Church,
This past Sunday as we celebrated baptisms and welcomed new members, we also had the opportunity to wrestle with the complexity of faith and life. Instead of having a gospel passage directly connected to the theme of baptism, we heard a passage where Jesus gave a “harsh teaching” and many of his followers turned away from him. It was a beautiful invitation to wrestle and reckon with the complexities of life and faith.
While things may not be as simple or straightforward as we might sometimes hope, we heard the good news on Sunday that God has given us enough to be able to sense the direction of travel. We may not have all the answers, but we know God has called us to be a people of justice and peace. Christ is revealing to us that life in the Kingdom runs on his body and blood instead of on the body and blood of the other, the outsider, and the oppressed.
This is good news worth celebrating. We have been freed from lies about how we have to make our way in the world and we have been freed to be a people caught up in the pursuit of love and peace and justice. This is a freedom that not only empowers us to welcome and love others well, but it frees us to welcome and love ourselves well.
You are free from having to earn your place in God’s Kingdom. You can’t earn it or take it or force it — you need only receive it. The love of your Creator pursues you and is offered to you as a gift.
As you walk through this week, you are a beacon of grace, compassion, and mercy. To others, yes, but also to yourself. Show yourself some love and tenderness. As you dare to indulge in a little kindness toward yourself, rest in the knowledge that it is but a seed or a fraction of the love and kindness your Creator has for you.
May you walk in peace and love this week,
Spencer+
