Can two, seemingly opposed, realities be true at the same time? In a world as complicated as ours, is it any wonder that we prefer the clarity of simple binaries? It’s day or it’s night. It’s black or it’s white. It’s water or it’s dry land.
While studying his bible, Martin Luther, could not square what he read about God’s unconditional love for us with the practices of the church at that time. The church was overly focused on teachings that emphasized human works as the pathway to salvation and in particular those works that benefitted the institution of the church, its leaders, and its gilded cathedrals.
“Thou shalt not…” this is how the King James Version of the Bible translates the beginning words for seven of the ten commandments. This stylized language has an enduring quality, and I suspect when asked to recite a commandment or more, many would begin with these same words. I’m also fairly certain that the tablets Charleton Heston carried down his soundstage mountain were first inscribed in the KJV.
Over the years, my parents have acquired more than a few sets of China. In addition to their own sets, acquired as wedding gifts and from their times living overseas, they also inherited several sets from their parents and other family members. Looking to downsize their collection a few years ago, they offered Anne & me one of my grandmother’s sets, just as we moved into our new home in 2019. We accepted it but with one important condition.
“The world is exhausting me under a constant barrage of news, conflict, and injustice. I look to my church to feel the love of God fulfilling and refueling me to take on the week.”
This was what one of our BIG Idea Team members shared earlier this summer.
Yesterday following worship, our congregation gathered to make some important decisions about our future. On the surface, the questions before us were simple and straightforward- do we dedicate a portion of our resources for the sake of serving our neighbors? But it’s also true that these decisions would define the shape and nature of this community of faith that we will experience together in the years to come.