Dear Family in Christ, 

 

Like Jesus’ first disciples, we too seek to follow Jesus. The word ‘disciple’ means ‘learner’' That’s what we are, learners of Christ. We follow Jesus’ example. By faith, we try to act like him, love like him, forgive like him, and reach out to the outcasts of our day as Jesus reached out to the “sinners and tax collectors” of his day. As Christians, our identity is first and foremost rooted in Christ. The apostle Paul teaches that “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20a). In his first letter to the church in Corinth, he calls us “ambassadors for Christ” (1 Corinthians Sa). By faith, we live our earthly lives as citizens of heaven and ambassadors for Christ. It’s like we live our lives with one foot firmly planted in this life, and the other foot firmly planted, figuratively speaking, in heaven. 

 

As we live our earthly lives, we notice that the ways of the world do not always line up with our faith as followers of Christ. That makes sense. Jesus teaches that we are to be “in the world” but not “of the world” (John 17: 1416). The world is full of stuff that opposes Jesus’ teachings. And like the apostle Paul, try as we may to do our best to be good, we acknowledge, we are simultaneously sinner and saint. As Paul writes, “19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it but sin that dwells within me” (Romans 7:19-20). The world we live in is complicated. It’s easy to get caught up in the various activities of this life. Much of the stuff of our lives and of the world is meant for good, but tends to be bad. For example, look at the way we damage the earth and our environment for its resources without regard for future generations. Scripture calls us to be good stewards of the earth (Genesis 1:28; 2:15). Listen to the hateful ways our society and culture speaks of foreigners. What does the Bible say about how we ought to treat foreigners? "You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt (Deuteronomy 10:19); “‘Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.’ Then all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’” (Deuteronomy 27:19) We as Christians say we want to follow Jesus’ example, and his teaching, and the Bible. But we also want to follow the ways of our world, culture, and society. So we counter the world by proclaiming that we are first and foremost Christians, followers of Jesus Christ!

 

To help us better follow him, Jesus commanded, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40). Let’s follow our Lord’s command by putting God first in our lives, and love our neighbors as ourselves. 

 

Journeying with you in Christ,

Pastor Jay