[amc] a note from the pastor
- From: Garland Robertson <pastor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Austin Mennonite Church <amc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2010 09:14:33 -0500
Members and Friends of Austin Mennonite Church
I am honored and privileged to continue serving with you as your pastor
as we strive to follow the way of Jesus as a community, to become a word
of the Lord for our time and place. Never before have I been as
enriched and fulfilled in my spirit as I have been over the past six
years while we have been together along the journey of faith. We will
continue together, striving to be faithful messengers of the Christian
gospel.
This next Sunday the Sanctuary Class will continue our discussion about
'Two-way Mission: North and South Americans in Conversation.' Our
assignment at the end of the recent class was to reflect on the benefit
of sharing our understanding of the way of Jesus with other persons
outside our immediate context--persons of other cultures and
religions/spiritualities. Please come ready to share the result of your
thinking.
In circumstances which constrict access to resources and services for so
many persons across the earth, it seems almost heartless to proclaim
that the Kingdom of God has come. Characteristics of this new creation
are serenity and nourishment enough for everyone, a place of safety
where nothing can enter to harm and cause suffering. And yet, Jesus had
an adamant sense that this reality was exactly what was being
implemented by his presence in the world. We look at the situations
which Jesus acted in, and we recognize amazing changes that he produced:
some persons who were hungry were fed, some persons who were ill were
made well, some persons who were distressed by demons were cured.
However, the power structures in which he operated were unchanged, and
most persons who were hungry were not fed, most persons who were ill
were not made well, most persons who were distressed by demons were not
cured. What does it mean today when we consider the strategy of Jesus
to send messengers ahead of him to announce that the Kingdom of God is near?
The scriptures we will consider this next Sunday are Isaiah 66:1-9; Luke
10:1-11, 16-20; and Galatians 6:7-16. Thoughts prompted by these
passages will compose the sermon, 'Announcing that recreation has begun.'
May it go well with you. Sincerely,
Garland Robertson
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Austin Mennonite Church, (512) 926-3121 www.mennochurch.org
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