We live in a world constantly bombarding us with messages about who we are, what the good life looks like, and how we can obtain it. In a culture carried by the whims of personal desire and comfort, we hear values like “follow your heart;” in a culture where we are constantly divided from one another, we start to believe that our spite is justified; in a culture that is constantly blaming others, we jump into the blame game. Yet each of these notions lead us not to life, freedom, or peace, but further into death, captivity, and anxiety. In Jesus’ ministry, He regularly spoke against all sorts of notions that we consider commonplace today, and in listening and applying His words together, we will find a lasting, peaceful, joyous life in the midst of a culture mired in anxiety, division, and hatred.
Watch as Pastor Clint explores our American comfort culture, and the way that Jesus challenges those assumptions in His calling of disciples to follow Him--even when that means leaving behind their comfort and security.
Sermon Resources:
1. Boston Globe article on American comfort culture: https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2018/05/19/don-get-too-comfortable-america-relentless-pursuit-convenience-and-relaxation/liWGIaQgFNWMXVU7Pvl0rN/story.html
2. "The comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -John F. Kennedy in a Yale Commencement address, https://www.jfklibrary.org/archives/other-resources/john-f-kennedy-speeches/yale-university-19620611
3. Opioid overdose deaths: https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates#:~:text=Opioid%2Dinvolved%20overdose%20deaths%20rose,with%2080%2C411%20reported%20overdose%20deaths
4. Sea of Galilee Boat: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_of_Galilee_Boat
5. “We had to [suddenly] double-pin all the tent-ropes, and frequently were obliged to hang with our whole weight upon them to keep the quivering tent from being carried up bodily into the air…the whole lake was lashed into fury; the waves repeatedly rolled up to our tent door, tumbling over the ropes…they came down suddenly, and often when the sky is perfectly clear.” -W.M. Thomson, "The Land and the Book"
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