Friends, family, and neighbors,

Thank you for being here today. I want to talk about something that can feel complicated but is, at its heart, profoundly simple. We often use the word religion to describe what we’re doing here. But I want to propose a different way of looking at it.

When we read the gospels, we see a picture of Jesus. And it’s not a picture of someone creating a new religion with a list of rules and rituals. It’s a picture of someone starting a movement. This was a movement that directly challenged the organized religions of his day, questioning the systems that had forgotten their true purpose.

What was the message of this movement? It was simple and radical. It was a message of love.

  • Love your neighbor.
  • Feed the hungry.
  • Clothe the naked.
  • Shelter the homeless.
  • Show compassion to the oppressed.

This wasn’t just a suggestion; it was the core of his teaching. It wasn’t about building a new institution. It was about building a new way of living, a new way of being in the world with each other.

I know it can be easy to fall into the trap of putting Jesus on a pedestal, of praising and honoring him like he’s some far-off deity. But if we really listen to his words, that’s not what he wanted. He didn’t say, “Praise me and build monuments in my name.” He said, “Take up your cross and follow me.”

What is this cross he speaks of? It’s not a burden or a punishment. It is what makes you you. It’s your unique path, your individual struggles, your personal strengths. Look around you. Not everyone is the same. We are all different, we are all unique, and individually, we are all amazing.

But when we take up our crosses and walk together, we become something more. We become an unstoppable force. We become a community.

We have been given a promise: “Ask and it will be answered. Seek and you shall find.” Well, here we are. We are all here together. We are all neighbors. And the greatest teaching, the simplest command, is also the most profound: Love your neighbor as yourself. How much more simple could it get?

This isn’t a buffet. We don’t get to cherry-pick parts of scripture that are easy or convenient and ignore the rest. We cannot just take a verse or sentence out of the Bible and twist it to our liking. Too many people are doing this, and when they do, they lose the context of the scripture. They actually create a new story and believe it is the true story, living by a single statement and not the context from which it came.

We have to embrace the whole message of love, compassion, and action. It is okay to question. It is okay to discuss. It is okay to pray and meditate. But it is not okay to dismiss.

Let’s not get lost in the noise of religion. Let’s get back to the movement of love. Let’s go out and love our neighbors, because in doing so, we are truly following.