“What’s next?”

It’s graduation time, so I suspect I will be hearing those two simple words a fair amount in conversations over these next few weeks. Perhaps you posed that question to someone recently. Or maybe you’re feeling under pressure to answer it.

Sometimes we can respond to “What’s next?” with certainty. When I graduated from high school, my answer was straightforward: “I’m going to college.” But during other seasons that same question elicits anxiety. For example, the words, “What’s next?” rattled around inside my head as we were bringing our first child home from the hospital. They have also taken on new significance after losing both of my parents within the course of a year and a half. I find myself asking, “What’s next?” as I learn to navigate a world without either of them in it.

Part of developing into a deeply formed follower of Jesus is returning to this fundamental question again and again. Jesus is always inviting us into new places and asking us to expand our faith in him.

As a church, we are blessed by a rich legacy. The women and men who have gone before us have given us a great example of following Jesus through good and trying times. They sought out and pursued the opportunities God called them to step by step.

And now it’s our turn to ask, “What’s next?” How can the generations that follow us build on our faithfulness and thrive well into the future?

Part of developing into a deeply formed follower of Jesus is returning to this fundamental question again and again. Jesus is always inviting us into new places and asking us to expand our faith in him.

That’s the underlying purpose for our “All In” centennial series. By the way, this isn’t a push to simply add something to your already overwhelmed schedule. A next step in faith might actually require a number of us to “do” less so that we can focus on and invest ourselves in what truly matters.

As you focus on what next steps Jesus may want for you and our church, I want to invite you into a week-long time of reflection and prayer beginning this Sunday. We’ll have a special set of short reflections here on the blog each day, as well as a time of in-person worship together on our church’s actual 100th birthday on Tuesday (May 17). I encourage you to sign up for text prompts for next week’s daily prayer focus using the button below.

As we all pursue God’s will for our lives, my hope is that we will become even more surrendered to what He wants to do in and through us.