A Word From Our Pastor
Well, it has now been a month since my arrival, and what a month it has been. Dazz and I are so grateful to be here with you all as we journey together in the ways of the Spirit as she leads us closer to who Jesus called us to be.
I also want to take this time to welcome you to our new series, "Saving Jesus." Through this series, we will, as author Marcus Borg wrote, "Meet Jesus again for the first time." I invite each of you to join me with open hearts and minds as we wrestle with the text, culture, and even our own biases when it comes to what we have learned and experienced throughout our spiritual journeys around Jesus. I pray this series challenges us in all the right ways to not necessarily hang on to what caused us pain around Jesus, but that we are able to draft a new version of the one who came to teach us the ways in which we can be better, compassionate human beings.
A little of my story when it comes to Jesus; Growing up in the black Baptist church, Jesus was the end-all, be-all. He died for my sins and washed me clean through his sacrifice on the cross. Through his power, we are healed and set free. That Jesus was blameless and sinless. And because of that sacrifice, I am able to have the life I have. I'm sure some of you heard or even used those words yourself.
But it wasn't until I began to ask the question, "What about the humanity of Christ?"That I could understand, because I too am human, without doing away with the divine that not only I but all of us possess. This question is what started my deconstruction of Jesus and Christianity as a whole.
As I dive into my own story throughout this series, join me as we dive into Jesus' story, not the one the Right would like us to believe or the Left who has discarded him, but the one who taught us love, compassion, and liberation in all things.
With Love and Light,
Pastor Michael