Known By Love

In our recent series on the Kingdom of God, we learned that there is a certain way the Kingdom functions that is counterintuitive to the way the world functions. In the second part of the greatest commandment which is equally important as the first, Jesus said, “Love your neighbor.” Period. Love your neighbor with no hidden motive. Love your neighbor whether they come to church with you or not. Love your neighbor whether or not they say thank you or return the favor. Love your neighbor even if they never put their confidence and trust in Jesus. Love your neighbor even if they are snarky with you. Love your neighbor without feeling sad that they didn't respond like you had hoped. Just love your neighbor. Period. And then let's see what God will do. Let's do what He asks of us. Let's plant and water. And then see how God makes it grow.

This will be our theme for 2025. No, there won't be 52 sermons on loving your neighbor, but we will keep this in front of you with consistency. We will encourage you to be creative in how you love your neighbor; to have a personal vision on how you love your neighbor. We will have you tell stories on how you have loved your neighbor. And since not all neighbors are the same, we'll learn how to love with specific people and situations in mind.

On Sunday morning I want to talk about what keeps us from loving our neighbor, and what is perhaps the most embedded sin of the human heart; the one human tendency that has caused more grief, violence, war, and devastation than any other single sin; a sin that is the root of the many injustices that have taken place on this planet since the beginning. I hope I have piqued your interest! See you Sunday!

To the King and For the Kingdom,

Jamie