Embracing Lent: Building Community Through Grace and Inclusion

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In Scripture, food is really important, hey? Have you noticed this yet? Food is really important. Think about communion. The Lord instituted communion at the end of the Passover feast. They finished a magnificent meal. And then he's like, well, there's some bread here and some wine left over. Let's make a ritual out of this, shall we? [00:31:36] (24 seconds)


Think about Jesus after he rose from the dead and before he ascended. What did he do? He made breakfast on the beach for his disciples. I did a sermon once when we church planted where I actually cooked while I was talking. And it was fantastic. I don't know if it was any good or not, but it was a lot of fun. [00:32:26] (23 seconds)


There's this theme in scripture where food brings people together. Have you noticed that if someone doesn't like you, if you could just get them to have a meal with you, you can soften them a little bit. Coffee's good. Wings are better. So if I think you don't like me, I'm going to invite you for wings apparently. [00:32:57] (28 seconds)


The Pharisees came to Jesus and it was one of those, who do you think you are? You pretend to be one of us or a religious elite, but you're hanging out with sinners, eating with them. Who you eat with and what you eat had massive socio-religious implication. There was lines that were drawn in the sand. [00:33:11] (29 seconds)


For them, it was the difference between the colors black and white. A diesel or an electric car. Coke or Pepsi. We're going to end on the Coke and Pepsi one so that we don't get political this morning. Put a hand up if you prefer Pepsi products to Coke products. Oh really, just that few. [00:33:36] (32 seconds)


Let's get some ushers on this. I'm kidding, we're friends. But for the Pharisees, the whole concept of food, who you eat with, for them, it was the difference between who's in and who's out. Who's receiving ministry and who's not. Who's welcome at the Lord's table and who can stay the heck out. [00:34:33] (31 seconds)


There was a point in time where we made a shift and holiness turned into isolation theology. It wasn't about how close can I get to God, it was about how far away can I keep the sinners. And we implemented this culture war. We reverted back to the land of the Romans, where everyone is against us. [00:36:09] (31 seconds)


When Jesus brought the new covenant into play, it was tough because people were used to the old way. Dominate, push people away, the rules imposed by the Pharisees. Now, keep in mind, though, as we look back on church history, we look into the New and Old Testament, keep in mind that rules that were in place at one time were necessary. [00:38:04] (35 seconds)


Cultures shift, cultures change. Rules can safeguard, but in this case, they would isolate. Those who needed to be chased down and invited to dinner. Often times, we fight like the Pharisees do to isolate people without even realizing we're doing it. Every church has players in this story. [00:38:41] (33 seconds)


The disciples needed to be rebuked, challenged. They had to learn and change constantly. Take correction and have deep conversations about the worldview and what was happening around them. They had to learn to do what Jesus did. And exemplify that to the world around them. [00:41:08] (28 seconds)


They had to learn to live out, love God, and love people just like we do now. As Jesus said, the greatest commandment of all is this. Love God and love people. They had to learn that in real time just like we do. So maybe you identify with the disciples. [00:41:31] (24 seconds)


Truly discipled believers act like Jesus and fight to create space for the people that need lunch. I was taught once that you can't disciple an empty chair. It is unfortunate in many churches how we get to a point where we're comfortable where things are at and we no longer fight for the ones who need lunch. [00:46:54] (32 seconds)


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