Touchpoints from June 2023

Touchpoints from June 2023

The Wages of Sin Is Death Touchpoint; image of open Bible highlighting scripture passage

The Sin of Wages is Death

“To live under the law is to live under the mentality of the reward and punishment, earning, and wage system. That’s what the law is based on. Getting what you deserve, what you have coming to you, what you’ve earned. You know, reward and punishment. But that way only leads to death. Any relationship that is based on scorekeeping is a relationship of death. Any relationship based on reward and punishment is a relationship of death. Any relationship based on only getting what you deserve will not flourish and live, but will die.”
Take Up Your Cross Toucnpoint; image by Wayne Pascall of a man whose shadow is carrying a cross

Losing It

“Found in our lostness. What a frightening and freeing prospect. So, maybe I should have a bumper sticker that says “I lost it,” rather than “I found it.” And yet, it is exactly this ‘lostness’ that Jesus is calling me to lean into, to walk into, to embrace. And to embrace not only my ‘lostness,’ but embrace all the others who society has deemed ‘lost’ and ‘irredeemable.’”
Give Without Payment Touchpoint; image of mudslide over a highway

Shifting Ground

“Grace is funny. It is dangerous and subversive. But it is also peace-giving and freeing. Freed from having to justify ourselves, our existence, our stands… we are freed to live and serve the world. We don’t have a free will. We have a freed – F R E E D – will. And we are freed to take a walk, a hike, onto and into new ground.”
Embracing Imperfection Touchpoint; detail image old of statue thinking

Following the WAY Jesus Follows

“But it seems that something is different about the kingdom of the Divine. For according to these stories we have today, the deep Mystery is that when purity touches impurity, Purity wins. And when uncleanliness touches cleanliness, Cleanliness wins. In the kingdom of God, purity and cleanliness appear to be contagious. Death, disease and sin do not. When impurity touches purity, it becomes pure. And when uncleanliness is touched by cleanliness, it becomes clean.”