MARCH 22
10:15 I Facebook Live
UTTERLY AMAZED
Well friends, we’re all one week into the national emergency due to the COVID-19 virus. How y’all doing? I’m sure the answers are all over the board. And our answers say much about us — things like where we work, what personality type we have, where we gather our information. But most importantly, this is a great time to find out what we truly value. Testing has a way of making some things clear to us that we can’t see when life is easy, when nothing is asked of us. And what is testing but a time of being asked for things? Let’s dig in this week and see how Jesus handles this, and what it has to teach us, and let’s see why his answers let the crowds utterly amazed.
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September 25th, 2022
10:15am I Facebook Live & Zoom
Watch last week's message here
Title
Resiliently Faithful
Text
Introduction:
Over the past three or so years, my husband and I have been living in what seems to be a little rickety ship in an ever stormy sea. It sounds super dramatic, I know, but throughout each year it has seemed that we have not been able to feel steady. Things just kept constantly changing and falling apart and it has made us feel just so weary and frustrated at times. I would often think to myself why can’t things just work out for us? One day, we got more news that something else had gone awry, and I looked at him with a big ole grin and said “It’s never easy.” We both just laughed because while it is such a dramatic thing to say, it felt so true. “It’s never easy” became almost like a mantra for our marriage. It has served as a reminder to us that suffering and pain are part of our world and we are not in control.
Each time that we say “It’s never easy” we remind ourselves and each other that no matter what would come our way, we must choose love and connection over selfish detachment. We’ve gotta stay soft and continue on the journey. And each time we say it, we return to the hands of Jesus, remember who our Creator is and who we were created to be. Peter reminds us through our passage this week that “It’s never easy, but it’s so worth it.”
Let's dig in,
Betty Wilton and the teaching team
Pray:
“Abba, keep our hearts tuned into your Spirit and give us the strength to love fervently even when we face suffering. Amen.”
Big Idea:
Suffering is a real part of life and no one should go through it alone. God calls us to follow Christ’s example and enter into a loving relationship with the world around us and come alongside one another as we face suffering.
Take Away:
To live with fervent love means loving those around us even when it pushes us towards suffering. We are called to come alongside others in their suffering and let them come alongside us in our suffering because in doing so the kingdom of God is made known.
How does this fit with Belong, Become, Believe?
Together in loving community, we are drawn back to the person of Jesus and are able to find the strength to keep loving one another even when the chaos of the world is too heavy to bear. As we draw closer to Christ through prayer and communion with fellow believers, we are better able to discern God’s will. We are called to live our lives outwards for the sake of others instead of letting our unbridled pursuit of pleasure and happiness lead us to selfish detachment at the expense of others.
What's Next?
Next week, we are switching things up for our gathering together! We'll be meeting at 5:00pm for a potluck and service at Boston Mountain Youth Ranch! Katie and Jeremy have graciously invited us out to see their place and experience a bit of what they do there through their non-profit.
Resources:
Everything Happens For A Reason and Other Lies I’ve Loved
Theology From The Womb of Asia
