You well know my love for Rachel Held Evans if you’ve been here a brief moment. So, I was beyond excited to be a part of the launch team for her newest book Searching for Sunday. Her sarcastic wit and down to earth writing flows similarly in this book as her previous ones. Her raw journey through loving, leaving and finding the church is one that resonates deeply with me. As so many young adults, there have been times in my journey that I have becomes more than disillusioned with the church. But I think Rachel says it perfectly when she states that “millennials aren’t looking for a hipper Christianity, they are looking for a truer Christianity”. We don’t need coffee shops popping up in church parking lots around the country and better music. We need Jesus. We don’t need an avenue to find our “one true soul mate” and our wedding party. We need Jesus.
And we need a place to be vulnerable. Not one where we have to have it all together before entering, but one where we can freely ask questions, participate in the life of the church and live out the Gospel in the real world. I love how she says “we long for our churches to be safe places to doubt, to ask questions, and to tell the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable.” So often the church attempts to draw in millennials with cool events, good music, and tasty treats, but in reality, what’s missing is the liturgy. The tradition. And the sacraments that are so dear to the faith. Rachel goes through each the sacraments and starts each section with a reflection of one of the elements of that sacrament. For me, the sacraments are such a precious part of my journey and each one holds a unique place in my faith. I have so many questions, yet participating in the these actions remind me that while I am yet still broken, He walks beside me and asks for me to join Him in the journey, imperfections and all.
Part of why this book rang so true with me is often my own desire to cut people out of the umbrella of grace that is so freely poured out for us. Yet, “what makes the gospel offensive isn’t who it keeps out, but who it lets in.” I seldom have difficulty with seeking to serve others outside the walls of our church through mission trips, projects, etc. but where I repeated fall short is loving and serving those within. All too often I want to preserve my time for those that are “like me”. My people. The ones I want to hang out with past Sunday School or Worship. And yet, I fail to realize that each and every person who walks through the doors is just like me – a sinner saved by grace in need of His constant love & mercy. After all, “this isn’t a kingdom for the worthy, it’s a kingdom for the hungry.”
Buy it now & follow along with Rachel via the avenues below:
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Disclosure: I received this book free of charge for my honest review as a part of the launch team, however all opinions are my own based on my experience with this and her other books, as well as my own personal faith journey, and conversations with RHE.
