When we join with saints around the globe and through history to profess faith in the words of the Nicene Creed, we boldly say together I believe in one holy, Christian and Apostolic Church.  In other words, we believe the Church is HOLY, CHRIST-CENTERED, and MISSION-SENT. The Church is only Christian when it is built on the confession that Jesus is the Christ.

Promises are often made and just as often…broken. In fact, our experiences with broken promises have created a kind of chronic distrust. God is a promise-maker…and more importantly, a promise-keeper. If we are to understand the nature of the Church, we must accept that it was begun with a promise…His promise. And it is a promise that he has, is and will keep until he comes again.

What do you want? It feels like a rather simple question. And yet, it is a question that gets to the very depth of one’s heart and spirit. Jesus came to bring us an abundant life…that we know. But, do we WANT the life Jesus came to bring us? Do we want what Jesus has to offer? Even if it means dying to myself? Even if it means saying no to things I “love?” What do you want - this is the question Jesus asks today and it is the question we must answer.

Someone once said, “Everybody ends up somewhere, some people end up there on purpose.” We are all walking toward something: pleasure, financial success, social prominence, influence, and/or power. Some of us are walking away from something: trauma, broken promises, embarrassment, fractured relationships, disappointment, and/or shame. Whether we’re walking toward something or away from something - an encounter with Jesus will redefine that journey as something surprisingly better.

What if God’s greatest work happens not in the noise, but in the silence? This Sunday we’ll step into the awkward silence Jesus creates, so that we too can tune in to His invitation to a better life...where we get to let go of striving and find joy in trusting.

'The truth hurts.' 'The cold hard truth.' 'The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.' "The truth," author Joe Klass notes, "will set you free...but first it'll tick you off." Truth is something every human being must reckon with at some point. In our text this week, those of us who follow Jesus, must wrestle with the truth of God's Word - and that sometimes that truth is hard, and it hurts, and it ticks you off...but it is, nevertheless, true...and because it comes from our Heavenly Father, it is also good.