Something has gone horribly wrong in the evangelical church. We have in general failed in our spiritual formation growing less like Jesus rather than more like him. We have become bad news for many in our generation. Some estimate that 25 million or so have left the evangelical church since the first decade of the 21st century.  What are we to do?

We want to figure out what has happened so we stop making the same mistakes over and over again. And we want to reorient our faith and practice so that we get back on track with spiritual formation and with God’s mission in our world.

A New Year has begun in a not so happy way. The global pandemic is worse than when it first began. An insurgency at the National Capital. A President impeached for the second time in a four year term with the most serious charge in impeachment history: inciting an insurrection.

What do we do now?

How are we to respond to the insurrection at the US Capital? 

God made a personal appearance on the earth. He brought attention to that appearance through a miraculous sign, a guiding star. The star both announced the birth of a new King and also guided the Magi from the east to Bethlehem, the city of the King’s birth.  In Bethlehem these Magi had a personal encounter with the new-born King. That appearance overwhelmed them and they bowed in worship. May we all have a similar epiphany of Jesus, Messiah and King.

Shalom. Peace...”The essential characteristic of the Messianic KIngdom.” How much of that peace did Jesus give to those who follow him?

In these challenges days while we gather for holidays, we have the opportunity to listen to one another’s woes and offer to pray for one another. God has amazing ways of answering our prayers with divine surprises.

What does it look like to follow Jesus after such a contentious Presidential election and at the same time a year of pandemic, economic downturn, police brutality and racial injustice. Let’s have a conversation.  We have lots to talk about. 

Who we are, our identity, in relationship with Jesus, our King and his Kingdom can not be lost in our practice of temporal, national politics. We will never enter the Kingdom if we cannot let go of our political partisanship