02/26/2023
We are looking at The Story of God’s relationship with God’s people,
beginning with the birth of Jesus and ending with the revelation of
eternity, offered by John. It’s no mistake that when followers of Jesus
have publicly declared their faith, they too have historically done so
as a narrative. There are many wonderful creeds that have guided
God’s people over the centuries, but I like this one which was written
relatively recently as a summary of our beliefs. It was put together by
Pastor and author Brian McLaren and is included in his book (which I
recommend) entitled, The Story We Find Ourselves In.
May these words and the story they tell motivate you to join us
this spring in reading through The Story, either on your own or within
a small group. I pray that together as a church we too might begin to
see ourselves in the story of God’s redemption of His creation.
We Believe
We believe that You created all things
In all their beauty and mystery.
We believe we broke the boundaries You gave
To keep this world in harmony.
We believe You called a family,
Blessing them to bless all families.
We believe You spoke and listened through sage
And prophet, priest, and poet.
This we confess, affirm, and believe.
We believe You walked among us in
Human flesh, to share our history.
We believe You reconciled us,
Upon a cross, brought hope from agony.
We believe You raised Jesus
From death to life, for our salvation.
We believe You send us out with saving love
For all creation.
This we confess, affirm, and believe.
We believe Your Spirit dwells in us now
With the power for life and mission.
We believe Your Spirit makes us one
In purpose, hope, and vision.
We believe You’ll banish evil and fill the earth
With holy glory.
We believe You call all people to life
Forever in Your story.
This we confess, affirm, and believe.
Adapted from: The Story We Find Ourselves In By Brian McLaren
Archived Posts
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In working on Sunday’s sermon I asked my computer’s AI if she/he could come up with a few suggestions in answer to the above: "You Might be thinking it’s all about you, if…."
Prayer Changes Things
Here is a transcript of the prayer I prayed at the end of yesterday’s sermon.
Optimism, Faith, and Hope:
Practical Steps For Increasing All Three
Here are some practical, spiritual, and relational ways to grow faith, hope and optimism:
Listening Heart
It’s kind of crazy when you think about it. Wisdom in the Bible is all about listening. Of course it makes sense that wisdom would start with listening to God, to God’s law and commandments, as well as the promptings and leadings of the Holy Spirit.
Here are some quotes that
didn’t make it into Sunday’s sermon.
(But it doesn’t mean that they don’t offer real insight into the power of risk over the fear of failure...)
Such A Rich Passage (Luke 19:1-10)
I reflected a lot on the passage about Zacchaeus because it has been written off as “been there, read that, little guy in a tree.” But it is so rich in getting to the heart of what it means to be saved by grace through faith—to live our lives out of gratitude rather than obligation.
The Power of Presence
This last Sunday I had so much more to share than time to share it. The last Emotional Management Technique was to stay present in the process. Just as Jesus stayed with the woman who was judged and found guilty by the angry crowd, we stay by our children and our friends, especially when they need us the most. Here a couple of examples...