Dear Incarnation,
This Sunday, we will read Mark 10:2-16, a challenging teaching in which Jesus addresses marriage, divorce, and remarriage, with a mention of created sexual difference just to keep us on our toes. These are tender topics. We all know and love people within and outside our congregation who are divorced, divorcing, or contemplating divorce; remarried or hoping to remarry; married or longing for marriage; experiencing unease in their male-and-female bodies or grieving the rupture in male-female relationships that pervades our world. This hard teaching from Jesus touches all of us, and on some of the deepest longings and pains that come with being human.
We won't shy away from this scripture on Sunday. But we will wade in with great care, aware of how the scriptures impact the lives of real people. We will place ourselves under God's loving authority, trusting that he has something to say to us, and wrestling in these challenging passages until we glimpse his goodness. (It's there, I promise!)
That said, there's only so much ground a 15 minute sermon can cover. And thorny ethical issues are often best communicated in the context of ongoing relationships with real people, not from the pulpit on a Sunday morning. (The pulpit is for preaching the foolishness of Christ crucified!) So Sunday will not bring a full, comprehensive ethic on marriage and divorce; it can't. Instead, we will hear the texts read and preached. We will recite the Nicene Creed, covering over a multitude of preacherly errors. We will confess our sins, receive God's forgiveness, make peace with one another, and gather around the table to share Christ's life in the bread and wine. I am praying that all of it, together, nourishes us to go home to our ordinary lives and relationships where these hard teachings of Jesus must be lived out day by day.
If this passage stirs up any concerns or pains for you, please reach out!
***
Whether or not you have children, I encourage everyone to read Josie's recent post about our children's ministry, which kicked off on Sunday. She captures so much of what we value as a church in the spiritual nurture and welcome of children.
So far I've heard wonderful feedback from Sunday's launch of our Good Shepherd Atrium (ages 3-6) and True Vine Atrium (ages 7+). We also introduced worship bags for the big kids to use quietly in their seats during the service, hoping that narrowing the scope of options available to them might allow them to better connect with God in the liturgy (in general, we all experience more peace when we have fewer choices!). It takes a while to settle into new rhythms, so I appreciate your patience as we all grow accustomed to Sunday changes. Let us know how it's going!
***
This has been a tough week of news. From the devastation of Hurricane Helene to the escalating conflict in the Middle East, there is much to lament. We look with longing to the only marriage that will set things right — the wedding supper of the Lamb, when God will dwell with his people, heal the nations, and wipe away every tear (Rev 7:9-17).
I know many of you are carrying heavy burdens as well. Please reach out to me and Katie for conversation and prayer. See you on Sunday.
With love,
Amy
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