Carla Pratt Keyes, pastor of Ginter Park Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia preaches a sermon called “Be Who You Are” from Romans 6:1b-11. Keyes shares a conversation from a podcast by Kate Bowler in which she was discussing with theologian John Swinton “ways the church can create a more generous place of belonging for all kinds of people, particularly people who are suffering.” Swinton said, “Christians are called to be communities of friends. And, in the way that Jesus gathered a community that was diverse and pretty obviously broken, we can (and really should) do the same; it’s in these strange and vulnerable friendships that we meet Jesus today. And…this is a gift the church can give the world! – the distinctive gift of communities built on grace, not sameness.” Listen as Keyes expounds on this concept of grace and how it can help you to “be who you are.”
Manuscript available: click HERE