In a world that can feel me centric, scripture reminds us in several ways and places that it isn’t about us. That while we are a key part of the story of scripture, central to all that is God. This Psalm reminds us of the core that our story is grounded first and foremost in God. That as we move God back to the center of the story, this allows the other pieces of our lives to move back into perspective.
Friendship is hard. And yet for most of us, we want, wish, and hang onto good friends who know us well and walk with us in hard times. Sometimes what can make friendship hard is knowing what to say, what to do, and how to support each other when life gets hard. Job 2 gives us a picture of friends who realize that part of being a good friend can be found in showing up, and being present.
It is our 25th anniversary! 25 years ago God planted a church here with a heart to be a Christian community who worships a God who can provide stability in a world that feels like it is always on the move. And on a day like today we can and will name ways that God has been at work in the last 25 years, and look ahead to where God is leading us in this next season. We also know as churches that an easy rut to slide into is to only celebrate numbers. How many came to that program, how much money, how many baptisms. And while we want to name that every single person who comes here can be a life that God changes, God isn’t leading us into this next season to just be numbers. He is leading us to be transformed.
Faith asks that we trust in that which we cannot always see, and to believe in a God who can do things. So perhaps naturally, we will have questions, we will doubt, there will be things that we wonder about. And sometimes it can feel like if we have questions something is not right, or we are not trusting enough, and yet God invites our questions, God invites our honesty, our reflections, our wonderings.
Can you believe that guy? You know, the one who is always posting that political stuff, the one who is always saying bad stuff about co-workers, that neighbor who doesn’t cut their lawn? Scripture doesn’t shy away from the brokenness of this world, and the people in it. Instead scripture paints a picture of what a transformed life looks like in this broken world, as yourself a broken person.
Yard signs communicate important things. Who to vote for, what we think matters, or what issues or items are close to our heart. One of the yard signs that comes from scripture would say God is for YOU. And that isn’t waiting for you to be good enough, right enough. And God is working on your behalf right now. It’s just that sometimes it’s hard to see in the midst of challenges.
Who doesn’t want to root for love? All those rom-coms, romance books, and epic tales are so gripping because love is powerful. But as those same stories remind us, human love, while powerful, is imperfect. Human love is a reflection of a greater love that was first extended to us by God. A love that is not conditional, a love that’s depth and width and reach is far more than we can imagine.
Scripture starts by setting the tone about God, this world, and us. Foundationally we start with the idea that God made humanity in his image. As we struggle with tough conversations in a polarized world, how could it change our conversations if we keep it front of mind that each person you meet is made in God’s image?