Bridgebuilders: Shalom in the City // Rev. Matt Kennedy // May 31 2026

Divided. Isolated. Fractured. Atomized. These are the words we often hear used to describe our current cultural moment. There is discontent and a hurt in the world that creates estrangement, injustice, and violence (we call it sin). Yet in the face of these forces, God's people have been called to be peacemakers, rebuilders, and repairers (Isaiah 58:6-12). That's a huge task! What power makes it possible? For the Christian, we believe it comes from the hope of the gospel. When human beings are reconciled to God, reconciliation among people often seems to follow.This week we begin a new sermon series on the public witness of the church: the work we're called to do on behalf of our neighbors at the intersections of evangelism, compassion, and justice. We begin by examining the biblical definition of peace: something more than the absence of violence, but the presence of a hope and a future that pulls us towards a flourishing life. In one of the more radical examples of this work, we'll turn to the prophet Jeremiah and his commendation to exiles living in Babylon to, "seek the peace of the city..." (Jeremiah 29:4-7, 11). In the simple acts of living with hope (like planting gardens or raising children) we make peace even for our neighbors most estranged from God and us!