Dan Hager
With Reverence and Awe

We experience God’s presence when we gratefully worship with reverence and awe. At the Georgetown Church of Christ, we have been learning this ourselves.

With Reverence and Awe
Dan Hager
Way in the Wilderness

Amidst all of the hardship stirred by the onslaught of COVID-19, the past five years have also presented unique opportunities to grow. God has been doing a new thing: do you perceive it?

Way in the Wilderness
Dan Hager
Pray Without Ceasing

Prayer is so much more powerful than many Christians imagine, as Jesus and His earliest followers show us. Growing in this at the Georgetown Church of Christ over the past five years, we have witnessed that power for ourselves.

Pray Without Ceasing
Dan Hager
Go Make Disciples

Jesus is King, and He calls us to go make disciples. At the Georgetown Church of Christ, we have learned that every effort everywhere matters because He is with us.

Go Make Disciples
Dan Hager
Seasons

God created the world with changing seasons. As one season ends and a new begins for the Georgetown Church of Christ, it is clear how God’s purpose has been advanced through 48 people being united with Christ in baptism.

Seasons

Pray earnestly

In Matthew 9:36-38, Jesus reveals a lot about His heart and commands His disciples to pray a specific way.

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

When Jesus saw the harassed and helpless people all around Him, He felt compassion and He turned to prayer.  What about the harassed and helpless people all around us?  What about the children raised in the church who didn’t continue in their faith?  What about the spouses, parents, and siblings who have heard the good news about Jesus but haven’t obeyed it yet?

On Saturday February 2 at 8 a.m., the men of our church family are going to meet for a fellowship breakfast.  During this time, we are going to pray earnestly.  We are going to pray for the Lord to send out laborers (Matthew 9:38).  We are going to pray to speak His word with all boldness (Acts 4:29).  We are going to pray for the Lord to open hearts to pay attention to the gospel (Acts 16:14).

Is there someone in your life that is harassed, helpless, and in “a far country” away from their loving Father that we can specifically pray over?  Write down the details on one of our prayer cards and give it to Tony Jordan, Dan Hager, or Debbie Justice before or after services over the next couple of weeks.  During the men’s prayer breakfast on Saturday February 2, our brothers will pray earnestly over each of these.

If you are planning to attend the Men’s Prayer Breakfast, please let us know on the sign up sheet in the hallway by Wednesday January 30 to help us plan (but if you find out you are able to come that morning and you didn’t sign up, come anyway).

Using your "talents"

In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells a story to help us understand how God’s kingdom works.  A man going on a journey gives some of his property to his servants according to their abilities to productively use.  He gave his first servant five talents, his second servant two talents, and his third servant one talent.  A “talent” was equivalent to twenty years’ wages for a laborer.  Based on minimum wage for a full-time worker today, he gave the first servant $1,508,000 (five talents), the second servant $603,200 (two talents), and the third servant $301,600 (one talent).

As soon as the master left, the first two servants got to work and doubled their talents.  When after a long time he returned, they presented him with $3,016,000 (ten talents) and $1,206,400 (four talents) respectively.  Praising them with, “Well done, good and faithful servant”, the master welcomed them to share in his joy.

Not so for the third servant.  He had buried what the master gave him – and then blamed it on the master.  “Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground.  Here you have what is yours.”  Do you notice how the servant contradicts himself, though?  The master supposedly reaps where he didn’t sow, yet the servant says, “have what is yours”?  He knew the master expected a lot, so he did nothing?  The master wasn’t impressed either, casting the worthless servant into outer darkness.

This story tells us a lot about living in God’s kingdom.  Our master has given to us each according to his ability.  He knows us.  What He has given is what He knows we’re able to use – and He entrusts us with a lot!  Even the one talent man received significantly more to use from the master than he would have earned on his own. 

Our master doesn’t judge our value in comparison to others.  We are faithful in His eyes based on how we used what He gave us.

What has God given us to use, in terms of our time, talents, and material blessings?  If we really think about it, it is a lot!  How are we using what He has given us?  May we all be “good and faithful” servants that we might enter into His joy!