Sunday, October 5th

God's Dream: Building Shalom 
"Our Community in the World"
(passages are below)

Last week we looked at how Jesus calls each of us to Prayer, Repentance, and Responsibility in our own lives. The arc of scripture promises that this challenging process will lead us more deeply into meaning and purpose, health and flourishing; into the Shalom that only God can give.
If we commit to prayerful attentiveness to Jesus, and allow him to transform us, he will call on us to stop blaming others, making excuses, or shrugging in apathy, and to take up the biggest responsibility we can carry in our own lives. He will challenge us to pick up our cross and follow him. It will be difficult, and it will teach us the humility we will need to follow Jesus. In doing this we are building God's Shalom in our direct personal relationships with those closest to us; (our family & friends, neighbours & faith community). This is how Jesus builds the kingdom of God. It will take everything we are, and it will be our life's work.

But...if building shalom with the people in our immediate lives becomes the goal, what of the rest of the world? Will we withdraw from the world? Do we abandon a broken world to chaos? Do we retreat into our insulated group; preserving peace for just us alone? 

Or, do we conquer this fractious world for Shalom; imposing God's Kingdom of Peace on the world - for their own good?
What does God's Dream of Shalom demand of us in the bigger world? 
For this Sunday... read Acts 2:42-47, 4:32-35, 6:1-7, 8:1-4 (you can read them all aloud in less than 3 minutes) asking, how was Shalom expressed in the early church?
Going Deeper... reflect and pray, just as Jesus calls each of us to pick up our cross; to shoulder responsibility in our own lives; what responsibility might Jesus be preparing our faith community to take on, in our community? in the broader world? 
For next week... reflect on Gratitude in preparation for Thanksgiving. How will your thankfulness bring Shalom? How will it bless others? 
~ Pastor Joe