“Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me.
We are signs and symbols in Israel
from the LORD Almighty…”
—Isaiah 8:18 (NIV)
Dear Cobham Park Church Family,
I can’t help but notice the quality of a sign. This probably comes from my time designing and lettering signs as a young man, and installing them while perched atop boom trucks and ladders. The most pathetic sign I ever saw belonged to a church. It was battered and sun-faded and missing at least a fifth of its letters. As pastors came and went over the years, their names had been taped on top of one another. These eventually began to peel. As a result, a twenty-year archive of reverends flapped in the wind. If signs are the first impression many people have of a church, what would that dilapidated piece of plywood express?
Thankfully, Cobham Park’s church sign never got that bad. In fact, we just renovated it. New messages can now be instantly transmitted in brilliant color from my laptop computer. While such a sign may be helpful, it isn’t the most important first impression that people have of our church family. No amount of sign renovation or flashy lettering can adequately show who we really are. But our changed lives do!
Here at Cobham Park, I’ve seen many of you broken by grief, yet upheld by the Lord’s grace. I’ve seen old sinners forgiven, cleaned up, and given new life in Jesus. I’ve seen bitter resentments healed by the Holy Spirit. I’ve seen church leaders sacrificially serve others in Christ. I’ve seen young people pressured by a morally bankrupt culture, yet standing firm in God’s holy integrity. I’ve seen elderly saints who feel like giving up, yet their faithful love and prayer continue to move mountains.
Forget about that fancy sign out front. We are the first impression people have of God’s church! You are His signs. Thank You, Jesus: I know a good sign when I see it!
In His Love,
Pastor Keith
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