Greetings, friends!
When I was in high school, I had a friend who was fond of saying, “Remember, you’re a unique individual…just like everyone else!” It was a great line and always got a laugh. During those years, it seemed like my buddies and I were fighting a daily battle to discover who we were and how we fit in with school culture around us. The groups you belonged to and were associated with were important… maybe too much so.
My high school years are a dim vision in the rear-view mirror of my life. In fact, in August I’ll be making the trek back to Iowa for my 55 year class reunion. It would be great to think that the days of labeling and putting others into groups was a thing of the past, but you only have to check into the daily news or take a dip into online social media to see that labeling and grouping is still very much real and sometimes out of control.
What if the labels that so often divide us are not the truest thing about us? In Galatians 3:28, Paul writes, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” It is one of the most quoted verses in the New Testament, but it is also one of the most challenging. Paul is not pretending our differences do not exist. He is declaring that, in Christ, they no longer define our value, determine our access to God, or create spiritual ranks within the family of faith. The gospel brings people from different backgrounds, stories, social positions, and experiences into one shared identity: sons and daughters of God through faith in Jesus.
I look forward to being with you in worship this Sunday. We will explore how Paul’s words in Galatians 3:28 speak into a world still fractured by division, comparison, suspicion, and pride. What does it mean to belong before we perform, to receive grace before we prove ourselves, and to see one another through the finished work of Christ. Jesus does not erase who we are; He redeems who we are and unites us in something greater than ourselves. Come ready to be challenged, encouraged, and reminded that the church is meant to be a living witness of reconciled humanity. In Christ, the walls come down, the family table grows wider, and our deepest identity is found in Him.
“Remember, you’re a loved child of God…just like everyone else!”
See you on Sunday!
Pastor Terry