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
Power Without Conscience?
I ran out of room for this vignette in Sunday’s sermon. Remember the quote that could be the headline for Ahab and Naboth: “All that’s needed for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.” The following reinforces that truth.
The Cars Are Looking for A King
I don’t have a thing to add to Pastor Jessica’s excellent sermon this last Sunday. The fable/parable she shared has been one of my favorites for all the lessons she pulled from it in her message. I was playing around with my friend Chat GPT and after several abortive attempts, we came up with the following modernized version of Judges 9:7-15.
The Lost Benediction
Depending on the length of the sermon, I try to add a little something extra in my benedictions. This week I wrote up a benediction but then realized we’d be singing and waving our umbrellas to some New Orleans jazz.
Change of Focus This Week
Instead of sharing with you about yesterday’s sermon I’d like to invite you to do some background reading for next Sunday’s “Only Murders in the Bible.” Seeing that it is All Saints Day this Sunday, we are going to look at the very first Christian martyr, Stephen.
You Might Be Thinking It’s All About You If…
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: