“I desire mercy and not sacrifice,” Jesus says. Why does Jesus insist that the church be a place of mercy? It must be because the people whom Jesus intends to be the church are the ones who mess up. Within the church, we are not permitted to make distinctions among ourselves based on who has followed the rules and who has not. It does not mean that everything is permissible. It does mean that all of our relationships must be influenced, first and foremost, by mercy. (Matthew 9:9-13)
October Sermon Series: Distinctively Christian
One biting criticism of the church in our time is that Christians look and act just like everyone else. American Christianity focuses on “middle class values.” What might a church of practicing Christians look, sound, and act like? What practices are distinctively Christian? In this 3-part sermon series, we explore the “ekklesia” in the Gospel of Matthew as a community that forms disciples of Jesus.