Risen to Be All You Can Be

By May 2, 2023May 5th, 2023Weekly Update

The sun has one kind of glory, the moon has another kind of glory, and the stars have another kind of glory (but one star is different from another star in its glory).  It’s the same with the resurrection of the dead. – 1 Corinthians 15:41-42

 

Dear Gatherers,

 

The Early Church’s biggest theological puzzle emerged when figuring out how to make meaning of resurrection. Atonement? Nothing new there. It was an ancient idea played out in ritual sacrifices around the known world. Messiah? The countryside crawled with messianic movements. But resurrection? That was new. And it threw Christians for a loop.

 

What did it mean? How did it work? When does it happen? Perhaps one of the greatest joys of early Christian literature comes from our ancestors wrestle with these questions. Paul regularly attempts to meet the challenge in his letters—to varying degrees of theological success. But often in his strain he scales poetic heights, as when he explains resurrection’s meaning in First Corinthians. The ultimate hope, Paul says, is a kind of glory that embodies all the stardust we’re made of.

 

We’re not returned to life to be like everybody else, Paul says. Instead, resurrection empowers each of us to live fully into our divinely created singularity. Unlike earthbound stardom conforming to a “type,” in resurrected stardom, every person shines on their own, holds their own unique place in the universe, doesn’t hesitate to let their light shine.

 

Resurrected life means full life that Jesus explicitly promised. Everything God placed in you—as well as all the ways your life veered left and right to complete your making—needs to explode and radiate. Rise to this occasion! Be the star God has resurrected you to be!

 

Peace, with much love,

Pastor Tim

 

Giving News

Our giving has been solid and we’re grateful for those helping take Gather to its next stage of growth. Throughout May, give thought to a regular tithe or pledge that will enable us to expand our monthly capacity as we plan our move into a settled space. How much can you offer? At our upcoming anniversary, we’ll invite everyone to submit their pledges and tithing commitments. Plan now to be one of our regular givers!