Defined I Week One

<p>We are coming out of a series on evangelism, where we have talked about what it means to share good news in a world that desperately needs it. And now, we are turning the question inward.</p>

<p>What defines us?</p>

<p>At Shepherds, we say: “With God’s help, we embrace and connect with all people and together experience the Love, Light, and Hope of Jesus Christ.” That is our mission statement—but over the next three weeks, we are going to ask what those words really mean. What does it look like for that mission to shape who we are, how we live, and how we show up in the world?</p>

<p>This week, in Romans 12, we begin with hope. We are a hopeful people. Not because life is always easy, and not because everything always works out the way we want, but because our hope is rooted in Jesus Christ.</p>

<p>And if we have been given that kind of hope, then we have something worth sharing.</p>

<p>So as we begin this new series, Defined, let us ask again: Who are we? What defines us? And what would it look like for the Love, Light, and Hope of Jesus Christ to truly define everything we do?</p>

<p><em>Passage: Romans 12: 11-17 CEB</em></p>