The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:5-6)
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Reclaiming Christianity
I recommend this post on Patheos entitled "I Want My Christianity Back - Without the Ugly Baggage" by Rev. Mark Sandlin. It was on the Time magazine website this week as well. An excerpt:
...we need to more closely follow the lead of Jesus and lovingly confront those who want to turn the Prince of Peace into a tool for dividing and marginalizing. Every time anyone tries to exclude a group of people they dislike in the name of the Great Shepherd, we must pronounce the radical inclusion of a loving God.
And when they accuse us of being un-Christian (and they will), we must stand strong and tell them, "You no longer get to own that word. You have used it and abused it and crucified it on crosses of hate, greed, power and control. We are taking our religion back – way back.
All the way back to the teachings of Jesus."
Read the full article. And pray...
Generous Lord,
Faith is so very confusing.
I'm sure of mine!!!
But confounded by others'.
They seem sincere,
stridently so,
hearing a different message.
Like radio,
they listen to a different format,
of fear and threats.
I'm tuned into Grace Radio,
powered by the Holy Spirit.
The playlist:
generosity and mercy,
unconditional love.
My prayer:
May that song in my heart
resonate in my life.
Amazing, marvelous grace!
Amen.
Patheos
Graphic credit