A Community of Grace (Gal. 6:1-16)
In his book, If the Church Were Christian , Philip Gulley tells about an interesting conversation he had in a local restaurant. Gulley had entered at noon, could see that the restaurant was full and turned to leave. But as he did, an older gentleman who was seated by himself invited Gulley join him. Gulley was familiar with the man only by reputation and knew him to be intelligent, somewhat outspoken, but also capable of great kindness. Gulley also knew that the man self-identified as an agnostic. Gulley initiated the conversation by asking him about the new house he had recently built outside of town in a wooded setting. “It’s just a house,” he said, swatting away the topic as one would a pesky fly. He responded, “What I want to know is why you became a pastor.” Gulley told him that he found the study of theology interesting, that he valued the sense of community a church provided, and that he found it very meaningful to help others navigate life. The man responded rathe...