A Letter to the Second Baptist-ians by Alena Vaughn
Pastoral Resident Alena Vaughn kicked off our Ephesians sermon series with a beautiful letter that she wrote to Second Baptist. She wrote it in the style of the letter to the Ephesians. We hope it encourages you today!
From: Your friend, Alena, a fellow follower of Christ Jesus.
To: The beloved, faithful saints who make up the community of Second Baptist Church in Liberty, MO.
I greet you with the grace and peace poured into our lives from God who is our Creator and our Redeemer.
Church, you are so loved!
You are the beloved children of God– created beautifully in God’s image, loved fiercely by Christ’s sacrificial gift, and made whole because freedom in Christ has no limits.
Church, you are loved by a God who is the true foundation.
And Second Baptist, I am in awe of you. I am constantly aware of the Holy Spirit alive and well among you. And for that, I give thanks!
Your dedication to being a vibrant community of faith working to care for our city, striving to be bearers of justice, and extending the radical hospitality of God to others– amazes me.
You are the kind of Church the world needs more of!
I pray regularly that God continues to give guidance and clarity to Second Baptist that we may continue to grow closer and closer to God so that we might look more and more like God.
But church, I know being faithful and persistent is a long and tiring road. Yet, please, don’t lose heart! When you are dreary remember that Christ pulled you from darkness and filled you with life. And when you are tired, remember that you are not alone for God is with you. And church, when you want to give up remember you are the bearers of God’s limitless love.
You are loved by God thus you are to love like God.
May your doors be always open– for the church should be a place where all of God’s creations belong and feel at home. I pray the mystery of Christ’s abundant love for humanity does not fall on deaf ears, but rather is championed by this community of faith– that we may be extenders of Christ’s limitless, grace-filled, merciful love to all peoples.
And, I Praise God that the Holy Spirit is Alive and working within us!
2BC, I know that this is hard work! But this work of radical hospitality is the work God has called us to! And, like the Paul said to the Church in Ephesus– we need to get out there and walk, better yet, RUN down the path of bringing the outsiders to the inside.
And, I know it’s scary, but we have each other. We are on this path together, bound in Christ’s love and bound in love for each other… and we don’t all have to look the same or think the same– we are called to just be in rhythm…
Because church, we aren't all the same AND I don’t think we need to be, BUT if we are called to be in rhythm we must not forget we are the Body of Christ, connected and intertwined.
So let us be mature people of faith, diligent to remember Christ’s love for us and Christ’s love for the world.
Like children learning to play– let us watch what God does and do it likewise.
Second Baptist, we are called to so much more! We must not lose heart! And, we must not stray away. No, we must stay true to the task and not allow our egos to cloud our faith.
We must love each other as Christ loves the Church.
So stay the course, put on your armor, put on every single piece, because I think you are ‘gonna’ need it… then lean on each other… help one another… and remember, God is with you and God is in you!
Do this, so then it may be said that in Liberty, there is unity. In Liberty, there is belonging. In Liberty, there is justice. And, in Liberty, the Church has purpose.
Grace & Peace to you, my beloved community.