Moorings Presbyterian Church in Naples is celebrating an anniversary today. Sixty years is a remarkable milestone—not because it signals our strength as a church, but because it reveals God’s steadfast love across generations. Some cultures consider it a time for a party. Still let’s face it, many churches have been around for a lot longer. Scripture gives us two clear movements for such a moment: remembering and pressing on in the grace of the resurrection. So, What Does God Have Planned For Us Now?
Scripture Summary
Deuteronomy 8:2–10
Israel is urged to remember how God humbled, tested, and provided for them in the wilderness so they would learn dependence on Him. As they enter a land of abundance, they must respond with gratitude, not pride.
Philippians 3:12–14
Paul admits he hasn’t arrived spiritually but presses forward with single‑minded focus, leaving the past behind and pursuing the upward call of God in Christ.
Message: In Deuteronomy 8, Moses calls Israel to remember “the long way” the Lord has brought them. Not just the victories, but the wilderness seasons—the humbling, the testing, the daily manna, the surprising springs of water. Here God’s grace is most visible not when we feel strong, but when we discover how dependent we truly are. The wilderness is not evidence of God’s absence; it is the classroom of His faithfulness. For sixty years, our church has known both manna and wilderness. We have known seasons of abundance and seasons of pruning. We have had moments of clarity and moments of searching. Times when the path was obvious and times when it was walked by faith alone. And yet, through it all, God has sustained, corrected, nourished, and carried His people. The story of this congregation is not a monument to human achievement—it is a testimony to the God who provides. Paul’s words in Philippians 3 shift our gaze forward:“I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Now it is time to press on toward the goal. Christian hope is not escapism—it is participation in God’s future breaking into the present. We press on not because we are restless achievers, but because Christ has already taken hold of us. The future is not uncertain; it is secured by the risen Lord.
And So, anniversaries can tempt us to nostalgia. But Paul invites us to a different posture: Gratitude for the past. Faithfulness in the present. Courage for the future. The church’s calling is never simply to preserve what has been, but to join Christ in what He is doing next. As this church celebrates sixty years, the invitation is clear whether you are a member of Moorings or not: Remember the God who has led you through every wilderness. Rejoice in the God who has fed you and given you the love of living water. Renew your calling to press on toward Christ, who has already taken hold of you. Our anniversary is not the closing of a chapter—it is the turning of a page and this day can be the same for you. The same God who sustained the first sixty years of Moorings Presbyterian is already preparing the next season of mission, mercy, worship, and witness for us and you too.
Pray we remember that the Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord. Pray we recognize God in our past, present, and future. Pray we remember God’s faithfulness across these sixty years—God’s provision in scarcity. God’s guidance in uncertainty, God’s mercy in our wandering, God’s strength in our weakness. Pray that God takes hold of us again, that we may press on toward the goal of knowing Christ and making His love visible in this community. Pray God lead us into the next season with courage, humility, and joy. Pray we marvel that we worship a God who brings water from the rock and new creation from the empty tomb. Pray we love God, love each other and make disciples as a response.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 