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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Like many of use, I’ve used my pandemic time to experiment in the kitchen. There’s always been one thing I’ve wanted to make that I stayed away from because it was so intimidating – fresh pasta.

But hey, if you can’t take a risk during a pandemic, when are you gonna do it? It turns out it’s not as hard as I thought… though it takes some attention. And it does help if you’ve got a mixer (thanks to my homie Sue – this one belongs to her). Fresh pasta is just four ingredients – flour, eggs, oil and salt. You put it in and let it run for about 10 minutes (or knead it by hand).

We’re going to talk about good and evil today, and I thought pasta would be a helpful metaphor. After all, if I were to tell you in this moment I’ve made some good pasta for you – you’d rightly go… uh… where?

But, in my defense, you couldn’t call it bad pasta either. Because right now, it’s just a bunch of ingredients in a bowl, getting mixed. It’s neither good nor bad yet. It’s just… potential. (Hopefully potential deliciousness.)

I want to suggest that we consider good and evil in much the same way – God has created a world, inviting us to become out of chaos. And what’s before us is the question: Will we join God in moving the world toward peace (which of course includes delicious pasta) or will we choose to invite chaos into the world, little by little?

Will you be part of God’s good work? And will this turn out to be delicious pasta?

Join us Sunday as we explore the nature of good character and good pasta.

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