March News

“I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
Many young adults believe that faith and spirituality are individual matters. The popular term for this commonly held belief about God in our society is “individualistic moralistic deism.” The core belief is that God created, but isn’t very active in the world, and as long as you try to do the right things, and don’t hurt anyone, you will be okay. I have been contemplating this a lot recently, and first of all, I don’t think that it is possible for us to always do the right thing and not hurt anyone. Also I must say that I strongly disagree with this individualistic view of spirituality. Our Christian faith is based on relationships: God’s relationship to us through Jesus Christ, our relationships with others, and our relationship with all of creation. In a world of relationships, can anything truly be an individual matter. Please don’t misunderstand, I believe that we have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, but it is far from individual. Each one of us has to discern what we believe and how God has called us to be disciples. However, as the verse above states, our spirituality is about a connection, a relationship. Spirituality is the part of our being that connects us to God, to one another, and to the world. Because it is a connection, it can’t be individualistic. As I write this article I am in a van traveling to Biloxi, MS for the mission trip. When you receive this newsletter, I will have returned from my third visit to the gulf coast. This trip is a reminder of the connections that we experience through the Christian faith. We are connected to people 1000 miles away because Christ calls us to help each other and to care for one another. The people that we serve in Biloxi often share that they are grateful that others have not forgotten them. The work on their house may not progress quickly, but it progresses because others care. That connection keeps faith and hope alive. That connection is possible because God is active in the building of relationships. As Christians, we are part of a community of believers that keeps us connected to one another and to Christ because of the work of God’s active spirit. We serve others because of God’s work in and through us. There is nothing individual about it. In Christ, Sara