“These premises shall not be occupied by a negro or colored person” reads the original deed to our building. Our history as a nation is drenched in racism and every one of our stories, whether you realize or not, has been shaped by racism. Yesterday, we began our ONE series by looking at how the truth of Imago Dei dismantles the very basis of racism. From conception, every human of every color is made in the image of God – therefore, every human is valuable, beautiful, & equal. But there is also something else we all are, sinful. Sin has marred our Imago Dei like graffiti. And we have all been tagged in two ways – by the sin of others, & by our own sin. Thankfully Jesus came as the perfect Imago Dei. He was not marred by sin but for sin, in our place. He suffered at the hands of men the injustice many have experienced and then suffered at the hand of God for the sins all of us have committed. He redeems His people, gathers us into His eternal family by His blood, & begins a life of transforming us so that our Imago Dei can increasingly show off & show out His glory!
The room was way too hot and the sermon the longest I have ever preached (I’m going to stewy away from that record in the future!) but the Spirit really seemed to show up. And during communion several people stood and bore bold, broken, public repentance. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed in 43 years of life, 17 years as a Christian. We feel as if we are being swept up in something much bigger than us. What is certain is that what is happening is something only God can do. Only God. We tremble at His grace & power. I invite you to listen in on a topic that we are passionate about and that leads right to the heart of God in the gospel.
With about 115 in attendance on Sunday we are pretty close to being maxed out in the upper room. Moving the nursery downstairs has created a little bit of space but we need to get the building renovated as quickly as possible. Would you come for lunch on Feb 26 at The PO to hear a bit of our story and how you might be able to renovate the building with us? You can reference the information card below.
We are launching our 4th Dgroup the first week of February on Lawrence St (across from Central High on Linwood) under the leadership of Clete & Ruth. Also, the very first couple who committed to Restore, 2 years ago when we weren’t much more than a dream, will now serve as apprentice Dgroup leaders. I’m thrilled about this! We need to launch 2 more Dgroups in the near future, so please pray for wisdom & provision.
