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A Message from Pastor Laurie
& Pastor Abby
This letter is from Pastor Abby and Pastor Laurie, appointed by the Bishop and called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. We are writing to God’s people of Aley UMC in Beavercreek, to you who have been called by God to be holy people. We write to God’s holy people who are faithful Christ-Followers; may God and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
Sound Familiar at all? It should. This is a take on how the Apostle Paul started each of his letters to the churches he started, taught, and encouraged. They are also the letters we as Christ-Followers lean on for reminders, lessons, and encouragement as we grow in faith and as the people of the church of Aley UMC. We pray you have spent some time this summer reading the Epistles of Paul, especially the ones that we as your Pastors have encouraged you to do.
We decided to write this letter to you as we wrap up the series on “Summer Mixtapes” to encourage and remind you that Paul’s words still hold great meaning to our own faith journeys and that we are not alone in this time when so many things try to pull us away from the opportunities we have to live out a deep and fulfilling life in Christ. So put on your headphones, rewind your mixtape cassette, and be reminded of the richness of God’s word.
Freedom found in Christ (Galatians)
True freedom comes not from our own efforts or rule-following but from faith in Jesus Christ. Paul’s letter to the Galatians challenged the idea that we can earn God's approval through works and instead points to the grace freely given through faith. By trusting in Christ alone, we are set free from the burdens of legalism, perfectionism, and cultural pressures that distort the Gospel. Paul encourages believers to live into that freedom with confidence, letting go of guilt and shame, and embracing a life shaped by grace, love, and spiritual transformation. God’s grace is freely offered, and it’s all we need for true freedom. God’s grace doesn’t need our help, and it can’t be legislated. Stop creating unwritten rules for God’s grace.
What are you filled with? (Ephesians)
Paul held great affection for this church, for its people. So sending them this letter was to reinforce with them their faith in God’s grace versus the law; it was filled with reminders of “what discipleship is" and how to live a life of grace, peace, and love. They were not mere words on a page but the very practices that they were to incorporate into their everyday lives as fully devoted Christ-Followers that would in turn benefit others. Paul said stay united in the spirit, not divided by the world. I’m going to say Paul taught, over and over, the importance of understanding our spiritual purpose. Are we Spirit-filled or spiritually dead? But to understand that, we have to actually understand what we are filled with?
Rejoice in the Lord always and in all things (Philippians)
This may sound like a broken record, or perhaps our mixtape is on rewind and plays over and over when it comes to Paul’s letters… he always encouraged, reminded, and answered questions—and in the case of the church in Philippi, he called them out a bit on behavior. Paul reminds them to pray, remain focused on the good things, and practice what has been modeled by Christ. We are called to grow in discipleship and to share that with others. All of this should be enough to keep us focused on our lives as disciples of Jesus Christ—if we will actually do it. These characteristics that we read and hear about over and over in our mixed tape create a mixed tape of practices that Christ showed the 1st-century church and that Paul reminded the Church in Philippi to listen to… and if reading them or memorizing them doesn’t work, then sing.
Identity in Christ, not swayed by the world (Colossians)
This letter from Paul emphasizes the deep truth that our identity is firmly rooted in Christ, not in the shifting standards and values of the world. Paul is encouraging the church in Colossae and encouraging us today to remain grounded in faith, resisting cultural pressures to define success, worth, or identity by external measures. Instead, we are called to be rooted in the teachings and presence of Jesus, whose guidance leads us to true peace, confidence, and purpose. The world offers remixes, but nothing is better than the original of Jesus Christ. We come to know what is true and of Christ by coming to know Christ more and more deeply.
Just keep growing (1 Thessalonians)
The concept of growing in Christ, to keep growing and living a life pleasing to God, was Paul's focus as he encouraged Thessalonica. But he is also addressing the idea of waiting on Jesus’ return. There is so much false teaching about this, and Paul needed them focused on growing in their purpose. Then, now, and generations in between have missed the concept of what ‘wait’ means. It does not mean stop growing in Christ, living like Christ, or loving others like Christ. ‘Wait’ is referring to the final promise, not waiting to grow and act on the grace, peace, and love that was given with a purpose. Our promise, God’s promise, has a purpose. Don’t pause your spiritual maturity or think it’s complete; dig deeper into your own heart and find the places you need to grow closer to Jesus.
Countercultural living (2 Corinthians, Philemon, Romans)
Paul encourages Philemon, and us, to live out our faith in bold countercultural ways that reflect the heart of the Gospel. Paul appeals to Philemon to see Onesimus not as a slave but as a beloved brother. Who is an “Onesimus” in your life; who do you have a hard time seeing as a beloved sibling in Christ? Paul invites us to “flip the script” and see people and situations through the lens of Christ. God's transforming love redefines relationships, power structures, and identity. Paul is urging us to rewrite the stories shaped by culture with ones grounded in grace, mercy, and justice. Countercultural living means we don’t just live for ourselves—we belong to each other. We are called to live as people whose lives reflect Jesus—not just in belief, but in action and perspective. We cannot follow Jesus and still treat people as “less than.” What is one way God is calling you to flip the script and live counterculturally?
After you have read this letter, pass it on to the people called the church of Beavercreek by living it out faithfully and fully. Here is our greeting in our own handwriting—Pastor Laurie and Pastor Abby, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
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