People once saw their personal identity in relationship to the Creator, who assigned to them their creaturely identity: male or female. The new way of seeing reality did away with God’s relevance and authority to name/identify us; we were left to ourselves to define ourselves. How can we do so? Without referencing the Creator above, humans decided to turn to our desires within.

For the past several years, the PCA has been embroiled in debates about, studies of, and Overtures concerning a whole array of issues surrounding human sexuality. That's hardly unusual for ecclesiastical communions these days. After all, these are difficult and contentious matters, and our perspectives are often shaped by personal experiences and backgrounds as varied as the creatures in the sea - and sometimes just as frightening. Such debate and dissension can be an understandably wearying process to go through. That's aggravated by the fact that we are by nature an impatient people, made even more so by the speed of technology. We stand in front of microwaves muttering, "C'mon already."

The Overture addresses the Biblical mandate for all of our Deacons and Elders to be above reproach in sexual holiness, not only in their own personal conduct but also in their teaching and public declarations concerning the Church's doctrine on sexuality.

Our approach to sexuality originates in God's good creation of all things and in his redemption of the world from our fall into sin, joining believers by the Spirit to his Son. Referring to creation, Jesus taught that sexual union is a gift between men and women in a life-long covenant marriage bond protecting wives from abandonment and improper divorce by unfaithful husbands. He upheld the Law as well, highlighting and emphasizing not only the necessity of our external conformity to it but also our need for cleansing from every internal disordered desire which does not submit to it (see Matthew 5-7 and 19).

Though we don’t have all the answers, the AMR is working on a way ahead for a peaceful and yet disruptive witness in our fragmenting society, ready to partner with and learn from other Christians who are also working on the needed paths for the Church to be faithfully present and effective in its mission

Neither the individual Christian nor the elected official - whether a Christian or otherwise - can go on using prayer as a cover for inaction. We must all start working for a safer society. It’s time to stop excusing our lack of progress in reducing mass shootings and work on creating and implementing the solutions that will foster a safer society for all. With the first responders, medical personnel, police, and all who in every way work to preserve life, let’s get on with the good work that needs to be done.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made, woven together by God’s hand in the wombs of our mothers. He knows of what and for what we are made. We are “a little lower than the angels,” but God knows we are ‘of the earth, earthly.’ God knows we are dust. Do we?

With Palm Sunday-Good Friday-Easter observations only a couple of weeks away, and knowing that many people will be looking for some focused reading during that week to aid their understanding and growth in grace, I thought I’d mention some brief books - and a couple of longer ones - that are certain to take us deeper in our devotion to Jesus.

Peter writes that we are ‘strangers and aliens’, and we do well to remember this. As with Abraham, we must always be seeking the City that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God (1 Peter 2; Hebrews 11). When we conflate the Kingdom of God with the politics and/or civic culture of a particular nation or empire, we inevitably undermine the credibility of the Faith.

One of the common misconceptions that plague our hearts from time to time is the thought that what we are doing is insignificant because it’s regarded as small. We’d love to do something ‘great’, whatever that might be, and tend to imagine that the little things we do won’t really accomplish anything of worth.

One of the reasons I’ve always been so moved by the Bible’s accounts of God calling people is because in each lies remarkable and beautiful truth about God, his saving mission, and ourselves. “Abram!”, “Moses!”, “Samuel”, God’s summons to Ezekiel, “Son of man!”, “Hail favored one!”, or “Saul, Saul!” in some way tells us about how ‘the word of the Lord came’ from God, about sovereign, saving mercy, how we are called into communion with him, the purpose for which he’s summoning us, and the strength he will give us to carry out his will.

This is our call to the word of God, to ultimate reality, to Gospel Sanity. If we try to live according to whatever is happening around us - even if it is good! - we will fail to deal with the root of reality. Then, when the evil day comes, having already established that we live not according to God’s word, but according to the culture we see, we will capitulate to the prevailing winds and surrender our souls.

Let’s recover the tremendous opportunity of singleness in the plan of God. In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul notes that singles in the church have a great opportunity to serve Christ in ways that the married do not. Let’s also make sure that those who are unmarried in the church experience warmth of a loving Christian community and are as welcome in fellowship and ministry as those who are married.

I’d like to invite you to read through Jeremiah with me this month. Each week I’ll note some prominent points of interest which we can then explore more deeply on our own.

Keep a pen and highlighter handy as you read through Jeremiah. These are words to let sink down deep into your soul and renew your mind, assure your heart, and strengthen your faith.

SRC has consistently sought to care for the most marginalized and vulnerable, especially moms and newborns. We will not only continue this work but also seek to strengthen that service in every way we can. Jesus sought to protect women from their abusers, moving toward the vulnerable with compassion and kindness, and we will seek to follow him in that good work.

General Assembly is a demanding week for all, but it is certainly worth the effort. It reveals the PCA at its best and worst, and occasionally at its most hilariously Presbyterian: holding a vote on using the voting devices and using the voting devices for the vote is peak Presbyterian Assembly silliness. We can laugh at ourselves. We can also weep, lament, repent, and commit in fresh ways to the work ahead. Churches should make every provision possible to send a full delegation to the General Assembly, and I hope we will see that happen. Grace, Grace!