“Jesus has already decided that he, like the father in his story, wants to be in the house with all the sinners. Now he is hoping that the religious folks will join him. He knows it is a stretch. They have trained themselves to reject people, convincing themselves and each other that separation is pious and necessary.”

Not being vulnerable has a high cost of hiding who we are in order to fit in, suppressing our gifts, and allowing only superficial relationships between each other, Jesus, and God. Being vulnerable allows us to fully be who God created us to be. To know the peace which passes all understanding, to be able to confess our sins to one another in a safe and loving environment; and to carry one another’s burdens.

“Is it possible that sometimes the language we use, model and teach is creating stumbling blocks for ourselves and our membership?”

“The sociological trifecta of identity, community, and belonging defined by human connection has a profound bearing on our life…I propose that this sociological reality is highly intentional to the creative genius of our Heavenly Father. ”

Mistaking your participation in a church for your spiritual identity can impede your walk toward Jesus. He wants the best for us, and the best from us. Our church should enable that relationship.

We are at a critical juncture in our history with much opportunity but also much danger. As a community, we can easily find our fellowship reduced to, or possibly exposed as a loosely affiliated, fractured group of believers if we don’t prayerfully manage this post-pandemic transition period in our history.

One of the challenges that I've observed and many have observed as well in our community, is the question: “has our Sunday morning worship become too structured, too rigid, too formal, and is no longer serving the needs of our community?”