It’s not enough to just worship God. It’s not enough to say that we are Christians or say that we go to church. In order to truly worship God, we must also serve humanity. We say those words every week as we recite our Covenant together. And I believe that is the core of who we are at MCC.
The World, the Word, and the Way
Our faith is made of stories woven together over thousands of years. Stories of communities surrounded by a world trying to contaminated them. Families looking for land, individuals listening for God’s voice, slaves escaping their oppressors, evil rulers brought low, love being chosen over fear.
We Know Better
We know better; we must defend ourselves from our enemies, we must meet violence with violence and hatred with hatred, we must look out for people within the artificial borders we’ve drawn before we take care of others who live outside of them.
But no matter how much we want to believe that God is only on our side, our story of war and hatred is not God’s story.
God Known in Jesus Christ
If you ask three people to report on a shared conversation or event, you’ll probably get four different accounts of what happened. The four canonical Gospels tell different stories of Jesus but that doesn’t take anything away from their truthfulness. We each have a version of God’s story – we each are a version of God’s story. Tell your tale, share your story, live your life so that the story of God’s kingdom becomes reality.
A City on a Hill
“Being a city on a hill doesn’t mean living in isolation. Being a city on a hill doesn’t mean looking down on others. Being a city on a hill shining God’s light out into the world certainly does not mean building walls to keep other out; arresting those who come to us seeking safety and security; or tearing children from the arms of their parents. And no, imprisoning families together doesn’t make it any better.”
“Hosanna, Hineni, Hallelujah.”
We cry out “save us” and God answers “here I am.” Every time. Endlessly. How can we respond with anything other than a joyous “hallelujah.” God created this world for us. Over and over again, we are shown that love can conquer violence and death. Christ has died and has risen and lives on in us. When we follow Christ’s lead, when we allow God to possess our inmost heart, the weapons of death will lose their power, the kingdoms of the world will become the kingdom of our God and of our Christ – on earth as in heaven – and joy will dawn every day as it does on Easter.
Morning has broken. Again.
Morning has broken yet again. Another day, another dawn. It’s a moment that many of us so often overlook, that we take for granted.
The Boston Declaration
“There is no denying that there are many different voices claiming to speak for God in our world today. In our own country there are conflicting claims about the call of Christ. Politicians, preachers, leaders, and cable news talking heads all claim the label Christian even when the messages they relay are vastly different.”
The Sound of Silence
Elijah is scared. Running for his life, he feels abandoned and all alone in his desire to make things right. He makes his escape from vengeful rulers and heads into the wilderness. There, he sits under a tree, alone and afraid: “Hello darkness my old friend….”
Hungry for Justice
“I feel like we’re wandering in the wilderness. Even though we’re surrounded by all the comforts of life, nothing feels comfortable. Nothing feels right . Nothing feels safe. Even though I’ve had more than enough of my share of food, I’m hungry: Hungry for God’s word, hungry for God’s love, hungry for God’s justice in a world that is hurting so badly.”