There are some worship services that stay with you. I think this past Sunday and Wednesday met all the criteria!
On Sunday, September 20 and Wednesday September 23, we welcomed David Scherer, public theologian, hip-hop artist, and racial justice activist, as our guest preacher and musician. David brought us a powerful and thought-provoking message that invites us to consider what it really means to follow Jesus in the world.
And he stretched us a little, too.
The energy and rhythms of hip-hop may not have been familiar to everyone in the room, but that was part of the gift. David invited us to listen differently, to experience worship differently, and perhaps even to become a little more open to the ways God speaks through voices, experiences, and expressions that are different from our own.
At the heart of the morning was a call to justice. Not justice as something extra we add onto our faith, but justice as part of who we are called to be as followers of Jesus. In our baptismal promises, we are called to “work for justice and peace.” Sunday reminded us that those words are more than something we say at the baptismal font. They are words we are called to live.
Following Jesus asks something of us. It asks us to pay attention. It asks us to listen and to notice who is being left out or pushed aside. It asks us to speak when something is wrong. Most importantly, it asks us to love our neighbors not only with our words, but with our own precious lives.
I am grateful for the ways David challenged us, stretched us, and reminded us that faith is meant to move us. We leave worship each week sent back into the world to live what we proclaim, trusting that God is already at work and inviting us to find our place in God's unfolding story.
What a gift to be Gathered as One for a worship service that reminded us again who we are and who God is calling us to become.
Pastor Desirée
We are grateful for the memorial funding from Steve Gartland’s family, which was one of the funding sources for this opportunity we were able to share. Steve was a devoted and passionate advocate for justice in the world.