In a study of 1,000 American adults Thom and Art Rainer, researchers and authors, asked what area of life people needed simplicity. In profound fashion the respondents gave four primary answers: relationships, time, money, and God. In all these areas people want less complexity to live lives that truly matter. I know in my own life it all begins with relationships. If my relationships are out of balance, full of complexity, and broken then the rest of my life feels out of balance, complex and broken.
From the beginning of the Biblical narrative we find that humans are created in God's image, as relational beings. God desires relationships just as humans desire relationships. One of the most inhumane things we can do to a person is to put them into solitary confinement, to cut off all meaningful human contact, to break all relationships with them. It's inhumane because living a life alone is the opposite of living life. We are all created for and yearn for deep and abiding relationships, yet our relationships are so often fraught with congestion, difficulty, and instability.
This Sunday at OKC First Church we will examine the complexity of our relationships, how we are called to simplify them, and some practical steps we can take to experience deep and abiding relationships. We will be challenged to take some very concrete actions in the coming week. You won’t want to miss this message and challenge. I hope to see each of you in worship this Sunday at First Church!
Pastor Lesly
