May 6, 2021
On Sunday we continued our series exploring What Comes Next? as we entered into the stories of scripture when the disciples are wrestling with that same question in the wake of the resurrection. Where do we go from here, what does it mean to live the Jesus way right here and right now?
We took a particular look at Jesus’ call to abide in him and his promise to abide in and with us. Our life begins and ends in Christ, who is God become flesh to abide in and with us (John 15:1-8, John 1:14). The good news of God coming to us, making God’s home among us, staying with and in us is what give us life and fills us with love beyond measure and life without end.
It was an overwhelming joy to celebrate God-with-us in Christ as, after 420 days, we celebrated the Eucharist together in-person during Sunday’s outdoor worship gathering as we remembered Christ and were re-membered as the body of Christ.
But the gift of a God who abides in us, and the invitation to abide in Christ are not the end of our journey of faith, but are meant to be shared. As we say so wonderfully in our mission statement, “We are… sent to share God’s love in the world.”
So what comes next after we have received the grace and love of God? We live that love, sharing it in word and deed, truth and action. When we do this, we are showing others the body of Christ, we are offering them a glimpse of God and the love of God. For, as 1 John 4 reminds us, those who have seen and known love have seen and known God.
You have the opportunity, the gift, the call, and the responsibility to share what you have received – the radical, life-changing gift of God’s grace and love through Jesus Christ. And, as the story of the Ethiopian Eunuch and Phillip in Acts 8 reminds us, there is nothing that stands in the way of this invitation and gift, but it is for all the world.
In our Wednesday What Comes Next? Conversations at 7 PM, we’re talking in-depth about what it means to be the body of Christ right here and right now. How would you act differently if you remembered that every encounter with another is a chance to show them God by the way you share love with them?
Catch up on those Wednesday conversations and join us next week by clicking here.
May the God who brought Jesus from death to life fill you with new life and open you up to the presence of the risen Christ with you now and always.
Pastor Drew
PS – A reminder about our recent changes to worship
As of now, the Sunday morning schedule will continue to look like it did before Palm Sunday:
8:45am email liturgy
8:50am Sunday School for adults via Zoom
10am Worship (online & in-person)
11am Zoom fellowship time
When in-person worship services are being held, they will also be at 10am moving forward. You should have received a letter from me this week about changes to worship going forward. You can also read and see more on our website at http://spiritinthehills.org/covid19-response-updates/