Sermons - Milagro Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Demons are not happy when they are confronted and if you watch in the next few days or weeks you’ll see the unhappy demon of hate put up a mighty fight so that it doesn’t have to leave… The demon of racism is also legion. But that’s where Jesus wants us to go – across the lake to confront the demons.

So, the kingdom of god is like an invasive plant that grows out of control and takes over. What does that say about the kingdom of God, for us? Perhaps it means that we tend to want to control God or the kingdom, to make it manageable. May be we are afraid of what might happen if we really let God go. Maybe we would become so caught up that we wouldn’t be able to control where it went. Maybe we’d start to think that, like mustard in a garden, God’s reign might be a little dangerous.

Demons are not happy when they are confronted and if you watch in the next few days or weeks you’ll see the unhappy demon of hate put up a mighty fight so that it doesn’t have to leave… The demon of racism is also legion. But that’s where Jesus wants us to go – across the lake to confront the demons.

So, the kingdom of god is like an invasive plant that grows out of control and takes over. What does that say about the kingdom of God, for us? Perhaps it means that we tend to want to control God or the kingdom, to make it manageable. May be we are afraid of what might happen if we really let God go. Maybe we would become so caught up that we wouldn’t be able to control where it went. Maybe we’d start to think that, like mustard in a garden, God’s reign might be a little dangerous.

Instead of worrying about who is acceptable and who isn’t; instead of wondering if we have done the unforgiveable (and if you think you have, you haven’t); instead of allowing the rules we follow prohibit us from loving our neighbor, let’s remember this: Jesus proclaimed the “good news” – that “the kingdom of God has come near” And our sins have been….forgiven.

There is no dogma, no doctrine, no creed that can fully encapsulate the essence and the idea of God. We human beings don’t do well with unknowns and undefineds and so we try to put limits on what we don’t understands so that we might be able to describe it. Our language falls short when we try to describe the indescribable. But that doesn’t stop us from trying.

Instead of worrying about who is acceptable and who isn’t; instead of wondering if we have done the unforgiveable (and if you think you have, you haven’t); instead of allowing the rules we follow prohibit us from loving our neighbor, let’s remember this: Jesus proclaimed the “good news” – that “the kingdom of God has come near” And our sins have been….forgiven.

There is no dogma, no doctrine, no creed that can fully encapsulate the essence and the idea of God. We human beings don’t do well with unknowns and undefineds and so we try to put limits on what we don’t understands so that we might be able to describe it. Our language falls short when we try to describe the indescribable. But that doesn’t stop us from trying.

A church that lets the Holy Spirit take them into new and exciting and risky and dangerous and beautiful places. A church that is excited about every new day because ever new day is an encounter with God. A church that is not afraid to stand in solidarity with people who have been cast out, marginalized, mocked, scorned. A church that doesn’t care what other people think about it.

A church that lets the Holy Spirit take them into new and exciting and risky and dangerous and beautiful places. A church that is excited about every new day because ever new day is an encounter with God. A church that is not afraid to stand in solidarity with people who have been cast out, marginalized, mocked, scorned. A church that doesn’t care what other people think about it.