A Note From Pastor Karen
“Where there is new wine there is new power, there is new freedom and the Kingdom is here. I lay down my old flames to carry Your new fire today. So, make me Your vessel. Make me an offering. Make me whatever You want me to be. God, I came here with nothing, but all You have given me. Jesus, bring new wine out of me.”
This Sunday, my two ministries collided in the most beautiful way. As the worship pastor at TCNaz, it is through prayerful consideration and collaboration with Pastor Rachel that I choose the set list for each week. We try to make it match the sermon as best as possible, but our ultimate goal is to carry out the work the Holy Spirit leads us to. We chose a great list for the sermon this week. The sermon was about Jesus being tempted by Satan and we picked songs that related to God carrying us through trials and temptations. It was a near perfect selection!
As the Kidz were dismissed to Wee Worship and Children’s Church, I made my way with the kiddos ready to teach on Jesus’s baptism and ready to invite the older age group to make a first decision toward their own baptism. We read from Matthew 3 and discussed the words of John the Baptist in verse 11: “I baptize you with water, calling you to turn away from your sins. But after me, someone is coming who is more powerful than I am. I’m not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
I asked the Kidz, “What does John mean that Jesus will baptize you with fire?” Kolin raised his hand to answer, speaking a little softly in case he was wrong, but ultimately responded with profound reference to New Wine, “It’s like the song we sang today. We lay down who we used to be and God gives us the fire of the Holy Spirit. We be who God wants us to be.” My jaw dropped, my heart melted, and my eyes welled up. THIS was the undeniable evidence of transformation to the likeness of Christ in our TCNaz Kidz.
If I sing a thousand songs on stage, if I teach a thousand quizzing or children’s church lessons, if I spend a thousand hours volunteering at district camps or attending sporting events, if I copy a thousand pieces of music or strain my voice a thousand times over, I would do it all over again to see someone come to a transformational relationship with The Lord.
God, make us vessels. Give us the fire of the Spirit so that we can be free to do the work of Your Kingdom in this very moment. We give our lives to You so that in the crushing and pressing You can bring new wine out of us today.
