JR. Forasteros - July 21, 2013
Sheep and Goats
We often encounter people who push us outside our comfort zone. It's our tendency in these times to retract, to pull away into places we're more comfortable, with people we're used to. But according to Jesus, unless we become the kinds of people who give ourselves even to those not like us, we haven't discovered the essence of Jesus' new life. To wait for our King is to realize he's already among us, working among those to whom we're called. So what are you waiting for?
From Series: "Waiting for the Kingdom"
Jesus' disciples often asked him when his Kingdom would come in full, when this new life he always talked about would arrive. In response, Jesus told several parables that illustrated the tension we feel as we wait for his kingdom to come on Earth as it is in Heaven. Waiting in Jesus' new reality isn't passive. It's an active, intentional patience. So how do we wait well?
More Messages From JR. Forasteros...
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In a world increasingly divided and hopeless, even something as simple as respectful disagreement seems impossible. But the prophets who taught Israel how to long for the birth of the Messiah made bold promises: weapons formed into gardening tools; wolves and sheep living in harmony; deserts blooming. Such promises seem impossible – like pure imaginative fiction. But God’s promises aren’t fiction. They’re a future God is bringing into existence. Jesus birth proves God is with us, that God is working. We can have purified imaginations, see the world as it will be, and begin to work for that world now. What does it mean to be a people of Advent?
