God's Calling, Our Mission

God did not cause the destruction in Moore, Oklahoma. God does not celebrate when enemies of the state are killed. God did not sanction the founding of this country, nor does God manipulate the stock market, housing market, supermarket to punish or cajole us. In these times of devastation and loss, of destruction and worry, it is not God passing judgment on gay marriage, economic disparity or wars overseas. In times of uncertainty and fear, God does not throw lightning bolts from on high nor does God simply ignore us, planning the next great big flood to save a precious, holy few.  God calls us, always, constantly, consistently, from our tombs—follow. Grow. Live. And we are called to do the same to others, to spread this word, this promise of new life, of relationship, of worth to everyone as it is made possible in Jesus Christ. 

These are things we hold in tension, which is a big part of the faith. We have to walk on a tightrope between assurance and doubt because where we are challenged is where we grow. So I hope you’ll continue to be present in the life of the church as we look at the Acts of the Apostles in the coming weeks. Beginning with the Ascension and running quickly into Pentecost, the author of Luke-Acts presents the newly-born Church asking a lot of questions—what do we keep, and what do we move past?  Where is the line for people who are included?  What does it mean to participate fully in the life of the Church? How do we live together, and how do we live faithful lives? You know, questions we still wrestle with today. And it is not so much that they didn’t find answers, and it is not so much that we will not find answers either; instead, together with each other and with the entirety of Christian witness through the ages, I think we’ll continue the conversation. 

I’ll see you Sunday! Shalom y’all, 

Arthur 

P.S. I let a couple things slip from my mind on Sunday. First, thank you very much to the worship team for the incredible flames in the sanctuary—it adds so much to the space. And, for all the folks who arranged, worked and supported the Project Linus garage sale Saturday: thank you! It bore much fruit! Good on you, Midway Hills!  Keep on keeping on!