Thoughts from the Pastor
We are beginning a new sermon series this Sunday, April 14. The scripture readings during the great 50 days of Easter (the time between Easter Sunday and Pentecost) concentrate on the book of Acts. Acts tells the story of the early church. Jesus’ disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit led them to share what they witnessed. God worked through their sharing, transparency and authenticity, to inspire people. Many people made the choice to follow Jesus.
It is not an easy thing to be transparent and authentic today, and to share our faith stories. We are sometimes afraid to be considered pushy and judgmental. In our culture, when so many Christians are known for the people they reject or the politicians they follow, we are afraid to be identified as “one of those Christians.” We acknowledge that too many people have been wounded by Christians and churches. We don’t want to cause any harm to anyone.
Instead of pushing our faith on people, we can follow the example of the early Christians. They did not tell people what they had to believe. They simply shared their own experiences and stories. We do not convert people. It is God working through us and our stories that can change someone’s life. It is not pushy to share with someone that life is better here and now for you because of your faith, and that the community of the church has enriched your life. If you are worried about being judgmental, look at yourself and ask if you love all the people Jesus loves…which means every person. If you believe that God’s “enemies” are the same people you reject, then perhaps you could read Matthew 5-7 again.
My hope is that we can return to sharing our faith transparently and authentically. For the next several weeks, I will interview people in our congregation about their faith. I hope that by doing this, we may learn to talk more openly about our own faith experiences. Since our lives have been enriched by our faith, we can share the hope that God will work through us to inspire other people to also be open to the Holy Spirit enriching their lives. Together we can help build a better world for our community.
It is not an easy thing to be transparent and authentic today, and to share our faith stories. We are sometimes afraid to be considered pushy and judgmental. In our culture, when so many Christians are known for the people they reject or the politicians they follow, we are afraid to be identified as “one of those Christians.” We acknowledge that too many people have been wounded by Christians and churches. We don’t want to cause any harm to anyone.
Instead of pushing our faith on people, we can follow the example of the early Christians. They did not tell people what they had to believe. They simply shared their own experiences and stories. We do not convert people. It is God working through us and our stories that can change someone’s life. It is not pushy to share with someone that life is better here and now for you because of your faith, and that the community of the church has enriched your life. If you are worried about being judgmental, look at yourself and ask if you love all the people Jesus loves…which means every person. If you believe that God’s “enemies” are the same people you reject, then perhaps you could read Matthew 5-7 again.
My hope is that we can return to sharing our faith transparently and authentically. For the next several weeks, I will interview people in our congregation about their faith. I hope that by doing this, we may learn to talk more openly about our own faith experiences. Since our lives have been enriched by our faith, we can share the hope that God will work through us to inspire other people to also be open to the Holy Spirit enriching their lives. Together we can help build a better world for our community.
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