Sermon OTM - Matthew 6:16-18

This week I met with Harry Robinson – a few of you may know himHe is a man of God and a visionary, and for awhile we worked together- he is also someone I love and respect• during our long, rambling conversation, Harry said something that woke me up• he said, “I’ve been finding beauty lately–everywhere”- it seems I need to be awakened to beauty• friends do this for me – though they don’t always know it◦ maybe, I’ve been trudging through too much muck, concerned with◦ the condition of our nation and disappointed with obnoxious Christians• but since our meeting on Tuesday, I’ve been seeing more beautyI’ll tell you why we begin with beauty todayBecause Jesus has been warning us away from behavior- we could describe as “ugly religion,”• and it has been spreading through our culture in recent years◦ it’s always been here: people who enjoy heated arguments◦ who assume it’s their job to pronounce judgments,◦ who will always act like they’re more righteous than others• it’s possible you’ve seen your share of ugly religion