Matthew 16:13-28 & Matthew 26:68-75
Just like Peter we are in the middle of a trial - with coronavirus affecting every part of our lives our faith is being stretched and tested.
This is a time to see how willing we are to carry our cross for the sake of others.
· To see if we're willing to practice social distancing to protect the vulnerable (which is uncomfortable for many of us)
· To see if we're willing to not hoard our resources but give generously to those in need.
· To see if we're willing to reach out to those in our lives and communities we know are lonely and isolated right now (even if we'd rather just watch Netflix and wait for this all to pass)
· Or, maybe most provocative of all: to see if we are willing to demonstrate love and compassion for those of other political persuasions!
These are just a few examples that came to mind. You could probably think of many others. Self-preservation or self-denial?
Look. Setting our interests aside - dying to ourselves - is just as hard for us as it was for Peter in that courtyard. And yet, unlike Peter in that moment we know the end of the story.
Jesus was the messiah - the promised king of Israel. He was the son of God - the divine in human form. He was the son of Man - a human worthy to share the authority of Yahweh.
AND YET - his ascent to power was through self-sacrifice and death.
So it's a question we all have to wrestle with: If that is true of Jesus, what am I willing to give up for the sake of healing the world?
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'You Were Made for More' because God created you ON purpose FOR a purpose. This is the vision of Grace Church, led by Pastor Barry Rodriguez and based in Indianapolis, IN.
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