04-13-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
April 13, 2024
I had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Warren Carter twice yesterday. Both times, I was challenged and pushed to go deep. This morning, I am so looking forward to the next round of teaching (9am - 3pm on the 2nd floor of the Education Building). And of course, he will be with us on Sunday, in both Sunday School (joint Sunday School in the Forum at 9am) and worship (10:25am in the Centrum). So far, Dr. Carter has provided few answers. In fact, he might not have given us a single answer. Instead, I think many of us are wrestling with a new set of questions we had not previously asked of ourselves, the Bible, the world we live in, the church in which we serve, and the God at the center of it all. When we live in the conviction that we are loved beyond measure and that the love of God is not tied to the right answers, correct theology, or proper recitation of a creed, there is true freedom to explore. Suddenly that part of ourselves that we have tried to ignore out of fear or shame can be brought into the light, and with joy, we discover a God who never intended for us to live in fear or shame. I do not believe faith is a task we seek to complete, but an ever-expanding universe into which we continue to stretch ourselves and journey at least one step beyond where we were yesterday. I’m going to be chewing on a number of wonderful new ideas for weeks to come.

For the gifted and insightful people you bring into my life, O Lord, I am thankful. Engage me, stretch me, and even bring some discomfort where comfort has given way to complacency. I believe you do this because you love me and want the best for me and this world in which I live. Amen.