Jesus ate with the most unlikely people. He ate with Matthew and Zacheus, both of whom were tax collectors. He ate with a leper, an immoral woman, hypocritical Pharisees and He ate with a coward who denied his friendship on the night that He needed it the most. Jesus was building relationships and was inviting them to His table, not so that they would stay there, but rather, to be sent from there.

Paul kicks off the entire chapter in verse two by saying, “Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.” So this lets us know that what Paul is essentially addressing here is a shift of perspective, a shift in our minds. Because at the end of the day, how we think eventually comes out.

God calls us to set our thoughts and desires on the things above. Even the greatest gifts that we have received from God — like family, education or a place to live — are temporary. The glory that we get to witness when we truly know God surpasses everything that we once thought was good.

For us, the question is not, “Are we beloved?” Our belovedness is a foregone conclusion. The question is “Do we want to mature and grow, becoming more like Jesus, furthering His kingdom and growing into a beloved community?”

We are empowered to cross the lines that would normally divide us. We look at Galatians 3:28 — those are all distinctions that are used to divide, and yet, in Philippians 2:1-4 we see that to overcome division one must first share the love of Christ. That unifying bond is how we will then overcome our selfishness, overcome our conceit, be more humble, and place the interests of others over our own.

As the Beloved Community strengthens and expands we become a community that sees the image of God in others, that shares our resources, stands in solidarity with the marginalized, pursues justice, values difference, serves humbly and commits to peace.

Today, we are inviting you to join NCC in a 40-day, church-wide fast as we collectively draw near to Jesus in prayer. The goal is simple: lean in and listen closely to the qualitative changes Jesus desires to make in us.

As we enter this season of Lent, we receive an invitation to follow our Savior back into the wilderness. We take these next 40 days to empty ourselves through the spiritual discipline of fasting just as Jesus did.

We begin a new series called Beloved. Or is it beloved? You can say it two different ways. You say potatoe, I say potato. Either way, it’s really two words. It’s letting yourself be loved by God.

In the words of T.S. Eliot, “What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.”