10:30 AM Contemporary Service - NO AUDIO, See 8:30 AM

In ancient times, people with a highly contagious disease called leprosy literally were labelled “unclean” and had to stay away from everyone else who didn’t have the disease. It was a soul-crushing experience of being outcast. Too often, we are still tempted to do that to others today - maybe not because of a disease, but because they are living apart from God’s ways and we don’t understand them or their story or why their thinking, life, or behavior is the way it is. Other times, you might be the one who feels outcast and written off by others, even other Christians. That's not the way it’s supposed to be - Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Greg Lindsey says that “the challenge is that we are all on a journey moving from being an invalidated person with something to prove to being a beloved child with absolutely nothing to prove.” In other words, while we are called to love our neighbor, we can’t do that well until we first receive the love of God for ourselves and experience Jesus in every part of our heart and story.