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Want a copy of the sermon in CD format? See the Communication Form to order a CD or contact the office @ 614-834-3303 or beths@gracepickerington.org (suggested $3 donation).
If you are new to Grace, here is some introductory content on some of our core beliefs:
Pretty much everyone we know is on Facebook. It’s weird. The grandma who has just mastered the VCR has now become the mayor of Farmville. One of the most popular features is the “Status Update.” Basically this is a chance to tell people what’s going on. For example right now as I write this:
· A friend just moved to South Carolina.
· Another friend is hanging out in Chicago.
· A third friend is willing to admit that he watches the Bachelorette.
This got us thinking…what if Jesus was on Facebook?
Really.
Maybe you’ve had this experience—you’ve got a friend who you’ve known for a while. Maybe you played high school ball with him, or work with her, or whatever. Then you become a friend on Facebook and suddenly you learn new stuff about them. They like to cook, they love some band you’ve never heard of, they take their kid to a park every Tuesday, etc.
You get to see new aspects of their life. You get to know them more. And if you choose to try in real life too, your relationship grows.
Back to Jesus. What does he like? Who are your mutual friends? What does he reveal about himself in his “I Am” status updates?
At our church, we think that life only makes sense when lived in relationship with Jesus, and a big part of that is just knowing him. Whether you’ve loved Jesus for 50 years or are just that guy checking out his profile to see if he’s the one you’re looking for, we invite you to spend some time this summer looking at Jesus’ Facebook page with us.
![TENSION](http://www.gracepickerington.org/sites/all/files/category_pictures/Tension_taxonimy.jpg "Jesus said: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength." Put more simply, love God and people with all you are.
This was not a holy "To-Do" list, but rather a fundamental description of what we were made for. Living outside this purpose is like using nail clippers to cut down a tree, rather than an axe. There are some superficial similarities, but this is simply not their intended purposes. The process would be painful, and ultimately ineffective.
We fill our calendar with things we are not made to do, chase things we are not made to chase, and give value to things we are not meant to value. We want what is cool, new, trendy, or shiny. We want what is next. This maintains a tension between what we were made for, and what we see in front of us. We continue because the sheen of Pottery Barn perfect decoration distracts from our real purpose.
In this series, we will stop. We will get honest about the tension we feel, how we are made to live, and who this is really for.")
Jesus said: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength." Put more simply, love God and people with all you are.
This was not a holy "To-Do" list, but rather a fundamental description of what we were made for. Living outside this purpose is like using nail clippers to cut down a tree, rather than an axe. There are some superficial similarities, but this is simply not their intended purposes. The process would be painful, and ultimately ineffective.
We fill our calendar with things we are not made to do, chase things we are not made to chase, and give value to things we are not meant to value. We want what is cool, new, trendy, or shiny. We want what is next. This maintains a tension between what we were made for, and what we see in front of us. We continue because the sheen of Pottery Barn perfect decoration distracts from our real purpose.
In this series, we will stop. We will get honest about the tension we feel, how we are made to live, and who this is really for.
Lower Lights Ministries was founded in September 1991 by Pastors David and Jane Fulks and the people of Bellows Avenue Church of the Nazarene in Columbus, Ohio. Today, under the direction of Execute Director David Gay, Lower Lights Ministries continues to expand and grow in order to bring about lasting change in the Franklinton community by fulfilling its mandate to love God and love our neighbors.
If Christians are supposed to be God’s people, then why do they act like that?
Be honest, you’ve probably asked that question.
It would be convenient for a church to explain this perception that Christians are out-of-touch, judgmental hypocrites as some sort of unfair stereotype. But, maybe the reason it strikes a chord is because we’ve all met “that guy.”
When we’re honest, we know we go to church with these guys. Maybe they’re us.
As a church, we must commit that we can do better, that we must do better, and that we will do better.
The resurrection reminds Christians that we are not just saved from, but that we are saved to. Saved to a mission.