What change looks like…

I was walking back into the sanctuary on Sunday after worship and saw one of our worship leaders sitting with a boy who had visited Hope that morning. The leader was showing this 12 year-old how to strum a few chords on the guitar. I’m not sure how this short lesson was initiated, but it’s a perfect example of what the “new” Hope looks like. 

Change is coming to Hope. It looks like: 

• introducing yourself to someone you don’t know

• sharing a talent of a skill

• being curious (because you care)

• not rushing to the parking lot after worship is over

• asking someone their name (even though you “should” know it)

• greeting people who aren’t your friends (in addition to those who are) 

• being patient with others who are trying

• gently redirecting someone who feels a little “bent out of shape”

• volunteering when you see a need

• communicating calmly (with the right person) when something is really bothering you

• not assuming someone knows what “everyone” knows

• being willing to let go of familiar (comfortable) routines

This is just a start. We could add another dozen (or three) examples of how to embrace the change that’s already happening. And the reality is that if we don’t embrace the change actively, others will experience our hesitation as resistance (regardless of whether or not that’s what we intend to communicate). 

There’s a conclusion to the story I need to share. Our worship leader didn’t get through his short lesson unscathed. When his guitar was handed back to him, it was sticky – and out of tune. (The young boy decided to see what happened when he turned the tuning pegs.)  Embracing change will sometimes cost us. But it’s a small price to pay for seeing God at work in our church – and our new neighborhood.