Where IS that RESET Button???

Each week we will be sharing a post from a staff member in response to the most recent sermon in our “Reset” series. Click to watch, listen, or read the sermon shared by Pastor Roger Patterson on October 4, 2020.

I am definitely not a techie. I am so blessed that we have IT support where I work, or I would be lost. They are always available to answer my call and tell me to: unplug/re-plug, turn it off and back on or reboot (and why can’t I remember to do that BEFORE I call, you’d think I’d know by now…but I digress). That seems to fix 90% of the issues. Sometimes, however, I am asked to RESET something. The options are often RESET to default or RESET to the original settings.  In the sermon this week, we were challenged to RESET. “Our time of retreat has come to a close. It’s time to RESET” was Pastor Roger’s quote.

But what are we resetting to after this time of retreat? It seems we have two options. We might just want to get back to where we were, to how things were before this weird pandemic upended our world and turned us all into mask wearing, sanitizing, socially distant creatures.  Back to where we were, back to our “default”. This is easy, we know what it is, and we are comfortable in that spot.

Maybe we are being called to RESET back to our original settings, the factory settings if you will. Isn’t that what Jesus is challenging us with in the Sermon on the Mount?  We are created in the image of God. His desire is for us to be in perfect relationship with Him and with each other. That’s our original setting. Sin has entered in and messed up our operating system.  But Jesus calls us to change all of that.

What are some practical ways we can RESET?  What stood out to me from the sermon (on the Mount and on YouTube) was that we need to pursue righteousness. Working from the inside out, we need to make prayer and Bible study a key part of each and every day. A focus on basic disciplines that keep us inside the lines. Asking ourselves hard questions: who holds us accountable, are we being self-aware of how we are perceived?

This is a perfect time tighten up those daily disciplines that will then be reflected as we interact with others. We need to be sure that those around us are seeing Christ in us. We are getting out more and more, and our Zoom opportunities are ever increasing.  While we should not be afraid (God’s perfect love drives out fear), many around us are very fearful. Job uncertainties which lead to housing insecurities and even a basic need for food. We are called to be the light! That might mean to the neighbors we know or to neighbors we haven’t met yet. It is exciting to see how God is calling us to meet new neighbors in Missouri City with our new campus launching in January, and we are going to be able to share God’s love with them in different and exciting ways. Maybe serving there is a way to kick off your RESET? If so, make sure to text “CityRise” to 797979 to stay in the loop on how you can support this new campus.

Before we get all the way back to our default, let’s figure out how to RESET to the original settings! Start here: Matthew 5 – 7 or here CityRise Youtube Channel.

Kathleen Yarborough is the Director of Community Ministries for the CityRise Network. She leads the English as a Second Language ministry and is the liaison between the church and its local ministry partners. She is married to Steve. Their basset hound is famous on the CityRise YouTube videos.