Pastor's Weekly Word

For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:8)

This Sunday we will begin exploring what being a purple church means. One thing to know is that this is not really something new. We already are a purple church, a place made up of people of different races, different political persuasions, and different understandings of the world. More than something to worry about, that is something to appreciate and lift up as a gift of God. So we will not be griping about the world and how we should fix it. Rather than trying to change others, we will instead be working on ourselves and asking God’s guidance in that work.

I expect this series to be somewhat challenging. We are trying to do something that is hard to do. Dealing with differences is not easy stuff. Looking at our emotions and getting honest about that is never easy. After all, some people spend their entire lives avoiding it. What I can say is that, if we can trust one another enough and trust God enough, then doing this work together might just be a transforming event. You might end up viewing things a little differently.

We live in highly anxious times filled with a great deal of conflict. How we deal with that reality is a huge part of our faithful response to the God who loves us. How we treat others, relate to others, and handle our own emotional well-being while around others is a big deal. It takes courage and faith and hope, and it can make all the difference in the world. I am excited about these next few weeks, and I hope you are too.

See you Sunday!