We are a few weeks into a new series on “Becoming Like Family”. This is important as members of our online community begin to share the daily challenges with friends, and we begin to gather our larger community together as one church community. We won’t be bound together by a building, or institution, but rather by five commitments. We’ve talked about commitment to common learning goals, connectedness as a community of small and large groups, connectedness to God in worship, and now this week, we come to grace in lifestyle.
Those who’ve decided to follow Jesus, and walk in his path, are going to have to choose this over other paths. These choices impact many areas of life. That should be no surprise, but sometimes it’s hard to swallow. We can recoil from rules, or worry about restricted freedom.
We’ll explore that this week, but it starts with understanding why we are asked to live by, and with, grace.
But what does grace mean?
There is a classic Seinfeld episode where Elaine is in a job interview, and the interviewer shares her admiration of Jackie O, who had “grace”. Elaine tries to say, “I think I have a little grace” but the interviewer snaps back, “You can’t have a little grace, you either have it or you don’t.” Elaine backpendals, “Alright, I have no grace. I don’t have grace, I don’t want grace. Hey, I don’t even say grace.”
You can see the confusion here – what does grace even mean? Is it poise and kindness? Is it a lovely name for an old lady that is finally making a comeback? Is it a prayer before a meal?
Question: What do you think of when you hear the word grace? What does it mean?
Reminder: Earlier in this series, we saw the importance of reading the Bible together in sync, so our new daily bible readings start today in our mobile app and web site.
Read the Bible in Sync Today
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This week we’re exploring this idea of “people of peace”. Jesus sent his followers to various towns, and asked them find people of peace and go deeply in relationship with them, and not to go from house to house. This was selective by design, and Jesus is okay with that. Jesus focused on his 12 disciples, and sometimes even smaller groups, through much of his ministry. Here he sends 72, not 72000.
Jesus sends them to focus on one family in each town. Go deep into relationship with them. He even says, if things don’t work out, move on.
But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. (Luke 10:10-12)
There can be all sorts of reasons why someone doesn’t want a close relationship with a follower of Jesus. The authors of “The Art of Neighbouring” suggest they may be:
Too busy
Wary of certain people
Already relationally full
At a different stage of life
Afraid of exposure
They may not be your person of peace. Not now, or ever. They may be someone else’s person of peace! But if they welcome you, are hospitable and friendly, invest in them, and they will invest in you.
Sometimes it’s obvious, but if it is not obvious, pray, and just dive in, meet people, see who pops up as generous, caring, patient, and hospitable.
Question: Who do you think might be a person of peace in your neighbourhood?
