JR. Forasteros - December 28, 2014

Clean Water, No Fences

Thrill of Hope

Christianity has become known as a religion full of rules – these “dos” and “don’ts” have become fences that keep Christians in line, corralling us like spiritual cattle. But according to Paul, now that Jesus has come, God has torn all the fences down, and every person is free to seek God. The life Jesus offers us is so good, God is convinced we don’t need rules to keep us pinned in – when God is with us, we don’t need fences.

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I don’t know about you, but I’ve reached that point in my holiday season where I’m just about out of holiday cheer. The other day, I was talking with my wife, Amanda, about a couple of possible events we had coming up. I asked her, “What do you have going on this date and this date?” and before I could even tell her what I was asking about, she said, “Say no. Say we’re busy.”

We walk a delicate balance every year on this road to Christmas: we’re in nearly constant movement between preparation and celebration, back and forth from parties to shopping to pageants to decorating. And it can get so exhausting that we sort of lose the reason for all this in the midst of it.

So let’s take a big, deep breath.

We need a chance to come together and rejoice. We need to celebrate together. Whether it’s the party plans we’ve got to get to later or the real work of justice we know God is calling us to as a part of our Advent journey, we need to stop and remember that everything we’re doing is in response to the God who has already accomplished the work of saving us.

Join us Sunday as we pause to rejoice in the midst of our preparation!

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