Survey: put up your hand if you like change!
Not many hands went up; some did though. Shane Acorn, the guest speaker at Embassy this last Sunday, July 19th, 2026, brought the survey forward from the platform, addressing the congregation. More hands went up for “Who dislikes change?”
Talking with a friend later I remarked, “Sometimes. Sometimes I really like change. Sometimes it’s loathsome.” I want to change my vehicle and upgrade my ride; I don’t want to change my habits and upgrade my health. Those are shallow examples.
I want to change my experience with Jesus to upgrade my relationship with Him; I don’t want to change my comfort level to upgrade my service to Him. Boom.
Yet, we started the service with the song, Make Room, and it felt more significant than usual. (We could discuss sometime how significant all worship is, really, whether you feel it or not.) After worship I sent off some thoughts to friends about the lyrics of that song, and the idea of embracing change if He wants it. I felt like the song was highlighted: Don’t sing about Me getting to do anything I’d like in your life and church and world if you don’t mean it!
And then Shane Acorn … “My sermon topic is ….. change.”
Shane said that if we aren’t changed by the moment of worship then we’ve missed the reason we’ve come; that where Jesus is present there is opportunity for change; that we go to church for the very reason of worshipping Jesus, meeting with Jesus. He said that change is easier to take if you know the purpose behind it. I don’t get to always know the purpose behind changes, but I always can know the Purposeful One Who is behind changes, the One Who never changes.
Change. Not a request or an option.
I noted that several times throughout Shane’s message to us at Embassy he commented about checking in with Holy Spirit before preparing and speaking – that a few times he was, “Nope. Not gonna use this.” And then Holy Spirit was, “Yup. Yup, you are.” Holy Spirit guided Shane’s message to us, and He prefaced all that with Make Room! Make room!
The opportunity to change is being made available now, and change is coming soon! Get ready!
We, Embassy people, are in for a change.
Change is on its way. It is here. A kairos change, when the minute-hand on God’s outside-of-time clock clicks over and there is a significant shift. A change.
Let’s just review my sermon notes from the year.
January 25th, 2026: Waine preached and said that we have beliefs about God that are inaccurate: we need to change how we think.
February 1st, 2026: Paraphrasing Johnny Beam here: “I don’t know how many laps are left but in 2026 God has great things for us!” He encouraged us to Get out of the boat! and to Change!
March 1st, 2026: Lukas spoke about God’s leading. He said that God wants to “change you”. I have in my notes: What will you give up? Will you follow? Will you pray? Will you submit to change?
March 8th, 2026: Meghan spoke about keeping oil in our lamps, that we can’t keep each others’ oil, that “the Spirit will remove [obstacles to Him]. He Himself will [make this change]. We must stay connected.”
March 15th, 2026: Lukas, talking about becoming fishers of men, explained Matthew 4:19: “… and [Jesus] will make you …. means He will change us…” He talked about the process of change being continuous, and that it’s a mark of discipleship.
April 12th, 2026: Meghan began her message with a prophetic word to the congregation: “I feel a shift!” And at the end she declared, “It’s a new season! Shift! Obstacles must submit to God!”
April 25th, 2026: Meghan and Lukas shared the platform. They referenced Hebrews 3: “Today is the day!” Today is the day to change. And, earnestly, they pointed out that unwillingness to trust during the process of change is disobedience, the fruit of unbelief.
May 3rd, 2026: Aaron spoke about fighting for inner peace. My notes have that God wants to change or exchange something to restore peace; that it is a spiritual fight to change us into imagers of Christ so we can change the world.
May 10th, 2026: Meghan, speaking to women on Mothers’ Day, said that every woman has something to carry, and it’s time to release it to change the world.
June 21st, 2026: Dave McGrew, speaking to men on Fathers’ Day, encouraged the men to rise up from this point on: Rise up and change the future [generations]!
Whew.
Ok. Take-away. Change is coming. The opportunity to change is now. We need to be open to it and embrace it with joy and trust and excitement. Good things are on the way that may require sacrifice and new ways of thinking or being and personal growth and commitment to His purposes in our lives.
Embrace change = Embrace His purposes.
July 19th, 2026: Shane Acorn. Change! This message brought to us, again and again and again, courtesy of Holy Spirit.
