Sardis: The Walking Dead

A few years ago, one of the biggest shows in the world was The Walking Dead. Have you ever watched it? If not, it’s about a group of people surviving a Zombie Apocalypse. They call the zombies, “the walking dead,” i.e., “walkers” for short. I used to be really into it. At my former church in North Carolina, we basically had a Walking Dead CG. We would gather most Sunday nights for a watch party then sit around and discuss theories after the episode.

Over the past few years its popularity has waned, but when they weren't fighting the undead, it explored interesting topics of consciousness. What actually makes someone alive? In the early seasons they struggled with taking down these undead creatures because they wondered if there was any humanity left. Admittedly, as the seasons went on, the philosophical issues of consciousness went to the wayside for the more entertaining walker slaying.

Tomorrow we look at a church in Sardis. Jesus sees them, not as a living vibrant church, but as the walking dead. There is some appearance of life, but inside they are dead as it comes. I think the church in Sardis is helpful because Jesus does an autopsy on what it means for us to be spiritually dead inside. Which is really helpful as we examine both our church and ourselves. Then Jesus tells us about the wonderful doctrine of eternal security. You may have heard it phrased "Once saved, always saved." If you've wondered what that means or if you've struggled with whether you're actually a Christian, tomorrow will be beneficial.

One last piece of information you need to know. Tomorrow they are closing down most of Centre Street for a big block party in JP. It should be a great time, and Arborway will be out there having fun after service. This means there is no parking on Centre Street. If you drive to church you'll need to park on one of the side streets. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I hope you'll still join us for church tomorrow. My family will probably be taking the T. More information here.