 6 pm in the Crest Center. Then they will lead a workshop on the Enneagram as a tool for spiritual

transformation on Saturday, September 14 (register on our website at www.signalcrestumc.org), and Jim will be preaching in our worship services on Sunday, September 15 on the topic, “It’s All About Transformation.”

Second, during the Sunday school hour, I will be leading a four-session study of the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church. We will explore our denomination’s perspectives on some of the most pressing social issues of our world. The study will start this Sunday, September 8. We will meet at 10 am in the Leap of Faith classroom. The Social Principles can be accessed at https://www.umcjustice.org/documents/124.

Third, starting Sunday, September 15, Drew will be leading a study of the book Innovating for Love: Joining God’s Expedition through Christian Social Innovation. This study will focus less on the “why” and the “what” and the “how” and instead more on the “who”—who Jesus is and who we are called to be in and through him. The six-week study will be at 10 am upstairs in the Loft.

Fourth, if you have ever wanted to read through the entire New Testament, the “good news” is that we are about to arrive there in our schedule of reading through the entire Bible in a year. We come to Matthew 1 on Sunday, September 22. We will be picking back up with our Tuesday night Bible study on September 24 at 7 pm in the Leap of

Faith classroom, and all are welcome to come. We will be following along with the schedule of daily readings published in the bulletin, website, and social media.

Finally, this Sunday, we’re kicking off our fall sermon series on the book of Revelation called “Hope Revealed.” Two of our Sunday school classes—the Bible Foundations class (Room 434 near the elevator by the Crest) and the Roundtable Class (library)—are studying Revelation this fall as well, and I’m sure they would welcome all who are curious to learn more about this strange and compelling book of the Bible.

And these are just some of the opportunities available. There’s also so much faith formation happening in our children and youth ministries as well! But all of these opportunities for spiritual transformation take place in small groups. It’s something that is best done together, with one another. So the question I have for you is this: where will

you plug in? How will you open yourself to spiritual transformation this month?