Scripture Talk by Grace Church

Christians are meant to model our behavior after Christ himself. We all know this on some level, so the question becomes do we live it? We are called to put others before ourselves - to have care of others always in view rather than our own ambitions and needs. Certainly, that’s what Christ did, when he went up on that cross to die for us. As we look at how we live as Christians, though, it should make us uncomfortable. Do we live it? Pastor Trey, Sister Brandy, Pastor Scott, and Stacy examine the state of our love of neighbor and how it relates to toilet paper.

We are all equal in the eyes of God. God loves all of God's children equally. That's the mark of a good parent, and God is the best parent. So, is it fair then that some people get things and other don't? Shouldn't a fair parent give everyone exactly the same thing? Nope, that's not how God's kingdom works. It's run by God, and God gives according to God's purpose and according to need and according to calling and according to a thousand other things. Pastor Trey, Sister Brandy, Pastor Scott, and Stacy sort through how we should then approach the world.

Forgiveness is difficult. Forgiveness is a process. At the same time, forgiveness is necessary in the life of faith and literally does the body good. Our world suffers in cycles of unforgiveness. Christ calls us to break that cycle. We've been forgiven. We, then, in turn pass that forgiveness along. Pastor Trey, Sister Brandy, and Pastor Scott work through this picture of a more forgiving world.

We have heard the Love Commandment from a lot of corners of scripture. Christ talks about it a lot, but in Romans 13, Paul takes his swing at it with two additional wrinkles. Love involves more than not actively harming your neighbor as the Law talks about, and we should probably get to about the business of loving because time is running out. Pastor Trey, Sister Brandy, and Stacy talk about how broad this love is meant to be and what it means for this to be a commandment.

Matthew 25 transports us to the final judgement. God sits on the throne to separate those bound for paradise and those bound for punishment. So, what matters in this final calculus? Riches? Earthly greatness? Major accomplishments? Nope, turns out it boils down to how our faith has led us to serve others. Pastor Trey, Sister Brandy, Pastor Scott, and Stacy help navigate this grand separation and talk about what it means to be among the sheep.

We tell the story of Noah and the Ark to children because animals are cute. If you really ponder what happens though. It's not really a kids' story. Spoiler alert: almost all of humanity dies. Noah and his family, on the other hand, live. Why? Because Noah is faithful to God. He's faithful before the story. He faithfully builds this giant ark. He faithfully sets out on this journey. Pastor Trey, Sister Brandy, and Pastor Scott talk about this faithfulness and the challenge of ark logistics.

A gospel has to start somewhere. Yes, they tend to start at the beginning. It's a very good place to start. Their concept of what a beginning means though is entirely different. Mark starts with Christ's ministry. Matthew and Luke start with Jesus's genealogy and birth. John starts at the literal creation of all things, shows how Christ was there, and sets a super big picture for Christ's story. God, there at creation, come to earth to bring about grace. Pastor Trey, Sister Brandy, Pastor Scott, and Stacy get philosophical about what this means - as John would have wanted it.

Our current moment in history, thought leaders, brands, whatever keep reminding us that "we're all in this together." Certainly, that is a message that Paul wants drive home in Romans. You're all different. We need all of that and more. People are still going to be people. Love them anyways. Pastor Trey, Sister Brandy, Pastor Scott, and Stacy remind us all (themselves as well) that Christian living always involves making the love choice.

The Lord's Prayer gets said a lot. For most Christians, it got ground into our head at some point, and we can say it as a reflex. How often do we stop to really think about what it says? Do we grasp the great theological hope and responsibility that it expresses? Do we see the closeness to God that it implies? Pastor Trey, Sister Brandy, and Pastor Scott remind us of how bold a picture God's world it paints. One that is at the same time both already here and just over the horizon.

Jonah got himself stuck in some find of a fishy situation. God wanted him to do a thing. Jonah ran. God put Jonah in time out, inside a fish or a whale or a whatever. Jonah, to his credit, comes around, cries out to God, and begrudgingly does what God needs him to do. Pastor Trey, Sister Brandy, Pastor Scott, and Stacy talk about how this makes him a realistic disciple. He needs some help, like the rest of us, to get there.