This post has much to cover, so let’s get to it. Clarifications After Sunday’s service, Chris Guastaferro sent this text to our elder group thread: “The example you gave about sick kids. I want to make sure I understand. Are we encouraging parents to attend even with sick kids? I’m sure I misunderstood.” My response was, “Haha! No.…
Over the course of the last 8-10 years, anything from sexual ethics to abortion politics has become a war zone. To enter these worlds, you must be prepared to speak courageously, as I mentioned above. But Galatians 5:15 reveals to us a truth that will help us as we engage in public with the truth: those who bite and devour will consume themselves.
As I have said over these past few weeks, each sermon has had a very personal feel to it. Sunday’s was no different. Only this time, it wasn’t just targeting my heart. It was targeting ‘our’ heart as a church. Last year, during my sermon planning, discussing jealousy and selfish ambition seemed like an excellent follow-up to Sarai and Hagar. But I didn’t envision what God was about to do in our church and how quickly things were changing in CLF. So this sermon not only ‘felt’ right, it felt like prophetic guardrails around the ‘soul’ of our church.
