Here's the second of our "Myth" postcards:
Let’s be honest: without a doubt there are churches that are full of like-minded suburban-dwelling conservatives, but this is by no means an accurate representation of what Church is truly supposed to be. For most of the history of the Christian faith, Church has flourished not only in suburban and rural environments but also in the city. In fact, the Church generally starts in the city and moves outward. The city has always been the focal point for the greatest debate and discussion about the ideas that affect us most deeply. It is for this very reason that from the earliest disciples of Jesus to his present-day followers, the Church has been a place for people that are eager to discuss their world views with gentleness and respect.
Jesus’ first disciples are an excellent example of the diversity that occurs when people come together to grapple with the question of who Jesus is and how he matters to our lives.
In one of the early historical accounts of Jesus’ life, the author, Luke, tells us about those first followers (see Luke 6:12-16). Peter and Andrew were fishermen. Peter was know to be a loudmouth, never short on opinions. James and John were a pair of cocky brothers with a mother that was more ambitious than a rabid Ontario hockey mom. Matthew was a tax collector, a job that was even more despised in his own day than it is in ours. Simon was a “Zealot”, first century shorthand for terrorist (yikes!). In Chapter 8 of Luke’s account we are told about some of the women that followed Jesus. Among these women was everyone from a woman with a notorious reputation named Mary to an upper-crust lady named Joanna. What brought all these people together? They encountered Jesus and it changed everything for them.
You see, Church is not a question of uptown or downtown, poor or rich, liberal or conservative. Church is about a person, and that person is Jesus. He is the single-most influential person in human history and getting to the bottom of who he is, is a question we should all be asking. Why not come and join us at Liberty Grace Church and take a closer look at this important question.