I am starting a new seven-week sermon series this Sunday, March 13^th entitled To Repair the World that will run through the five Sundays of Lent, Palm Sunday, and Easter Sunday.  The series is based on the new and provocative book by Michael Slaughter that asks church goers if they are ready to decide whether their Christianity will have anything to do with Jesus. Of course, every one in every church sees themselves aligned with Jesus, but which Jesus?  Do we know what it means to join up with a Jesus who stood at the margins, the places where people are hurting, who was more concerned with justice and mission than with growing a church? The book has much to offer a church like Trinity that stands at the crossroads of new and exciting possibilities for outreach, justice-making, and being change agents in the world.  One of the common denominators among Trinity-ites is the desire to be part of a church living in the world and trying to use our collective resources—people as well as money—in ways that repair the world. Mike Slaughter reminds us that if our goal is truly to see God’s kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven,” something’s clearly not working. Drawing from the chapter titles of the book, each Sunday will have a different theme.  They are as follows:

Mar 13             Missional vs. Attractional

Mar 20             Inclusive vs. Exclusive

Mar 27             Disciples vs. Decisions

Apr   3             Micro vs. Macro

Apr 10             Multiplication vs. Expansion

Apr 17             Justice vs. Mortar (Palm Sunday)

Apr 24             Courage vs. Compliance (Easter Sunday)