This Sunday, in our continuing series on The First Things, we will find ourselves exploring a passage from John 1, where Jesus is described as being full of “grace and truth.” Grace and truth – seemingly two opposites. When we speak, do we do it with words of grace, or with harsh words of truth? Think with me for a minute, when you see a friend or family member doing something you think is inherently wrong, how do you approach them? Do you come with an absolute – you’re wrong!! Or, do you approach them with conversation, listening to and learning from each other to work through conflict? Verse 14 seems to point us to a different way, the way of Jesus, the way of ampersand faith.
An ampersand is a familiar punctuation symbol, one that is often used as a type of shorthand for the word “and.” As an easy to understand visual, it offers the possibility of living our lives of faith in a both/and world instead of an either/or world.
Unfortunately, we find ourselves these days living more and more in a world of absolutes. Male and female. Democrat or Republican. Black or white. Rich or poor. Masks or no masks. It seems as if these differences are becoming more and more pronounced. How can we understand them? Is there a way to move from either/or to both/and? I hope you will join us on Sunday as we explore this question through the life of Jesus. Ampersand living – is it even possible?
-Pastor Jane