February 22, 2021 Message from your Rector

A Message from your Rector:

 
Dear Parish Family:
 
Obedient to the point of death
 
It was Sunday afternoon, August 3rd, 2019 when I left Georgetown to come to Darlington. I remember it if it were yesterday. Although the farewell reception for us was bittersweet, my books and office effects were packed in the old Yukon ready to hit the Old River Road.
 
The very next day, I was scheduled to speak at a gathering of Sonoco Christian employees who had formed to pray for one another each month and hear a testimony. After 28 years of continuous service, I resigned from Sonoco in 2011 to answer the call to ordained ministry.
 
Called away and called back. What would that be like? My friend and former senior executive Vicki Arthur helped form this Christian group at Sonoco and asked me to speak about how the call from God came and what changes I saw in myself as a result. Oh, and will you bring your Dad if he is able? Little did I know that God would bring healing and affirmation of why I was coming home to be the Rector of Saint Matthew's Church.
 
That day, I spoke before 120 employees and my dad that my career as I saw it had been so-so until I submitted to God's Word and Way. For years, I lived two lives - part time Christian and full time Corporate businessman. Actually the truth was, I was hiding under my dad's reputation and the corporate security blanket instead of standing for something more than just seeking to get by into prosperity.
 
But when I saw the truth of God working in the lives of people in the Bible and heard the miracle of faith in the lives of other believers, I trusted Jesus enough to let go of the fear of failure, the need to hide behind my past, and He removed the obstacles that were preventing me to just be His, to be truthful and real, forgiven, healed, and on the road to restoration.
 
Well enough about me. Our Old Testament Lesson this Sunday is found in Genesis Chapter 22 when Abraham is obedient to God's call to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering. Instead of seeking the advice of friends to talk him out of it, Abraham obeyed. He had already witnessed the miracle and the truth of God's power in giving him a son through Sarah at such an old age.
Abraham trusted God with his life and his son's life even to the point of death.
 
Abraham followed God's instructions and didn't seek to blend in the world's expectations, and found God to be merciful and good on his covenant to make him a father to many nations.
 
If we trust God at His Word and follow His Way, giving up our control, we will discover how God will provide not just everything necessary for our salvation but more than we can ask or imagine. He is working to bring your heart and mind in sync with Him! See how He loves you! Ask Him to show you how much He loves you! Trust me, He will.
 
Let us continue our journey in fasting to get past ourselves, to get away from the world for a moment, or as necessary to hear from the Lord and become obedient to Him, following His Son's own path for our great good and to HIs greater Glory!
 
In His Love,
Rags+