June 30, 2022
Hi Friends,
A few days before the United States’ 246th birthday, we’re having a hard time getting along — in almost every way, locally and nationally.
We’re polarized. We’re divided. And it’s not just anger or disagreement. It’s contempt. This is not good. How do we build anything worthwhile when there is no trust?
Recent studies demonstrate that in the US we are more likely to have “very cold” feelings towards those on the other side of the political spectrum than just a few years ago.
And it’s not just in politics. Contempt seems to run wherever humans gather. It’s an Us vs. Them world. Because of our digital information silos, this will probably continue to get worse.
To be sure, this isn’t a new problem. The early apprentices of Jesus dwelt with conflict and tribalism of their own. Something very new was happening in their midst — people of different ethnic and cultures were forming a new tribe — one where people of any ethnic or socio economic background could belong in Jesus.
But questions and conflict would inevitably arise. Some argued: we need uniformity, we need purity of cultural practice, we need you to become like us.
When Paul learns of this — he is absolutely livid. This is not the good news. That’s evil age thinking.
In Jesus, there is a new way of being family, a spacious way, a free way. The death and resurrection of Jesus has rescued us from religion for relationship.
This is the revolutionary truth that we the church, desperately need to discover and rediscover. And not just for ourselves. The world needs it too — to see that in Jesus and his righteousness there is a new way to be human together, a new way to be family, rooted in the extraordinary grace of Christ.
So join the revolution this Sunday at 11:15 as we continue out Galatians teaching series. As always, no prior knowledge needed. All are welcome.
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