Freedom From Freedom To
Freedom to be the Church
I have a confession to make. For at least half of my life, I really didn’t understand why we “went to church.” I had no vision for anything other than simply trying to please God. Consequently, church for me was … boring. Church struck me as a place where my family was obligated to act happier and holier than we actually were. Can you relate?
What I wish I had understood earlier in my life is that the Christian call to be part of a church community is actually an invitation into a powerfully meaningful life. We all know community is essential. But do we know why? The simple truth is that the Church is God’s plan "A" for bringing healing and restoration to our lives and to our world. So join us Sunday as we dive into what it means to be "Free to be the Church!"
Topics: Freedom, The Church, Unity
Free To Love
On Sunday, we learned from Paul and the Galatians about all the things we are free from as followers of Jesus. “Freedom from” a crucial step in our spiritual journey, but eventually we have to move on to focusing on “freedom to,” which is all about creating. This is where we get to focus on God’s preferred future. Freedom TO is about going through the right doors at the right time for the right reasons. This Sunday, we focus on the "freedom to" life, and learn from Jesus himself just how life-giving spiritual freedom can be.
Topics: Freedom, healing, Holy Choice
Freedom From
Egypt. Babylon. Exile. These are the terms of captivity that show up over and over again in the story of God. Why? Because God's people spend a lot of time stumbling in the dark of captivity, unable to embrace a "freedom to" life. This Sunday, we'll talk about how to gain "freedom from" so we can live the better half of the good news about Jesus. And it IS great news! Christ longs to fill our emptiness with his Holy Spirit, who brings with him the freedom we long for. Let's continue on this road to freedom, friends. I'll see you Sunday! (now you get to say, "Sounds great! Let's go!")
Topics: Chaos, Freedom From Bad Religion, Trying too hard
Freedom From, Freedom To
We know the invitation to follow Jesus is an invitation into freedom, but too often we put the emphasis on things we are free FROM. We are free FROM guilt, sin, shame ... all the bad things. Of course, it's good to let go of things that have not worked for us, but we do the greatest disservice to Christianity when we make it only a list of things we have to stop doing in order to go with God when the Christian walk offers so much more than just "freedom from." Our faith is very much a freedom TO enterprise. We do the greatest disservice to Christianity when we make it a list of things we have to stop doing in order to go with God. Paul tells us that it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. That's an invitation to explore possibilities.
So let's do that this month! Let's take a few weeks to talk about the things we are free from and how that frees us up to creatively explore all we have been set free TO. Let's look together at what freedom looks like for us especially in this season, and just imagine what God can do! Can't wait to get started!
