Dear Redeemer Family,
Good afternoon! I hope this finds you well.
This coming Sunday, January 8th, we will kick off a very important season in the life of our parish. Throughout the seven weeks of the Epiphany season, we will walk through a seven-part sermon series that is designed to focus and clarify why we exist as a parish.
[We previewed this at the Parish Town Hall. If you missed it, you can listen here and read the annual report here.]
Here’s where we’re going:
Redeemer Anglican Church exists to practice GOSPEL FORMATION for MISSIONAL PRESENCE. The good news of the Gospel holistically transforms us, enabling us to participate in the mission of God right here, right now. The ancient church has historically embodied this through 7 PRACTICES that address the seven essential questions that every human being seeks to answer:
STORY
Telling the story of the Bible as the true and better narrative in which to understand God, ourselves, each other, and the world.
Q: What story am I in?
IDENTITY
Embracing a new identity in Jesus that is received, stable, and secure.
Q: Who am I?
BELONGING
Finding belonging in the church family and extending hospitality to strangers.
Q: With whom do I belong?
VIRTUE
Cultivating virtue through redemptive habits.
Q: How do I change?
CONTEXT
Seeking to understand our context in the city in this cultural moment.
Q: Where do I make my life?
VOCATION
Laboring in renewed vocations for the common good.
Q: What is my purpose?
IMAGINATION
Reordering our imaginations through mystery and beauty.
Q: How do I love?
Church family, as much as I’m looking forward to preaching through these seven practices, I am far more excited about seeing these practices integrated into everything we do together.
Let’s begin the new year by moving further up and further in to this GOSPEL FORMATION together. As we do this, I have every confidence that, by the grace of our Lord, we will also become more missionally present to our families, our neighbors, and to our coworkers here in the city.
In the Father’s love,
