I’ve Been Meaning to Ask… Where Do We Go From Here?
Rev. Dr. Leslie Taylor, preaching
Where are you from? Where does it hurt? What do you need? Where do we go from here? This final question is not meant to be the end of the journey; instead, it creates openness to explore together what is next. This question is contextual.
"Where do we (First Christian Church-Concord) go from here?"
"Where do we (as individual members or friends of FCC-Concord) go from here?"
"Where do we (as a family) go from here?"
The question is designed for individuals, families, churches, and communities to discern how to move forward into something new. As we step into the next chapter of First Christian Church, my hope is that we keep cultivating curiosity, asking questions, having conversations, and seeking connections to humanize and care for each other.
I want to encourage you to read the entirety of Acts 10 before worship because only a portion of the chapter will be read during worship on Sunday. Ultimately, this final question, "Where do we go from here?" invites us to foster hope and imagination. In Acts 10, Cornelius, a pious Roman centurion, and Peter (yes, Simon Peter, the disciple) are brought together through visions they each receive. Both men have opinions about the value and worth of people who are different from them. Peter and Cornelius meet face-to-face, and Peter says: "I really am learning that God doesn't show partiality to one group of people over another."
Through their courageous conversation, their narrow perceptions of others expand, the Spirit descends upon them, and they share in community and hospitality.
So, church, where do we go from here? Over the last three weeks, we have asked ourselves some interesting questions questions we can consider for ourselves personally and as a congregation. We, as a congregation, are reimagining what we are called to do and to be as a pandemic-informed, trauma-informed, anti-racist, open, affirming, and inclusive First Christian Church in and around Concord, California. Your voice, your ideas, and your actions are integral to this reimagining process.
Based on Acts 10: 9-16, 34-38, 44-48
Music this week:
Every Move I Make
Heart of Worship
Create in Me a Clean Heart
Help Us Accept Each Other
Totally Available
River of Mercy