A City
on a Hill
A few years ago,
my wife and I spent a week in Colorado. One evening, we were
driving back to Estes Park from Boulder. In pitch darkness, with
only our headlights to guide us, we carefully drove around curve after
curve on that winding highway through the mountains not knowing where
we were or how long it would take us. Finally, a clearing
appeared, indicated only by the lights of Estes Park. And with
the arrival of the city, we sensed relief, familiarity, and comfort
once again.
All of us look
for that same kind of comfort and support in our spiritual lives amidst
hectic or threatening life circumstances. In an ever-increasing
mobile society such as ours, we long for spiritual guidance and
stability.
For you, what is
that city on a hill? What is that which guides you and leads you
to peace and joy? What is that which brings you comfort, yet
spurs you on in the restlessness of your world?
In Matthew 5,
Jesus calls his crowd of followers to set itself apart, to be a people
distinguishable from those who behave or believe differently.
Jesus calls them to a new way of life—a way of life that others will be
able to recognize and to model. Jesus calls them to be that city
on a hill that cannot be hidden. Jesus calls them to be the
church.
The First
Presbyterian Church of Bellevue has a history of being that city on a
hill for the people of this community. For over 150 years, this
church family has been the light which guides all those who crave the
love and mercy of Jesus Christ and who look for faithful friends to
help guide them along their life’s journeys.
What are we doing to retain that identity as a
city on a hill for the people of Bellevue? First, we are
committed to reaching outside of our walls in order to bring joy and
hope to the many in our midst who are less fortunate than we.
Second, we are devoted to caring for and having fellowship with one
another in order to maintain a viable and strong church family.
And third, and most importantly, we are dedicated to responding to
God’s grace in Jesus Christ through our worship and study of almighty
God. Our worship and education are the prime focus of who we are
as a church family.
We are the light
of the world, a city that cannot be hidden. Join us in spreading
a message of the redemptive love of Jesus Christ, both by our words and
our actions, so that we may reflect our gratitude to the God who gives
us life.
