Thursday night was one of my favorite evenings all year. The Peninsula high school and Palos Verdes high school basketball teams squared off in their rival basketball games. In a packed house of rowdy students, parents, teachers, administrators, and youth pastors, both teams competed for pride and "hill dominance." Perhaps one of my favorite moments came after the boy's game, which saw the Panthers beat the Sea Kings 66-60. Shortly after the students left with their respective schools one PV cheerleader ran up to her friends from Pen high and enthusiastically greeted them with a warm hug. This struck me as something significant. She was living into the great commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves. Even after a tough lost, she was able to keep a school rivalry in perspective and embrace her friends. She did not allow competition to prevent her from the greater gift of connecting with others.
Last week we learned from James that the purpose of life is to love God and love each other. This Sunday we will continue that conversation to discuss how we are to love each other even when we are uniquely different. We will explore how we are called to be people who seek to understand one another, and in doing so, we are able live life the way God intended us to live.
Matt
