A couple of weeks ago our staff attended a day conference at Seattle Pacific University for church leaders in the area. It was incredibly life-giving to worship, learn, and connect with other church staff and each other.
The final session of the conference was led by SPU professor, author, and pastor, Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil. Salter McNeil also happens to be one of my favorite preachers- so it was an absolute joy to hear from her. She said something I have heard her say before, but this time truly moved me.
She said, "When Jesus Christ reconciles us to God, Jesus also reconciles us across every single barrier that divides us. Our gender, religious differences, our denominational differences, our ethnic and racial differences, our cultural differences- when we get reconciled to God, we get reconciled to each other." She discussed the vertical and the horizontal of the cross- getting reconciled to God, and in turn being reconciled to each other. How powerful is that? Healer God connects us to each other when we connect to God. When we say yes to God, we say yes to a deeper, more whole version of ourselves. And we say yes to healing.
On Sunday Pastor Mark will preach from Acts chapter 10. He says in his sermon summary, "All his life, Peter grew up knowing that as a Jew there were certain foods you could eat and there were others that you dare not touch, otherwise you will be breaking the laws of Moses. However, through a vision, Peter’s assumptions were exposed and the way he assumed the world worked was turned upside down. God was renewing his mind and building the foundation for a new perspective on how God’s Kingdom operates. This must have been uncomfortable for Peter, however, he chose to follow the leading of the Spirit. Out of obedience Peter was let to step into new relationships within his community. These new relationships allowed him to see both God and his neighbors in a new light.
Peter's experience teaches us that whenever the gospel makes us feel uncomfortable, we need to realize that in our moment of discomfort, that God is using that experience to call us into a deeper relationship with him, and into a deeper relationship with our neighbors. As we grow in relationship with our neighbors, we experience both the power of the Spirit and the power of community!"
Join us tomorrow as we come expectant for God to work in our community as we worship together.
See you soon,
Chelsea Maitland