Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Mark 8:31-33
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by
the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said
all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking
at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind
not on divine things but on human things."

I heard Nadia Bolz-Weber preach last year at the Annual Conference of the Michigan United
Church of Christ. She spoke some powerful words for the church which I have taken with me to
share with you.
She pointed out that while we enter the doors of the Church seeking sanctuary, love, peace, and
all manner of hospitality, in fact a congregation is just like any other family, we make mistakes.
We speak of perfection but we dont actually offer it; we are just sinners like everyone else.
The scandalous truth is that the Church doesn't offer perfection, but more mistakes. Being
human we cannot honestly claim to be more than we are.
Instead, the Church teaches, and each congregation offers forgiveness and the hope of
redemption from those mistakes.
The lesson here is that as part of our congregation covenant, members of the congregational
family must learn to commit to remain part of the church family, even when an injury occurs,
especially when injury occurs, so that the congregation, through the faith of its members and the
Grace of God can mediate forgiveness, redemption and restoration.
John McCauslin

"Hope is a passion for the possible."

S. Kierkegaard