Liberating Spiritualities Are Costly
September 16, 2018
Jesus and Peter don’t see eye to eye on what the Messiah’s mission is – especially that ugly cross thing! (Mark 7:24-37) It’s an issue that still haunts the church. We all need to be able to tell folks why church matters – to ourselves, to God and to the communities in which we live. In short, we have to answer the “so what” question.
The church is the community where all those whom God calls, gathers, and equips to unlearn sin and learn holiness are formed. We meet here to teach one another to be signs that this vision is what God wants. We relate to each other here to encourage one another to be instruments – alone and together – for this ongoing work of God. The church is the school of discipleship for all those whose spirituality is rooted in Jesus Christ. To craft any other spirituality, apart from a church – communal – teaching / relating context, is to invite sin, i.e., missing the mark.
Jesus tells Peter he’s savoring the wrong thing because what Peter savors is rooted in himself – and that’s an ungodly way of being. It denies imagio dei. It misses the mark.
At our 9:30 A.M., Sunday worship, in prayer, Word, song, sermon and Meal, we get to savor this life-giving Word and this saving meal, which lead to and through the costly cross of Christ.
Pastor Jeff
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