Lenten Steps week 2: Servanthood (Contemporary)

Lenten Steps week 1: Honesty (Contemporary)

According to an old joke, it was once said that many people would be equally shocked to hear Christianity doubted or to see it practiced. The Christian faith is not just a collection of ideas to be believed; it is also a set of deeds to be performed. There are things we DO because we are Christians. While some of the things we do differ in times and places, there are three practices that are common to Christians of every age: almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. The difference between the Church’s practice and what is taught in Judaism is that Jesus redefined them: These acts are not performed for the benefit of other people…but only for God.

One of the powerful ways the Church can make a difference in the world is to help the world understand the “heart of the law” of God. In Matthew 5:21-48, Jesus gives us six examples of how the church helps us get to the heart of the law. In these practical, ethical issues, often called the “six oppositions” or the “six antitheses,” Jesus is not casting off the old and giving us something completely new and opposite. Rather, Jesus is going to the heart of the law to show the Church how to live out its deepest meaning. When the world sees the Church live out the heart of the law, people are drawn to Christ.

One of the powerful ways the Church can make a difference in the world is to help the world understand the “heart of the law” of God. In Matthew 5:21-48, Jesus gives us six examples of how the church helps us get to the heart of the law. In these practical, ethical issues, often called the “six oppositions” or the “six antitheses” (which are not helpful because they are not either this or that), Jesus is not casting off the old and giving us something completely new and opposite. Rather, Jesus is going to the heart of the law to show the Church how to live out its deepest meaning. When the world sees the Church live out the heart of the law, people are drawn to Christ.

Contemporary worship February 5, 2017

In order for any vision from God to inspire the Church to move forward, we must see the future as an opportunity. The wide door is deeply connected to the vision – it represents the possibilities and opportunities we are invited to enter. What is on the other side of the door is a mystery. While we have a sense of the image of what’s on the other side, we step in through faith not knowing every detail of the future. Our duty is to live in the intersection between human obedience and divine initiative. The wide doors for effective work in the kingdom of God are opening around us every day…there must be a willingness to step through into the opportunities and allow God’s provision to lead us.

First Sunday of Stewardship of Gifts, 2017