The Gospel...

I visited CHC again after a long time. And this time, I felt differently..

Before I left, I felt that the dressing up - makeup and trendy clothes, created peer pressure for those who come to the church to dress up.
This time I felt that the church is contemporary and welcomes people who are from different backgrounds (e.g. trendy looking youths, artists, designers etc), probably it makes them feel at home, a place which they can step in.

The drama was fantastic as usual. A great setup, and touching plot.
The sermon was as usual, a three point simple one. It talked about God redeeming/blessing our finances, healing our bodies, and healing us of our shame. It brought much hope, and a part of me had this struggle within me..
The simple message surely gives much hope to the people who come with sickness, emotional issues or bad debt. God is the God of hope... And may be, sometimes, declaring such hopefulness to them, really helps to give them hope for their situation? Afterall, our God is able... So instead of adding qualifiers, e.g. "if", "but", "maybe", such bold declarations are relevant to people's situations.
And instead of something so "chim", people from all walks of life who are going thru difficult situations are able to understand the message of hope..

But another part of me wonders.. if that is missing out on the best part of the gospel?
The gospel which centrals around Jesus's redemption for us, and how we can come to God. Like the Samaritan woman at the well who...well...got to know Jesus and His rivers of living water.

2010 has been a year of going back to the basic foundations of salvation and redemption.
And really understanding grace....
Understanding a r/s with God.. the Father heart of God..
The love that He pours out into our hearts...

Wrote in my journal some time ago.. The Father surely welcomes and loves His children, to bless them... But the Father's purpose is for that deeper relationship with His children.