God promised Abraham and Sarah that the whole world would be blessed through them, and wise Solomon recognized God’s inclusive, no-exceptions blessing too. We know Jesus sent us to witness God’s blessing to the ends of the Earth, but first Jesus was on a mission to his own people. Today’s story takes place at a time when Jews were held captive by Romans and is about Jesus’ surprise when he finds a foreigner with faith. The centurion in Luke 7 is the occupying enemy, but the story tells us that this Roman leader recognizes a source of authority in Jesus. Furthermore, it seems this stranger has become a friend as community has formed between him and the Jewish leaders.

Memorial Day reminds us of our collective grief from war with those our country calls enemies. The violence of settling scores has also resulted in a huge number of displaced people: 60 million at last report. What are we to think of people in such desperate circumstances and what are we supposed to do? Some in our congregation are gathering information about how to help refugees. Is it a place where ACoB is called to act? Could these strangers become friends?

Read over the commitment choices we have, but the first choice is, can we help? Are we willing to let God surprise us with new community? On this weekend when we honor those who have died in uniform, let us honor the one who died on a cross and showed us that though the world can do its worst, we can love better.

Experience is often our way into the assurance that God is with us, and so very often God is felt when we are immersed in God's creation—of which we are a part. Moving closer to nature helps us understand God as the continual creative presence in the world and makes a point of contact with the Holy. God spoke the world into being and it is good, beautiful, life sustaining, fruitful, interdependent, a responsibility, and place of rest. Our place in it is being and celebrating the delight of creation.

Ever since the day that Jesus ascended, the Christian community has been and is in danger of amnesia, of forgetting what at one time it did know. The Holy Spirit, the Companion Jesus spoke of, is here to teach and remind us of who and whose we are. The Holy Spirit’s arrival changed everything, forming a vital, vibrant missionary effort from Jerusalem out to Judea, Samaria and the ends of the Earth. The viral spread of Christianity is both a reminder and an accountability network.

The viral social media campaign closest to our hearts is the movement to #BringBackOurGirls. Originating out of Nigeria, this reminder and accountability effort to hold up 276 school girls kidnapped by terrorists has shed much meaningful light on making visibility and voice to the invisible and voiceless. Achingly, the campaign continues because the girls have yet to be freed. So, we must not forget them. We will keep praying and calling for their return to safety and persist in holding influencers to account by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Because we are part of the viral spread of Christianity, we are empowered by God’s Spirit to use the resources at our command: our voices, money, power and the sway of our combined efforts to do great works in Jesus’ name.

Our actions have consequences.

Much of our prayer life seeks intended consequences: Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Much of the rest of our daily lives can ripple without our awareness of the unintended consequences. We don’t have to think about who made our clothes, picked our coffee beans or who cleans our community spaces at odd hours. The suffering that fuels our economic system can just stay an invisible side effect. Many Christians, like our brothers and sisters in Nigeria, also suffer as a consequence of following Jesus.

Being people with some power, safety and a fair amount control over our actions, we have a responsibility to become more aware of the consequences. We know that the Good News spreading holds the most wonderful consequence! Counting well the cost and counting on the Spirit, our small and simple and big and bold acts of compassion can reach far beyond what we can see. With God’s Spirit at work, we will live in right relationship with God and other humans as God intends.

Call to Worship

Children's Church, 1m9s

Scripture: Acts 16:16-19, 4m2s

Message: Just a Slave Girl? 5m33s

Call to Giving, 14m33s

Psalm 121, 17m44s

Scripture: Acts 16:19-24, 19m12s

Message: What Can Happen When We Really Live It? 20m30s

Retelling of Scripture: Acts 16:24-34, 28m19s

Blessing + Sending, 30m51s

Thirty-eight years is a long time to experience a particular way of life. At some point an adjective describing you becomes the noun that is your identity, and it’s hard to turn away from. When our own memories call us to dwell in the past, or romanticize the last 38 years, Jesus is there calling us to stand up and walk. At the Pool of Bethsaida, Jesus asks the man, who’d been sick for 38 years, “Do you want to be healed?” In that moment the power to change his circumstance is with the sick man.

When found and asked why he’d broken the Sabbath to heal this man, Jesus explained that it is who he is. This is unapologetically how he spends his Sabbath, because he’s got things to do for his Father. Our honesty about what we do on Sundays and what we do living the Jesus way—about who we choose to be—could bring hope and healing to a suffering world. When presented with the opportunity to be healing water, will we be there to help people get up and walk? May we also tend to our Father’s business.

The “us vs. them” mentality is based on fear not piety. God shows no favoritism for one human being over another. In Scripture Peter says,” God has shown me I should not call anyone unclean.” Our change of heart comes