Sermon Tone Analysis

As a church we have been inconsistent with mentioning social issues happening around us.

Our focus is to always keep Jesus central and work toward unity.

This is has led us to be inconsistent at mentioning some things but not others, which causes confusion and hurt.

For that I wanted to own that and apologize.

I dont know have the solution right now, but my commitment to you is to work toward clarity on that reality.

With that being said, I realize the significance of the repeal of Roe v. Wade, and the realities in how it affects you, your work location, and our country as a whole.

So because of that effect, I believe the Spirit of God is leading me to offer what is hopefully shepherding in this moment…

As we have shared over the last few weeks we have begun a series called Revive Us where we as a church go before God and beg for him to do his work in us and through us.

Our messages are not set in advance like normal but instead each communicator is responsible to go before the Lord and beg him to give us a word from the Scriptures for us each week.

This last week on Tuesday when we met I received the word fear.

Then after my message was done Friday rolls around and Roe v Wade decision was repealed.

And many of us experienced it differently, you might have celebrated, not known what to think, wondered what effects this will have, or experienced fear.

Probably a mixed bag of them.

I have no desire to make false equivalence saying that my emotional experience and the things I’m afraid of are on the same playing field as you.

Just to say that for many of us these various emotions rose up.

For me I experienced a mixed bag, afraid of not knowing how to shepherd in this moment.

Afraid of what this would do for each of you who desire to be a faithful Gospel Witness in your break rooms, afraid of the further divisions within our nation and local churches across the country.

That’s me, Danny Conner.

Ever since watching the social dilemma I have been off social media since I discovered how unhelpful it is to my emotional and spiritual life.

So I scrolled on the hub and read comments on some the articles that were posted, and I read post after post messages of women who were expressing deep fear over this ruling, and I know this is not an isolated fear reserved for WDW internal systems but many women across this nation.

I can only imagine what some of your particular fears might be….

Fears of going into the workplace where people know you are a Christian and not knowing how to respond or how to be truly helpful in all this.

I think it is important and helpful that we acknowledge that in one another.

Whether we agree with one another on the issue of abortion or any other, whether we believe the fear is valid or not, but that we can empathize with where each of us are at emotionally.

Because when we do that we don’t limit another human being crafted in the image of God to an “other” but we say simply I see you.

My hope is that whatever emotions you are experiencing that this would be a safe community for you to unpack them and be pointed ever nearer to Jesus, to grow in his mindset, shaped by his worldview, and transformed more and more into his image.

When we do this, when we demonstrate love for one another we are walking on holy ground.

Because God cares greatly about the person you consider to be your enemy.

Because he cares about every single one who bears his image.

As believers we are called to hold the Scriptures as authoritative in our lives, over our wisdom or the wisdom of the world around us.

In the Scriptures we discover that what is laid out is the reality that inside the womb of a mother, God is active in his role of creator, knitting a child together.

That ever unborn child’s life has inherent value, dignity and worth.

Just as ever human of every ethnicity, every generation, every social class, every disability, every worldview, belief system, self identification, and political stance.

That if you are the type of animal species known as homosapien and you are still breathing your life has value.

Not based on performance or what you can do to the economy but because God created you.

The church is not always consistent in its care for each subdivision of the human family.

This is not because the organizational structure needs a remodel but because the church is filled with sinful imperfect humans like me and maybe you too, who are inconsistent, fearful, and hurting.

Yet the church is meant to be a beacon of hope to the world.

This is why for 2000 years at its best the church has advocated for the dignity of every human life.

Including the unborn, mothers, the marginalized and the oppressed.

Mosaic is also an imperfect church but standing on this history this is why we partner to care for the unborn and pregnant women through our two partnerships with Christian crisis pregnancy centers (Choices Women’s Clinic and Life's Choices Women's Clinic of Lake County) where the focus is not on convincing women who are pregnant of anything other than to support, care, inform, offering parenting courses, mentoring, healthcare assistance and more.

But remember we are called to honor the dignity of every human life which is why we partner in spaces of human trafficking, poverty alleviation, and fostering and adopting.

Also this is why we have resources for abortion recovery, counseling and more.

Personally know that I’m also available whether you completely disagree with what I’ve said or you are struggling, I’d love to grab coffee and do some listening.

I do believe there is a space where each of us who believe that the unborn are image bearers can see the importance and potential of this decision and it’s potential to see more image bearers enter into this world, but we cannot forget the weight and responsibility that comes with it as well to care, and demonstrate love.

My goal is not to convince you of anything other than the vital needs that have always existed but now more than ever need the church to rise up and step into.

So would you take a minute to pray and ask God what is my role in this moment?

Is God calling you to foster?

Adopt?

Babysit?

And how can we continue to be Gospel witnesses at WDW? Let’s pray

1 | How have I experienced the tension?

Tonight we are talking about fear.

As we began this series I have mentioned how I have been afraid of what God would do through this series.

The heart of desperation.

The willingness to say “Lord have your way”

That is scary!

Then last week, I just got out of meeting up with a friend and got the kind of text message that any parent dreads getting.

I will cut out the drama slightly by just saying everyone is now okay.

But Ali texts me saying “get home now!” “Abi fell”

I tried calling and texting but no response to find out more details.

Abi falls all the time, so its not like Abi just fumbled over her feet for the first time and Ali wanted me to come home to celebrate the occasion.

So I get in my car and drive as fast as safely possible to get home.

Abi is crying attached to a stretcher.

And the ambulance immediately comes to me and says “Dad here is exactly what happened” “she is doing well.”

“Taking her in to run tests out of an abundance of caution.

Everything ended up being okay.

But in that 11 minute drive home, I was preparing myself for anything.

Talking with God.

I felt utterly helpless and dependent.

What I felt was terror.

Genuine fear.

A few days later I am sitting in our weekly staff prayer space and I am once again afraid because I don’t want to miss what the Spirit might be trying to tell me for this message.

That was when I felt his direction in one word.

Fear.

2 | How have you experienced this tension?

We all experience fear differently.

Maybe you experience fear and you punch it right in the face, you are the kind of person who jumps out of airplanes because it is scary.

Or maybe you experience fear and it can leave you incapacitated.

Zero judgment on however you experience fear.

Or even whatever you are afraid of.

I recently read something that was super helpful to know about fear… we fear because we love.

Out of our love for people, we fear their deaths, rejection, safety, and more.

Out of our love for doing what we want when we want we fear commitment

Out of our love for security we fear financial hardship.

Out of our love for our lives and purpose we fear change or losing our job

The point is there are infinite amount of things we fear because in this world that is not secure, where the sands are ever shifting we have an infinite numbers of things that we also love.

So when the things we love can be lost or jeopardized.

Our response is fear.

Much that we fear is legit.

If you are being chased down by a bear, you should be afraid.

Much that we fear is unlikely to ever come to pass.

But as I was praying over this message I felt the Spirit of God leading me to fear.

Because culture is shifting on both the left and the right.

And whichever side you might land on politically I would hope you could see with clarity that neither side is perfectly aligned with Jesus and His desires for this world.

And for those of us who follow Jesus, when you sense cultural movements are not in line with the Scriptures, there can be tension, difficulty….

Fear.

How do I love well in this space?

How do I listen, care for, and respect people who have radically different thoughts and beliefs than me?

3 | What do the Scriptures say about this tension?