November 20, 2022 "God Reveals Things To Us In The Ordinary"

ReNew Ames Messages

Jesus goes and preaches in his hometown. They're skeptical - they think they know everything about him - so they reject him. Sometimes the ordinary, the familiar, what we think we know can blind us to the extraordinary - can blind us to what God is doing in the world. God reveals things to us through the ordinary. That's a positive thing to think about, but it probably should also make us a bit uncomfortable. How many times do we miss what the Divine is revealing to us because we think we know all the things we need to know about life and the way the world works? How many things have we missed because we're not really paying attention to the ordinary - family, kids, friends, neighbors, etc.? We don't want to reject Jesus - we want to represent Jesus. Which is exactly what Jesus gives his followers the opportunity to do. He sends us out - empowers us to do the things he does. But we're just ordinary people - people around us might not sense the divine working in and through us - we will be rejected, too. Might have to wipe some dust off our sandals. Here comes Jesus, asking his old neighbors and us to think differently, to learn new things, to follow him into new places, to do things we've never done before in ways we've never imagined before, to care more and give more and love more and include more and sacrifice more. And even if people reject it, there's probably no better way to live. Speaker: Aaron Vis Scripture: Mark 6:1-13 http://bible.com/events/48989378