Message: ““Follow me into self-denial, suffering and death” …and other warm invitations from Jesus” from Matthew Dyer

Related Topics: compassion, conflict, God's love, love, social justice | More Messages from Matthew Dyer | Download Audio

From Series: "Uncomfortable Conversations With Jesus"

The gospels present Jesus as a great teacher who drew crowds wherever he went. His words were simple enough for the uneducated to grasp, grounded in practical metaphors and illustrated with stories. Yet they were also profound and unexpected—outwitting those seeking to test Jesus, and leaving the religious and political elite pondering. Many flocked to this rabbi for answers to their questions; time and again, Jesus responded with a question of his own. While Jesus often spoke words of comfort, encouragement and healing to those who recognized their brokenness and need, he had challenging—and at times seemingly harsh—words to those who thought they already held the answers. Through this series, we will listen in on some of the more uncomfortable conversations Jesus had with a variety of people—from disciples, to skeptics, to self-declared enemies. We will seek to learn from the one who is called both Truth and Love, who spoke with authority, and has the words of eternal life. We will think about how to apply the lessons from Jesus’ interactions to our own uncomfortable but important conversations—particularly, but not exclusively, conversations about race. As we do so, we may become aware of difficult statements or questions that we struggle to answer. We have created a moderated space on our website to post such tricky questions, and share responses we have found helpful: https://www.crcc.org/jointheconversation/