Blessings to you, precious people.  I sure enjoyed our time together last Sunday.  Some of us were away with family, but we also saw a couple of folks that haven’t been able to come for a while.  Thanks once again to everyone who pitched in to make it a success.

I am enjoying the luxury of time to think and prepare.  I’m thankful for the opportunity to serve you more fully.  This week I have been thinking about the troubles facing our nation.  Much of the turmoil we have faced seems rooted in racial conflict.  I think much of that has been inflamed by people with agendas for which racial tension serves as a means to an end.  We would heal much faster without the forces of darkness tearing at the wounds.

What is the response of the Christian?  Should we in our pursuit of justice embrace worldly ideologies that have been coated with a thin veneer of scripture? I think those who choose that route will have to answer for it.  We are all equally valued by our creator.  We can marvel at the variety of His creation, but we should celebrate that which binds us together as one.  We can celebrate that which is uniquely wonderful in each of us, while glorifying the God who loves all of us.

Our scripture focus will be Galatians 3:28.  Here, Paul goes through some of the class and race divisions of his day and sets them all aside.  We are all one in Christ.  I usually do not like to focus on one verse to the exclusion of its context.  I will cover the context briefly, but in light of the current circumstance I think it will be helpful to examine this verse in detail.

I consider it part of my duty to help apply Biblical truth to the world around us today, so we will examine at a high level some of the relevant issues and see what God’s word has to say about them.

Keep on praying for each other and building each other up.  Remember especially Priscilla as she goes in for knee surgery tomorrow.  There’s still time for a miracle.

Love y’all!

Larry