People have all kinds of conversations. Most conversations are fairly neutral, some are exciting and some are enraging.
The conversations that stand out most are the conversations where someone ends up asking (out loud or in their head) "do you mean that?".
It could be the compliment you just heard and you are so pleased they noticed. It might be the love they just expressed that surprises you. Do you mean that?
Mt Ridge church has been saying for quite a while we want to love our neighbors. We can't take credit for that, Jesus said it. Actually Jesus told us it is part of the greatest commandment.
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40
Kind of hard to misunderstand that isn't it?? So we say we love our neighbors....that Mt Ridge church is FOR you! Do we mean that?
We talked about it earlier this year in our Won't You Be My Neighbor series. You can watch that message here The Ultimate Neighbor
Based on what you did Sunday. I would say a resounding YES!
Mt Ridge, you crushed it. In the space of 2 hours you put love into action and helped change the lives of 1,600 people! Read that again, one thousand and six hundred people! Many right here in our neighborhood and some as far away as Haiti.
Not only did you help love real neighbors with real needs, you helped share Christ with them. You see meeting needs matters, and the biggest need anyone has is to come back to God. You met both needs! By showing love and working with our partners who share Christ we made things better.
What neighbors did we actually love?
We loved young moms and families by packing new born kits for parents who need help and let them know Mt Ridge is FOR you.
We loved senior adults who are struggling with poverty and loneliness and let them know Mt Ridge is FOR you.
We loved the homeless in our community by providing essentials and let them know Mt Ridge is FOR you.
We loved Haitian families and packed Christmas boxes and let them know Mt Ridge is FOR you.
We don't get every thing right, no one does. But I am so proud to say Mt Ridge is serious about loving our neighbors.
Who we are, who we hope to be, is a church where we can authentically say to our community, to our neighbors, and to everyone we come in contact with, Mt Ridge is FOR you!
Thank you Mt Ridge for meaning what you say!