Greetings Holy, Healthy and Happy People of God,

As I write this eNote to our faithful and devoted community of radical and contextually conscious followers of Jesus Christ, I continue to explore ways to acknowledge and love others.  It is clear that we cannot love each other based on value because value is in the eyes of the beholder.  And we cannot love based on the color of someone’s skin because some believe their skin color is superior to others.  So what do we do?

Meeting new people can be intimidating and time consuming.  Most of our circles are deeply familiar believers and we often don’t have time or room in our lives for meeting new people.  Imagine if Jesus never walks up to the disciples and befriends them.  What if Jesus never opens his mouth to this frightened woman at the well?  This path we are on daily invites us to be gracious and hospitable.

Paul writes in Hebrews 13:2 a helpful and practical word for the followers of Jesus.  “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”  WOW!  Showing love must be the impetus for this daily mission work, locally and/or globally.  Loving others is the most difficult commandment Jesus gives us.  Why?  We are broken, battered, bruised and messy people.  Because we deal with our own brokenness it is difficult to see the brokenness in others.  Understanding there is no perfect person; the only way to love others is through the presence and power of God’s love.  Jesus demonstrated his love for all people, even those who crucified him.

We must learn to constantly tap into and be aware of the love of grace of God.  May the followers of Jesus not judge people by their skin pigmentation, class status, political affiliation or religious beliefs, but rather let’s judge ourselves by our measure of love we extend daily in a world that needs love.  Let us be empowered to say, go and do what others just imagine.

Remember we not only have brokenness in common, but we also have the love and grace of Jesus in common.  Let us go and demonstrate our obedience to God through Jesus our love for the stranger who is all around us.

Hear the W.O.W., the Words of Wisdom,
“Take the step toward a stranger today!”

Remember to pray The Lord’s Prayer every day at 12 Noon!

As always, remember, God’s will for us is good, we must do the rest!
Pastor Stephen