Faith@First - September 6, 2024
Have you ever had one of those mornings where you thought: this is going to be perfect? I thought that as I left the house to record what I considered a Spielberg worthy video devotional. I had scriptures, I had sunrise lighting, and pond views. I had what I thought was an incredibly inspiring invitation to our next sermon series, No Exceptions: Loving and Living like Jesus.
But then I dropped my phone and AirPods in a puddle. You read that right - in a puddle! And my directorial debut is not going to be shared (or screened at Cannes) anytime soon. But, as I let things dry out, I’m already thinking about next week’s devotional. How I can share hope to those who may be having a bad day too, encourage those who may be having a difficult year, and offer Grace to those who think they don’t deserve any.
As I already started thinking about what’s next, it hit me that was the real devotional. That loving like Jesus loves, inclusively, relentlessly, and with no exception - is something that we won’t always do well. Sometimes we will completely drop the ball (or AirPods) but what will make us a Beloved Community that follows Jesus is our determination to keep trying.
Maybe you feel you’ve already gotten it wrong today. Maybe you said something unkind, didn’t offer help when it was needed, or judged someone too quickly. If that’s you, be encouraged that with God’s help, you can always try again. And this series will help us understand more deeply how to love like Jesus loves. I hope you’ll join us this Sunday and every Sunday throughout the month of September as our series will culminate in the sharing of our new church logo, website, and some fun new swag!
While we’re excited to share ways we hope to reach more people with this inclusive message of Jesus’ love, what I’m most excited about is living it out together.
Pick yourself up, dry yourself off and keep the Faith@First.
I’ll see you Sunday,
Pastor Nicole
