Dear Brothers and Sisters of New Creation Church,

The verses of inspiration for this letter come from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians (2: 11-22), and reconciliation is their strong theme. Some of us have always been a part of a traditional Christian church. Some of us liked it and some of us didn’t. Some of us got our start in a different kind of church. Many of us come from different backgrounds, growing up in diverse cultures, giving us differing perceptions of the nature of the Divine. Some of us were hungry for more spiritual nourishment than we were getting from whatever environment in which we found ourselves. Some of us might have been confused or ashamed. Some of us had no idea where we were, where we’d been, or where we were headed.

Many of us might have been what Paul called “Gentiles,” that is, outsiders. But Paul has hopeful words for us — “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” –– We are brought together by the Christ and join together in peace. Jesus broke down the social barriers and in doing so opened our lives to peace and hope.

Some of us may be here because we feel we are “supposed” to be, but in San Jose, California, in 2006, for most people, going to church and being part of a church family is a choice we make – a choice for how we want to live our lives and for how we present our lives to our community.

Our choices for worship and for ourselves are made more meaningful in our spirit of reconciliation – both within our New Creation community, and the world in which we work and go through our daily lives. Peace, hope, and joy in Christ can be found on many levels. It is easy to despair of our ever realizing “Peace on Earth,” but there are opportunities every single day to find joy and hope in our lives. Let’s start with us. It is my fervent hope that we can share this spirit of hope and peace with those around us. May the Holy Spirit move in our hearts to open them, widen our doors – and lift our voices to all who might hear them.

Amen

Here is the attachments of this Post
author avatar
NCLC
See Full Bio