Evan's Highway

Audio version here

Luke 1:76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, (NIV)

Our church began a movie study yesterday, based upon “Evan Almighty.” If you haven’t seen the movie, you should. It’s very funny and there’s a wholesome family message in the story. It kind of reminded me of two James Stewart movies, “Harvey” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

The premise of the movie is all about a newly-elected New York politician being called by God to build an ark in his subdivision. It sounds crazy, but then I guess when God called Noah to build his ark thousands of years ago, it seemed crazy at that time, too.

So, why are we studying this movie? Well, there’s a new church site called “ArkAlmighty.com” which ties in to the movie. Congregations can register to be a part of a good neighbors project where church members can use their gifts and skills to help others in their congregations and communities. It’s a well organized program, developed by Willow Creek ministries. Our church has signed up for it and so we began a four-week curriculum based upon good deeds and godly faith interacting. Kindness to others and the Kingdom of God are brought together in a special way that honors Christ and evangelizes at the same time.

I hope that by doing this, our church will feel more confident about reaching out to others in our community and that the people around us will feel reconnected to God through His people. It will also help us work out what our true calling is at Erin and to go in whatever direction the Lord leads us. I don’t see us building an ark anytime soon, but I do believe that we are meant to build upon the Kingdom God has already established here though the ministry and mission of Christ.

Prayer: Lord God, we all want to do Your will and to follow Your Son Jesus into the world around us. Help us to be open to the bidding of Your Spirit and to see the needs of the people in our community. Wherever we can, enable us to fulfill those needs though deeds of kindness, love , and faith. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen.