05-13-20

You may have heard that Cypress Creek has a phone number for anyone who would like to listen to the sermon or one of the weekly devotionals (for anyone who might not have access to a computer). To give you a little taste of what is available, here is the audio devotional for this week. You can listen, and then maybe share the phone number with someone who might find it helpful. The number to share is: (346) 220-5782. The sermon is available Sunday – Tuesday, and the devotional is available Wednesday – Saturday.

or
CLICK HERE

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HERE IS THE WRITEN TEXT

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
May 13, 2020
Scripture: Galatians 5:13
For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another.

Thought for the Day: Once again, Paul challenges us to understand freedom through the lens of God’s love revealed in Jesus. Technically, freedom by its very nature, is the ability to choose whatever we want, whatever feels good, whatever will serve us the best whenever we believe it is convenient to do so. Those are all options, except for someone who has chosen to embrace love as the highest ideal. As followers of Jesus, we declare how we freely choose to put love above all other things, a love so clearly put on display in the humble act of incarnation, where God freely chose to take on flesh and serve humanity. Paul even pushed the envelope a bit by using the word slave, not the word servant. It sounds like an absurdity, as a slave has no freedom to choose his or her status. Maybe that was part of Paul’s musings on the topic – that love is so compelling and transformative that once it is truly encountered, there really is no freedom to choose. The unconditional and relentless love of God is simply that beautiful and persuasive. Yet even with that said, love always leaves space for someone to say, “No!” Without that option, it cannot be love. The whole question of love and freedom is an interesting one to ponder, but the real point is for us to become those who sacrifice out of love for the sake of others.

Prayer: With each morning, O Source of Life and Love, give me the faith to speak a resounding YES to the invitation put forth in the life of Jesus. I may not always understand what the YES will entail, but I trust that love is what you’ve asked me to be and do. Amen.

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