"Meditation – 60 Days of Prayer" from The Upper Room in Nashville, Tennessee, United States for Tuesday, 13 September 2016 "INTRODUCTION WEEK: AN UNEXPECTED PROBLEM WITH PAUL"

"Meditation – 60 Days of Prayer" from The Upper Room in Nashville, Tennessee, United States for Tuesday, 13 September 2016 "INTRODUCTION WEEK: AN UNEXPECTED PROBLEM WITH PAUL"

INTRODUCTION WEEK: AN UNEXPECTED PROBLEM WITH PAUL
Read Galatians 1:1 From: Sha’ul, an emissary — I received my commission not from human beings or through human mediation but through Yeshua the Messiah and God the Father, who raised him from the dead — also from all the brothers with me
2 To: The Messianic communities in Galatia:
3 Grace and shalom to you from God our Father and from the Lord Yeshua the Messiah, 4 who gave himself for our sins, so that he might deliver us from the present evil world-system, in obedience to the will of God, our Father. 5 To him be the glory forever and ever! Amen.
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A Reading from God Unbound:Galatians, I saw, could help us Christians now as we navigate the rapid culture shifts in which we find ourselves. We can learn from Paul how to be open to the Holy Spirit who gifts and calls people to apostolic, prophetic, and evangelistic ministry that looks very different from what we in the inherited American church are used to. Rather than polarizing ourselves between “the traditional church” and the other emerging forms of church, we can learn from Paul to honor the revelation (literally “the revealing”) of Jesus Christ wherever that happens, especially among marginalized people whom Jesus called “the least of these.” We can learn to move beyond the walls of church buildings and programs into our communities to join Jesus who is already there. We can still view the traditions of our denominations as expressions of the body of Christ, but we can exchange competitive denominationalism for robust participation in God’s diverse kingdom.
By paying attention to how Paul helped Jewish Christians broaden their vision of God, neighbor, tradition, and mission in the first century, we Christians can broaden our vision of God, neighbor, tradition, and mission today. Paul offers wisdom to help us move beyond fearful and paralyzing questions about racial, sexual, and spiritual
“otherness,” which flow from our interpretation of tradition. That 
wisdom will help us ask a better set of questions about what it means to be a “vital church.”
Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit come. We welcome your presence in our lives, in our churches, and in our communities. Make Yourself know so we can follow You with confidence. Broaden our vision so we can make Your love real to others. Amen.
Post your prayer for the church to the Prayer Wall.
God Unbound: Wisdom from Galatians for the Anxious Church. Copyright 2016 by Elaine Heath. All rights reserved. Used with permission from Upper Room Books. From pp.16-17.-------

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