Today we recognize our two December college graduates, Kaitlyn Precure (OBU) and Sadie (Cullison) Case (UCO).

Congratulations

This week on the Blog we are honoring graduates. Both College and High School graduates are listed below. Each day we will be posting an interview with some of our graduates for you to get to know them and know how to be praying for them. This is a different kind of year but we are really proud of these awesome students.

Amberly Cox Oklahoma State University Janie Brown Bethel High School

Sadie Cullison (December) University of Central Oklahoma Jacey Cox Tecumseh High School

Kelsey Doughty OBU Audrie Lupton Shawnee High School

Madeleine Foster OBU Mariah Matthews Shawnee High School

Grace Lueck OBU

Barrett Pannell OBU

Kaitlyn Precure (December) OBU

Malia Wilfong OBU

Taylor Thompson Oklahoma City University Law School

Happy Mother's Day

New Life

Today concludes our readings from Bread and Wine and this part of the journey. We are left with the challenge to the communal nature of following Christ. Eberhard Arnold who founded Plough Publishing that published this book gives voice to the idea of Holy Spirit empowered community. He compares the modern church (1920s) with the first century church. The common bond for Arnold is the power of the Kingdom ushered in with the resurrection of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon not individuals but the church. Arnold took this idea to communal living in an effort to enact the Sermon on the Mount. That is not the direction for all believers but for us right now the following excerpt strikes directly.

Together they felt compelled to live the life of Jesus, and together, in complete community, they experienced the powers of the future. Only in this way could isolation and its ice-cold existence be overcome.

It should be paramount for us today, right now to know that the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is the same Spirit that holds us together. Even many of us haven’t seen one another in awhile we are still a community not because we just know each other but because we know the Messiah, the risen Christ. The power of the Spirit, the presence of the Spirit bonds us together. We are compelled to bring others into this community through them knowing Jesus Christ. This message should be shared. Romans 10:14-17 is a call to share this message. This is a box to be checked, it is a community to be offered and a relationship to be extended.

The innocent, silently uncomplaining suffering of Christ is not only an act of Christ on our behalf from which we benefit; it is also an example of Christ for our instruction, which we are to follow. This portrait of Christ is to be painted again on the ordinary canvas of our lives.

- John Howard Yoder in The Way of Peace

In the above quote we read the challenge before us today to consider Christ’s efforts for peace and how we carry those on in our lives. In the new life we live as a result of Christ’s death and Resurrection there is a new way to resolve conflict. The conflict within us between sin and righteousness is resolved by the Holy Spirit graciously bringing us Christ’s merciful forgiveness. The conflicts in our world and in our relationships are resolved as we follow in the steps of Christ leading with love toward those who have wronged us. Just as Christ’s forgiveness does not give us license to continue in our sin, neither does love for our enemies make their actions right. It is a call not to deify others, but to walk in light of the example and deity of Christ.

In 2 Corinthians 10:1-5 Paul says plainly that we do not fight as the world does but our spiritual battle calls us to respond as Christ would. As you consider the way of Peace and the path of Christ take heed of 2 Corinthians 10:1-5 and take every thought captive bringing to the light of Christ’s example.