by Marcia Mount Shoop
2 Corinthians 13:11-13; Matthew 28:16-20
“The scripture passages today may not ring with much inspiration at first hearing – but if you listen closely, they are calling us to enter the song of how the life of faith is a constant series of goings and comings. And we are called to embrace those rhythm changes, those shifts and movements, those changes in position of our bodies in space and time – we’re called to embrace all of these things as healing opportunities, as gifts of the Spirit.
Both Paul and Jesus say goodbye and hello with invitations to a purposeful way of living into change.
Greet each other in a way that honors how sacred each person is and the sacred purpose for which you are meeting each other (the holy kiss in Paul’s time – a platonic kiss when gathering for worship).
Live peacefully with each other, find agreement – that doesn’t mean always seeing things the same way, but it is agreement as in harmony – finding ways to fit into each other’s lives, finding ways to understand the blessing that we are to each other.
And then Jesus instructs those disciples (the ones who saw him including the ones who doubted, he instructs them to not stay in one place – but to go out into the world and show people what it looks like for Jesus to be present with them – to show them what it looks like to know that God is present in every exchange, in every encounter.”
Watch the full GCPC service on 6/4/23 here
(Scripture and sermon begin at 39:40)