730 Olean Rd.
East Aurora, NY 14052

Dear Pathways Christian Fellowship family and friends, 

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08/14/2025

 

Pastor Frank Shares: 

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Last week we read a passage from Luke in which Jesus told His little flock to not be afraid because it is God’s pleasure to give them (us) the reign of God – all of creation living under the powerful influence of a loving God. Immediate access to this wonderful space is given to us by Jesus. In appreciation of this gift, we are called to expand this space to include others.

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This next week’s readings put a bit of an edge to all of this. The understanding of the reign of God into today’s world as rejecting anything that is not of God’s love, we are told, may bring about conflict.

 

Psalm 82 sets the stage by posing the question, “why does it seem that God has abandoned us?” The answer is, “because you have abandoned the principles of God.” By rejecting justice and love of everyone, it appears to God that we may no longer deserve God’s favor.

 

In Luke 12:49-56, Jesus, in unusually sharp terms, reenforces the notion that following God’s principles to install God’s reign will bring about conflict. Jesus, not mincing words, says that following Him, faithfully and truthfully to install God’s reign, will bring about conflict with those who see a different, harsher, perhaps less loving, way of following Jesus’ prescription for installing God’s reign.

 

Jesus is saying, “It’s crunch time to make a choice to be on God’s side … or not.”

 

We’ll work through the implications on Sunday. See you there.