Have you ever noticed how something wonderful can slowly become… ordinary?

We know the stories. We sing the hymns. We come to worship. And somewhere along the way, in the busyness of life, we can lose a little of our wonder.

Not our faith, necessarily. Just our sense of awe.

As we celebrate 40 years of ministry in our Amberlea building, I've been reflecting on what matters most. Of course, I want us to be a church that serves our community, shares the Gospel, and makes a difference. But above all, I want us to be a church that delights the heart of God.

Psalm 147:11 reminds us that the Lord delights in those who stand in awe of God and put their hope in God's unfailing love.

I love that!

God doesn't simply want us to know about Him. God invites us into a relationship that fills us with wonder.

In Luke 7, a woman encounters Jesus with overwhelming gratitude, while others in the room treat His presence as ordinary. They were in the same room with the same Jesus, but their responses couldn't have been more different.

It got me thinking: Where have I become so familiar with God that I've forgotten to be amazed?

Perhaps prayer has become routine. Perhaps worship feels more like something we do than an opportunity to encounter God. Or perhaps the pace of life has simply crowded out our awareness of God's presence.

If that sounds familiar, take heart! This isn't an invitation to feel guilty or try harder. It's an invitation to rediscover the wonder.

The good news is that we don't have to do it alone. Philippians 2:13 reminds us that God is already at work within us, giving us both the desire and the strength to live in ways that please Him.

So, as we look ahead together, my prayer is that we will be a people who treasure God's Word, worship with grateful hearts, serve generously, and never lose our wonder at God's amazing grace.

We don't need to earn God's love. We already have it. Our response is to live with grateful hearts, allowing that love to shape who we are.

Happy 40 years, Amberlea! ❤️

May we continue to grow, serve, and share hope. But above all, may we be a church that never loses its awe of God and always rests in God's unfailing love.