Who's On First?

It is well worth our time to think about how we conceive of the relationship between ourselves and God. Does God react to us, or do we react to God? In other words, Who's On First? My guess is that the most prevalent understanding is that God reacts to us, spreading His blessings on those who live fruitful, obedient lives, and scourging those who don't eternally. That's a pretty common understanding, but I'd like to offer an alternative: I'd like to suggest that God sends his rain upon the fields of the just and the unjust alike, and it is up to us to react to God's love. Jesus taught:

Jesus said to his disciples, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.”

If we abide in His love, why are there always seats for the family of the victim at executions? Why do we draw satisfaction from the suffering of others?

Join the congregation of Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Ky. for this week's sermon, Who's On First? by clicking HERE for audio or HERE for text. Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Kentucky, was built on the casting floor of a 19th Century iron blast furnace. We use "The Casting Floor" as an image for the power of the Spirit to form us. Visit us at http://communitypresbyterian.org.