One of the things I like most about our church is that we honor our rich Christian heritage by proclaiming that it is not frozen in time.

I like to think that this comes from our understanding of Jesus’ words about his ministry in Matthew 11:29-30:  “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am meek and humble in heart and you shall find rest for your souls; for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Jesus’ “yoke” is easy and his “burden” is light unlike the weight of traditional understandings of faith that wallow in guilt, sin, and a celebration of rules.  The Christian faith, after all, is intended to be liberating not confining.

The United Church of Christ famously says that “God is still speaking.”  The UCC Constitution says that “It is the duty of every Christian to make this faith their own in word and deed” in every generation.

In other words, it’s okay to color outside the lines in our church when it comes to images of God, understandings of scripture, and what defines a Christian person.  I think that’s vital to spiritual growth.

If we are to navigate the waters that lie ahead in our country and in our world, we will need to be creative and that includes having the courage to define and redefine what it means to be a person of faith.  First Congregational is a place where you are encouraged to do just that as we strike a balance between finding solace in our traditions while exploring new pathways of divine encounter that leads to action in the world.

See you in church,

–Rev. Dominic