We keep saying this series: No matter how different we are, I see you as a person worthy of value and honor. But what about when we FAIL? We’ll cut to the chase: the acceptance of Peter by Jesus is a great example of this truth about following him: Jesus’ acceptance isn’t based on our performance. It’s based on his never-ending love. Do yourself a favor: watch / listen to this message. Especially if you feel like a failure, not enough, or are full of regrets. You won’t… regret it.
Whether we believe in a God or not we’ve all felt it… that restless, nagging feeling like there’s supposed to be something more to life… something is missing… this isn’t how things are supposed to be. Jesus described it as a thirst. A thirst we all try to quench in some way (money, sex, relationships, success…). Sure, it seems to work at first, but in the end, we feel even more thirsty. Maybe the problem is that we haven’t nailed down what our true need is. Listen or watch to see what we mean.
SIN. Yeah, we went there. It’s not a fun word is it? Why? Probably because it’s a weird religious word that usually brings up three responses… a. don’t care; b. anger; c. shame. Or, maybe a mix. However we respond to the word… we usually can go on to say that, if there is a God, he definitely does not accept sinners. We’re here to tell you why you’re misinformed, and that Jesus’ acceptance is appallingly offensive because it is unbelievably inclusive. Listen or watch to find out what we mean.
People who were nothing like Jesus loved being around him. And he accepted them. As we heard in part 1, being accepted means “no matter how different we are, I see you as a person worthy of value and honor.” Here in part 2, we take a close look at an “unlikely” group of people Jesus accepted: the skeptics. We’ll eventually land here [spoiler alert]: Jesus accepts every skeptic as an individual. What’s that mean for you? It means you are accepted, and asking questions and not taking everything at face value is healthy.Â
“Jesus would never accept me. Look at what I’ve done.” Who told you that? We’re here to tell you: They are wrong. Jesus hung out with people like you (us!)… The Uninterested, the Stressed, the Doubting, the Alone, the Different, the Failing… the list goes on. In FACT, Jesus didn’t just “hang out…” he ACCEPTED people like you (and us). In this first “episode” of Accepted, we’ll look at how Jesus views those who question. We hope you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
– A few simple songs (usually a guitar and maybe a violin and percussion) to sing along with or just listen to. – A short message (similar to our YouTube/podcast style messages) – Communion together (all are welcome at the table, but you can also skip this). – A final song and a simple prayer. – Afterwards, an optional snack while you meet some folks.
All in all, should last about an hour.
How many people will be there? 🤓
We are a small church, like a majority of churches in America! Weekly we see between 25 and 45 people gathering in the main room. It just depends. If you want to hide in the back, you still can!
What do you offer for kids? 👨‍👧‍👧
We have kids’ classrooms for nursery/pre-k and for elementary kids through grade 5. Our volunteers are background checked and there are always open doors and multiple volunteers. You can also keep your kids in the service with you. It’ll be an hour long. Email us with any specific kid-related questions! info@yourcrosscreek.com
Do I have to believe in Jesus to attend? 🙋🏽
No. We created this church in 2017 to be a place where faith in Jesus can be explored, and isn’t demanded, assumed or expected.
We welcome your questions, your doubts, and the process of faith. You don’t have to believe to belong.
And we won’t make any assumptions: we promise to explain briefly what’s happening and invite you to join in. You can also sit back and just check things out.
