The Big Mo...

If you’ve ever spent any time watching a competitive college football game, one of the things you will invariably hear the announcers describe is the “momentum” of the game. It is the unseen force of college football created by the marriage of adrenaline, crowd, skill, and a hefty dose of luck. Just a couple of unanswered points, mistakes by the other team, and dynamic plays, and the announcers are quick to declare, “It looks like the momentum is shifting.” I don’t know that momentum is something we can claim in church work; however, I do believe that discouragement and encouragement are very real dynamics that are always at work. If I’m honest, January was a discouraging month. The “Omicron surge” caused many people to avoid the crowds again - not to mention the number of people who actually caught COVID. Sadly, our church has been impacted by death and chronic illness in recent weeks. As we move past this month, let’s look for (and pray for) more encouraging days to come.

While external circumstances can have a tremendous impact on our discouragement, the Bible reminds us that PEOPLE can have a significant effect on our encouragement. Hebrews 10:24-25 reminds us of a fundamental principle: ²⁴ And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵ not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” It is our job as Jesus’ followers to be in the business of encouraging one another.

How can you be an encouragement to someone this month? Perhaps the family that has been sharing COVID (or any other illness) with one another would benefit from a card in the mail or a porch drop of some homemade goodies. Maybe that exhausted teacher or nurse might be encouraged with an offer to babysit the kids so they can run some errands. Maybe your Sunday school teacher who weekly prepares lessons for a class that isn’t as well-attended as it once was would be encouraged if everybody agreed to show up on the same Sunday. Or maybe that new widow or widower might be encouraged if you reached out to them a few weeks after the funeral to remind them that they’re not forgotten.

Discouraging times call for encouraging people. As Jesus’ people, that’s right down our alley!