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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Have you have seen The Devil Wears Prada? I had heard for years that it’s great, but only sat down to watch it in the last couple of years, and it turns out, everyone was right.

One of my favorite things about the movie is how the main character, Andy, follows all the basic beats of the classic hero’s journey. Believe it or not, you can map her journey and Luke Skywalker’s on the same timeline and they line up perfectly.

That’s interesting because of who Andy is – at the beginning of the film, she’s a woman who doesn’t choose. She’s swept along – that’s how she ends up working at a fashion magazine even though she doesn’t know anything about fashion.

And the point of the movie isn’t for Andy to become a better dresser – it’s for her to have agency. In the words of the clip we just watched, she needs to become the person choosing the clothes, not having the clothes chosen for her.

Clothes represent agency for Andy.

I don’t really want to talk about clothes; I want to talk about agency. Specifically spiritual agency.

Like Andy, we’re all living in stories, whether we recognize it or not. And when we don’t understand the stories that shape us, it means we’re not truly free to live as God called us to be.

Let’s take a look at the stories that shape us, and learn to listen for God’s call on our lives so we can live the Jesus story – a story that transforms and frees us.

Join us Sunday as we consider what true transformation looks like.

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