When I was a kid, one of my all-time favorite movies was Superman. I loved it. Superman as a character, ultimately, became somewhat of a favorite superhero for me. The truth. The justice. Back then, the American way. I watched all things Superman and had a number of comic books devoted to his story. I bought t-shirts, magnets, a lunch box, and you may even see me around the Ross campus carrying my Superman coffee mug.
So, in July of 2012, I was pumped for the new movie Man of Steel, which was a reboot of the Superman character starring Henry Cavill. I watched the first trailer, and it immediately got me excited for what was coming. Yet, I had almost an entire year to wait until the movie was released in June of 2013. While it didn’t completely control my thoughts, I regularly watched updated trailers and read news about the movie. The anticipation for me was epic. Once they were available, I pre-purchased my tickets to opening night. Then the day finally came.
On June 10, 2013, Pam and I went to see Man of Steel. It was AWESOME! For some, it wasn’t what they had hoped, but for me that movie was everything I had dreamed. I was invested. This was the culmination of a year of waiting. This was a rebirth of the joy and wonder that I had as a child watching Christopher Reeve don the tights and cape. I felt awe and wonder all over again. Here’s the really cool part of this experience. Although we only had two tickets, there were three Emmons at the theater that night.
In June of 2013, Pam was about 8 weeks pregnant with our first son, Sam. We wouldn’t tell our family until my birthday 10 days later. Talk about another near year of anticipation. We were going to be parents for the first time, and we were excited, nervous, and overflowing with joy about what God was going to do in our lives. We had no idea what it really would mean. There was no concept of how much our lives would change when that little man entered our life. So, we waited patiently for the day to come.
And on a cold January day in 2014, Samuel Paul Emmons came into the world. The gift God had given as parents was something we didn’t even comprehend. I can remember seeing Sam for the first time and being filled with love that I had never felt before. At that point, I had a small glimpse of what God feels for each of us. Deep love that comes from looking upon his sons and daughters. It overwhelmed me. For those of you who know me, I can get overcome with joy to the point of tears. I’m telling you; I can pinpoint the moment in my life when God softened my heart and made me more prone to tear up in joy and it was January 21st, 2014. And it’s stuck with me ever since.
God does this, doesn’t he? He creates in us a spirit of anticipation and excitement for things. And often times, we will put our hope in things of this world meeting that excitement, only to be let down. Yet, when we put our hope in the grace and love of Jesus Christ, then we experience something better. We experience a God who has a bigger and better view of the world. We are mere humans, who live in a broken and sinful world. God, however, has a vision for the future that is something we can only imagine.
In the book of Micah, the prophet is relaying to the people of Israel their issues. They have fallen away from God yet again in their history. Micah is pointing them back to God. And in chapter 7, he is talking about how they cannot place their hope in this world, because this world will let them down. And then Micah writes these words:
“But as for me, I will look to the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
my God will hear me.” Micah 7:7
There is something to be said here about waiting. These people had been waiting on God to save them for hundreds of years, and regularly they gave up and let their impatience take the lead. When we wait on God to move, we are waiting in anticipation for something that will NEVER let us down. We will be tempted to let the things of this world, and the promises it makes lift us up, but just like God had planned in Jesus coming for all our salvation, He has plans for a future and a vision that we can’t even imagine.
Our first Vision Night is coming up on Sunday September 18th at our Ross Campus from 6 – 8 pm. I personally am so excited about this evening. We are going to have a lot of fun together worshipping God, praying, hearing stories, and just looking to what God is going to do to move in our church over the next few years. I even believe there will be a few surprises for the WHOLE family. We are excited and anticipating God to move through White Oak. Listen, God ALWAYS moves. He is moving us forward in our personal lives, in our relationships, in our day-in and day-out mission field. We want to gather to celebrate and anticipate what God is going to do in our church. Will you join me in attending?
Please register to attend. We have childcare for kids age birth – 3rd grade. If you plan to attend at Ross, make sure you register soon as we have limited seating available. If you can’t attend on the 18th, then we have a second Vision Night on Sunday September 25th from 6-8 pm at our Colerain Campus. This is the same experience, and you can attend there. You can click below to register you and your kids to attend either evening.
I hope to see you at one of our Vision Nights as we look to what God is going to do through our church!
Chris Emmons
Ross Campus Pastor
White Oak Christian Church