The Gospel of Sardis

Gospel is a fancy word for truth. In the Christian faith, gospel takes its form in story. We’re familiar with the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Some of us may even be familiar with apocryphal (additional) gospels like Thomas. But too often, we fail to recognize the most important gospels: our own stories of truth!

The stories in our sacred texts reflect communities of faith seeking to make sense of the life of Jesus. Something about him was true. Somehow, someway, Jesus made God more accessible, more present, and more realized in everyday, relational encounters – we often call them kin-dom moments. No, we weren’t firsthand witnesses to that first supper, or to the feeding of the multitudes, or to the healing miracles. But we have known tables. And we have been fed. And we have found healing. God is true and present in our own lives. Our gospel, the Gospel of Sardis, speaks a powerful truth. Perhaps the Advent season is the perfect time for us to speak and hear our truth anew.

Each Sunday, our own Sardis members will share their personal stories of hope, peace, love and joy. We’ll also use Advent Calendars to help us follow along. And our meetinghouse, with Chrismon tree as the centerpiece, will provide visual aids to tell the story of growth and expectancy in our community.

Good stories always start with hope! As we prepare to welcome the Christchild, it’s important to remember that we are in the process of becoming. YHWH, the name of our God, means “I am who I will be.” God has created each of us, just as we are, in order that we might become who we will be. Hope reminds us that God is present and inbreaking; we are moving toward God, and God toward us. Hope helps us believe that ours is a story worth telling!

Hope leads to peace. Peace is less about the absence of conflict, and more about the access of space. When we hope, we become more aware of the peaceful spaces God provides, and we gain confidence in the expression of our gifts. If hope allows us to conceive of the story, perhaps peace allows us the stillness and purpose to compose it. Peace. Be still. And know that I am God. And know that I’ve got you!

Dreamers hope. Stories take form in peaceful spaces. Spoken stories bring joy. Joy that we are not alone. Joy that we can find the divine in our ordinary activities, too. Joy that God is invested in our world. Joy that we play a part in making God’s world a reality.

We hope for a story. We find peace of mind to tell it. We experience joy in its telling. Joy provokes us to love. In telling of God’s love, we experience God’s love for ourselves. The spirit stirs us to share that love with others.

The season is here, Sardis. We’ve got a gospel full of hope, peace, joy, and love. Won’t you come and speak, “Truth!” with us?