It’s human nature to be afraid of the dark. It isolates us and hides reality. But in the presence of light, darkness is nothing. Christmas is the story of God shining his light in the darkness of the world to end our isolation and give our lives true purpose.
There is a darkness in the world that we seem powerless to remove. Almost all belief systems offer a solution to this darkness. Christmas, however, is God’s unique and lasting answer to the darkness in the world and the darkness we find in ourselves.
Religion makes us feel we are always one opinion, mistake, or sin away from being rejected. This makes us either hide who we really are, work really hard to stay in line, or simply walk away from the whole idea. Jesus gave us a better way. A way free of rejection and full of healing.
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.
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.
