Abiding, in a small community.

There is so much richness that resonates for me in this piece, and in this field where I live.
Go read it for yourself. It's by Brad Roth.


When small-town pastors put down roots

In our society, moving on generally means moving up. We move for family or education or work or a better view. Remaining in a place—especially if it’s small and rural—looks like getting stuck. But the biblical story challenges this narrative of movement and progress. Jesus proclaims his world-vaulting message to a small area around Galilee. He never sails for Athens or Rome, and he’s only in Jerusalem just long enough to overturn a few tables and antagonize the powers that be. He connects with a specific people at a specific time.

Jesus models the art of abiding, and abiding is one of the most basic ways that pastors and congregations proclaim hope in declining rural communities. To abide is to remain—with a sense of commitment to all that God is doing in a particular place. It’s seeing ourselves as called to a place by the God who loves the whole creation. Abiding is learning to love a people and a place, and then living that love out through steadfast commitment over time.