One thing is clear - our focus is not on...
Your position in society, low or high
The money you make or don't
The accomplishments you've made or not
Your past, good or bad
It's about grace. It's about faith. And it's about the God who became human for us as Jesus.
God is love, and for love made all things - things we can see and things we can't.
But we obviously experience things as God intended. We suffer from abuse, violence, war, hunger, fear, injustice, oppression; and finally we experience the painful reality of death.
This is because God's creation is broken by what Christians often call sin. Sin is a power that has damaged us, our relationship with God, our relationship with each other, and our relationship with all creation.
But God loved the world - including both us and all material creation - in this way: that in spite of the evil we commit against each other, and despite the damage we have done to his creation, God acted in our world for life as the person of Jesus Christ.
Jesus wasn't just a teacher, or a prophet, or a spiritual guide. Jesus was, and is, our one God who became fully human, lived on earth, taught, and finally died on the cross to free us from the powers of sin and death; to rise from the dead on the third day in victory over these forces that would destroy life and creation.
2000 years ago in our human timeline God did something radical and unique. God became human for us - and that is why Jesus is at the center of all we do.
And now Jesus, God made human to save us from sin and death and risen from the dead after walking out of a tomb 2000 years ago, has called us to be his disciples and follow him on a new path of life and love until his return to redeem and renew all creation.
He has rescued us from the those powers and given us forgiveness, grace, and hope in our lives.
He has called us to proclaim his victory over sin and death, and to live our lives in his light and truth.
We can have the most beautiful worship in the world,
We can have the most up to date facility,
We can do our worship and liturgy with perfection,
We can know all the facts and have many life accomplishments,
But if we're not focused on Jesus as our Lord and his message of salvation then we've missed the point as Christians and as a Church.
If you want to become a disciple of Jesus today or to renew your faith - then join us for worship, be Baptized if not already, and find your spiritual purpose at St. Mary's as we go into the world with God's message of life for all people.
